MLB Player News

Miller and the Rays avoided arbitration Friday with a one-year, $3.575 million deal, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Miller experienced a massive power spike in 2016, slugging a career-high .482 and 30 home runs while splitting time between shortstop and first base. Expect him to settle in at the latter spot for the Rays this season.

Harper signed a one-year, $13.625 million deal with the Nationals on Friday, avoiding arbitration, FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reports.

This is Harper's second to last season before he hits free agency after the 2018 campaign. He received a healthy bump in pay from the $5 million he earned in 2016. While he is coming off a bit of a down year that was dragged down by injuries, Harper will still cost a premium as a late first-round pick in most drafts this season.

Choi has elected free agency in lieu of accepting his outright assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake.

The 25-year-old did not see a clear path to playing time on the big league roster in Anaheim, so he will test the market instead of agreeing to ride buses in 2017. Of course, coming off a year where he posted a 67 wRC+ while getting 125 of his 129 plate appearances with the platoon advantage, he will likely have to settle for a minor league pact with his next organization.

Choi has passed through waivers unclaimed and been outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Choi was the roster casualty of Ben Revere's one-year deal with the Angels and will now join the team's Triple-A affiliate after a disappointing rookie campaign. It's possible he will join the Angels at spring training as a non-roster invitee, but his .170/.271/.339 batting line at the top level last season and expected lack of opportunities at the major league level in 2017 make him an undesirable fantasy asset in the majority of fantasy formats.

Brantley (shoulder) began taking non-contact swings over the holiday break, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

A September report shed doubt on Brantley's four-month timetable, suggesting he could miss significant time in 2017, but the Indians have been adamant that Brantley will be ready for spring training. He played in just 11 games last season before being shut back down and ultimately undergoing a second shoulder surgery. Brantley turns 30 in May.

Choi was designated for assignment on Friday, the Los Angeles Times' Mike DiGiovanna reports.

The Angels needed to clear a spot on the 40-man roster after the signing of Ben Revere to a one-year deal, and Choi was the casualty. He was pretty underwhelming in his first year in the big leagues last season, slashing .170/.271/.339 with five home runs in 129 plate appearances. His .170 ISO indicates noteworthy pop, and his .173 BABIP points to some bad luck, but he does not profile as someone who will play enough or hit for a high enough average to be useful in standard leagues anytime soon.

Goins, who lost his utility-infielder role to Darwin Barney last season, will begin working in the outfield to increase his chance of making the 2017 roster, Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com reports.

Barring injuries, the Jays starting infield is locked in, and Barney, who had an outstanding 2016 campaign, can fill in at shortstop, second and third base whenever needed. Goins is out of minor league options, meaning the 28-year-old will be waived if he doesn't remain on the 25-man roster or DL for the duration of 2017. After playing 128 games in 2015, Goins was awful for the Jays in 2016 before suffering a forearm injury and spending most of the second half in the minors. His fantasy value is tied to his extended positional eligibility, but (assuming he makes the 25-man roster) Goins is best-suited for deeper leagues.

Turner agreed to a four-year, $64 million contract with the Dodgers on Monday, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.

Turner has been worth 12.9 wins above replacement (according to Fangraphs) over the past three years, but he is also entering his age-32 season, so this seems like a fair deal for both parties. He hit a career-high 27 home runs last year -- his previous career high was 16 -- and while he seems unlikely to duplicate that power performance, his career .282 average seems like a good projection for 2017. If he can stay healthy he should also be good for 75-plus runs and RBI, hitting near the top of the Dodgers' lineup.

Speaking at the team's Piratefest on Saturday, McCutchen refused to blame thumb and knee injuries for his poor performance in 2016. "I just didn't have it," he told DK Pittsburgh Sports. "It just wasn't there. It had nothing to do with injuries. I didn't produce the way that I wanted to, that's plain and simple. I appreciate it, because people are like, 'Something's not right. Something's off. He has to be injured to not be performing.' Honestly, it was nothing. The performance just wasn't there."

McCutchen is unsure whether he'll remain in center field. "Who knows if something changes," he said. "I don't know that, all the way. Hopefully we'll have a more definitive answer going into spring training. ... Center field, right, left, I'm just happy to be playing." The outfielder also cleared the air with GM Neal Huntington after hearing his name mentioned in trade talks at the winter meetings. "We had a good conversation and basically ended it on good terms and went from there," McCutchen noted.

Blackmon was part of an unsuccessful trade attempt when the Rockies tried to acquire right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman from the Blue Jays, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Rumors of Blackmon being traded have been swirling, but the Rockies have struggled to find suitors for the outfielder. The Blue Jays weren't willing to part with Stroman in a one-for-one deal. MLB Trade Rumors projects that Blackmon will earn $9 million in 2017 through arbitration. Clearing that potential salary could keep the Rockies in play for some of the bigger-ticket free agents. The 30-year-old is coming off a career-best season in which he set personal records in average, OBP, slugging percentage, home runs and RBI.