MLB Player News

Snell's anticipated move from Tampa Bay to San Diego was confirmed Tuesday.

The trade, which sends Luis Patino, Francisco Mejia, Blake Hunt and Cole Wilcox the other way, was originally announced Sunday but was pending medical review. With that process having been completed, Snell can now head to his new home in the NL West. The 28-year-old lefty has seen his ERA jump around from 1.89 to 4.29 to 3.24 over the past three years, but his strikeout and walk rates have remained very consistent. The former sat in a narrow band between 31.0 and 33.3 percent over that stretch, while the latter sat between 8.9 and 9.1 percent. Snell looks set to remain one of the top starters in the game as a Padre.

Davies has been traded to Cubs along with four prospects in exchange for Yu Darvish and Victor Caratini, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Davies is coming off a solid year in which he logged a 2.73 ERA and 1.07 WHIP across 69.1 innings for the Padres. With Darvish headed to San Diego, and southpaws Jon Lester and Jose Quintana currently testing free agency, the Cubs are likely hoping that Davies can slot in near the top of their rotation alongside Kyle Hendricks in 2021.

Darvish has been traded to the Padres along with Victor Caratini in exchange for Zach Davies, Reginald Preciado, Owen Caissie, Yeison Santana and Ismael Mena, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.

Darvish is coming off a very strong season in which he went 8-3 while posting a 2.01 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 93:14 K:BB across 76 innings for the Cubs. He now heads west to join a Padres team that continues to focus on bolstering its starting pitching staff. The right-hander will settle in alongside Blake Snell, who was acquired from the Rays on Sunday, atop the Padres rotation.

Syndergaard (elbow) agreed to a one-year, $9.7 million contract with the Mets on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The dollar amount is the same Syndergaard was scheduled to make in 2020 before salaries were slashed due to the shortened schedule. It's no surprise to see him not get a raise, as he missed the entirety of the campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery in March. The righty is reportedly progressing well in his recovery, though a typical return timeline would keep him on the shelf until at least late in the first half of the upcoming season.

DeSclafani signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Giants on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

DeSclafani should land a spot in the Giants' rotation in 2021 after spending the past five seasons in Cincinnati. The right-hander struggled last season, posting a 7.22 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over 33.2 innings, and he wasn't included on the Reds' roster for the NL Wild Card Series. DeSclafani has been effective as a starter in past seasons, and he'll attempt to return to form in San Francisco.

Manager Luis Rojas said Wednesday that Syndergaard (elbow) is "on schedule or maybe a little bit ahead of schedule" in his recovery process, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Syndergaard began mound work in November after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late March. He's received positive reports regarding his recovery process so far, although Rojas said that it'd be a bit of a long shot for him to be ready by Opening Day. However, he said the right-hander could potentially return to action sometime late in the first half of the 2021 season.

Eickhoff signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Tuesday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The 30-year-old righty will earn $1.25 million if he makes the big-league roster and could earn up to $2 million with incentives. He was very briefly on the Padres' big-league roster last season but didn't get into a game on his lone day on the squad. His 4.15 ERA in 440 career major-league innings is perfectly respectable, though he owns a 5.07 ERA since the start of 2017.

Strasburg (hand) has resumed throwing and is expected to be ready for spring training, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

It's been a roller coaster pair of seasons for Strasburg, who signed a seven-year, $245 million contract after his strong (and finally fully healthy) 2019 campaign helped the Nationals to a World Series win but followed it up with a very disappointing showing in 2020. He made just two ineffective starts before being shut down due to carpal tunnel neuritis and eventually underwent surgery in late August. While it's certainly encouraging to hear that the Nationals are confident in his readiness for the 2021 season, his long injury history means the team has plenty of reason to be cautious should he suffer any setbacks.

Mikolas (forearm) is expected to begin spring training on a normal schedule, Brendan Schaeffer of KMOV News reports.

The 32-year-old underwent surgery on his right flexor tendon in late July and missed the entirety of the 2020 campaign, but it shouldn't impact his status entering next season. Mikolas had a 4.16 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 144:32 K:BB over 184 innings during 2019, and he's expected to begin 2021 as a member of the starting rotation.

Taillon (elbow) signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Pirates on Wednesday to avoid arbitration, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

The 29-year-old sat out the entirety of the 2020 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery, so he agreed to the same $2.25 million figure from last year. Taillon underwent the procedure in August 2019 and was throwing live batting practice during the 2020 campaign, so he should be ready for the start of spring training in February. His last full season came in 2018, when he posted a 3.20 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 179:46 K:BB over 191 innings.