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Diamondbacks Designate Kyle Nelson For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks announced that left-hander Kyle Nelson has been designated for assignment. That’s the corresponding 40-man move for the signing of righty Jake Woodford, a move that was previously reported.

Nelson, now 28, has been with the Diamondbacks for years. He was claimed off waivers from the Guardians in the 2021-22 offseason. He showed some potential at times but required surgery to treat thoracic outlet syndrome in April of 2024 and his numbers since that procedure have been rough.

He missed the remainder of the 2024 campaign after going under the knife. Here in 2025, he has been on optional assignment, having tossed 17 Triple-A innings. He has allowed 16 earned runs in that time, leading to an 8.47 ERA. That’s a small sample of work but he also only has 12 strikeouts, a rate of 14.6% of batters faced. He has averaged just 89.9 miles per hour on his fastball.

There’s a big gap between that performance and what he was able to do a few years ago. In 2023, he logged 56 major league innings for the Snakes with a 4.18 ERA. He struck out 28% of batters faced while averaging 92 mph on his fastball.

Overcoming a thoracic outlet syndrome diagnosis is notoriously difficult. Pitchers like Matt Harvey and Chris Archer declined significantly later in their careers while Stephen Strasburg essentially had his career ended by the condition. On the other hand, Diamondbacks like Merrill Kelly and Ryan Thompson have each managed to engineer solid post-TOS seasons.

Nelson will now head into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Snakes could take five days to explore trade talks. Based on his injury absence and recent results, there may not be much interest.

If Nelson clears outright waivers, he will have the right to elect free agency but will probably decide to stay. Players with at least three years of big league service time have the right to reject an outright assignment, but those with less than five years have to forfeit their remaining salary in order to exercise that right. Nelson is in that three- to five-year window. He and the club avoided arbitration in the offseason by agreeing to a salary of $825K this year, a bit north of the $760K major league minimum.

Photo courtesy of Stan Szeto, Imagn Images

Diamondbacks To Sign Jake Woodford To Major League Deal

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The Diamondbacks are going to sign right-hander Jake Woodford to a major league deal, reports Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. Fellow righty Juan Morillo will be optioned as the corresponding active roster move. The Snakes will also need to open a 40-man roster spot.

Woodford, 28, just opted out of a minor league deal with the Cubs earlier today. He had also opted out of a minor league deal with the Yankees earlier in the year, which led him to the Cubs. He was also with the Rockies on a minor league deal in spring training but opted out of that deal prior to the start of the season. Now the third opt-out will get him to the majors.

Between his time with the Yankees and the Cubs, Woodford threw 61 1/3 innings across ten starts and four relief appearances. He had a 4.55 earned run average, 21.8% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 47.8% ground ball rate.

He does have some major league experience on his track record. Over the previous five seasons, he logged 219 2/3 innings in the big leagues, mostly with the Cardinals. He has a 4.88 ERA, 15.2% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 45.1% ground ball rate.

The Diamondbacks probably want him to serve in a long relief role, since he is currently stretched out. They have a rotation consisting of Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodríguez and Ryne Nelson. Their bullpen has been hit by a number of injuries. A.J. Puk and Justin Martínez were supposed to be the two top dogs back there but both required season-ending elbow surgeries. Christian Montes De Oca might also be done for the year due to back surgery. Kendall Graveman is on the shelf due to a hip impingement.

The bullpen got heavy usage during the three games from Saturday through Monday, with six out of eight relievers pitching twice in those contests. Gallen gave them a bit of a breather by going seven strong yesterday. Anthony DeSclafani, the only guy who didn’t pitch in the previous three games, soaked up the final two frames. On the whole, the group is pretty gassed, so Woodford will be on hand to potentially give them multiple innings, if needed. He is out of options and will therefore have to be removed from the 40-man if the Diamondbacks want to take him off the active roster at any point.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Jake Woodford Opts Out Of Cubs Deal

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Right-hander Jake Woodford triggered an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Cubs and has been granted his release, MLBTR has learned. He’s once again a free agent and can explore opportunities with any team.

