MLB Player News

Rodriguez might open the season in the Blue Jays' bullpen following the addition of Max Scherzer, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.

Rodriguez will likely stay stretched out during spring training, but he looks to be sixth on the rotation depth chart for Toronto. The Blue Jays do have a stretch 13 games in 13 days from April 4-16, presenting an opportunity for Rodriguez to get a spot start or two if the club wants to use him in a swingman role. Rodriguez made 21 starts for Toronto in 2024, posting a 4.47 ERA and 85:40 K:BB over 86.2 innings.

Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Friday that Bautista (elbow) may not be a full-go during spring training, but he's still expected to be ready for Opening Day, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Bautista has been throwing off a mound since August and will be 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery by the start of spring training, but the Orioles will still bring him along slowly in camp. It's not clear when he might make his Grapefruit League debut, but it doesn't appear he's in any danger of beginning the regular season on the shelf. The 29-year-old righty remains the favorite to lead Baltimore in saves in 2025, but the O's have options for ninth-inning work in Seranthony Dominguez, Yennier Cano and Gregory Soto if the team opts to ease Bautista into high-leverage work.

Polanco (knee) signed a one-year, $7.75 million contract with the Mariners on Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Polanco spent the 2024 season with the Mariners and suffered a down year, during which he hit just .213 with a 29.2 percent strikeout rate across 469 plate appearances. However, he played through a knee injury for a significant portion of the season, and he underwent surgery to address the issue in October. Seattle reportedly plans to play Polanco primarily at third base, likely setting up Dylan Moore to be the team's primary second baseman as the roster currently stands.

The Athletics designated McCann for assignment Thursday.

The A's elected to kick McCann off their 40-man roster after acquiring fellow catcher Jhonny Pereda from the Marlins on Thursday. McCann appeared in 54 games last season, slashing .236/.318/.371 with 15 RBI across 157 plate appearances, and he could be picked up by another club in need of depth behind the plate.

The Marlins traded Pereda to the Athletics on Thursday in exchange for cash.

Pereda was DFA'd by Miami on Tuesday, but his move to the A's will ensure that he remains on a 40-man roster for the 2025 campaign. The 28-year-old backstop managed just a .481 OPS in 40 big-league plate appearances last season, though he slashed .302/.407/.444 with 16 RBI in Triple-A. Kyle McCann was designated for assignment in a corresponding move, improving Pereda's chances at making the Athletics' Opening Day roster as Shea Langeliers' backup.

Scherzer agreed to a one year, $15.5 million contract with the Blue Jays on Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

The Blue Jays will be Scherzer's seventh team in the majors as he looks to pitch in his 18th season. The 40-year-old is coming off of a nine-start season with the Rangers during which he dealt with back and arm injuries, but hopes of a healthy offseason will propel him into 2025. If the right-hander can stay healthy, he should be a key piece at the top of Toronto's rotation alongside Kevin Gausman.

The Athletics designated Maldonado for assignment Thursday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for Elvis Alvarado, who was claimed off waivers Thursday. Maldonado was a waiver claim himself earlier this offseason and will now go through that process again. He held a 5.68 ERA and 11:7 K:BB over 19 innings with the Marlins in 2024.

The Rays signed Hernandez to a minor-league contract Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Hernandez, 28, posted a 5.40 ERA and 39:28 K:BB over 43.1 innings between the Rangers and Mariners last season. He will compete for a bullpen job this spring but is likely ticketed for Triple-A Durham.

The Athletics claimed Alvarado off waivers from the Pirates on Thursday, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Alvarado was designated for assignment by the Pirates earlier this week and will now join a new 40-man roster. The 25-year-old has not appeared in a major-league game, most recently posting a 2.79 ERA and 71:38 K:BB over 48.1 innings at Triple-A Jacksonville in the Marlins organization in 2024.

The Mariners signed Feliz to a minor-league contract Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Feliz, 36, has spent the last three seasons pitching in the Mexican League and has not seen any action at the big-league level since 2021. The Mariners will give the former All-Star closer a look in spring training to see what he has left in the tank.