MLB Player News

Wisdom re-signed Jan. 5 with the Cubs on a minor-league contract, Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America reports.

Wisdom initially joined Chicago on a minor-league deal in late August and ended up appearing in two games for the big club during the final week of the regular season. The 29-year-old didn't impress enough to maintain his spot on the 40-man roster entering the offseason, but he'll get the chance to battle for a bench role on the Cubs' Opening Day roster during spring training. He'll likely be assigned to Triple-A Iowa to begin the 2021 season if he comes up short in his bid for a job with the big club.

Freeman received an invitation to the Indians' major-league camp Wednesday, Emily Waldon of The Athletic reports.

The 21-year-old spent 2020 at Cleveland's alternate training site and showed off some of his power with eight home runs, and he'll now receive another chance to showcase himself for the organization. Freeman topped out at High-A in 2019 and had a .751 OPS in 62 games, and he could be ticketed for the upper minors in 2021.

Urshela (elbow) may not be ready for the start of spring training but expects to be available for Opening Day, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

The 29-year-old underwent surgery in early December to remove a bone chip from his right elbow, and he apparently won't be fully healthy in time for the first spring training game Feb. 27. A delayed start to spring training would still give Urshela plenty of time to ramp up for the regular season, but it's worth keeping an eye on his progression in the Grapefruit League.

Arenado was traded from the Rockies to the Cardinals on Friday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Arenado was heavily pursued by the Cardinals over the past several days, and the two sides were able to reach an agreement Friday. The 29-year-old is expected to sign off on the trade in order to make the deal official. While the exact terms of the acquisition aren't yet known, the Rockies will receive multiple players and send the Cardinals approximately $50 million as part of the agreement. Arenado had a career-worst .253 batting average with eight home runs and 26 RBI in 2020, but he'll attempt to return to form with the Cardinals after averaging 39.8 home runs per year from 2015 to 2019.

Urshela (elbow) is expected to be ready to go by Opening Day, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Urshela dealt with a bone spur in September and eventually underwent surgery in December, but it doesn't look as though he's destined to miss any time. The 29-year-old emerged from obscurity to hit .310/.358/.523 over the last two years and appears set to be a lineup fixture for the Yankees again this season.

Candelario (back) and the Tigers reached a one-year, $2.85 million deal Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Candelario missed the final three games of the regular season in 2020 due to a lower-back strain, but he impressed during the abbreviated season. He had a career-best .297/.369/.503 slash line with seven home runs and 29 RBI and will likely be ready for spring training in 2021.

Urshela (elbow) and the Yankees reached a one-year, $4.65 million deal Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Urshela's salary will nearly double from last year, and he won't require an arbiter during the offseason after striking a deal with the Yankees. He underwent surgery in early December to remove a bone chip from his right elbow, but he should be available for most of spring training as long as he doesn't face any setbacks.

Devers and the Red Sox avoided arbitration Friday by coming to terms on a one-year, $4.575 million deal, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Devers was decent but hardly dominant in 2020, posting a .263/.310/.483 slash line with career worsts in both walk rate (5.2 percent) and strikeout rate (27.0 percent). His 109 wRC+ fell roughly at the midpoint between his poor 2018 season (90 wRC+) and his strong 2019 campaign (132 wRC+). The Red Sox will be hoping that the 24-year-old's 2019 form best represents who he'll be going forward.

Anderson and the Marlins agreed to a one-year, $3.8 million contract Friday, avoiding arbitration, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

Anderson helped the Marlins to their third ever postseason appearance last season, hitting a solid .255/.345/.465 with 11 homers. The 27-year-old hasn't shown signs that he's about to break out and become a true star hitter, but he should remain a key piece for a Marlins team that's looking to earn consecutive playoff berths for the first time.

McMahon and the Rockies agreed to terms on a one-year, $2.375 million contract Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

McMahon's fantasy value continues to be propped up by the fact that he plays half his games at Coors Field, but he's yet to show much at the plate. He hit just .215/.295/.419 last season while striking out 34.2 percent of the time. It's hard to say he's earned anything close to an everyday role, but that's been true for the past two seasons as well and hasn't stopped the Rockies from pencilling his name into the lineup on most occasions.