Woodford, 28, has split the regular season between the Triple-A affiliates for the Yankees and Cubs. He’s opted out of both contracts, as neither club has given him a look in the majors prior to agreed-upon out dates. Woodford posted nearly identical numbers with the two teams and worked to a combined 4.55 ERA with a 21.8% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 47.8% ground-ball rate through 61 1/3 innings (10 starts, four long relief outings). He’s been particularly sharp in his two most recent outings, logging a combined 12 innings with four runs (3.00 ERA) and a 14-to-2 K/BB ratio. Woodford’s most recent appearance saw him toss 97 pitches, so he’s fully built up to a starter’s workload.

The No. 39 overall pick by the Cardinals back in the 2015 draft, Woodford has pitched in each of the past five major league seasons. Nearly all of his experience has come with St. Louis, though he did suit up for both the White Sox and Pirates in 2024. He’s pitched 219 2/3 big league innings and has a 4.88 ERA, 15.2% strikeout rate, 7.5% walk rate and 45.1% ground-ball rate in that time.

Clubs in need of rotation depth or some length in the bullpen could take a look at the increasingly well-traveled right-hander as they wait for the summer trade market to commence in full force later this month. In 468 2/3 career innings at the Triple-A level, Woodford has a 4.07 ERA.

Cubs To Sign Jake Woodford To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs are signing right-hander Jake Woodford to a minor league deal, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams. Woodford, a client of Excel Sports Management, is heading to Triple-A Iowa and will start for that club tomorrow night.

Woodford, 28, just opted out of a minor league deal with the Yankees a few days ago. Prior to opting out, he had logged 39 2/2 innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre over seven starts and three long relief appearances. He allowed 4.54 earned runs per nine with a 21.5% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate and 42.4% ground ball rate.

That wasn’t enough to get called up to the Yankees. They had suffered injuries to starters Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman but guys like Will Warren and Ryan Yarbrough have stepped up to stabilize the group.

The Cubs have their own slate of rotation injuries at the moment. Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga and Javier Assad are all on the injured list at the moment. Steele required UCL surgery in April and won’t come back this year. That leaves them with a rotation of Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Colin Rea, Ben Brown and Cade Horton. Boyd is having a good year but is up to 68 2/3 innings. The last time he hit 79 in a season was in 2019. Rea is a swingman who has been thrust into the rotation by the injuries. Horton is a big prospect but has only five big league appearances thus far.

In terms of depth, Chris Flexen was previously in the Triple-A rotation but is now in the big league bullpen. Jordan Wicks is on the 40-man but has a 4.86 for Iowa this year. The Cubs will likely be looking for starting pitching prior to the deadline but adding Woodford gives them an experienced arm to call upon if their rotation suffers another injury in the coming weeks.

He has had some major league success as a swingman in the past, mostly by keeping the ball on the ground. With the Cardinals in 2021 and 2022, he logged 116 innings with a 3.26 ERA. He only punched out 15.4% of opponents but got opponents to hit the ball into the dirt at a 45.6% clip. His ERA spiked to 6.23 in 2023, which pushed him towards journeyman mode. He posted a 7.97 ERA last year between the White Sox and Pirates. Here in 2025, he signed a minor league deal with the Rockies but opted out at the end of spring. That led to his Yankee deal, which he also opted out of.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Yankees Select Carlos Carrasco; Jake Woodford Triggers Opt Out

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3:29PM: Right-hander Yerry De los Santos was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move for Carrasco, the Yankees announced.

12:56PM: Right-hander Jake Woodford has opted out of his minor league deal with the Yankees and become a free agent, according to a report from MLBTR’s Steve Adams. In addition, Jack Curry of YES Network reports that the Yankees are selecting the contract of right-hander Carlos Carrasco from Triple-A Scranton and that he’ll be active ahead of tonight’s game against the Dodgers. A corresponding 40-man move won’t be necessary as the Yankees have multiple spots available, but room will need to be made for Carrasco on the active roster.

