MLB Player News

Manoah (shoulder) is expected to head into spring training as the favorite for the Blue Jays' No. 5 starter job, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi are locked into rotation jobs, but the Jays did little this offseason to add competition for the final spot. Yariel Rodriguez could eventually be a factor, but the Cuban hasn't been a regular starter in a few years after pitching out of the bullpen in Japan, and his workload will be monitored in his first North American season. That leaves Manoah fending off the likes of Bowden Francis and Mitch White for a starting spot. Despite a disastrous 2023, Manoah is just two years removed from a third-place finish in the AL Cy Young Award voting, and Toronto's counting on the 26-year-old righty to regain something close to that form. If he looks healthy and effective this spring, his draft stock could begin to creep up again.

Bubic (elbow) will throw a bullpen session this week, Jaylon T. Thompson of the Kansas City Star reports.

It will be Bubic's first time throwing off a mound since he underwent Tommy John surgery last April. The hope is that the left-hander will be ready to join the Royals' rotation sometime around the All-Star break.

The Angels have included Dana among their 27 players who have been given an invitation to participate in major-league spring training.

Dana is one of the organization's top pitching prospects after posting a 3.56 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 89:30 K:BB over 68.1 innings across 14 starts between Single-A and High-A last season. The right-handed hurler was selected by the Angels in the 11th round of the 2022 First-Year Player Draft and enters the 2024 campaign having turned 20 years old in mid-December. Dana isn't likely to see regular-season major-league action until 2025.

Houck is preparing as a starter but could be needed as a reliever if the Red Sox trade closer Kenley Jansen, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports.

Houck will begin spring training on a starter's track, but he'll be one of seven pitchers with a chance of making the rotation. Those that lose out will head to the bullpen. Boston could eventually need a new closer, as Jansen's name has popped up in trade rumors the past week, and Houck gained experience in that role in 2022. The right-hander would prefer to start though, and he used the offseason to improve his arsenal by adding horizontal break to his slider, get more action on his sinker and tinker with his splitter, a pitch he threw only 11 percent of the time last year. In 21 starts last season, Houck went 6-10 with a 5.01 ERA and career-high 1.2 HR/9 over 106 innings.

The Tigers announced Wednesday that Jobe received an invitation to major-league spring training.

Fellow top prospects Jace Jung and Ty Madden, among others, will join Jobe in big-league camp. Jobe, 21, was dominant across four minor-league levels in 2023, posting a 2.81 ERA and 84:6 K:BB over 64 innings. The young right-hander has a relatively limited track record in pro ball in part due to injury, but he could push to debut in 2024 if things break right.

Manning (foot) has had a normal offseason throwing routine and is expected to be ready for the start of spring training, MLB.com reports.

Manning sustained a fractured foot after being struck by a line drive off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton in September. The injury ended his 2023 season, though it doesn't seem like it should impact the righty in 2024. Manning finished last year with a solid 3.58 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across 78 innings (15 starts), though he struck out only 50 batters.

Brown is adding a slider to his pitch mix this offseason, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Brown had an excellent start to his rookie season in 2023 but faded down the stretch while posting a 6.57 ERA across the second half of the year. He attributed some of those struggles to fatigue, though he also served up 1.9 HR/9 to right-handed hitters. While he threw a cut-slider and also experimented with a sweeper, Brown is working on a traditional slider that projects to have more of a velocity gap compared to his fastball. If he incorporates that into his pitch mix effectively, he should have more success neutralizing right-handed bats.

Waldichuk (elbow) likely won't be ready for the start of the season, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Waldichuk underwent surgery in October to repair the damage done to his left UCL and flexor during his final start of 2023. Athletics general manager David Forst didn't offer a timeline for Waldichuk's return during Friday's call with reporters, so it remains unclear when the 26-year-old southpaw will be able to return to Oakland's rotation. Last year, Waldichuk put up a 5.36 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 141 innings -- his highest workload in a season since he was drafted in 2019.

Suarez will make $925,000 in 2024 after losing his arbitration case to the Angels on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Suarez had an 8.29 ERA across 33.2 innings last season and was in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The 26-year-old lefty posted a 3.86 ERA in 45 appearances (34 starts) during the 2021-22 campaigns, and he'll likely need to get back to that form to have a chance of working out of the rotation regularly in 2024.

The Athletics acquired Stripling and cash considerations from the Giants on Friday in exchange for Jonah Cox.

Stripling's one season in San Francisco was a disappointment, as he posted a 5.36 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 70:16 K:BB across 89 innings covering 11 starts and 11 relief appearances. The 34-year-old will slide into the Athletics' rotation and gets to pitch in a favorable home environment. However, Stripling doesn't pitch deep into games and that, along with a lack of support from the putrid Oakland offense, means wins figure to be hard to come by.