MLB Player News

Semien agreed to a one-year, $18 million contract with the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The 30-year-old was unable to secure a long-term deal this offseason, but he'll get $18 million this season before returning to free agency ahead of the 2022 campaign. Bo Bichette isn't going anywhere at shortstop for the Blue Jays, so Semien is expected to take over at second base, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Semien has exclusively played shortstop since 2015, but he did have some big-league experience at second base and third base across the two previous seasons. He largely struggled in 2020 with a .679 OPS in 53 games, but he posted an .891 OPS with 33 homers in 2019 and will look to recapture that form for Toronto.

Hernandez signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Red Sox on Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez will head to Boston for the 2021 campaign after spending the past six seasons with the Dodgers. The middle infielder slashed .230/.270/.410 with five home runs and 20 RBI during the abbreviated 2020 season after hitting double-digit home runs in each of the previous three years. He should work at second base and in a utility role for his new club in 2021.

Torres and the Yankees reached a one-year, $4 million deal Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Even after the Yankees re-signed DJ LeMahieu on Friday, Torres and New York won't require arbitration for his 2021 contract since the two sides reached an agreement shortly before Friday's deadline. The shortstop struggled over a limited sample in 2020, hitting .243 with three home runs and 16 RBI over 42 contests, but he will attempt to return to form in 2021.

Rosario agreed to a one-year, $2.4 million contract with Cleveland on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The newly acquired middle infielder had become a spare piece for the Mets, so Cleveland will look to get a bounce-back season from the 25-year-old former top prospect. If Rosario can return to his 2019 form (.287/.323/.432, 15 HR, 19 SB), he would be a great bargain in fantasy drafts. If that season turns out to be the outlier, however, Cleveland has top second base prospect Tyler Freeman waiting in the upper levels of the minors.

Gimenez was sent from the Mets to the Indians on Thursday along with Amed Rosario, Isaiah Greene and Josh Wolf in exchange for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The move means Gimenez won't have to compete with the incoming Lindor for playing time at shortstop, a battle he would surely lose. Amed Rosario was also shipped to Cleveland in the deal, however, so the pair will continue the battle they began in New York in 2020. Gimenez outperformed Rosario last season, hitting a respectable .263/.333/.398 while stealing eight bases to Rosario's zero. They started together on several occasions last season, with Gimenez appearing at other infield spots, an arrangement which could continue with their new team.

Rosario was sent from the Mets to the Indians on Thursday along with Andres Gimenez, Isaiah Greene and Josh Wolf in exchange for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

Rosario started to lose his grip on the Mets' shortstop job last season during a disappointing campaign in which he hit just .252/.272/.371 and failed to steal a single base. In theory, the move to Cleveland should help him get a fresh start, but the player who began to displace him, Andres Gimenez, was also included as part of the deal. It's possible one of the former Mets slides to second base, but there is still a bit of uncertainty with this situation. His ceiling may not be particularly high, as he's never produced an above-average batting line.

Wall re-signed with the Blue Jays on a minor-league deal Tuesday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The contract includes an invitation to big-league camp. Wall has been a part of the Blue Jays' organization since coming over from the Rockies in the Seung Hwan Oh trade in 2018. He spent 2020 as part of the team's player pool but was never added to the 40-man roster.

Kemp signed a one-year, $1.05 million contract with the Athletics on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 29-year-old was acquired by Oakland during last offseason and had a .247/.363/.301 slash line with five doubles and three stolen bases in 49 games (114 plate appearances) during the shortened season. Kemp unsurprisingly saw most of his time at second base, though he also played some left field and served as the designated hitter. Barring any outside additions, he could enter spring training as the favorite to start at second base on the strong side of a platoon.

Andrus will be a utility infielder in 2021, Levi Weaver of The Athletic reports.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa will be the starting shortstop, moving Andrus to a bench role. The 32-year-old had been the Rangers' everyday shortstop for over a decade, so this is a big changing of the guard. He ended the 2020 season on the shelf with a back strain, finishing with a .194/.252/.330 slash line with three home runs and three steals in 29 games.

Dominican Winter League club Leones del Escogido announced Monday that Rengifo (hamstring) will be included on the team's roster.

Rengifo finished the 2020 campaign on the 10-day injured list after suffering a right hamstring strain in late September, but the fact that he's on a winter ball roster implies that he's back to full strength. Unless the Angels bring in a replacement for free agent Andrelton Simmons this offseason, Rengifo and David Fletcher tentatively slot in as Los Angeles' projected regulars in the middle infield in 2021.