MLB Player News

Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns confirmed Friday that Hiura will be the team's starting first baseman for 2021, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

The team officially announced the signing of Kolten Wong on Friday, so it's not much of a surprise to see Stearns also provide the plans for Hiura's shift away from second base. The 24-year-old's defense at the keystone has always been a concern, especially his throwing ability, and the addition of Wong -- a two-time Gold Glove winner -- brings a significant defensive upgrade to the middle infield for Milwaukee. Hiura had a .938 OPS as a rookie in 2019, but he struggled during 2020 with 34.6 percent strikeout rate and a .707 OPS. He should have every opportunity to get back on track in 2021.

Wade was traded to the Giants on Thursday in exchange for Shaun Anderson, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Wade has filled a depth role in the outfield for Minnesota since making his major-league debut in 2019. He's accrued only 113 major-league plate appearances across two seasons and hit .211/.336/.347. He will give the Giants another left-handed bat in their outfield and projects to continue to serve as a fourth or fifth outfielder for the club.

Hiura will likely serve as the Brewers' primary first baseman in 2021, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Hiura slotted in at second base over most of the past two seasons with the Brewers, but he's expected to shift to first base after the team signed Kolten Wong on Wednesday. Despite his position change, Hiura should maintain a regular spot in Milwaukee's lineup as he attempts to build on his 2020 campaign in which he hit .212/.297/.410 with 13 home runs and 32 RBI. Daniel Vogelbach will likely shift to a reserve role unless the designated hitter is utilized in the National League again in 2021.

Montero and several other prospects have been traded from the Cardinals to the Rockies in exchange for Nolan Arenado, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Montero has yet to make his big-league debut, spending the majority of the 2019 campaign at Double-A, where he struggled to a .188.235/.317 slash line with seven homers and 18 RBI (59 games). He figures to have a good chance to begin the 2021 season at Triple-A Albuquerque.

Hoskins (elbow) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.8 million deal with the Phillies on Friday, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Hoskins bounced back from an unimpressive 2019 season with a strong season at the plate in 2020, hitting .245/.384/.503 with 10 homers in 41 games. His season was cut short by an elbow injury which eventually required Tommy John surgery, placing his readiness for Opening Day in some doubt.

Bell signed a one-year, $6.35 million deal with the Nationals on Friday to avoid arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The 28-year-old was acquired by Washington from Pittsburgh on Christmas Eve and will avoid arbitration with his new team. Bell struggled in 2020 with a .669 OPS and career-worst 26.5 percent strikeout rate, but he should have every chance to rebound as the clear starter at first base.

Smith signed a one-year, $2.55 million deal with the Mets on Friday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old was arguably the Mets' best bat in 2020 with a .316/.377/.616 slash line, 10 homers, 21 doubles and 42 RBI in 199 plate appearances, and he's now officially under contract for 2021. Smith's major-league outlook was a question mark not too long ago, but he has a .937 OPS in 139 games over the past two seasons and enters spring training in position to begin the season in a starting role.

Hoskins (elbow) shared video of himself hitting in a batting cage on his personal Twitter page Thursday.

Hoskins was having a solid season at the plate before suffering a season-ending elbow injury in mid-September. He eventually underwent Tommy John surgery in early October and was given a return timeline that placed his readiness for Opening Day in some question. The first baseman stated Thursday that he was on track for spring training, but players tend to be on the optimistic end regarding their own timelines, so there's still no guarantee he avoids a trip to the injured list.

The Padres will consider experimenting with using Cronenworth in the outfield following the signing of Ha-seong Kim on Monday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

With Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado cemented on the left side of the infield and Cronenworth coming off a strong season at the keystone, the signing of Kim creates a bit of an infield logjam for the Friars. As a result, it looks like the club will try both Cronenworth and Kim in the outfield next spring in an attempt to possibly get both of their bats in the lineup on a regular basis. A return of the designated hitter in the National League would certainly simplify things for San Diego.

Bell was traded from the Pirates to the Nationals in exchange for Eddy Yean and Wil Crowe on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

If the Nationals are getting the 2019 version, Bell will be a big addition, as he hit a career-high 37 homers while slashing .277/.367/.569. His numbers cratered across the board in 2020's shortened campaign, however, as he hit just eight homers in 57 games and posted a .226/.305/.364 slash line. His strikeout rate soared from 19.2 percent to 26.5 percent while his walk rate fell to a career-low 9.9 percent. That makes the first baseman a rather risky fantasy option heading into the 2021 season, but he still has plenty of upside, especially as he's now left one of the league's toughest parks and worst lineups behind.