MLB Player News

Gausman agreed Sunday with the Blue Jays on a five-year, $110 million contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Gausman drew interest from several teams during free agency, but he'll land with the Blue Jays, who had expressed interest in the 30-year-old's services for several years. The right-hander made 33 starts for the Giants during the 2021 campaign and posted a career-best 2.81 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 192 innings.

Alcantara signed a five-year, $56 million contract extension with the Marlins on Sunday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

Alcantara has spent the past four seasons in Miami, and he'll remain under team control for what would be his first two years of free agency. The right-hander tossed a career-high 205.2 innings across 33 starts last year and posted a 3.19 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.

Kluber and the Rays agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Kluber was effective when healthy last season with New York, posting a 3.83 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. He was limited to 80 innings due to a right shoulder strain, and he's thrown only 136.2 total frames since the beginning of 2019. The Rays figure to manage Kluber's workload so that the 36-year-old has a better chance of staying healthy throughout the 2022 season.

Wacha agreed to a one-year deal with the Red Sox on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Wacha spent 2021 in Tampa Bay and posted a 5.05 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 121:31 K:BB over 124.2 innings. However, he started in 23 of 29 appearances and fared better as a traditional starter with a 4.53 ERA and .740 OPS against him. He should be a back-end rotation piece for Boston in 2022.

Matz agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the Cardinals on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Blue Jays declined to extend Matz the $18.4 million qualifying offer, and it didn't take long for him to find a new team on the open market. The 30-year-old lefty had a bounceback 2021 campaign with a 3.82 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 144:43 K:BB across 150.2 innings (29 starts), and he'll bring some stability to St. Louis' rotation behind Jack Flaherty and Adam Wainwright.

Wood and the Giants agreed to a two-year deal worth over $10 million per season Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Woods' deal came mere minutes after the Giants locked up Anthony DeSclafani for three more years, as the team is clearly interested in keeping its recent success stories in the fold. Injuries limited Wood to just 48.1 innings over the previous two years, but he was able to make 26 starts in 2021, cruising to a 3.83 ERA. He got to that number via a career-high 26.0 percent strikeout rate and a 50.8 percent groundball rate. Toss in his 6.7 percent walk rate and you get a uniquely well-rounded pitcher. Among pitchers who threw at least 100 innings, only teammate Logan Webb matched or beat Wood in all three rate stats. That bodes well for the veteran lefty moving forward as long as he can stay healthy.

DeSclafani re-signed with the Giants for three years and $36 million Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

DeSclafani hasn't been remotely consistent from year to year, but he's had several strong seasons, including a career-best 3.17 ERA in 31 starts for the Giants in 2021. His 22.5 percent strikeout rate was slightly below average, but contact isn't punished as frequently in Oracle Park as it is elsewhere, and he avoided long rallies thanks to his 6.2 percent walk rate. The Giants evidently believe DeSclafani reached a new level last season and won't fall back to being the guy who posted a 7.22 ERA in 2020 or a 4.93 ERA in 2018. The ceiling may not be particularly high here, and his age (he'll turn 32 in April) as well as the likelihood of regression in his .265 BABIP both add risk, but the veteran righty still looks like a good bet to be a capable mid-rotation arm in 2022.

Morton (lower leg) said Thursday that he's no longer donning a cast on his surgically repaired right fibula and is now sporting a walking boot, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Morton, who underwent surgery Oct. 28 after breaking his leg in Game 1 of Atlanta's World Series matchup with Houston, said that he'll be limited to non-weight-bearing exercises for the next four weeks before doctors determine the next step in his rehab program. At this stage, Morton still appears on track to be ready to go for the start of the 2022 season, though he may face some restrictions early on during spring training. The 38-year-old was rewarded with a one-year, $20 million extension in September after he submitted a 3.34, 1.04 WHIP and 216:58 K:BB across 185.2 innings over his 33 regular-season starts.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said earlier this month that Kopech will compete for a spot in the rotation in spring training, Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago reports. "Obviously, we had Kopech probably deeper into his professional development entering the '21 season than [Garrett] Crochet was, but we were able to find a way to use him in the bullpen but still get him the occasional start, get him stretched out some and put him in a decent position entering this season to be in the rotation," Hahn said.

Like Kopech, Crochet is another prospect who came through the farm system as a starter, but he worked out of the bullpen in 2021 as the organization aimed to manage his innings. While the White Sox have yet to decide whether Crochet will audition for a starting role in 2022 or continue to work in a high-leverage role out of the bullpen, Kopech will at least get the chance to stake his claim to a starting role. Given that Kopech in three years older than Crochet and had an encouraging 2021 campaign as a multi-inning reliever after having not pitched in either of the previous two seasons, the White Sox likely won't be as restrictive with the 25-year-old righty's development moving forward. Kopech built up to 69.1 innings across 44 appearances -- including four spot starts -- last season, finishing with a 3.50 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and a 103:24 K:BB. Reynaldo Lopez looks like Kopech's top challenger for a back-end rotation spot, though it's possible Crochet or an offseason pickup could also make a claim for a starting role.

Alcantara and the Marlins are working toward a five-year contract extension worth at least $55 million, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

The two sides are likely to finalize the deal within the next few days, giving the 26-year-old right-hander some longer-term security while allowing the Marlins to keep him under club control for what would be his first two years of free agency. Alcantara emerged as one of the game's top young frontline arms in 2021, covering 205.2 innings while posting a 3.19 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 201:50 K:BB.