MLB Player News

Olson agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract with the Athletics on Wednesday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

He was in no danger of being non-tendered. Olson is coming off a down year (.195/.310/.424), but he still hit 14 home runs in 60 games while logging a career-best 13.9 percent walk rate. One of the problems was that his strikeout rate spiked from 25.2 percent in 2019 to 31.4 percent last season. He is a good bet to rebound to some extent in his age-27 season.

Guerrero was granted permission to play in the Dominican Winter League, Yancen Pujols of El Caribe reports.

There's really no downside here for Guerrero. It will be easier for him to stay in shape and it gives him a chance to get into a groove at the dish ahead of spring training. He has already reportedly lost 40 pounds since July and 20 since the end of the season via an offseason workout regimen, putting him down to 245 pounds. Guerrero's goal is to lose another 10 pounds before camp opens, Hector Gomez of Deportivo Z 101 reports.

Shaw was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Shaw was cast off the Giants' 40-man roster Friday, but he'll land a 40-man roster spot with Baltimore heading into the 2021 season. The 26-year-old has struggled in limited major-league opportunities and could serve as organizational depth with his new club.

Shaw was designated for assignment Friday.

Shaw has essentially mastered Triple-A at this point, but the Giants seem to think he is a Quadruple-A hitter, as he has never been given much of a chance at the big-league level. He will offer organizational depth going forward if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Arias was added to Cleveland's 40-man roster Friday.

Arias was traded from San Diego to Cleveland at the end of August last year, and he'll unsurprisingly join the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The 20-year-old flashed his power at the High-A level in 2019, hitting .302 with 17 home runs and 75 RBI.

Dixon was released by the Tigers on Thursday in order for him to head to Japan.

The Tigers did not announce which NPB club Dixon will be signing with. Dixon fits the typical profile of a player heading overseas, as he's a 28-year-old with a respectable 197 big-league games under his belt but a generally unimpressive showing in those games. He's hit 20 career homers at the highest level and owns a .228/.271/.410 slash line.

Voit (foot) is no longer experiencing pain after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his foot, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Voit doesn't expect his plantar fasciitis to be an issue during the upcoming season after seeing positive results from the PRP shot. This is great news for the Yankees, who will have their slugger back at full strength for the start of spring training.

Freeman was named the 2020 National League Most Valuable Player on Thursday.

Freeman is Atlanta's first MVP since 1999 as he received 28 of 30 first-place votes, while Mookie Betts received the other two votes and finished in second in the voting. Freeman appeared in all 60 games during the shortened 2020 season, slashing .341/.462/.640 with 13 home runs, 53 RBI, 45 walks and 37 strikeouts.

Abreu was named the 2020 American League Most Valuable Player on Thursday.

Abreu received 21 of 30 first-place votes, with Jose Ramirez receiving eight votes while DJ LeMahieu received one. The 33-year-old slashed .317/.370/.617 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI while appearing in all 60 games during the abbreviated 2020 season.

Rizzo's option was picked up by the Cubs on Saturday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Rizzo will earn $16.5 million in 2021. Even after a disappointing season that saw him hit just .222/.342/.414, and even with a depressed market predicted for this winter, the decision was likely an easy one for the Cubs, as they bring back a team leader who has a long track record of success for the club. Just 31 years old, there's reason to believe Rizzo will demonstrate next season that his 2020 struggles were more of a small-sample blip than the start of a dramatic aging curve. It's certainly not out of the question that he could return to something close to his form from 2019, when he hit .293/.405/.520 with 27 homers.