MLB Player News

Hague signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Tuesday which includes an invitation to spring training.

After spending 2016 in Japan, Hague returned stateside in 2017 and spent the entire season with Triple-A Rochester. While he hit a respectable .297/.373/.416 for the Red Wings, it wasn't enough to earn him a promotion to the majors. Hague will now look to work his way back to the majors with the Mariners, though he'll more likely spend the year as organizational depth.

Voit has been taking reps at the corner-outfield spots throughout the offseason, Ben Frederickson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Voit has been training locally at Maryville University and indicated that he's been gaining experience with reading balls off the bat and perfecting his routes while tracking flyballs. Though Voit said he doesn't envision a permanent position change from first base, he acknowledged that having familiarity with the corner outfield -- in addition to his ability to play catcher on an emergency basis -- could help his case for earning an Opening Day roster spot with St. Louis. The 26-year-old, who posted a .736 OPS across 124 plate appearances with the Cardinals in 2017, is expected to enter spring training second on the depth chart at first base behind Jose Martinez.

Abreu agreed to a one-year, $13 million deal with the White Sox on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanRag Sports reports.

Abreu received a $2.175 million bump during his second year being arbitration eligible. It was well deserved after the 30-year-old slashed .304/.354/.552 with 33 home runs and 102 RBI during the 2017 season. Abreu will once again be a hot commodity heading into this upcoming campaign.

Flores agreed to a one-year, $3.4 million deal with the Mets on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

He receives a raise over the $2.2 million he made last year in his first year of arbitration. Flores figures to play almost every day this season, likely seeing time at second base, third base and first base. He hit .271 with 18 home runs in 362 plate appearances last season, and could be poised for a breakout campaign.

Cron agreed to a one-year $2.3 million deal with the Angels on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

This was his first of three offseasons as an arbitration-eligible player. Cron may struggle to see enough at-bats to be useful in most mixed leagues this season, as Luis Valbuena figures to start at first base against most righties, and Albert Pujols will also start at first when Shohei Ohtani gets starts at DH. Cron hit .248/.305/.437 with 16 home runs in 373 plate appearances last season.

Fuenmayor agreed to a minor-league contract with Washington on Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.

Fuenmayor spent the 2017 season in the Mexican League following a pair of seasons at Triple-A for the Royals. The 28-year-old has never appeared in a major-league contest, but slashed .291/.325/.405 in 101 games with Triple-A Omaha in 2016. He will likely serve as organizational depth for the Nationals moving forward, and should begin the upcoming season back in the high minors.

McBride agreed to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training with the Phillies on Wednesday.

McBride didn't see any time in the majors during this past year, instead playing in 79 games with Triple-A Nashville within the A's system. The 32-year-old slashed an unimpressive .231/.299/.434 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI during his time with the Sounds. McBride will serve as organizational depth for the Phillies, and likely won't provide much help in terms of fantasy purposes moving forward.

Dickson (shoulder) signed a contract with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of NPB, the Japan Times reports.

He had shoulder surgery in October and was cut by the Dodgers in November. Dickson opted for a steady paycheck in Japan over another year chasing a big-league promotion stateside.

Santana agreed to a three-year, $60 million deal with the Phillies on Friday, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

After spending his first 11 seasons as a professional within the Indians' organization, Santana will move on to a new home following this signing. It was clear that Cleveland wasn't going to be able to offer Santana this kind of contract, and after the first baseman declined the club's $17.4 million qualifying offer in November, it became apparent that he would be playing for a new team come 2018. On the surface, this move is a tad puzzling, considering the Phillies already seemed to have their first baseman of the future in the majors in Rhys Hoskins. However, it would appear as though the top prospect will likely move to the outfield in order to make room for Santana, as he saw time in left field during 30 of his 50 appearances in the big leagues in 2017. As for Santana, the switch-hitting 31-year-old is coming off another quality season, slashing .259/.363/.455 with 23 home runs and 79 RBI in 154 games last year.

Manager Bruce Bochy said he expects Shaw (shoulder) to begin next season with Triple-A Sacramento, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Bochy noted that he believes Shaw is getting close to making his big-league debut. The 24-year-old held his own following a promotion to Triple-A in May last year, hitting .289/.328/.530 with 18 homers and 50 RBI in 88 games. He's one of the team's top prospects and should make his debut later in 2018 if he continues to perform well in the upper minors.