MLB Player News

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.

Santana's $17.5 million team option was declined by Cleveland on Friday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Santana spent 10 of the first 11 years of his career in Cleveland, but he had a career-worst .199/.349/.350 slash line with eight home runs and 30 RBI during the 2020 season. It's little surprise to see the team decline his expensive contract option, although it's unclear whether the two sides have interest in a reunion on a cheaper deal.

Goldschmidt underwent a procedure to remove a bone spur from his right elbow after the end of the season, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

It's unclear how long the 33-year-old had been battling the issue, but he waited until the Cardinals were eliminated before undergoing surgery. Goldschmidt finished the shortened campaign with a .304/.417/.466 slash line, six homers, 13 doubles, 31 runs and 21 RBI while playing all 58 games. President John Mozeliak didn't offer a specific recovery timeline, but the veteran slugger shouldn't have any issues being ready for the start of spring training in February.

Diaz went 2-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored Sunday in the Rays' 4-2 loss to the Dodgers in Game 5 of the series.

With lefty Clayton Kershaw starting for the Dodgers, Rays manager Kevin Cash elected to roll with Diaz at first base over Mike Brosseau, who had been serving as the main short-side platoon mate for the lefty-hitting Ji-Man Choi during the postseason. The decision to start Diaz paid dividends, as the 29-year-old put the Rays on the board with his RBI triple in the second inning. The Dodgers are projected to start right-handers Tony Gonsolin and Walker Buehler in the final two games of the series, so Diaz will likely retreat to a bench role while Choi and Joey Wendle man the corner-infield spots for Tampa Bay.

Freeman went 2-for-5 with a double, one run and two RBI during Thursday's win over the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLCS.

The veteran first baseman gave the Braves a 2-1 lead during the sixth inning with an RBI double off Clayton Kershaw, and he brought home an insurance run during eighth with an RBI single. Freeman is in the midst of a five-game hit streak, going 8-for-18 with two homers, one double, five runs, six RBI and three walks during that stretch.