MLB Player News

Stassi agreed to a minor-league deal with Minnesota on Thursday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Stassi played in 51 big-league games with the Phillies last season, but slashed just .167/.278/.295 with two home runs and seven RBI in 78 at-bats. He will look to get a fresh start with Minnesota, and although he will likely begin the season at Triple-A Rochester, the 28-year-old could find himself back in the majors during the summer if he's able to hit in the minors.

Diaz is being evaluated in Cleveland for a right groin strain, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Diaz was playing for Leones del Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League when he picked up the injury. The severity of the issue remains unclear, leaving his status for the remainder of winter ball up in the air. More should be known following his evaluation.

Tellez was added to the 40-man roster Monday.

Tellez will be ineligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft now that he's on Toronto's 40-man roster. He had an underwhelming season at Triple-A Buffalo in 2017. Over 122 games, he hit .222 with a .628 OPS, and he'll likely spend several months at Triple-A to begin 2018.

Blandino was added to the Reds' 40-man roster Monday to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Blandino reached Triple-A Louisville during the 2017 season. Upon his arrival he slashed .270/.390/.444 over 63 games. Although he hit well last season, the Reds may want the 25-year-old shortstop to spend a bit more time with Louisville before giving him a taste of the majors in 2018.

Cooper was traded to the Marlins along with Caleb Smith in exchange for Michael King and international signing bonus money.

Cooper opened the 2017 season in the Brewers organization, where he was playing at Triple-A Colorado Springs. After being acquired by the Yankees, he played 13 games with the big club. During his major league debut he went 14-for-43 (.326) at the dish and posted an .821 OPS.

Gillaspie was added to the White Sox's 40-man roster on Monday to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Gillaspie was traded from Tampa Bay in exchange for reliever Dan Jennings this past season. It's hard to envision Gillaspie turning into a useful fantasy piece at this point, as few players hurt their stock more in 2017 than the 24-year-old first baseman. He has plus power, but has not been able to hit for a high average of late. The White Sox will likely be able to find playing time for him at some point in 2017, however, and his power could be of use in really deep leagues.

Santana has officially declined the Indians' qualifying offer prior to Thursday's deadline, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Santana will now head to free agency, with Cleveland receiving draft-pick compensation should he decide to sign elsewhere. The 31-year-old is coming off another steady year of production, hitting .259/.363/.455 with 23 homers, 79 RBI and 90 runs scored in 154 games for the Indians.

Cabrera is the leading candidate to start at third base for the Mets in 2018, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Cabrera bounced around the Mets' infield last year, appearing in 30 or more games at second base, shortstop and third base. While he's expected to start somewhere around the infield in 2018 after the Mets picked up his option, it appears New York would prefer to use him at the hot corner while looking elsewhere for a fill-in at second base. The 32-year-old has hit a respectable .280 with a .798 OPS, 37 homers and 121 RBI over the past two seasons (276 games) with the Mets.

Smith will have to compete for the Mets' starting job at first base in spring training, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. "He didn't win it in September, let's put it that way," general manager Sandy Alderson said.

This is an odd thing to say about a cornerstone player who was just getting his feet wet in the majors at the end of last season as a 22-year-old. He hit .220/.304/.450 with six home runs and a 30.4 percent strikeout rate in 100 at-bats from Sept. 1 through Oct. 1. It is understandable that the Mets want to find at-bats for Wilmer Flores, who is coming off a year when he slashed .271/.307/.488 with 18 home runs in 362 plate appearances, but third base and second base seem like better places to try to work him in. As Puma went on to say, this could be a motivational tactic aimed at getting Smith to show up to camp in great shape. He is still the clear leading candidate to open the year as the Mets' starting first baseman, but we now know that he is not a lock to open the year in that role.

Dalbec slashed .297/.407/.576 with seven home runs and 22 RBI over the final 31 games of the 2017 season for Low-A Greenville.

Dalbec made a splash after being a fourth-round draft pick in 2016, resembling Babe Ruth in the short-season NY/Penn League with a 1.101 OPS over 34 games. That had us anticipating his 2017 season with great interest, but it took some time for the 22-year-old to regain his timing following a broken hamate bone suffered in mid-May. The Red Sox hope Dalbec can build off that final month. The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder is the real deal in terms of power, but there will be significant swing-and-miss in his game (37.4 K percentage at Greenville). The question is whether he can maintain a high enough average.