MLB Player News

Mejia was designated for assignment by the Angels on Tuesday, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Mejia made 35 major-league appearances with the Twins, Cardinals and Angels in 2019, but he struggled with a 6.61 ERA and 1.72 WHIP. The southpaw has reached the majors in each of the past four seasons, but he has failed to make much of an impact in limited action.

German received an 81-game suspension Thursday for violating the Joint MLB-MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy, Hannah Keyser of Yahoo Sports reports.

German missed the end of the 2019 season while the league investigated the allegations against him, and his lengthy suspension was handed down Thursday. The suspension is retroactive to September, so the right-hander will miss the first 63 games of the 2020 campaign in addition to all of spring training. He'll be first eligible to pitch June 5 against the Rays.

Hill (elbow) signed with the Twins on Tuesday.

Hill will make $3 million on a one-year deal, with the potential for an additional $9.5 million in performance bonuses, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. The veteran lefty, who will turn 40 prior to Opening Day, underwent elbow surgery in late October and won't be ready to pitch until June or July, but the Twins have good reason to believe that he'll be a valuable member of the rotation down the stretch. While he hasn't made more than 25 starts in a season since 2007, his performances have remained quite strong, as he finished the 2019 campaign with a 2.45 ERA and a 29.8 percent strikeout rate in 13 starts for the Dodgers.

Keuchel agreed to a contract with the White Sox on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

It's a heavy contrast to last season, when Keuchel didn't reach a deal until signing with the Braves in June. The veteran left-hander posted a 3.75 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 91:39 K:BB over 112.2 innings across 19 starts with Atlanta, which are similar to his numbers from the 2018 season. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, it's a three-year deal worth $55.5 million that includes a vesting option for a fourth year worth an additional $18.5 million.

Ramirez signed a minor-league contract with Los Angeles on Friday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Ramirez pitched in 22 games a season ago across stops with Cleveland and the Blue Jays, posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.64 WHIP with a 24:15 K:BB over 25 innings of relief work. He'll be tasked with earning a spot on the big-league roster during spring training, though even if he begins the year in Triple-A, he could surface in the majors at some point during the season.

Teheran signed a one-year, $9 million contract with the Angels on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Teheran's option wasn't picked up by the Braves after he posted a 3.81 ERA with a 162:83 K:BB over 33 starts in 2019, although his 4.65 FIP tells a slightly different story. The right-hander still has time to develop as he enters his age-29 season, and he could carve out a significant role in the Angels' rotation after topping 30 starts in each of the past seven seasons.

Chiang signed a one-year, minor-league contract with the Tigers on Wednesday.

Chiang's deal includes an invitation to big-league spring training, though the Tigers are most likely viewing him as a candidate to slot into the rotation at Triple-A Toledo. The 26-year-old spent the entire 2019 campaign with the Indians' Triple-A affiliate in Columbus, submitting a 5.15 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 128 strikeouts over 131 innings.

The Indians are in agreement to trade Kluber (oblique) to the Rangers on Sunday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The trade rumors around Kluber picked up heavily this weekend, and he's now set to join Texas, though the trade is officially pending physicals. The right-hander was limited to seven games in 2019 due to forearm and oblique issues, but the Rangers are adding a two-time Cy Young Award winner who had a 2.96 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 186 games from 2013 to 2018. Kluber will earn $17.5 million next season and his $18.5 million option for 2021 will vest if he pitches 160 innings and doesn't finish the season on the injured list, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Springs signed a one-year contract with the Rangers on Friday.

Springs was sent to the open market after being non-tendered at the beginning of December, but he's since been brought back to the Rangers. He'll likely handle mid-to-low leverage innings after struggling to a 6.40 ERA and 1.89 WHIP with a 32:23 K:BB over 32.1 frames a year ago.

McCullers and the Astros avoided arbitration Friday by agreeing to a one-year, $4.1 million contract, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

McCullers will make the same money he made last season, a year he spent recovering from Tommy John surgery. He should factor into the Astros' rotation plans this season, though he's never started more than 22 games in a season and is unlikely to record his highest-ever innings total in his first year back from a major injury.