MLB Player News

Espinosa agreed to a one-year, $5.425 million contract with the Angels on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

The former Washington National will see close to a $3 million pay raise with his new club in 2017. Espinosa had a disappointing final season with the Nationals, slashing .209/.306/.378 with 174 strikeouts. He did, however, mash 24 home runs and drove in 72 runs. Espinosa figures to be the Angels' primary second baseman, which is a position that the club struggled to find production from last year.

Drury could be in line to see a lot of time at second base in 2017, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports. "We're going to try and get as many at-bats for our best players, so he would be one of those," general manager Mike Hazen said.

The new leadership team has expressed a desire to improve the outfield defense, play Jake Lamb almost every day at third base, and get Drury as many at-bats as possible, which leads to the idea that he could win the starting job at second base during spring training. Drury played primarily in the outfield last season, despite playing only third base and second base in the minors. Despite the position change, he still posted a .282/.329/.458 slash line with 16 home runs in 499 plate appearances, and he could possibly improve upon those numbers if his defensive responsibilities are simplified. Chris Owings, Ketel Marte and Nick Ahmed will be competing for the shortstop job in spring training, and whoever loses out will likely also be considered at second base, but based on his production in 2016 and the statements from the new brass, Drury appears to have the inside track.

Espinosa was traded to the Angels on Saturday, Josh Norris of Baseball America reports.

Espinosa will head to Los Angeles after playing 779 games with the Nationals over parts of the last seven seasons. He played shortstop in Washington, but with Andrelton Simmons playing that position for the Angels, Espinosa will presumably move to second base. Espinosa hit just .209 last season, but did set career highs with 24 home runs and 72 RBI over 157 games.

Polanco is the leading candidate for Minnesota's starting shortstop job as spring training approaches, manager Paul Molitor told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.

Polanco was impressive at the plate last season when given a trial as the team's everyday shortstop, hitting .288 with a .751 OPS over his last 56 games. However, there were questions about his defense, which could ultimately move him to second base. Still, this shows Polanco is ahead of Eduardo Escobar at shortstop, although the Twins could still shake up their roster this winter.

Frazier will take over the team's primary utility role in 2017 following the departure of Sean Rodriguez, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

He saw playing time at second base, third base and in the outfield, but will only qualify in the outfield in fantasy leagues with a 20-game minimum (at least to start the season). Frazier hit .301/.356/.411 in 160 plate appearances. While he lacks power and isn't an effective base stealer -- he's been thrown out in 40 of 93 minor-league stolen base attempts -- the left-handed hitter could help fantasy teams in the batting average category. He has little competition for the utility role with Rodriguez landing in Atlanta.

Arroyo will likely start the season at Triple-A Sacramento if he is unable to win a starting job out of spring training. It is reported that he will exclusively play third base in 2017, according to Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area.

Arroyo split time evenly at short and the hot corner last season, but with the Giants having an everyday shortstop in Brandon Crawford, they will switch their top prospect to third base to create an easier path to the majors. While unlikely, there is a chance the 21-year-old can earn a spot on the 25-man roster if he performs well during spring training. Arroyo slashed .274/.316/.373 in 517 plate appearances with Double-A Richmond last season.

Dubon was traded to the Brewers on Tuesday as part of a three-player return package for Tyler Thornburg, the Boston Globe's Pete Abraham reports.

Travis Shaw headlined the return for the Brewers, but Dubon was the second most noteworthy piece. While he would have only profiled as a utility player in Boston, there is a chance he could earn more playing time when he reaches the big leagues on the rebuilding Brewers. After performing as a slightly above average hitter in the lower levels of the minors, Dubon exploded after a promotion to Double-A last year, slashing .339/.371/.538 with six home runs and six steals in 269 plate appearances. His slight 6-foot, 160-pound frame won't lend itself to power in the majors, but he has the contact skills to hit for a solid average while stealing double-digit bases over a full season. The 22-year-old shortstop played some outfield in the Arizona Fall League, but will likely return to the middle infield with an assignment to Triple-A Colorado Springs. The most likely outcome is that Dubon serves as a utility infielder for Milwaukee in 2018, but if a spot opens up at second base, he has the potential to be an average regular there.

Renda cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville on Monday.

Renda hopped up to the big leagues for a pair of stints late last season, but his defensive versatility and advanced eye at the plate weren't enough to overcome the .183 batting average he put up in 60 at-bats in Cincinnati, leading the Reds to cast him off the 40-man roster. Renda does possess a bit of speed and got on base at a .363 clip in the minors last season, but he projects as little more than organizational depth moving forward.

Petit was non-tendered by the Angels on Friday, making him a free agent.

Petit was designated for assignment by the Angels in late November to make 40-man room, and will now take his talents elsewhere. The 31-year-old posted a .245/.299/.348 line in 2016 while playing five different positions on defense, so he could have some value to teams as a utility man.

Torres will begin the 2017 season with Double-A Trenton, George A. King of the New York Post reports.

The highly-acclaimed prospect, who was acquired from the Cubs in the Aroldis Chapman trade, began the transition to second base and slashed .254/.341/.386 in 138 plate appearances for High-A Tampa following last season's trade. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Torres will begin the season with Trenton and get introduced to cold weather for the first time, with his performance determining a potential promotion, despite being just 19 years old.