MLB Player News

Pirates GM Neal Huntington confirmed that Cole (elbow) began his regular offseason throwing program in December. "Best news we can give is that it's been a normal offseason," Huntington told DK Pittsburgh Sports. "We're looking forward to him coming into spring training with a normal baseball offseason under his belt and ready to come out and be Gerrit Cole."

Cole injured his rib cage prior to spring training in 2016 and never pitched to his capabilities. He allowed 10.16 H/9 last summer, an increase over his career mark of 8.54 H/9. The Pirates are looking for the righty to regain his 2015 form when he went 19-8 with a 2.60 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 208 innings.

Copeland signed a minor league contract with the Marlins that includes an invitation to spring training, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Copeland is a career minor leaguer who has spent the past three seasons with the Blue Jays Triple-A affiliate. He has found success recently, posting an ERA of 2.95 in 2015 and 3.04 in 2016. The Marlins hope that he can build upon his success and provide additional pitching depth for their club in 2017.

Sampson signed a minor league contract with the Diamondbacks on Saturday that includes an invite to spring training, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old will compete for a bullpen role in camp after being non-tendered by the Reds. Sampson worked mostly in relief last season, posting a 22.2 percent strikeout rate (10.2 percent swinging-strike) but also a 14.4 percent walk rate. He was touched up for nine home runs in just 39.1 innings, with seven of those coming on the road.

Milone signed a one-year deal with the Brewers on Wednesday.

Owner of a 4.14 ERA and 16.8 percent strikeout rate for his career, the veteran southpaw does not currently project to be a part of the Brewers' rotation on Opening Day. That said, he will undoubtedly be asked to eat innings, one way or another, and could step in if the Brewers were to trade one or two of their more valuable starters. Given his lack of velocity (87.3 mph average fastball in 2016), Milone does not project to be much of an asset if he moves to relief. The terms of the deal were not immediately available.

Barbosa signed a minor league contract with the Brewers on Monday that includes an invitation to spring training.

A 6-foot-8 southpaw, Barbosa has never reached the majors and is entering his age-29 season. He notched a 1.51 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 71 strikeouts in 71.2 innings across four levels of the Mets' minor league system last year. Look for him to spend the majority of the 2017 season serving as organizational depth at Double-A or Triple-A.

Glasnow could compete for one of Pittsburgh's final rotation spots in 2017, especially if the team fails to sign a veteran starter in the offseason, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

The righthander posted a 4.24 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 23.1 innings in his first go-around with the Bucs. "The best thing for me this last year was going up and experiencing it, seeing how similar it was to Triple-A and how calm I felt on the mound. I'm excited to go and do it." Pitching coach Ray Searage believes Glasnow's familiarity with the big leagues will help him in 2017. "Being a young kid with God-blessed talent out the yin-yang, he's got to understand: Just let your stuff flow," Searage said. "He never really got settled, never really felt comfortable out there. ... If that does happen, you guys are going to be going, 'Holy schnikes!'"

Strasburg is expected throw his slider less during the 2017 season, as he believes it contributed to his elbow issues in 2016, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.

Strasburg has frequently been hindered with injuries throughout his career, so it's fair to be skeptical of the idea that throwing a slider was the root cause of his most recent ailments. However, the use of said pitch brought a significant change to his approach in 2016, as it had been virtually nonexistent earlier in his career, but was thrown 17 percent of the time last season. Strasburg doesn't intend to eliminate the pitch entirely in 2017, but will likely rely on his lively fastball, curveball, and changeup significantly more.

Cole (elbow) will begin his normal throwing program Monday, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

He needed several months to the let the elbow inflammation subside, but Cole said Saturday that he is healthy and ready to pick up a baseball again. With pitchers and catchers not reporting for another two-plus months, Cole has plenty of time to gradually rebuild strength. The 26-year-old will be a popular bounce-back candidate in drafts.

The Mariners dealt Pike to the Braves on Friday to complete their Nov. 28 trade.

The 22-year-old started 22 games for High-A Bakersfield in the Mariners' organization, posting a 4.01 ERA and a 9.6 K/9. Pike's strikeout ability is certainly intriguing, but his lack of control could keep him from reaching the highest level as a starter (or altogether).

Roth signed a minor league contract with the Giants on Tuesday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Roth spent the majority of the 2016 season pitching for Triple-A Round Rock with the Rangers' organization. He posted a 2.97 ERA (4.21 FIP) and a 94:42 K:BB over 145.1 innings. He has thrown 36 career big league innings and figures to start his 2017 campaign in Triple-A Sacramento.