MLB Player News

The Padres and White Sox had worked out a deal involving Padres third baseman Chase Headley, but the White Sox were unwilling to part with pitcher Jose Quintana, Comcast SportsNet reports.

The White Sox are balking at surrendering five years of team control of Quintana for just one season of Headley, who is scheduled to reach free agency after the 2014 season. White Sox pitcher Hector Santiago was also floated in trade talks but the Padres were more interested in Quintana.

Nationals pitching prospect Sammy Solis, whose 2013 season was mainly spent recovering from Tommy John surgery, had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, going 5-2 with a 2.12 ERA and 29 strikeouts to seven walks in 29 innings. The performance led general manager Mike Rizzo to believe the 25-year-old is close to breaking into the majors.

"I just think he needs to log innings," Rizzo told MASNSports.com. "He is a guy that his progression was cut short by the Tommy John injury and surgery. But when he is performing and he was healthy ... he pitched extremely well. He is a stuff left-hander that we think his stuff can play in the big leagues in the short term. He gives us some depth in the rotation and a guy that we feel that can help us in the major leagues very soon."

Solis, who Baseball America rates as the No. 5 prospect in the Nationals organization with Robbie Ray now with Detroit, had a 3.32 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings in 14 appearances, including 13 starts, in the lower levels of the minors last year.

Nationals manager Matt Williams said that pitcher Stephen Strasburg could miss the first four or five days of spring training though his rehab is going fine, MASN reports.

Strasburg had bone chips removed from his right elbow in late October, and at that time he was given a four-to-six-week timetable to resume throwing.

The Rockies acquired starting pitcher Jordan Lyles along with outfielder Brandon Barnes from the Astros Tuesday in exchange for outfielder Dexter Fowler. Lyles, who Baseball America ranked among its top 100 prospects in 2010 and 2011, compiled a 5.35 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in three seasons with the Astros.

He had a couple of encouraging stretches in 2013, but his season ended with him allowing seven earned runs in back-to-back starts in September. He allowed four earned runs over five innings in his only career start at Coors Field back in 2012.

The Pirates will tender a contract to arbitration-eligible starting pitcher Charlie Morton, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In returning from Tommy John surgery, Morton made 20 starts for the Pirates this season, going 7-4 with a 3.26 ERA.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio will lobby for 23-year-old prospect Kyle Hendricks to get a shot at a rotation spot out of spring training next season. While Hendricks is expected to begin the year at Triple-A Iowa, Bosio suggested the young control artist could be ready for the majors, saying, "What's to say he couldn't be a fourth or fifth starter? That's what spring training is going to be for."

Hendricks went 13-4 with a 2.00 ERA and 1.06 WHIP for Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa in 2013.

The Mets added pitchers Steven Matz, Jeff Walters, Jacob deGrom and Erik Goeddel to the 40-man roster Wednesday, protecting them from December's Rule 5 draft.

Matz went 5-6 with a 2.62 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 121:38 K:BB ratio in 106 1/3 innings over 21 starts with Class A Savannah last season. Walters went 4-3 with a 2.09 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 60:16 K:BB ratio in 56 innings for Double-A Binghamton.

Pitching across three levels last season, deGrom went 7-7 with a 4.51 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 120:46 K:BB ratio in 147 2/3 innings over 26 starts, including 14 for Triple-A Las Vegas. Goeddel went 9-7 with a 4.37 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 125:58 K:BB ratio in 134 innings over 25 starts with Double-A Binghamtom.

The Nationals added outfielder Michael Taylor and pitchers Sammy Solis and Aaron Barrett to the 40-man roster Wednesday.

Taylor went 1 for 23 with the A's last season while also hitting .281/.360/.474 with 18 home runs and 85 RBI in 420 at-bats with Triple-A Sacramento. Solis went 2-1 with a 3.43 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 40:19 K:BB ratio in 57 2/3 innings with high Class A Potomac. Barrett went 1-1 with a 2.15 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 69:15 K:BB ratio in 50 1/3 innings over 51 appearances with Double-A Harrisburg.

The Giants have offered free agent pitcher Ricky Nolasco a three-year deal, and the team is not willing to go to four years to sign the pitcher "as of now," the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Nolasco is thought to have received multiple four-year deals, but the Giants aren't among those teams interested in signing him for that length of time.

The Marlins are not considering trading No. 2 starting pitcher Nate Eovaldi, MLB.com reports.

Eovaldi, who was acquired in the deal that sent shortstop Hanley Ramirez to Los Angeles in 2012, made 18 starts with the Marlins last season, going 4-6 with a 3.39 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 78:40 K:BB ratio in 106 1/3 innings.