MLB Player News

Semien is signing a seven-year, $175 million contract with the Rangers, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

In Semien's one year with Toronto, the 31-year-old hit 45 home runs with 102 RBI and 15 stolen bases. Over the past three seasons, including his poor 2020 campaign, Semien has averaged 37 home runs and 93 RBI per 162 games while slashing .268/.346/.509. The 2021 Gold Glove winner is a good defender at second base and shortstop and joins a team lacking a strong option at either position.

Frazier was sent from San Diego to Seattle on Saturday in exchange for Ray Kerr and Corey Rosier, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Frazier started the season strong with the Pirates but was far more mediocre down the stretch following a trade to the Padres, though he still finished with a .305/.368/.411 slash line, good for a 114 wRC+. He makes a ton of contact, as his 10.8 percent strikeout rate was good for fourth among qualified hitters, but that contact is among the weakest in the league, with his 1.0 percent barrel rate ranking third-worst among that same group. Don't expect him to improve significantly on his meager five homers, but another average close to .300 is certainly possible and should come with plenty of runs if he settles into a role atop Seattle's lineup.

Wong was released by the Angels on Wednesday.

Wong lost his spot on the Angels' 40-man roster Monday, and he'll now be free to seek out other opportunities as a free agent. The 26-year-old appeared in 39 major-league games across the last two seasons and hit .167 with six runs and five RBI.

The Angels designated Wong for assignment Monday.

Wong will cede his spot on the 40-man roster to another utility type in Tyler Wade, whom the Angels acquired from the Yankees on Monday. Over his 66 plate appearances with the Angels in 2021, Wong slashed .167/.194/.233 with zero home runs, six RBI and three runs.

Vivas was added to the Dodgers' 40-man roster Friday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Vivas showed last season that he has one of the best hit tools in the lower levels of the minors, hitting .318/.422/.424 with 13 strikeouts and 13 walks as a 20-year-old at High-A. He is in a pretty crowded organization, but Vivas' stock is trending up.

Peguero's contract was selected by the Pirates on Friday.

Peguero performed well at High-A Greensboro in 2021 and slashed .269/.331/.443 with 14 homers, 67 runs, 45 RBI and 28 stolen bases across 90 games. He'll likely require at least one more season in the minors before he joins the conversation for the major-league roster, but he'll be shielded from the upcoming Rule 5 draft.

Mathias (shoulder) was outrighted to Triple-A Nashville on Friday.

Mathias missed all of last season due to a shoulder injury which eventually required surgery. His positional versatility could offer him a path back to the roster in a bench role next season, but he's a 27-year-old with just 16 major-league games under his belt and unexciting numbers in the upper minors, so it's no surprise to see him pass through waivers.

Diaz's contract was selected by the Athletics on Friday.

The move prevents Diaz from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. The 21-year-old has some potential and hit .288/.337/.483 in 90 games last season, but those at-bats all came at the High-A level, so he's not close to making his major-league debut.

Stott has hit .320/.450/.493 with 20 walks against just 12 strikeouts through 21 games in the Arizona Fall League.

Stott is an interesting but fringy prospect, as he might not have quite a good enough glove to stick at shortstop and may not have quite a good enough bat to profile as an everyday player elsewhere. There's a chance he's good enough on both sides of the ball, however, which could give the Phillies a capable everyday shortstop for years to come. His fall numbers cap a strong season for the 24-year-old, who hit .299/.390/.486 with 16 homers and 10 steals across the three highest levels of the minors. Just 10 of those games came at Triple-A, so he may be a long shot to crack the Opening Day roster, but if the Phillies don't acquire anyone better than Didi Gregorius at shortstop this winter, it could be a sign that they expect Stott to take over sooner rather than later.

Semien rejected Toronto's $18.4 million qualifying offer Monday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

As expected, the shortstop will test the open market coming off the most impressive season of his MLB career. He smashed a career-high 45 home runs and also set career bests in RBI (102) and stolen bases (15) in 162 games. Semien is just one of a handful of quality shortstops headed for free agency this offseason, as Carlos Correa, Corey Seager and Trevor Story are also set to test the waters.