MLB Player News

Ramirez (hamstring) was designated for assignment by the Marlins on Wednesday, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

Ramirez missed most of the 2020 season after testing positive for COVID-19, and he was sidelined for the final month due to a left hamstring strain. He'll be removed from the 40-man roster to begin spring training in order to make room for right-hander John Curtiss. Over the past two seasons, Ramirez hit .274 with 11 home runs and 51 RBI over 122 games.

Cabrera has been doing defensive drills during the offseason and could play some at first base this season, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Cabrera is unlikely to take on a regular role at first after the 37-year-old exclusively served as the designated hitter during the shortened 2020 season. The veteran made 26 appearances at first in 2019, his and the team's last full season. Renato Nunez and Jeimer Candelario will likely absorb most of the playing time at the position, but Cabrera wants to show that he's more than just a DH as his career winds down.

The Cubs are likely to use Ian Happ as their leadoff hitter to begin the season instead of Pederson, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Pederson batted first 249 times during his seven seasons with the Dodgers, but Chicago manager David Ross said he's likely going to stick with Happ, who was the team's primary leadoff hitter last season. Pederson should still play regularly in left field, essentially replacing Kyle Schwarber, and get plenty of opportunities to produce at the plate.

Angels manager Joe Maddon confirmed Tuesday that Ohtani will be a "full go" for spring training and head into the 2021 season as a two-way player, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

There was little reason to believe Ohtani wouldn't be a two-way player this season, but it's still good to see some confirmation from the team after he was shut down from pitching following two disastrous starts last year. Despite his considerable hype, Ohtani has now spent three full seasons in the majors and has yet to be a full-time two-way player for the entirety of any of those campaigns. Elbow issues ended his time on the mound just 10 starts into his debut season and eventually led to Tommy John surgery, which kept him as purely a designated hitter in 2019. His awful outings on the mound in 2020 can be explained away by his recovery from that procedure, but it's still hard to have complete confidence that things will finally go well for him in his fourth MLB season.

Turner announced via his personal Twitter account Saturday he is re-signing with the Dodgers.

The 36-year-old has spent the past seven seasons in Los Angeles, and it's not a major surprise to see him returning to the team after winning the World Series in October. According to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Turner will receive $34 million over two years, and the deal also includes a $14 million club option for a third year. He had a .307/.400/.460 slash line with four homers, nine doubles and 23 RBI in 42 games last season, and he should continue to operate as the Dodgers' starting third baseman in 2021.

Miller agreed to a one-year contract with the Phillies on Friday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

The 31-year-old had an .808 OPS in 48 games for the Cardinals in 2020, a downturn from the .941 OPS he posted in 130 PAs for Philly the year before. Miller provides strong infield depth behind Jean Segura at second base and Alec Bohm at third base, though most of his appearances with St. Louis came as the designated hitter. He's unlikely to have an everyday role with the universal DH still in limbo for the National League in 2021.

Colon signed a contract with the Kansas City Monarchs of the independent American Association on Thursday, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Colon will return to the city where he spent the majority of his big-league career. It's possible he figures something out in independent ball and returns to the majors one day, but as a 31-year-old with a career .249/.312/.310 slash line at the highest level, he has probably played his last big-league game.

Ohtani and the Angels avoided arbitration for this year and the next by agreeing to a two-year, $8.5 million contract Monday.

The agreement gives both sides stability for the near future, which could prove quite important given that Ohtani's outlook is rather uncertain. He's yet to truly establish himself as the two-way phenom he was billed as when he came over from Japan in 2018, as he was shut down from pitching just 10 starts into his rookie season and didn't throw at all the next year due to Tommy John surgery. A pair of awful outings on the mound to open 2020 made him just a hitter for the rest of the season, but that didn't go at all well as he struggled to a .190/.291/.366 line. If his struggles continue this year, he could look overpaid even at his modest salary, but if his breakout finally arrives he could wind up leaving quite a bit of money on the table.

Ozuna signed a four-year, $65 million contract with Atlanta on Friday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Ozuna appeared in all 60 games for Atlanta during the abbreviated 2020 season, and he'll return to the team on a multi-year deal in 2021. The 30-year-old slashed .338/.431/.636 with 18 home runs and 56 RBI last year but played 39 games as a designated hitter. However, he could serve as the primary left fielder for Atlanta in 2021 if the designated hitter isn't approved in the National League. Ozuna's contract contains a fifth-year option that would increase the deal to $80 million.

Choi will earn $2.45 million this season after winning his arbitration case Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Choi will make significantly more than the $1.85 million the Rays had offered. He won his case despite hitting a mediocre three homers last season and producing a barely above-average 103 wRC+, the product of a .230/.331/.410 slash line. Choi lines up to continue his platoon role this year.