MLB Player News

Hamels recently underwent shoulder surgery, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Hamels made just one start during the 2021 campaign due to shoulder and arm issues, but he doesn't plan to retire during the offseason. Following his recent procedure, the 37-year-old is hopeful that he'll be ready to return to game action late in the summer during the 2022 season.

Martinez (thumb) has begun a throwing program and intends to pitch in winter ball, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Martinez was quite a good pitcher at his peak, cruising to a 3.22 ERA over a five-year stretch from 2015 to 2019. He's struggled mightily over the last two seasons, however, posting a 6.95 ERA across 21 starts while striking out just 15.8 percent of opposing batters. He tore a thumb ligament in early July and wound up missing the rest of the season, but he seemingly has time to build up to full strength by the start of next year. His poor performance over the last two seasons means he may have to reestablish his value in a relief role in 2022, but there's at least some upside here considering his past success and the fact that he's still just 30 years old.

Heaney signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Dodgers on Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Heaney had a very poor 2021 season, at least judging by his 5.83 ERA. The ERA estimators all liked him far more than that, however, with SIERA (3.84) and xERA (4.01) being the most optimistic. The Dodgers clearly believe there's still something there for the 30-year-old lefty, whose 26.9 percent strikeout rate and 7.3 percent walk rate were both quite good. He needs to cut the homers to be an effective starter, however, and his 33.1 percent groundball rate suggests he may not be able to take a large step forward in that area, though some positive regression in his 18.1 percent HR/FB rate should help somewhat.

Verlander (elbow) threw approximately 25 pitches at a showcase workout Monday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Verlander reportedly sat around 94-to-97 miles per hour with his fastball, right in line with his average of 95 mph since the start of the 2017 season. The veteran righty is working his way back from September 2020 Tommy John surgery and is heading into his age-39 season in 2021, but he should still generate plenty of interest from teams if he doesn't accept the Astros' $18.4 million qualifying offer the club extended him over the weekend. He wasn't showing any signs of slowing down prior to his injury, striking out 35.1 percent of opposing batters while walking just 4.7 percent en route to accruing a 2.56 ERA from 2018 to 2020. He has until Nov. 17 to accept the qualifying offer, but expect him to test the open market if he believes he can get a multi-year deal.

The Orioles granted Watkins free agency Monday after outrighting him off the 40-man roster over the weekend, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

The 29-year-old right-hander reached the majors for the first time in 2021, but he did little to prove he belonged there. Over 16 outings (10 starts) with Baltimore, Watkins delivered an 8.07 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 54.2 innings. He'll almost certainly have to settle for a minor-league deal with the Orioles or another organization this winter.

DeSclafani didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Giants, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

DeSclafani performed well during his first season with the Giants with a 3.17 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 167.2 innings across 31 starts. However, he'll now become a free agent with no draft-pick penalty attached after San Francisco declined to offer him a one-year, $18.4 million deal.

Gray didn't receive a qualifying offer from the Rockies, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Gray spent the first seven seasons of his career in Colorado but will now hit free agency without a draft-pick penalty attached after the Rockies elected not to extend a one-year, $18.4 million offer to him. The 30-year-old recorded a 4.59 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 149 innings across 29 starts in 2021.

Rodon didn't receive a qualifying offer from the White Sox, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Rodon bounced back in 2021 and posted a 2.37 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 132.2 innings across 24 starts for the White Sox. In spite of his career-best season, the 28-year-old will become a free agent without any draft pick penalty attached.

The Red Sox extended a qualifying offer to Rodriguez on Sunday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The 28-year-old lefty will have 10 days to decide whether to accept the one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer. Given the fact that he finished the season healthy and is entering the prime of his career, Rodriguez seems likely to decline the qualifying offer and land a long-term contract in free agency. He had a 4.74 ERA last year, but his xERA (3.55) and FIP (3.32) suggest he was a bit unlucky.

Kershaw (forearm) did not receive a qualifying offer from the Dodgers, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

This is not a great sign for Kershaw's health heading into 2022, as the Dodgers have more medical information on him than anyone and didn't want to risk him accepting the one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer. He is now a free agent without any draft pick penalty attached, so there will likely be a lot of suitors if he is able to recover from the forearm discomfort that limited him down the stretch.