MLB Player News

German could be competing this spring for the fifth spot in the Yankees' rotation, Max Goodman of Sports Illustrated reports.

Deivi Garcia likely has the inside track to the final rotation spot, but manager Aaron Boone's mention of a possible competition this spring means German isn't out of the running. Given the fact that German missed the entire 2020 campaign, he would likely need to turn heads in spring training to wrest the starting spot away from Garcia, who impressed in six starts last season.

Urena (forearm) hasn't yet arrived at spring training due to travel issues, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Urena signed a one-year deal with the Tigers in December, but he'll be unavailable to begin spring training due to his travel issues. It's not yet clear when he could join the team, but he'll likely serve as a starter for Detroit once he's available. The righty made five starts for the Marlins last season, recording a 5.40 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 23.1 innings.

Montas has tested positive for COVID-19 and is not in camp to begin spring training, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Montas was dominant in 2019 but struggled last season with a 5.60 ERA and 60:23 K:BB over 53 innings. The right-hander ended the season on a high note with a 13-strikeout performance against the Mariners, but he'll be sidelined to begin spring training after manager Bob Melvin revealed Wednesday that he's dealing with COVID-19. It's not clear whether he's experiencing symptoms, and a timetable for his arrival at camp hasn't been revealed. When he's fully healthy, Montas should serve as one of the top starters for the Athletics.

The Rays acquired Springs and pitcher Chris Mazza from the Red Sox on Wednesday in exchange for catcher Ronaldo Hernandez and infielder Nick Sogard, Chris Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Both Springs and Mazza were recently designated for assignment by Boston, but the two pitchers will reclaim 40-man roster spots as they make the move to a new AL East organization. Over his 16 relief outings with Boston in 2020, Springs was blasted for 16 earned runs and five home runs across 20.1 innings, but he struck out 28.3 percent of the batters he faced and backed it with a strong 16.9 percent swinging-strike rate. He'll at least give the Rays another left-handed option out of the bullpen, though he actually owns reverse splits for his career (.355 wOBA versus righties, .381 wOBA versus lefties).

Gilbert will be given a legitimate chance to compete with Nick Margevicius and Justin Dunn for the No. 6 spot in the starting rotation during spring training, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Gilbert secured a spring training invite back in late January, and the Mariners' decision to deploy a six-man starting rotation to open the season gives him an opportunity to make the jump to the big leagues right from the start of the 2021 campaign. It's a development that arguably would have already occurred a year ago had there been a minor-league season, as the precocious right-hander breezed through three levels of affiliated ball as a first-year pro in 2019. Margevicius and Dunn naturally have the edge in big-league experience on Gilbert, but the 23-year-old had an opportunity to gain some valuable seasoning in the team's alternate training site throughout the duration of the shortened 2020 season.

Wentz (elbow) has been throwing from 120 feet, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Wentz is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, a procedure he underwent back in March of 2020. He appears to be making good progress, though a typical recovery timeline would still keep him out of game action for the first few months of the upcoming season.

Springs was designated for assignment by the Red Sox on Tuesday.

Springs has thrown 84.2 major-league innings over the last three seasons, but he hasn't done much with them, posting a 5.42 ERA and 1.70 WHIP. The fact that he's a lefty may make him slightly more interesting on the waiver wire, but he should stand a decent chance to pass through unclaimed.

Dunn will compete with Nick Margevicius and Logan Gilbert in spring training for the No. 6 role in the Mariners' starting rotation, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Dunn's solid 2020 performance is certainly a welcome addition to his nascent big-league resume, but the 25-year-old will still have to earn his spot again over the next month-plus. The right-hander mustered a 4-1 record, 4.34 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 45.2 innings over 10 starts in 2020. His unsightly 6.1 BB/9 and the nearly two home runs per nine innings he surrendered are two areas that Dunn will do well to improve, especially with Margevicius exhibiting far better numbers in those categories (3.1 and 1.3, respectively) and Gilbert considered an elite prospect.

The White Sox plan to have Kopech compete for a spot in the big-league rotation during spring training, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Kopech hasn't pitched for the White Sox since Sept. 5, 2018, as he spent the entire 2019 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, then opted out of the 2020 season for personal reasons. White Sox general manager Rick Hahn confirmed in the fall that Kopech was ready to resume his career this spring, and the White Sox seemingly have big plans for the 24-year-old, who is still regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. Morosi notes that Kopech will be subject to an innings limit in 2021, but if the right-hander is able to quickly rediscover his pre-surgery form, he could be a premium source for strikeouts on a per-start basis.

Paxton agreed to a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the Mariners on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The 32-year-old could earn up to $10 million with incentives, and he'll make his way back to the Mariners after the team traded him to the Yankees following the 2018 season. Paxton struggled in 2020 with a 6.64 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 26:7 K:BB over 20.1 innings before going down with a forearm injury. The left-hander saw his fastball velocity drop three ticks to 92.2 MPH last season, but he reached 94 MPH while throwing for scouts this offseason as he hopes for a rebound campaign in 2021.