MLB Player News

Cron was removed from the Rays' 40-man roster Tuesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cron cranked 30 home runs over 140 games for the Rays in 2018, but he's been moved off the 40-man roster with the team deciding he's not worth $5-plus million for 2019. Tampa Bay could pull off a trade, or he could be claimed off waivers or simply head to free agency.

France was added to the Padres' 40-man roster Tuesday.

France began the 2018 season with Double-A San Antonio and had a .798 OPS and 17 home runs in 112 games before earning a promotion to Triple-A El Paso. The 24-year-old fared even better with the Chihuahuas, posting a .914 OPS with five home runs over 25 games.

Wade was added to the Twins' 40-man roster Tuesday, Aaron Gleeman of Baseball Prospectus reports.

The Twins added the outfielder to the 40-man roster in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Wade put up solid numbers at Double-A over the past two years, but he was a bit older than the competition at that level. He also scuffled a bit upon a promotion to Triple-A, hitting .229 with four home runs and 21 RBI in 352 plate appearances. He has excellent contact rates throughout his professional career, however, and his walk rate sat above 10 percent at most stops in the minors. If the 24-year-old can hit a bit better at the start of the season, he could find his way to Target Field, though his lack of a truly standout tool limits his upside.

Hiura was named the MVP of the Arizona Fall League, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports.

Hiura started hitting early in the fall season and never slowed down, and when it was all said and done, he hit .323/.371/.563 with five home runs and 33 RBI over 23 games. Considered the Brewers' best hitting prospect, Hiura reached the Double-A level for the first time in 2018 and posted a .755 OPS over 73 games. It seems unlikely he heads into 2019 as the Brewers' starting second baseman, but if he continues hitting like he has at every level to this point, he could make his big-league debut at some point next year.

Bour was cast off the 40-man roster and outrighted to the minors Wednesday, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Bour is now available to be claimed off waivers after the Phillies elected to free up his 40-man spot for a younger prospect they want to protect ahead of the Rule 5 draft. The first baseman was traded to Philadelphia from Miami in mid-August, and wound up slashing just .224/.296/.347 with one home run and five RBI in his brief time on the diamond (49 plate appearances) with his new team. A disabled list stint due to an oblique injury didn't help matters, but Bour was barely utilized in Philadelphia, only making a handful of starts in his month-and-a-half stay. In 2017, Bour hit .289 with a .902 OPS, 25 home runs and 83 RBI, so he has the potential to to be a strong left-handed bat for a team in need. In the event that Bour clears waivers, expect him to reject an outright assignment to the minors and choose to become a free agent.

Guerrero's time at the Arizona Fall League will end early as the prospect left to attend a family matter Tuesday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Guerrero couldn't manage to hit a home run in 19 games in Arizona, but otherwise did nothing to quell the hype that surrounds him. The 19-year-old hit an impressive .351/.409/.442 with seven doubles in the AFL.

General manager Brodie Van Wagenen said Flores (knee) is fully healthy, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Flores was shut down in mid-September with early onset arthritis in his knees, but he's apparently back to full health heading into winter. At this point, it's unclear if the Mets will tender the utility man a contract after he hit .267/.319/.417 with 11 homers in 126 games in 2018.

Alonso will be invited to spring training and is expected to have the opportunity to compete for the starting job at first base, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Alonso has yet to make his major-league debut despite putting together a .260/.355/.585 slash line with 21 home runs and 67 RBI across 67 games at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2018. He's expected to see a lot of at-bats during spring training and could ultimately earn a starting role if he's able to impress.

Dixon was claimed off waivers by the Tigers on Friday.

Dixon made his major-league debut with the Reds in 2018, though he struggled to a .178/.218/.356 line with five homers in 74 games. The 26-year-old also appeared in 49 games with Triple-A Louisville, slashing .346/.389/.570 with six homers. Dixon should get an opportunity to compete for a utility role in spring training.

The Diamondbacks exercised Goldschmidt's $14.5 million option for 2019, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

This comes as no surprise, as Goldschmidt posted another MVP-caliber season for the Diamondbacks in 2018, hitting .290/.389/.533 with 33 homers, 83 RBI and seven stolen bases in 158 games. Arizona is reportedly shopping him this offseason, although there is no guarantee that their logically steep asking price will be met.