MLB Player News

Giolito will be invited to spring training, MLB.com's William Ladson reports.

This really comes as no surprise, as Giolito is either sixth or seventh on the organizational starting pitcher depth chart. He should start the year in Triple-A, but could be summoned when the Nationals have need of a starter. The top pitching prospect in all of baseball, Giolito makes for a great end game target in mixed leagues this year.

Morton was acquired from the Pirates for a minor league pitcher.

Morton is a fairly sensible acquisition for the rebuilding Phillies. Despite an underwhelming 2015 with a 4.81 ERA, he should still be able to deliver innings for the Phillies in 2016. He will, however, be pitching in a tougher environment, moving to the hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park. He also loses the Pirates' strong outfield defense, but his ability to induce groundballs should mitigate that. The 32-year-old figures to slot in somewhere between the No. 3 and 5 spots of a shallow rotation.

Nicasio agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract with the Pirates on Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

While the walks were up significantly for Nicasio in 2015, so were the strikeouts, with his K-rate jumping almost 10 percentage points from 2014 (to 25%). His new approach resulted in a career-best season, as he was able to limit hard contact in addition to missing bats. In fact, he allowed one home run in 58.1 innings with the Dodgers. He will likely only improve while working with renowned pitching coach Ray Searage.

Velasquez was traded to the Phillies on Wednesday as part of a package for Ken Giles, Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston reports.

Velasquez fell off most prospect lists after appearing in 19 games for the Astros last season, but he entered 2015 as a Top 100 prospect, and is the centerpiece of the group of players headed to Philadelphia. Velasquez has a good chance to earn a spot in the Phillies' rotation during spring training, but if he does not, he could still break camp with the big club as a reliever.

Greinke agreed to a six-year, $206 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

The financial details are coming to light, and they are eye-popping. Greinke's $34.3 million average annual salary will be the highest in Major League Baseball history, though there will reportedly be deferrals until some of the later years of the contract. Regardless, it was too good of a deal to pass up for Greinke, who was said to be considering a return to Los Angeles or signing with San Francisco. The change in home parks could hurt him some, but Greinke should get plenty of run support on a Diamondbacks team that finished second in the NL in runs scored last season with 720.

Greinke agreed to a contract with the Diamondbacks on Friday, pending a physical, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.

Details are still somewhat scarce, but multiple outlets are reporting that it's a done deal, with Jon Heyman of CBS Sports adding that it's a six-year contract. It was believed Greinke had narrowed his decision down to the Dodgers and Giants, but Arizona swooped in and landed the ace it so desperately coveted.

Lyles agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Rockies on Wednesday.

With the signing, the Rockies are able to avoid arbitration with Lyles. The 25-year-old pitcher's season ended at the end of May when he underwent surgery on his big toe. Despite his struggles before the injury, the Rockies still wanted to bring Lyles back and he'll likely be a part of the starting rotation in 2016.

Strasburg was tendered a contract by the Nationals on Wednesday.

The Nationals made it official Wednesday that Strasburg will be brought back to the club in 2016. With the departure of Jordan Zimmermann, Strasburg will be relied upon even more and will be one of the top arms in the teams rotation again.

Melville signed a minor league contract with the Reds on Tuesday that includes an invite to spring training.

His lone season in the Tigers' organization was largely forgettable, as Melville went 7-10 with a 4.63 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 27 starts for Triple-A Toledo, though those numbers were a significant improvement on his from Double-A the year before. Still just 26, Melville may have an outside shot at a rotation spot on a young Reds staff, but his signing seems to be primarily for depth.

Ramirez agreed to a minor-league contract with the Reds which includes an invitation to spring training.

Ramirez appeared in 20 games between the Mariners and the Diamondbacks this season, recording a 5.32 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 23.2 innings. The 27-year-old did pitch well in Triple-A last season (2.72 ERA in 43 innings) so he could earn a spot with the Reds during spring training, but he's unlikely to pitch in enough high-leverage innings to become fantasy relevant.