The 28-year-old Woodford was a first-round pick by the Cardinals back in 2015 who made his major league debut during the shortened 2020 campaign. That rookie campaign didn’t go especially well as he posted a 5.57 ERA in a multi-inning relief role, but he did enjoy stronger seasons in 2021 and ’22. Across those two years, Woodford pitched to a 3.26 ERA (121 ERA+) with a 3.93 FIP in 116 frames. He struck out just 15.4% of opponents faced during that time against a 7.5% walk rate, though he made up for his lack of strikeout stuff and pinpoint command in part thanks to a strong 45.8% groundball rate. His lack of strikeouts caught up to him after that, however, as he posted a lackluster 6.23 ERA with a 6.61 FIP over 47 2/3 innings of work in 2023 before being non-tendered by the Cardinals that November.

Since then, Woodford has been bouncing around the league as a journeyman. The 2024 season saw him split time between the White Sox and the Pirates, for whom he pitched to a 7.97 ERA overall across 35 innings of work with a 4.94 FIP while in the majors. At the Triple-A level, the right-hander posted a solid enough 3.93 ERA across 94 innings. His results weren’t enough for him to keep a roster spot with the Pirates over the offseason, but after he was designated for assignment he elected free agency and found a minor league deal with the Rockies during the winter. Woodford was granted his release by the Rockies prior to Opening Day when he didn’t break camp with the club and then latched on with the Yankees, for whom he’s posted a 4.54 ERA in 39 2/3 innings of Triple-A work.

It seemed possible that Woodford’s time to return to the majors had come when the Yankees were forced to use seven pitchers in last night’s blowout loss to the Dodgers, but the righty triggered his opt out clause and will now return to free agency after the Yankees decided to turn to Carrasco instead. It will be the 38-year-old’s second stint with the Yankees this season. The right-hander made the Opening Day roster after a number of injuries left the Yanks with questions in their rotation, but Carrasco is far removed from his days as a mid-rotation arm in Cleveland at this point and surrendered a 5.91 ERA and 5.30 FIP across 32 innings of work with the Bronx earlier this year. Despite those lackluster numbers, Carrasco is a good bet to offer volume at a time where the Yankees bullpen is sure to be gassed, and he’s been universally hailed over his 16 seasons in the majors as a fantastic clubhouse presence.

Yankees, Jake Woodford Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees are in agreement with Jake Woodford on a minor league contract, reports MLBTR’s Steve Adams. The Excel Sports Management client had opted out of his minor league deal with the Rockies over the weekend and was granted his release.

Woodford will begin the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as rotation or long relief depth. He’s capable of pitching in either role. Woodford has started 25 of 89 appearances in his major league career. He has an earned run average just shy of 5.00 across parts of five seasons. Most of that came with the Cardinals, as the former top 40 draft pick pitched for St. Louis between 2020-23.

The 28-year-old made briefer appearances with the Pirates and White Sox last season. Woodford struggled to an ERA near 8.00 over 35 MLB innings. He had solid numbers in Triple-A, though, pitching to a 3.93 ERA over 20 appearances. He recorded roughly average strikeout (22.9%) and grounder (43.7%) rates while walking fewer than 7% of opposing hitters. Woodford has allowed an even four earned runs per nine over parts of six seasons at the top minor league level.

Colorado added Woodford to camp on a minor league contract in January. He gave up seven runs with a 6:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 12 innings in Cactus League play. That wasn’t enough to convince the Rox to select his contract when he took his out clause last week. He’ll now get an opportunity to work in a depth role for a Yankee team that has been hit hard in Spring Training.

Injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil dealt major blows to the rotation. Clarke Schmidt will start the season on the injured list because of a shoulder issue. JT Brubaker suffered rib fractures that keep him out of the Opening Day mix. That has pushed non-roster invitee Carlos Carrasco and prospect Will Warren into the rotation behind Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Marcus Stroman. Woodford joins Allan Winans and Brandon Leibrandt as pitchers with MLB experience who’ll begin the season in Scranton.

Rockies To Release Jake Woodford

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According to a report from MLBTR’s Steve Adams yesterday evening, right-hander Jake Woodford has opted out of his minor league deal with the Rockies and Colorado is expected to grant the righty his release so that he can pursue other opportunities.

