MLB Player News
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Alex Bregman 3B | CHC
Astros' Alex Bregman: Finger healing well
Bregman's broken left index finger has healed well, and he's been able to swing since the start of January, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Bregman broke his finger in the penultimate inning of last season, suffering the injury on a slide into second base in the eighth frame of Game 6 of the World Series. The injury could hardly have been better timed, as he was able to remain in the game and then had the maximum possible time to heal. It will be worth verifying that he does indeed look fully healthy once spring games begin, but he certainly appears to be on track.
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Kyle Farmer 3B | ATL
Twins' Kyle Farmer: Settles with Minnesota
Farmer agreed to a one-year, $5.585 million contract with the Twins on Friday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
The 32-year-old was acquired from the Reds in November and is now officially under contract for 2023, which is his third year of arbitration eligibility. Farmer is likely to open the season in a utility role for Minnesota, especially following the surprise re-signing of Carlos Correa.
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Nick Maton DH | CHW
Tigers' Nick Maton: Traded to Tigers
Maton, Matt Vierling and Donny Sands were traded from the Phillies to the Tigers on Saturday in exchange for Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Maton could have a clearer path to playing time in Detroit than he had in Philadelphia, though there's no guarantee he'll earn regular at-bats. In 216 career plate appearances at the highest level, he's hit .254/.330/.434 with seven home runs. That's good for a 108 wRC+, though his 31.5 percent strikeout rate is worryingly high while his 32.8 percent hard-hit rate is well below average, suggesting he's been quite lucky to produce above-average results.
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Rafael Devers 3B | SF
Red Sox's Rafael Devers: Inks long-term deal with Red Sox
Devers agreed to an 11-year, $331 million contract extension with the Red Sox on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Devers avoided arbitration with Boston on Tuesday by signing a one-year, $17.5 million deal. Although the two sides appeared to be far apart on a long-term contract, they managed to reach an agreement a day later. Devers' deal is the richest in Red Sox history and the largest contract for a third baseman in MLB history. The 26-year-old has been named an All-Star in the last two seasons, and he slashed .287/.355/.530 with 65 home runs, 201 RBI, 185 runs and eight stolen bases while playing 297 games across those campaigns.
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Rafael Devers 3B | SF
Red Sox's Rafael Devers: Avoids arbitration with Boston
Devers signed a one-year, $17.5 million contract with the Red Sox on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
It's a nice raise for Devers, who made $11.2 million in 2022. The third baseman agreeing to a deal now does not preclude him signing a long-term contract extension with Boston, although at last check the two sides were reportedly far apart on an agreement. Devers -- who is coming off back-to-back All-Star Game appearances -- is currently slated to hit free agency next offseason.
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Tyler Nevin 3B | ATH
Tigers' Tyler Nevin: Traded to Detroit
The Orioles traded Nevin to the Tigers on Saturday in exchange for cash considerations.
Nevin was dropped from Baltimore's 40-man roster last week upon the team's acquisition of James McCann, but Nevin will now join the Tigers' 40-man. Zach Logue was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Nevin has not done much at the highest level, but he hit .291/.382/.479 with seven homers and 21 walks in 44 games with Triple-A Norfolk last season at age 25.
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Royce Lewis 3B | MIN
Twins' Royce Lewis: Out until late June/early July
Lewis (knee) is not expected to be ready to play for the Twins until late June or early July, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Lewis' rehab from a second tear of his right ACL is at the six-month mark and the process has gone as well as can be expected so far. Last week he was cleared to increase running and change-of-direction activities and he hopes to begin swinging a bat by mid-January. He'll report to spring training in February, with the goal being to further ramp up his activity level in early March. Lewis is tentatively slated to be the Twins' shortstop when he returns, although obviously that could change depending on what the team does between now and then and how the youngster's rehab goes.
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DJ LeMahieu 2B | NYY
Yankees' DJ LeMahieu: No surgery required
LeMahieu will avoid surgery on his broken toe, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
The injury forced LeMahieu to miss the postseason, but the offseason rest appears to be doing its job. The veteran infielder has already been able to run, hit and field, so his availability for the start of spring training doesn't seem to be at much risk.
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Jace Peterson SS | ARI
Athletics' Jace Peterson: Contract with Oakland official
Peterson's two-year, $9.5 million contract with the Athletics was formally announced Tuesday.
Peterson has put up a .706 OPS with 14 home runs and 22 stolen bases over the last two seasons in a utility role with the Brewers. He should play pretty regularly against righties and offers some deep-league consideration mostly because of his speed.