MLB Player News

Plouffe agreed to a minor-league deal with the Rangers on Monday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Plouffe's performance at the plate regressed drastically during the 2017 season. He split time between the Rays and A's, over which he played in a combined 100 games. His dismal .198/.272/.318 line accompanied a 28.1 percent strikeout rate. Plouffe has experience at the hot corner, second base, first base and the outfield, so his defensive versatility could provide some value to the Rangers. However, he'll need to show improvement on offense before being much of a fantasy asset.

Urshela heads into spring training in the mix for one of the final 25-man roster spots, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

At this time, it seems like the Indians are planning on carrying a four-man bench: a fourth outfielder, a backup catcher, a utility infielder and either a fifth outfielder or another infielder. Urshela seems to be battling with Erik Gonzalez for that final utility infielder spot under the assumption that Michael Brantley (ankle) won't be able to suit up on Opening Day, although Yandy Diaz (groin) could also be in the mix if Brantley is ready to go. Urshela's lack of minor-league options would normally work in his favor in this instance, but Gonzalez is also out of options, making that a moot point. Urshela will likely need a strong spring at the plate, as his past two seasons have left much to be desired in that respect (.587 career OPS in the majors).

Ramirez could play second base to start the season if Michael Brantley (ankle) isn't ready for Opening Day, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Manager Terry Francona said that Jason Kipnis is the top name on the second base depth chart, but Kipnis could move to the outfield to fill in for Brantley if needed. This would force Ramirez to slide over from third base to the keystone. This could work out nicely for fantasy owners, as it would likely help the 25-year-old maintain his eligibility at second base into the 2019 season. At this point, it's mostly speculation, but regardless of where he plays, Ramirez should hold plenty of value in 2018 after a breakout season in which he slashed .318/.374/.583 with 29 home runs and 17 stolen bases.

According to manager Buck Showalter, Machado will begin the season as the Orioles' starting shortstop while Tim Beckham moves to the hot corner, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Machado will move back to his "natural position" and although he lost shortstop eligibility for fantasy leagues heading into this campaign, he will regain it during the season. The 25-year-old recently avoided arbitration a couple weeks ago on a one-year, $16 million deal and should be primed for a big year after an impressive second half in 2017.

Burger has been invited to the White Sox's major-league camp this spring, James Fegan of The Athletic Chicago reports.

Burger is still a year or two away from the majors, but the White Sox will nonetheless give their 2017 first-round pick a look during spring to see how he fares against major-league competition. The 21-year-old held his own in his first season of pro ball, hitting a combined .263/.336/.412 with five homers in 51 games across two levels. He has an impressive hit tool that could see him produce 25-30 homers with a .275 average when he ultimately arrives in the majors.

Machado agreed to a one-year, $16 million deal with Baltimore on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

This marks the final offseason as an arbitration-eligible player for Machado, who will become an unrestricted free agent following the 2018 campaign. Currently, the third baseman has been involved in trade rumors all winter, following a 2017 season that saw him slash .259/.310/.471 with 33 home runs and 95 RBI, even after a rough start to the year. No matter what jersey he's wearing come the spring, expect Machado to be a top-tier fantasy performer yet again.

Duffy (Achilles) agreed to a one-year, $930,000 deal with Tampa Bay on Friday to avoid arbitration, Roger Mooney of The Tampa Bay Times reports.

This was the first offseason Duffy was an arbitration-eligible player, and he earned a $384,700 raise from his 2017 salary. The third baseman wasn't able to play in any games last year because of an Achilles injury he suffered during the 2016 campaign. He was able to resume running earlier this week and could start off the year as the Rays' everyday third baseman if he's able to demonstrate full health during spring training.

Donaldson agreed to a one-year, $23 million deal with the Blue Jays on Friday to avoid arbitration, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Although this figure isn't particularly surprising considering Donaldson's abilities, it marks the largest arbitration agreement in the history of the league. During the 2017 season, Donaldson hit .270/.385/.559 with 33 home runs and 78 RBI. Besides missing six weeks of the season due to a calf injury in the spring, the 32-year-old nearly put together another MVP-type campaign in the second half, ranking fifth in baseball with a 160 wRC+ after the All-Star break. Expect more of the same from the third baseman in 2018.

Escobar signed a one-year, $4.85 million deal with the Twins on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Escobar enjoyed a solid yet unspectacular season with the Twins in 2017, slashing .254/.309/.449 over 499 plate appearances, including career-high marks of 21 home runs, 73 RBI and five stolen bases. He'll likely see a majority of his playing time at third base and DH this upcoming season.

Duffy recently resumed running on a track and has been attending therapy three days a week to ensure his left Achilles' tendon is healing as expected, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Projected to open last season as the Rays' starting shortstop, Duffy never logged a single at-bat in 2017 after suffering multiple setbacks with the Achilles and ultimately requiring his second surgery to address the injury. Though he'll need to prove in the spring that his health isn't a concern, Duffy is the frontrunner to secure a full-time role at third base heading into the upcoming campaign after the Rays traded franchise icon Evan Longoria to the Giants earlier in the offseason. With a career .281 average and some modest pop, Duffy could provide decent value in the later rounds of deeper mixed and AL-only drafts if he's able to steer clear of the injury setbacks for the bulk of the 2018 campaign.