MLB Player News

Sanchez (collarbone) was traded to the Marlins along with Jorge Alfaro, Will Stewart and an international bonus slot in exchange for J.T. Realmuto, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Sanchez is the epitome of a high-risk/high-reward prospect, even by pitching prospect standards. He missed a good chunk of time in 2018 with elbow inflammation and throws incredibly hard -- two top predictors of Tommy John surgery. The hope was for him to make up for lost time in the Arizona Fall League, but he was instead shut down due to collarbone soreness. When fully healthy, Sanchez exhibits frontline upside, with a chance for three plus or better pitches (his fastball could be an 80-grade monster) and plus command. If he is fully healthy in spring training, Sanchez will likely be assigned to High-A and could then quickly earn a promotion to the upper levels with a big-league ETA of 2020.

Asher agreed to a minor-league contract with the Rockies, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

The right-hander split the 2018 season between the Dodgers and Brewers organizations, logging all but two of his 24 appearances (17 starts) at the Triple-A level. While with the Brewers' Pacific Coast League affiliate at Colorado Springs, Asher posted a 6.05 ERA and 1.59 WHIP across 96.2 innings, numbers that don't portend well for him finding success at Coors Field if he should get a look with the Rockies at any point in 2019.

Lugo will be an option for the Mets' rotation in 2019, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

The suggestion, which comes from general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, contradicts comments by manager Mickey Callaway, who stated earlier in the offseason that Lugo would likely open the season in the bullpen. It remains unclear whether Lugo will truly be in consideration for a rotation spot in camp. The most probable scenario is that he'll begin in the bullpen, but Jason Vargas hardly has an ironclad hold on the team's fifth starter role, so it's not hard to envision Lugo getting a shot to start should the veteran lefty continue to struggle.

Taillon is looking forward to throwing the slider he developed last summer for an entire season in 2019.

"I think with that pitch," Taillon said, "I can take a big step forward." The 27-year-old added the slider to his arsenal in May, utilizing the pitch at an 18.2 percent clip while dropping his reliance on the fastball (64.1 percent to 57.5 percent). The righty compiled a 2.63 ERA in 133.1 innings from June 1 to season's end, registering 17 quality starts in 21 appearances. He also lowered his walks total by nearly one full batter (3.1 BB/9 to 2.2 BB/9) and maintained his strikeout rate (8.4 K/9 to 8.4 K/9). Perhaps most importantly, Taillon completed his first full season in the major leagues without incident. Pittsburgh has done little to improve upon a mediocre offense thus far in the offseason, but Taillon is a good bet to put up strong numbers once again in 2019.

Vicente signed a minor-league contract with the Pirates on Wednesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Campos struggled across multiple stops in 2018, posting a 7.04 ERA and 20:13 K:BB across 23 innings with Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Salt Lake before finishing out the season in the independent Atlantic League, where he notched a 5.64 ERA and 17:11 K:BB in 22.1 innings with the Sugar Land Skeeters. Look for the 26-year-old righty to serve as organizational pitching depth for his new team.

Lopez has fully recovered from the right shoulder strain that resulted in him finishing the 2018 season on the disabled list, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

Lopez was sidelined for the final month of the campaign with the injury, but it's possible the Marlins would have restricted his workload in September even if the injury hadn't intervened. The 22-year-old had some decent moments in his debut season and posted a 4.14 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 46:18 K:BB across 58.2 innings. He'll be given the opportunity to compete for a back-end rotation spot in spring training.

Copeland agreed to a minor-league contract with the Nationals earlier this month, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

The 31-year-old has six big-league appearances to his name, one of which came for the Mets in 2018. Copeland otherwise split time between Triple-A Las Vegas and Double-A Binghamton last season, logging a collective 3.43 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 100 strikeouts over 126 frames. He'll likely be ticketed for one of the Nationals' high-minors affiliates at the end of spring training.

Sampson signed a minor-league contract with the Giants earlier in January, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Sampson returns to North America after spending the 2018 campaign with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization, where he went 13-8 with a 4.68 ERA. He'll likely be a rotation option at Triple-A Sacramento in the San Francisco organization.

General manager Neal Huntington said Saturday that he views Lyles as "Plan A" for the fifth spot in the Pirates' rotation, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

Huntington also mentioned Steven Brault and Nick Kingham as candidates for the rotation vacancy, but Lyles looks to have the early edge on the gig heading into spring training. So long as he stays healthy during camp and performs reasonably well in Grapefruit League action, Lyles should be able to lock down the starting spot, though it wouldn't necessarily make him a viable fantasy option outside of NL-only leagues. The right-hander has proven volatile during his stints with the Astros, Rockies, Padres and Brewers over the past eight seasons, compiling a 5.28 ERA in 635.2 career innings as a starter.

Bergman signed a minor-league contract with Chicago including an invitiation to spring training, Mariners Minors reports.

Bergman was let go by the Mariners at the end of the 2018 campaign, so he'll aim for a better outcome with the Cubs. His time in the major leagues has been limited so far in his career, as he's posted a 5.59 ERA and 1.47 WHIP with 130 punchouts over 215.2 frames across stops in Colorado and Seattle.