MLB Player News

LeMahieu could be the current favorite to start at third base for the Yankees, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Sherman said Monday on the Pinstripe Post podcast that he believes the Yankees are "going to try to take another look at LeMahieu" and that LeMahieu's likeliest position is third base. Jazz Chisholm ended the 2024 season at the hot corner for the Yanks, but the club seems to prefer him at second base. It could all be a moot point if the team winds up acquiring a player at either of those positions, but for now, LeMahieu looks to be in line to handle the hot corner. The 36-year-old had just a .527 OPS over 67 games during an injury-shortened 2024 campaign.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Monday that Devers is the team's third baseman "as of now," Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald reports.

The "as of now" part is the takeaway here. It's been reported that Boston has considered shifting Devers to first base, and that seems to still be in play if the club makes an outside addition at third base. The Red Sox have been connected to Alex Bregman via free agency and Nolan Arenado via trade this offseason.

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Friday that Keith will move to first base next season, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The newly signed Gleyber Torres will take over as the Tigers' second baseman, shifting Keith over to the cold corner. Keith has never played first base in pro ball, but he's been working out there this offseason and the Tigers don't seem to have any concerns about his ability to adapt to the position. With Keith now at first base at least against righties, Spencer Torkelson's role on Detroit's roster looks unclear.

Urshela agreed to a one-year contract with the Athletics on Thursday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Urshela split time between Detroit and Atlanta last season and hit .250 with nine home runs and a .647 OPS. He was released by Detroit in August after slashing just .243/.286/.333, but he fared better with Atlanta by hitting .265 with a .711 OPS. Urshela still has a decent glove at third base as his Defensive Runs Saved ranked 18th at the position last season. He'll compete for a regular role this spring at third base, but he might be a better fit with the A's as a veteran bench player.

The Astros acquired Smith, Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesneski from the Cubs on Friday in exchange for Kyle Tucker, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The 14th overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, Smith debuted in pro ball with a .313/.396/.609 slash line and seven home runs over 32 games across three levels. He finished the year at Double-A Tennessee and will likely begin the 2025 campaign at Double-A Corpus Christi, with a debut by late 2025 or 2026 possible. He immediately becomes the best prospect in an Astros system that has seen a steady exodus of talent in recent years as the team stayed in World Series contention.

The Astros acquired Paredes, Hayden Wesneski and Cam Smith from the Cubs on Friday in exchange for Kyle Tucker, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The Astros reportedly tried to get Paredes at last season's trade deadline, but they've now got their man after his pit stop in Chicago. Paredes slashed a pedestrian .238/.346/.393 with 19 home runs in 2024 between the Rays and Cubs, but his pull-heavy swing is perfect for the Crawford Boxes at his new home park, giving him a good chance to bounce back in the power department in 2025. Currently, Paredes would be in line to play third base for the Astros, at least until he gets pushed by Smith -- the 14th overall pick in the 2024 Draft -- but he could shift over to first base if the club also re-signs Alex Bregman.

The Marlins traded Burger to the Rangers on Tuesday in exchange for Echedry Vargas, Max Acosta and Brayan Mendoza, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

The Marlins will plunge even further into their full-scale rebuild by trading away Burger, who slashed .265/.315/.472 and launched 38 home runs during his 190-game tenure in Miami. Now with the Rangers, the 28-year-old slugger's easiest path to playing time is likely as Texas' third baseman, though his subpar defense could cause him to move into the DH spot.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Tuesday that the team has not yet determined which position Lewis will play next season, Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul reports.

Lewis has been taking grounders on both sides of the second-base bag this offseason, but whether the 25-year-old ultimately settles in at third base or second base in 2025 will be decided "when we see what our roster overall is gonna look like," per Baldelli. The skipper did respond with "he can do it" when asked about Lewis' ability to handle second base. Lewis made one start at the keystone in 2024, with his other 49 starts in the field coming at third base.

The Tigers have asked Malloy to get work at first base during the spring, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Malloy played strictly in the outfield during the 2024 campaign, but Detroit has its sights set on increasing flexibility throughout the roster heading into 2025. Colt Keith will also see time at first base during the spring, which would increase the number of infield combinations available for the club if this idea pans out.

Detroit has asked Keith to take grounders at first base this spring, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

This doesn't necessarily mean that Keith will see time during the 2025 campaign at first base, but if he fares well enough at first during the spring, it would give the Tigers more infield flexibility. Justyn-Henry Malloy was also asked to try his hand at first base, so the general focus around the organization appears to be increasing the number of potential infield combinations.