Woodford, 28, was a first rounder selected by the Cardinals in 2015 but did not make his big league debut until 2020. The right-hander’s first stint in the majors left something to be desired, as he struggled to a 5.57 ERA across 21 frames, but he remained an up-and-down swingman for the club for four seasons in total. Woodford managed to get some solid results for the Cardinals from 2021-22, as he pitched to a 3.26 ERA (121 ERA+) with a 3.93 FIP in 116 innings of work. He struck out just 15.4% of opponents faced during that time against a 7.5% walk rate, though he made up for his lack of strikeout stuff and pinpoint command in part thanks to a strong 45.8% groundball rate.

The righty’s shaky peripherals proved to be a problem for him during the 2023 campaign, however, as he posted a lackluster 6.23 ERA with a 6.61 FIP over 47 2/3 innings of work. His strikeout rate dipped to 13.1%, his walk rate ballooned to 9.1%, and even his excellent 51.2% groundball rate wasn’t enough to make up for the excessive free passes and minimal punchouts. Woodford’s considerable struggles with the Cardinals led the club to non-tender him last winter, though he eventually caught on with the White Sox on a minor league deal.

Unfortunately, 2024 did not go much better for Woodford than 2023 had. The right-hander made two spot starts on the south side of Chicago but was torched for 15 hits and ten runs in 8 1/3 innings of work before being designated for assignment. He cleared waivers and elected free agency before eventually catching on with the Pirates on a minor league deal and making it back to the majors shortly after the trade deadline. The right-hander ended up making seven appearances (five starts) for Pittsburgh, and while he struggled once again to a 7.09 ERA his peripheral numbers improved somewhat. His strikeout rate ticked back up to 15.7% while he held opponents to a minuscule 3.3% walk rate, though those improvements came at the cost of a groundball rate that sat at just 38.9%.

Woodford was eventually outrighted off the Pirates’ roster late last season and went on to elect minor league free agency, where he landed with the Rockies on a minor league deal. Colorado intended to give Woodford a look as a potential starter, though he did not make the club’s rotation out of camp after struggling to a 5.25 ERA in 12 spring innings of work. Despite that lackluster performance, it’s not hard to imagine a club short on rotation depth taking a chance on Woodford and seeing what he can do for them at the Triple-A level on a minor league deal. After all, many pitching-needy clubs could find interest in his solid career 45.1% groundball rate, and his ability to shuffle between the rotation and bullpen as needed offers flexibility.

36 Veteran Players With Looming Opt-Out Dates

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The 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement implemented a new series of uniform opt-out dates for players who qualified as free agents under Article XX(b) of said agreement and sign a minor league deal in free agency. More specifically, that designation falls on players with six-plus years of MLB service time who finished the preceding season on a major league roster or injured list. Some contracts for players coming over from a foreign professional league like Nippon Professional Baseball or the Korea Baseball Organization will also have language written into their contracts allowing them to qualify as an XX(b) free agent despite a lack of six years of service.

The three uniform opt-out dates on those contracts land five days before Opening Day, on May 1 and on June 1. With the regular season set to kick off next week, any Article XX(b) free agents who are in camp on minor league contracts will have the opportunity to opt out on Saturday, March 22. A player triggering one of these out clauses gives his current club 48 hours to either add him to the 40-man roster or let him become a free agent.

There are other ways to secure opt-outs in contracts, of course. Many players who don’t qualify for XX(b) designation will still have opt-out opportunities negotiated into their minor league deals in free agency.

The following is a list of 36 players who are in camp as non-roster invitees and will be able to opt out this weekend. Most were XX(b) free agents, but there are a handful of names who didn’t meet that requirement but had outs negotiated into their respective deals nonetheless. This is not a comprehensive list of all players with opt-out opportunities this weekend.

All spring stats referenced are accurate through the completion of games played Wednesday, March 19.

Astros: LHP Jalen Beeks

Beeks, 31, was a relatively late sign (March 7) who’s since tossed three spring frames — including two scoreless innings just yesterday. He logged a 4.50 ERA in 70 innings between the Rockies and Pirates last season. He struggled to miss bats last year but typically runs strong strikeout rates. Dating back to 2020, Beeks carries a 4.16 ERA in 192 2/3 innings. In Josh Hader, Bryan King and Bennett Sousa, the Astros already have three lefty relievers on the 40-man. Another veteran non-roster invitee, Steven Okert, has rattled off 8 2/3 shutout spring innings with a 14-to-2 K/BB ratio. Beeks might have long odds of cracking the roster.

