Reds add 2 to 40-man roster

The Cincinnati Reds have 37 players on their 40-man roster five weeks before their spring training game after adding two players in the last two days.

On Friday, the Reds announced they acquired right-handed pitcher Hector Perez from the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later and cash.

Perez, 24, a native of the Dominican Republic, pitched five seasons in the minor leagues before making his big-league debut in 2020. He allowed two earned runs in 1 2/3 innings on Sept. 16 against the New York Yankees. Perez ranked as the 26th-best prospect in the Blue Jays organization in 2020, according to JaysJournal.com.

On Saturday, the Reds announced they traded minor league catcher Luke Berryhill, a 13th-round pick in 2019, to the Houston Astros for left-handed pitcher Cionel Perez.

Perez, 24, a native of Cuba, has a 5.74 ERA in 20 relief appearances for the Astros in the last three seasons. He had a 2.84 ERA in 6 1/3 innings and seven appearances in 2020.

Springer, Blue Jays finalize $150M deal

All-Star outfielder George Springer finalized his $150 million, six-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, becoming the most prominent free agent to reach an agreement this offseason.

Springer, who turned 31 in September, received the largest deal in team history, topping outfielder Vernon Wells’ $126 million, seven-year contract in 2006.

Springer gets a $10 million signing bonus payable within 30 days and salaries of $22 million this year, $28 million in 2022 and $22.5 million in each of the final four seasons.