MLB Player News

Frazier agreed to a one-year, $4.3 million contract with the Pirates on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

Frazier has typically graded out pretty well in the field but was pretty unlucky at the plate last season. He has a career .303 BABIP but that mark was down to .246 in 2020, leading to a career-worst .230 batting average. Most projection systems expect him to get back up in the .265 range, but he probably won't chip in enough home runs or stolen bases to be sought after in most formats.

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.

Drury signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Friday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The 28-year-old appeared in 21 games in 2020 for the Blue Jays and had a .358 OPS in 49 plate appearances before being designated for assignment at the start of September. Drury provides organizational infield depth for the Mets after the departures of Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez in the trade for Francisco Lindor.

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.

Kim reached a deal with the Padres on Monday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

The 25-year-old was an all-around star in Korea, hitting .306/.397/.523 with 30 homers and 23 steals this past season, all while primarily playing shortstop. There's a Fernando-Tatis-shaped obstacle preventing him from playing that position for the Padres, however, with Manny Machado blocking third base, the other spot at which he's spent a fair amount of time. San Diego presumably wouldn't have outbid the rest of the league for his services without the intention of having him in the lineup on a regular basis somewhere, though, so it's likely he factors into the picture at second base or possibly even in the outfield. While Kim's all-around dominance in Korea probably translates more to all-around competency at the MLB level, he's still quite likely to be a useful option for the Padres and fantasy players whenever he's on the field.

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.

Kim was formally posted by the Korea Baseball Organization's Kiwoom Heroes on Monday, making him eligible to begin negotiating with MLB teams on a contract, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Teams will have until Jan. 1 to agree to terms on a deal with Kim, a 25-year-old shortstop who was one of the KBO's standout performers in 2020 (.306/.397/.523 slash line, 30 home runs and 23 steals across 622 plate appearances). The power/speed combination he provides from a middle-infield spot should make him an alluring target to a number of clubs, so expect the bidding for his services to be competitive over the next three weeks. The Heroes would retain Kim's rights if he's unsatisfied with the offers he receives from MLB teams before the negotiating window closes.

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.