MLB Player News

Carrasco could see around 30 innings during spring training, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old righty was experiencing arguably his best major league season in 2016 prior to breaking his hand, but he is apparently completely healthy now and ready to get back into action. That being said, the Indians seem to be taking a more cautious approach with him, as an inning limit should keep him healthy and in line to play a big part as Cleveland attempts to repeat as American League champions.

Kluber is expected to have some limits on his pitch count during the beginning of spring training, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The former Cy Young Award winner was one of the few healthy starters for Cleveland during its postseason run, which led to a heavy workload throughout the playoffs. The Indians seem content to ease Kluber into action this spring, which should hopefully allow him to hit the ground running when the regular season rolls around and continue to log a lot of innings as one of Cleveland's top starters.

Eovaldi (elbow) agreed to a one-year deal with the Rays on Sunday, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.

Eovaldi is slated to miss the entire 2017 season as he continues recovering from Tommy John surgery. He'll earn $2 million for the upcoming campaign, while the Rays have a club option for the 2018 season.

Rodon could become the ace of the staff if the White Sox trade Jose Quintana.

The Quintana watch has been on since December when the White Sox unloaded Chris Sale and Adam Eaton. If he's dealt, that opens up the No. 1 starter job for Rodon, who figures to be the choice for a young rebuilding team over guys like James Shields or Derek Holland. Rodon, the third-overall draft pick in 2014, showed some improvement last season, improving his walk rate but also permitted hits at a greater rate. If the left-hander can keep his fastball from catching too much of the plate, Rodon becomes a breakout candidate for 2017.

Boyd appears to be the early leader for the Tigers' No. 5 starter job, but he'll have to fend off some veteran challengers in spring training, The Detroit News reports.

Boyd had an up-and-down 2016 season, which isn't uncommon for young pitchers, and finished with a 6-5 record to go along with a 4.53 ERA. The Tigers like how he finished the year, however, and he seems to have the early edge on veterans Anibal Sanchez and Mike Pelfrey for the final rotation spot. All three figure to get opportunities to prove themselves in spring training.

Gray will serve as one of Team USA's designated pitchers in this year's WBC, Jane Lee of MLB.com reports.

Gray is officially on the Team USA roster, but whether he'll see any action depends on manager Jim Leyland's use of the new "designated pitcher" rule that goes into effect for this year's WBC. Each team will have the option of carying a pool of up to 10 designated pitchers, but can only place two on the active roster in each round of the tournament. With Danny Duffy and Tanner Roark already tabbed as Team USA's designated pitchers for the opening round, the earliest possible opportunity for Gray to take the mound will be in the second round, if Leyland opts to replace either Duffy or Roark at that point. While the new rule means Gray isn't guaranteed any game action, it also allows him to remain with the A's in spring training while awaiting word on whether he'll be needed.

Rodriguez (knee) will be part of Team Venezuela in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

He suffered a knee injury during winter ball, but Rodriguez's inclusion on the Venezuela roster should help ease any lingering concerns about his health heading into the spring. The lefty finished 2016 on a high note, posting a 2.89 ERA and 30:7 K:BB in five September starts, but he could be the odd man out of a rotation spot to begin the regular season. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said last month that Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright are "penciled in fourth and fifth," although there's always a chance an injury or poor performance in the spring could force a change of plans.

Hammel (elbow) signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Royals pending a physical, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

The deal also includes a mutual option for a third year. The right-hander had a passable season with the Cubs in 2016, sporting a 3.83 ERA and 15 wins by the season's end, but given Chicago's multitude of other options, he was forced to latch on with another team more in need of starting pitching. Hammel seems primed to jump right into Kansas City's rotation once his elbow is back to full strength, which could bode well for him given the strong defense that will soon lie behind him.

Gausman and the Orioles agreed Sunday to a one-year, $3.45 million contract to avoid arbitration, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

With Gausman now under contract for 2017, he'll look to potentially make the move from mid-rotation cog to staff ace following an impressive 2016 campaign. The former top prospect was able to avoid the injuries and ever-changing roles that had stagnated his development in previous seasons, submitting a 3.61 ERA and 8.72 K/9 rate while making 30 starts for the big club. A full-on breakout hasn't materialized yet, but the 26-year-old's upside makes him a quality target in fantasy drafts.

Smyly, who is penciled in as the Mariners' fourth starter, is looking to put an inconsistent 2016 season behind him, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The 27-year-old southpaw's Jekyll-and-Hyde 2016 campaign makes his 2017 prospects somewhat uncertain heading into the spring, but the Mariners will be counting on getting the version of Smyly that has shown flashes of brilliance in the past. Smyly's second and final full season in a Rays uniform was a tale of two halves, with the lefty tallying only a pair of victories against 10 losses and a 5.47 ERA prior to the All-Star break, and a 5-2 record and 4.08 ERA after the Midsummer Classic. He amassed a career-high 12 losses and 4.88 ERA while also giving up a whopping 32 homers, easily a career-worst figure. However, the Mariners saw enough potential in Smyly's past body of work, including the positive stretches of his 2016 campaign, to make the move to acquire him, with general manager Jerry Dipoto noting that the team's "greatly improved outfield defense" and the lefty's profile as fly-ball pitcher with above-average control makes him a potentially ideal fit. With respect to last season's issues, Smyly identified problems with his trademark curve as the primary culprit for his struggles, an issue that he doesn't plan on allowing to resurface on his new club. "I have to mix speeds," he said. "I'm constantly trying to get the hitter guessing. I know I can throw strikes. I know I'm not going to walk guys. But it's just commanding the ball inside the strike zone, throwing quality strikes and changing speeds and keeping the hitter off-balance, that's the biggest key to pitching."