Blue Jays: RHP Jacob Barnes, LHP Ryan Yarbrough

The 34-year-old Barnes logged a 4.36 ERA in a career-high 66 big league innings last season. He posted an ERA north of 5.00 in each of the five preceding seasons (a total of 115 1/3 frames). He’s been tagged for four runs in 5 1/3 innings this spring.

Yarbrough, 33, had a terrific run with the Jays to close out the 2024 season. Joining Toronto in a deadline swap sending Kevin Kiermaier to the Dodgers, the veteran southpaw posted a 2.01 ERA in 31 1/3 innings. He’s a soft-tosser, sitting just 86.5 mph with his heater, but Yarbrough can pitch multiple innings in relief and has a decent track record even beyond last year’s overall 3.19 earned run average (4.21 ERA in 768 MLB innings). He’s allowed three runs with and 8-to-1 K/BB ratio in 6 2/3 innings in camp.

Braves: RHP Buck Farmer, RHP Hector Neris

Farmer was already reassigned to minor league camp on Sunday, so there’d seem to be a good chance of him taking his out. The 34-year-old turned in a terrific 3.04 ERA in 71 innings for the Reds last year but was probably hampered by his age, pedestrian velocity and subpar command in free agency. With a 3.68 ERA in 193 innings over the past three seasons in Cincinnati, he should find an opportunity somewhere — even if it’s not in Atlanta.

Neris is still in Braves camp. He signed well into camp and thus has only pitched one official inning so far, which was scoreless. (Neris is pitching today as well.) He’s looking to bounce back from a 4.10 ERA and a particularly poor performance in save opportunities last year. Prior to his nondescript 2024, Neris rattled off a 3.03 ERA in 208 innings from 2021-23 between Philly and Houston, saving 17 games and collecting 67 holds along the way.

Brewers: 1B/OF Mark Canha, OF Manuel Margot

He’s had a brutal spring, but the 36-year-old Canha has been an above-average hitter every year since 2018, by measure of wRC+. He’s just 2-for-23 in Brewers camp, but he’s slugged a homer and walked as often as he’s fanned (four times apiece). Milwaukee has Rhys Hoskins at first base, but Canha could chip in at DH and offer a right-handed complement to lefty outfielders Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell.

Margot hasn’t hit well in a tiny sample of 35 spring plate appearances, but he’s outproduced Canha with a .250/.314/.375 slash. He’s coming off a dismal .238/.289/.337 showing in Minnesota, however, and hasn’t been the plus defender he was prior to a major 2022 knee injury. Like Canha, he could complement Frelick and Mitchell as a righty-swinging outfielder, but Canha has been the far more productive bat in recent seasons.

Cubs: RHP Chris Flexen

The Cubs reassigned Flexen to minor league camp after just 3 2/3 innings this spring. He was hit hard on the other side of town with the White Sox in 2024, though Flexen quietly righted the ship after an awful start. He posted a 5.69 ERA through nine starts but logged a 4.62 mark over his final 21 trips to the mound, including a tidy 3.52 earned run average across 46 innings in his last eight starts. Flexen may not bounce back to his 2021-22 numbers in Seattle, but he’s a durable fifth starter if nothing else.

Diamondbacks: INF/OF Garrett Hampson, RHP Scott McGough

The D-backs don’t really have a backup shortstop while Blaze Alexander is sidelined with an oblique strain, which seems to bode well for Hampson. He’s hitting .235/.333/.324 in camp and can play three infield spots and three outfield positions. He had a bleak .230/.275/.300 performance in Kansas City last year but was a league-average hitter for the Marlins as recently as 2023.

McGough was reassigned to minor league camp yesterday after serving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings of spring work. That wasn’t the follow-up to last year’s gruesome 7.44 ERA for which the 35-year-old righty or the team had hoped.

