MLB Player News

Giolito signed a two-year, $38.5 million contract with the Red Sox on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Giolito bounced around between the White Sox, Angels and Guardians last season, logging a 4.88 ERA and 1.31 WHIP across 184.1 total innings. The 29-year-old righty is capable of racking up strikeouts at an impressive rate -- he's surpassed 200 punchouts twice in the last three seasons. However, Giolito's ERA approached 5.00 in both 2022 and 2023, which makes him a risky fantasy option heading into next year.

Carrillo signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Carrillo got into two games at Double-A Harrisburg in the Nationals organization in 2023 but spent most of his season in the Mexican League. The 25-year-old was part of the Nationals' return from the Dodgers in the Trea Turner/Max Scherzer trade but has yet to advance past the Double-A level.

Bubic (elbow) signed a one-year, $2.35 million contract with the Royals on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration.

Bubic made only three starts for Kansas City last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery in late April, but he'll get a $150,000 raise entering the 2024 campaign, his second year of arbitration eligibility. The left-hander should be able to return to a major-league mound sometime near the All-Star break.

Scherzer will be sidelined until June or July after undergoing surgery Thursday to repair a herniated disc in his back, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Scherzer was limited to 152.2 innings during the regular season and just 9.2 frames in the postseason in 2023 while dealing with a shoulder/back problem. He and the Rangers attempted several conservative treatments earlier this offseason, but the pain persisted so the decision to have surgery was made. As a 39-year-old who will miss at least a couple months following a back operation, Scherzer's fantasy outlook for 2024 is dicey.

Wacha signed a two-year, $32 million contract with the Royals on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The deal includes an opt out after the first year. Kansas City has been busy lately, adding Seth Lugo and now Wacha to its rotation in addition to Hunter Renfroe to its outfield and Will Smith to its bullpen. Wacha hasn't made 30 starts in a season since 2017, but he's been very effective when healthy over the last two seasons, collecting a 3.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 228:74 K:BB over 261.2 innings.

Mize is considered fully recovered from elbow and back surgeries and will enter spring training at 100 percent, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

We last saw Mize in game action in April of 2022, as he underwent both Tommy John surgery and back surgery in the summer of that year. The right-hander has proclaimed himself "ready to go" now, though, and will attempt to show the Tigers in spring training that he should break camp as a member of their rotation. Considering Mize didn't throw an inning in 2023 and just 10.2 frames in 2022, his workload figures to be monitored closely in 2024. It's possible the Tigers could choose to ease him back into things with some starts in the minors at the beginning of next season.

Flaherty signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Tigers on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Flaherty will look to rebuild his value in the market after a couple down seasons, during which he struggled with injury and his control. Over the last two years, he's posted a 4.84 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 180.1 innings. However, if he can return to his early-career form, Flaherty would be a key peice of a promising Tigers rotation that also includes Tarik Skubal and fellow offseason addition Kenta Maeda.

Mahle (elbow) signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the Rangers on Thursday, Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Mahle underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow this past May and is likely to miss the entire first half of the 2024 season, but he'll be an intriguing rotation option for the reigning World Series champions once he returns to full health. The 29-year-old right-hander has posted a 3.90 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 424 strikeouts over his last 374 innings dating back to the beginning of the 2020 campaign. This deal with Texas will pay him $5.5 million in 2024 and $16.5 million in 2025, and he can also earn another $5 million via performance-based bonuses.

Lugo finalized an agreement with Kansas City on Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com of MLB.com reports.

It's a three-year, $45 million contract, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post, with the third year of the deal coming in the form of a $15 million player option. Lugo was connected to a wide range of teams this winter -- including the Mets, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Reds, Tigers and Atlanta -- but he has opted to join the Royals and should immediately jump to the top of their rotation depth chart. The 34-year-old right-hander worked as a full-time starter with the Padres in 2023 and registered a sharp 3.57 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 140:36 K:BB across 146.1 innings. He had a 3.56 ERA and 124:37 K:BB in 111.1 innings of relief with the Mets between 2021-22.

Lively signed a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Guardians on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old right-hander receives a major-league deal from Cleveland after collecting a 5.38 ERA and 79:25 K:BB over 88.2 innings with the Reds in 2023. Currently, there wouldn't appear to be room for Lively in the Guardians' rotation. However, it's possible a spot could open up if the club winds up trading Shane Bieber or someone else. More likely, perhaps, is that Lively operates as a long reliever or swingman.