France is viewed by the Twins as the starter at first base, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. "He's going to play a lot," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "That's really the best way of saying it. The kind of hitter that he is, this isn't a platoon situation. I think he's going to play."

France signed just a one-year, $1 million contract which wouldn't appear to indicate he'd be the leader for an everyday role. Baldelli could be just boosting his confidence as the team works on his swing after a 2024 season that saw him hit just .234/.305/.365 with 13 homers over 140 regular-season games. Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien will also compete for playing time at first base and France could still work in a platoon or time share. Still, Baldelli's comments should make France the leader in the competition as spring training begins.

Gallo signed a minor-league deal with the White Sox on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Gallo has a skills profile that has produced extreme results throughout his career, and he's struck out at least 39 percent of the time in each of the last three seasons. He's still capable of producing plenty of power, exhibited by ISO marks of at least .175 in the same three-year span. Gallo now finds his way to a roster that has plenty of opportunity, with his best chance for playing time seemingly coming in right field or at designated hitter.

The Twins signed France to a one-year, $1 million contract Tuesday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

It's a major-league contract but is not guaranteed, per Miller. France will be thrown into the first-base mix for Minnesota along with Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien. The 30-year-old slashed only .234/.305/.365 with 13 homers over 140 regular-season games between the Mariners and Reds last season, but the Twins will be hoping to get a version of France closer to the one that produced an All-Star campaign in 2022 with Seattle.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Friday that the club will "continue to work" on signing Guerrero to a long-term contract extension, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

It's not earth-shattering news but is at least a confirmation on Atkins' part that negotiations with his star player are ongoing. Guerrero said on the Spanish-language Abriendo El podcast in December that the Blue Jays' offer "was not even close to what we are looking for," and Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported in January that the two sides were at least $100 million apart. The 25-year-old Guerrero has said he will not discuss an extension during spring training, so the two sides have until Feb. 18 to work something out. It does not appear at this juncture that a deal is close.

Aranda is expected to see regular at-bats as the Rays' designated hitter while also serving as the backup to Yandy Diaz at first base to begin the 2025 season, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Aranda was expected to contribute to the Rays in 2024, though he lost roughly three months of the season due to finger and oblique injuries. However, he finally managed regular run with the big-league club in September when he hit .253 with five homers, 13 runs scored and 10 RBI across 85 plate appearances. Aranda then supplemented that playing time with 115 plate appearances in the Mexican Winter League, during which he maintained a 1.047 OPS. Barring more bad luck with injuries, he should have the chance to build off of that momentum to begin the 2025 season with regular at-bats against right-handed pitching.

The Mariners plan to deploy Solano mostly at first base, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Solano could also be used some at third base, but he appears likely to see most of his action at first base as the short side of a platoon with Luke Raley. Seattle does not intend to use Solano at second base, per Kramer. The 37-year-old Solano slashed .286/.343/.417 with a career-high eight home runs over 96 regular-season contests for the Padres in 2024.

The Athletics have extended Kurtz an invitation to big-league camp during spring training.

The No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Kurtz hit the ground running in his pro debut, slashing .368/.520/.763 with four homers in 12 games between Single-A Stockton and Double-A Midland. He then went on to mash in the Arizona Fall League as well with a 1.058 OPS in 13 contests. Kurtz, who will turn 22 in March, will likely go back to Midland to begin 2025 but could push to make his MLB debut late in the season if things go well.

The Yankees signed Smith to a minor-league deal Monday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Smith opted to enter free agency after being DFA'd by the Reds in early September. He appeared in 93 major-league games between Boston and Cincinnati during the 2024 regular season and posted a .691 OPS with six home runs, 34 RBI and 33 runs across 307 plate appearances. Smith will likely begin the 2025 campaign with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes/-Barre but could be called up to the big club if Paul Goldschmidt or Ben Rice were to miss time.

The Mariners signed Solano to a one-year, $3.5 million contract Monday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

He can earn an additional $1 million in incentives. Solano turned 37 last month but had a productive 2024 campaign with the Padres, slashing .286/.343/.417 with a career-high eight home runs over 96 contests. J.P. Crawford at shortstop looks to be the only infielder currently guaranteed a starting spot with the Mariners, so Solano should play plenty, particularly against left-handed pitching. He started games at third and first base in 2024 in addition to designated hitter and also has plenty of past experience at second base.

The Royals have extended Caglianone an invitation to big-league camp during spring training, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Caglianone got in 29 games at High-A Quad Cities after being taken with the sixth overall pick of the First-Year Player Draft in 2024, but it's fairly customary for prospects of his stature to be invited to big-league camp, even if he has no chance of making the Opening Day roster. Also of note is that Caglianone -- who was a two-way player in college at Florida -- will not do any pitching in 2025, instead focusing only on hitting and playing first base.