Giants: C Max Stassi, RHP Lou Trivino

Stassi is battling Sam Huff, who’s on the 40-man, for the backup catcher’s role while Tom Murphy is injured. The 34-year-old Stassi is hitting .300/.364/.700 with a pair of homers in 22 spring plate appearances. He’s a plus defender with a scattershot track record at the plate.

Trivino hasn’t pitched since 2022 due to Tommy John surgery and a separate shoulder issue. He also hasn’t allowed a run in 8 1/3 spring innings. (9-to-4 K/BB ratio). Trivino’s scoreless Cactus League showing, his pre-injury track record and his familiarity with skipper Bob Melvin — his manager in Oakland — all seem to give him a real chance to win a spot.

Mariners: RHP Shintaro Fujinami, RHP Trevor Gott, 1B Rowdy Tellez

Fujinami’s command has never been good, and he’s walked more batters (seven) than he’s struck out (four) through 5 2/3 spring innings. He’s also plunked a pair of batters. He’s looking to bounce back from an injury-ruined 2024 season but might have to take his first steps toward doing so in Triple-A.

Tellez has had a big camp and looks like he could have a real chance to make the club in a part-time DH/first base role, as explored more yesterday. Gott is on the mend from Tommy John surgery performed last March and won’t pitch until midseason. He’s unlikely to opt out.

Mets: RHP Jose Ureña

Ureña was torched for seven runs in his first 1 1/3 spring innings after signing with the Mets on Feb. 27. He bounced back by striking out all three opponents he faced in an inning this past weekend, but he hasn’t helped himself otherwise. Ureña’s 3.80 ERA in 109 innings with Texas last year was his first sub-5.00 ERA since 2017-18 in Miami.

Padres: 1B Yuli Gurriel, INF Jose Iglesias

Both veterans have a legitimate chance to make the club. Gurriel has had a productive spring (.296/.321/.519) at nearly 41 years of age, while Iglesias is out to a 5-for-18 start since signing in mid-March. Gurriel could split time at first and DH, lessening the need to use Luis Arraez in the field. Iglesias could see frequent work at second base, shifting Jake Cronenworth to first base and pushing Arraez to DH. The Padres probably wouldn’t have put a hefty (relative to most minor league deals) $3MM base salary on Iglesias’ deal if they didn’t see a real path to him making the roster.

Pirates: LHP Ryan Borucki

Borucki was great for the Pirates in 2023 and struggled through 11 innings during an injury-marred 2024 season. The 30-year-old southpaw has allowed one run in eight spring innings. His five walks are a bit much, but he’s also fanned 11 of his 33 opponents.

Rangers: SS Nick Ahmed, RHP David Buchanan, RHP Jesse Chavez, OF Kevin Pillar, RHP Hunter Strickland

Ahmed has more homers in 28 spring plate appearances than he had in 228 plate appearances in 2024 or 210 plate appearances in 2023. He’s popped three round-trippers already and slashed .286/.310/.607. With a crowded infield and versatile backups like Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran, Ahmed might still have a hard time cracking the roster.

None of the three pitchers listed here has performed well in limited work. Buchanan had a nice run as a starter in the KBO in the four preceding seasons, while Chavez has been a mainstay in the Atlanta bullpen for much of the past few years. Strickland had a nice 2024 in Anaheim but signed very late and retired only one of the five batters he faced during his long spring outing.

Pillar may have the best chance of the bunch to make the team. He’s hitting .273/.333/.394 in 39 plate appearances. Outfielders Wyatt Langford and Adolis Garcia have been banged up this spring, so some extra outfield depth could make sense.

Rays: DH/OF Eloy Jimenez

Jimenez homered for the second time yesterday, boosting his Grapefruit line to .263/.300/.447. He’s coming off a dreadful season in 2024, but from 2019-23 the former top prospect raked at a .275/.324/.487 pace, including a 31-homer rookie campaign (admittedly, in the juiced-ball 2019 season). Durability has been a bigger factor than productivity. If the Rays can get Jimenez to elevate the ball more, he could be a bargain; he’s still only 28.

