MLB Player News

Major League Baseball has determined that Darvish had no involvement in his brother's gambling operation in Japan, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Evidently it took the commissioner's office only a few days to gather enough information to clear Darvish. With that out of the way, Darvish can focus exclusively on his recovery from Tommy John surgery. General manager Jon Daniels said earlier this week that Darvish remains on schedule and could make it back as early as mid-May. Darvish resumed throwing from 60 feet earlier in January.

Major League Baseball will look into the recent gambling arrest of Darvish's brother, Sho Darvish, in Japan, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reports.

The allegations against Sho Darvish including running an illegal gambling ring that took bets on both MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball, but Darvish denies any involvement in his brother's gambling activities. MLB, meanwhile, is saying that its investigation into Darvish is just "due diligence." As far as Darvish's recovery from Tommy John surgery goes, Rangers pitching coach Doug Brocail expressed optimism Wednesday, telling the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "[Darvish] is a little further along than I thought he was going to be."

Eovaldi agreed to a one-year, $5.6 million deal with the Yankees on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The hard-throwing righty is coming off the best season of his career, going 14-3 in 27 starts. His ERA was somewhat underwhelming at 4.20, but his FIP of 3.42 suggests that he ran into some tough luck over the course of the season. He'll rejoin the Yankees on a one-year deal and figures to be a back of the rotation starter yet again.

Keuchel agreed to a one-year, $7.25 million contract with the Astros on Friday, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Keuchel drastically improved his numbers between the 2013 and 2014 seasons, and his success continued into last season as well. The 27-year-old finished the campaign with a 2.48 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 216 strikeouts over 232 innings, earning him a nice paycheck in his first year of arbitration. He should slot in atop the Astros' rotation once again in 2016.

Milone agreed to a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Twins on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.

Milone posted a promising season for the Twins in 2015, finishing with a 3.92 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, that leaves him in contention for a starting spot in the rotation again in 2016. While the 28-year-old can't consistently touch the 90's with his fastball, he still managed to strike out 91 batters over 129.2 innings and did up his average fastball velocity approximately 1.2 MPH over the previous season. While he may not have the best stuff on the staff, the 28-year-old does have the distinct advantage of being the only southpaw among those contending for a spot in the back end of the rotation, giving him a legitimate shot at staying on the big league roster once again.

Cobb agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with the Rays on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.

Cobb attempted to pitch through a partial UCL tear in his pitching elbow last season before ultimately opting to undergo Tommy John surgery in May. He'll likely miss a large portion of the first half of the season in order to continue rehabbing his elbow before returning to the mound.

Bundy (shoulder) is playing catch from 150 at Baltimore's minicamp and could return to the mound in the near future, MASN Sports reports.

Bundy's health will be monitored closely this spring and manager Buck Showalter showed confidence that his arm is fine. "Turn him loose. Governors are off. Binders are off. However you want to put it," Showalter said. Given that he is throwing now, Bundy should be on a mound by the time spring training begins.

Alvarez agreed to a one-year, $4.25 million contract with the A's on Friday, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports. He can earn an additional $1.6 million if he hits his incentives for games started.

It's a one-year deal but the A's can control Alvarez, who was non-tendered by the Marlins, through 2017 if they are willing to go to arbitration with him next winter. Shoulder troubles plagued the right-hander's final season with Miami, limiting him to just 22.1 innings with the big club, and surgery was ultimately deemed necessary to repair a torn right labrum. His rehab is expected to push into the first month of the regular season, but Alvarez should slot into the rotation immediately once healthy.

Copeland signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Copeland made a handful of appearances with the Blue Jays in 2015, posting a 6.46 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over five appearances (three starts). He'll have an opportunity to earn a spot on the major league roster during spring training, but he's unlikely to earn enough opportunities at the major league level to become fantasy relevant.

Coleman signed a one-year minor league contract with the Mariners on Thursday, Bob Dutton of the News Tribune reports.

Coleman spent the 2015 season at Triple-A Omaha in the Royals' organization, posting a 4.92 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 41 walks over 82.1 innings of work. He did not receive an invite to the Mariners' spring training and will likely start the 2016 campaign at Triple-A Tacoma.