MLB Player News

Irvin's contract was selected by the Nationals on Tuesday.

In his first season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2020, Irvin spent most of 2022 in Double-A Harrisburg, where he put up a 4.79 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 73.1 innings. He still has work to do, but there's a chance the 25-year-old righty could work his way onto the big-league roster within the next couple of seasons.

Rutledge was added to the Nationals' 40-man roster Tuesday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

At his very best, the No. 17 overall pick from the 2019 draft looks completely dominant, but injuries and poor control have really limited Rutledge's development. He made 20 starts last season at Single-A as a 23-year-old -- a level at which he made six starts in 2019 -- so if anything Rutledge has regressed in recent years. Given his lack of refinement or upper-level experience, it may make sense to eventually develop the 6-foot-8 righty as a reliever.

Vines was added to Atlanta's 40-man roster Tuesday.

Vines is one of the more underrated pitching prospects in the upper levels of the minors. The 24-year-old righty had a 3.95 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 21.8 K-BB% in 20 starts at Double-A and made seven appearances at Triple-A to close out 2022. He needs to refine his command and control in order to get a look in Atlanta's rotation at some point next summer.

Urena agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Rockies on Friday, which includes a club option for 2024, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

The veteran right-hander began 2022 in a relief role for the Brewers but was let go in May and joined the Rockies. He worked as a starter in Colorado and had a 5.14 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 60:38 K:BB across 89.1 innings.

Kershaw agreed to a one-year, $20 million contract with the Dodgers on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Kershaw inked a $17 million deal for 2022 in the spring and will now be back with the Dodgers for a 16th season. The 34-year-old was limited to 22 starts but was lights out when available with a 2.28 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 137:23 K:BB across 126.1 frames. Kershaw shouldn't be expected to make 30 starts or approach 200 innings at this point in his career, but he should continue to be an effective rotation piece again in 2023.

The Mets exercised Carrasco's $14 million club option for 2023 on Thursday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Carrasco produced a 3.97 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 152:41 K:BB across 152 innings for New York in 2022, leading the organization to pick up his option for next year. The veteran right-hander will provide some stability for the Mets' rotation with Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker and Chris Bassitt entering free agency.

Allard was traded from Texas to Atlanta on Wednesday in exchange for Jake Odorizzi and cash considerations.

Allard made his big-league debut for Atlanta in 2018 before he was traded to Texas, and he'll now rejoin his former team. The left-hander appeared in 10 games out of the bullpen for the Rangers last year and had a 7.29 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB across 21 innings. He also worked as a starter at Triple-A and had a 4.65 ERA over 89 frames (20 starts).

The Phillies exercised Nola's $16 million team option for 2023 on Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Nola has held up to his end of the bargain and then some since signing a four-year, $45 million extension with the Phillies in March 2019, with the 16.1 WAR he's accumulated over that four-season stretch placing him sixth among all MLB pitchers. The 29-year-old right-hander will once again be back with the Phillies at a team-friendly rate in 2023 before he hits free agency for the first time next winter. The Phillies could look to negotiate with Nola on a long-term deal in the months to come to ensure he doesn't make it to the open market next offseason.

Wheeler pitched 5.1 innings and took the loss during Saturday's 4-1 defeat to the Astros in Game 6 of the World Series, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out five.

Wheeler was locked in Saturday night, keeping the potent Houston offense scoreless until his final inning. The 32-year-old was pulled from the game in the sixth inning after a hit-by-pitch, a groundout and a single, leaving it up to Jose Alvarado to work out of the jam. Unfortunately, Alvarado surrendered a three-run home run to Yordan Alvarez, giving the Astros a 3-1 lead and putting Wheeler in position to take his second loss of the World Series. Wheeler finished the playoffs with a 1-3 record and a 2.78 ERA across 35.2 innings in what was the first postseason of his nine-year career.

Syndergaard pitched three innings and took the loss during Thursday's 3-2 defeat to the Astros in Game 5 of the World Series, allowing two runs on three hits and zero walks while striking out four.

Syndergaard got off to a tough start in Game 5, allowing a leadoff double to Jose Altuve and an RBI single to Jeremy Pena. Although he was able to limit the damage to one run in the first inning, the Astros jumped ahead with a solo shot from Pena in the fourth inning, knocking Syndergaard from the game. The 30-year-old has a modest 3.33 ERA across 8.1 innings in the postseason with eight Ks.