Red Sox: LHP Matt Moore, RHP Adam Ottavino

Moore signed on Feb. 20 and has only gotten into two spring games so far, totaling two innings. Ottavino has pitched four innings but allowed five runs. He’s walked five and tossed a pair of wild pitches in that time. Both pitchers have long MLB track records, but they’re both coming off lackluster seasons.

Reds: LHP Wade Miley

Miley underwent Tommy John surgery early last season and contemplated retirement upon learning his prognosis. He wanted to return to one of his former NL Central clubs in free agency, and the Reds clearly offered a more compelling minor league deal than the Brewers. He’s not going to be a realistic option until late May, and it seems unlikely he’d opt out while his rehab is still ongoing.

Rockies: RHP Jake Woodford

Woodford isn’t an Article XX(b) free agent, but MLBTR has learned that he still has a March 22 opt-out. He made his fourth appearance of Rockies camp yesterday, tossing 2 2/3 innings with an earned run. Woodford has allowed seven runs on 11 hits and three walks with five punchouts and a nice 47.2% grounder rate in 10 2/3 frames this spring. He has experience as a starter and reliever. The righty doesn’t miss many bats but keeps the ball on the ground and has good command. He’s a fifth starter/swingman who’s out of minor league options.

Royals: C Luke Maile, RHP Ross Stripling

Maile is a glove-first backup who’s had a nice spring at the plate but has done so on a team with a healthy Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin. His path to a roster spot doesn’t look great. Speculatively, his former Reds club, which just lost Tyler Stephenson to begin the year, would make sense if they plan to add an outside catcher. Maile’s .214/.294/.329 performance over the past three seasons is light, but he’s already familiar with the bulk of Cincinnati’s staff. He’s a fine backup or No. 3 catcher for any club, Kansas City included.

Stripling notched a 3.01 ERA in 124 innings for the 2022 Blue Jays, but it’s been rough waters since. He was rocked for a 5.68 ERA across the past two seasons, spending time with both Bay Area clubs, and has been tagged for 11 runs on 14 hits — four of them homers — with just two strikeouts in six spring frames. He’ll likely need a strong Triple-A showing, be it with the Royals or another club, to pitch his way back to the majors.

Tigers: LHP Andrew Chafin

Chafin surprisingly commanded only a minor league deal this offseason and has struggled to begin his third stint with the Tigers. He’s been tagged for eight runs in four spring innings, walking six batters along the way. It’s a rough look, but the affable southpaw notched a 3.51 ERA in 56 1/3 MLB frames last year and touts a 3.12 mark across the past four seasons combined.

White Sox: RHP Mike Clevinger, INF Brandon Drury, OF Travis Jankowski

The ChiSox signed Clevinger for a third time late this spring and are trying him in the bullpen. He’s responded with four shutout innings, allowing only one hit and no walks while fanning six hitters. His 2025 White Sox reunion is out to a much better start than his 2024 reunion, wherein he was limited to only 16 innings with a 6.75 ERA thanks to elbow and neck troubles.

Drury could hardly be doing more to secure a spot with the Pale Hose. He’s decimated Cactus League pitching at a .410/.439/.821 pace, slugging three homers and seven doubles in only 41 plate appearances. He’s coming off a terrible 2024 showing with the Angels but hit .263/.313/.493 from 2021-23. It’d be a surprise if the Sox didn’t keep him.

Jankowski started the spring with the Cubs, was granted his release and signed with the Sox. The hits haven’t been dropping, but he has six walks in 25 plate appearances. The White Sox already have Michael A. Taylor in a fourth outfield role. Andrew Benintendi, who missed three-plus weeks with a fractured hand, was back in the lineup yesterday, making Jankowski something of a long shot.

Yankees: RHP Carlos Carrasco

With a nice spring showing and several injuries in the Yankees’ rotation, Carrasco looks to have a good chance at making the roster. Jack Curry of the YES Network already reported it’s “likely” Carrasco will be added this weekend. Carrasco has a 1.69 ERA with 15 strikeouts and seven walks (plus four hit batters) in 16 spring innings. He tossed five shutout frames yesterday.

