MLB Player News

Vargas signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Monday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Vargas has most recently appeared in the Puerto Rican Winter League with Mayaguez, slashing .272/.434/.505 with five homers and 25 RBI in 31 games. His last big-league appearance dates back to 2017 with Minnesota, where he finished with a .253 average, 11 long balls and 41 RBI across 78 contests. Vargas figures to begin the year with Triple-A Toledo.

Winker (neck) could face significant competition for playing time this season, following the Reds' signings of Nick Castellanos and Shogo Akiyama.

Right now Winker has to both prove that he's healthy and then beat out Akiyama or Nick Senzel for playing time, not to mention Aristides Aquino. At best, a platoon role seems most likely absent a trade and/or an injury.

Ruf signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Thursday, Jayson Stark of The Athletic reports.

Ruf hasn't appeared in the big leagues since the 2016 campaign, as he's spent the last few years overseas in the KBO. He struggled to a .205 average with three home runs and nine RBI in 43 games with the Phillies in 2016; however, he's coming off a season in which he slashed .292/.396/.515 with 22 homers and 101 over 133 contests with the Samsung Lions.

Cespedes (ankle) will be ready to hit at the start of spring training, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

Cespedes is also making progress running and tracking fly balls, though it's not yet clear if he's expected to be fully ready to go by the start of the regular season. The 34-year-old has played a total of just 119 games over the last three seasons combined. He missed the entirety of the 2019 campaign, first due to recovery from a pair of heel surgeries and then due to a wild-boar-related ankle fracture.

Ozuna agreed to a one-year, $18 million deal with the Braves on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Ozuna will join his third organization after recording .241/.328/.472 slash line with 29 homers and 89 RBI in 130 games with the Cardinals in 2019. The veteran outfielder is still considered one of the league's premier power hitters after averaging 30 home runs and 100 RBI over the past three years. Ozuna figures to slot into the cleanup spot following the departure of Josh Donaldson, while the Braves plan to use him as their everyday left fielder, per David O'Brien of The Athletic.

Beer will join the Diamondbacks' big-league camp this spring.

Beer came to Arizona in the Zack Greinke trade on deadline day. He struggled to a .205/.297/.318 line in 24 games for Double-A Jackson after posting a .299/.407/.543 line in 63 games for Double-A Corpus Christi prior to the trade. He'll need to prove himself at the Triple-A level before being considered for a big-league job.

Buxton (shoulder) has been given medical clearance to swing a bat and the Twins expect him to progress to hitting off a machine later this month, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

If all goes well, he could be ready to hit off live pitching at the start of spring training. Buxton underwent season-ending surgery Sept. 10 to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. If healthy, he should be Minnesota's starting center fielder in 2020.

Buxton (shoulder) signed a one-year, $3.075 million contract with the Twins on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Buxton ended the 2019 season on the injured list after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, and it remains unclear if he'll be ready for the beginning of spring training. If healthy, he should be Minnesota's starting center fielder in 2020.

Soler agreed to a one-year, $7.3 million contract with the Royals on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Soler surprised many by cranking 48 homers while driving in 117 RBI over 162 contests during his first full season of big-league action. He's expected to be a key bat in the Royals lineup during the 2020 campaign.

Canha signed a one-year, $4.8 million contract with the Athletics on Friday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The 30-year-old will more than double his pay from 2019 after posting a .913 OPS with 26 home runs and 58 RBI in 126 games. The 30-year-old struggled against right-handers in 2018 (.665 OPS) but reversed that trend last season (.966 OPS), opening the door for a larger workload.