MLB Player News

Ragans agreed to a three-year, $13.25 million contract extension with the Royals on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

In addition to covering him for the 2025 season, Ragans' new contract also buys out his first two seasons of arbitration eligibility. The 27-year-old southpaw cemented himself as one of Kansas City's top starters last season, finishing with a 3.14 ERA and 1.14 WHIP while striking out 223 batters over 186.1 innings.

Martin has been dealing with the flu over the past few days, Jeff Wilson of AllDLLS.com reports.

Martin was still able to play catch Friday, and with the Rangers' first Cactus League game still a week away, it's unlikely that his illness will cause him to miss any spring training reps. The 38-year-old righty turned in a 3.45 ERA and 1.13 WHIP across 44.1 innings with the Red Sox last season, and he has a good chance to open 2025 as the Rangers' primary closer.

Taylor (lat) was cleared to resume throwing Friday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Taylor suffered a right lat strain in late January during his offseason throwing program, but he has already been given the green light to begin his rehab. It's unclear how quickly the Mariners will try to bring him along, but the 23-year-old reliever may be able to pitch in some Cactus League games.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Friday that Thompson (elbow) has a chance to be ready in time for Opening Day, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

Thompson underwent Tommy John surgery in early March of last year, so he's less than a year removed from the operation. However, because he's a reliever, Martinez is giving him a shot to ramp up in time for the start of the season. That said, Thompson has yet to throw off a mound and might not do so until early March, so it's going to be a push to prep him for Opening Day.

Graterol (shoulder) said Friday that he's about a month away from beginning a throwing program, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Graterol underwent surgery in November to repair his labrum and a ligament in his right shoulder, and he said Friday he feels like he has "a new arm." It's difficult to get any gauge on when he might be ready to pitch until he ramps up his throwing, but the right-handed reliever is confident he can be a contributor in the second half.

Curry cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville on Friday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Marlins on Tuesday but will stick in the organization after passing through waivers unclaimed. Curry will remain in big-league camp as a non-roster invitee but is likely to open the campaign at the Triple-A level.

Patino (elbow) is throwing bullpens during the early portion of spring training, Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan reports.

Patino underwent Tommy John surgery last April and signed with San Diego on a minor-league deal Jan. 7. His first taste of big-league action came with the Padres in 2020, and he's since logged major-league action with the Rays and White Sox. Though Patino seems to be progressing in his rehab, he isn't expected to be game-ready until around the middle of the season.

The Yankees have moved Beeter to the bullpen on a permanent basis, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Beeter has primarily been a starter in the minors, but he moved to the bullpen last September at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and finished the year with two relief appearances for the Yankees. The righty has always had big stuff, but with a career 12.7 percent walk rate in the minors, a shift to relief always seemed likely. Beeter will probably begin the 2025 season at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre but could eventually be an option for the Yankees' bullpen. The 26-year-old is a little behind at the start of camp due to a shoulder issue that dates back to last season, but he has been throwing off a mound.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Friday that Stratton (knee) still needs to show he can go through running and pitchers' fielding practice before he can be considered part of the competition for a bullpen spot, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Stratton suffered a ruptured patella tendon in his left knee last August, but his recovery has come along well and he just has a couple boxes left to check. The righty held a 3.58 ERA and 33:7 K:BB across 37.2 frames last season before getting hurt and is in camp as a non-roster invitee.

Agnos has an outside shot of winning a spot in the big-league bullpen this spring, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The Rockies have no shortage of high-end relief pitching prospects, with Seth Halvorsen and Jaden Hill impressing in the big leagues late last season, but Agnos is right up there with them from a stuff standpoint. He boasts a four-seam fastball that can reach the upper-90s, a low-90s cutter, a slider and a splitter, and he saved 44 games in the minors over the past two seasons. The 24-year-old righty logged a 1.95 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 27.2 innings at Double-A Hartford last year. Halvorsen is the Rockies reliever drawing the most attention in early fantasy drafts, but there is a path for Agnos to be the team's closer by the end of 2025.