Rockies Sign Jake Woodford To Minor League Deal

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The Rockies have agreed with right-hander Jake Woodford on a minor league deal, according to a report from Thomas Harding of MLB.com. The deal presumably includes an invite to big league Spring Training, as Harding says he’ll be able to compete for a spot in the rotation or bullpen when camp opens next month.

Woodford, 28, was a first-round pick by the Cardinals back in 2015. The right-hander worked his way up the minor league ladder with the club to make his big league debut during the shortened 2020 season. That debut wasn’t much to write home about, as he posted a lackluster 5.57 ERA in 21 innings of work. Woodford continued to pitch for St. Louis in an up-and-down role over the next few seasons, and actually enjoyed generally solid results in 2021 and ’22 with a 3.26 ERA (121 ERA+) and a 3.93 FIP in a combined 116 innings of work spread between nine starts and 42 relief appearances. Even during those years, however, his 15.4% strikeout rate was well below-average and a clear cause for concern.

Woodford’s lack of strikeouts came back to bite him during the 2023 season, when he pitched to a 6.23 ERA over 47 2/3 innings of work with the Cardinals. He not only continued to struggle with striking opponents out (13.1%) but also began having problems with his control to the point where his walk rate (9.1%) started to approach his strikeout rate. That’s nearly always a recipe for disaster, and while Woodford’s 51.2% groundball rate was solid, opposing hitters were crushing the ball when they did manage to elevate as evidenced by an 11.3% barrel rate. Somewhat unsurprisingly, Woodford’s brutal results led the Cardinals to non-tender him that November.

Ahead of the 2024 season, Woodford signed with the White Sox on a minor league deal. He ultimately was added to the roster in late May to replace injured right-hander Mike Clevinger and made two starts for Chicago. Neither of those starts went well, and he wound up surrendering ten runs on 15 hits (two homers) and five walks while striking out seven in 8 1/3 innings of work for the White Sox before he was designated for assignment in early June. He elected free agency and was signed to a minor league deal by the Pirates shortly thereafter.

Pittsburgh selected him to the roster shortly after the trade deadline last July, but his tenure with the Pirates only went slightly better than his time on the south side of Chicago had. In all, Woodford made seven appearances for the club: five starts and two relief outings. He surrendered an ugly 7.09 ERA during that time, and while a 4.07 FIP suggests that the righty may have been the victim of bad luck during his stint with the Pirates, his strikeout woes continued as he punched out just 15.7% of opponents during his time with the club.

Woodford was eventually outrighted off the Pirates’ roster near the end of last season and headed back into minor league free agency once the regular season came to a close. Now, the right-hander will get his latest opportunity with the Rockies. Colorado has famously struggled to field an effective pitching staff over the years due in large part to the difficulties associated with pitching at elevation. That’s led the Rockies to prioritize adding groundballers to their pitching staff, so it’s hardly a surprise that they would have interest in adding Woodford given that his career groundball rate at the big league level is a robust 45.1%.

Of course, Woodford’s lackluster results weren’t enough to earn him a major league deal, and he’ll need to earn a roster spot during Spring Training or wait for an opportunity to present itself later in the year as a non-roster depth option. As things stand, the Rockies appear to be more or less set in the rotation with Germán Márquez, Kyle Freeland, Austin Gomber, Ryan Feltner, and Antonio Senzatela all seemingly ticketed for the Opening Day roster. There’s a bit more room for flexibility in the bullpen, however, and it’s not impossible to imagine Woodford beating a player like Angel Chivilli or Tanner Gordon out for a roster spot with a strong showing in Spring Training.

11 Players Elect Free Agency

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As the offseason nears, a number of players elect minor league free agency each week. These players are separate from six-year MLB free agents, who’ll reach the open market five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Eligible minor leaguers can begin electing free agency as soon as the regular season wraps up. These players were all outrighted off a team’s 40-man roster during the year and have the requisite service time and/or multiple career outrights necessary to reach free agency since they weren’t added back to teams’ rosters.

Electing free agency is the anticipated outcome for these players. There’ll surely be more to test the market in the coming weeks. We’ll offer periodic updates at MLBTR. These transactions are all reflected on the MiLB.com log.

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