MLB Player News
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Christian Colon DH | NYM
Christian Colon: Ending career
Colon is planning to retire, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.
Colon has been in professional baseball since 2010, and he first reached the majors in 2014. He spent the majority of his career as organizational depth, including 2021 when he played at Triple-A Buffalo. For his career, he logged a .249/.312/.310 line across 418 major-league plate appearances.
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Kyle Lewis DH | ARI
Mariners' Kyle Lewis: Could be designated hitter
General manager Jerry Dipoto said Wednesday the team is counting on Lewis to produce as a hitter in 2022, but is unsure if he will play center field, left field or designated hitter, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.
Considering Lewis has missed so much time in recent seasons with lower-body injuries -- he finished the 2021 season on the 60-day injured list with a bone bruise in his right knee -- it makes sense for Lewis to get more starts at designated hitter going forward. The Mariners may add other players still this offseason, but for now Lewis should be able to play pretty regularly as long as he's healthy.
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Mike Ford DH | MIN
Mike Ford: Non-tendered by Washington
Ford was non-tendered by the Nationals on Tuesday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.
Ford was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in August, and he'll depart the organization without making a big-league appearance. He struggled with the Yankees earlier in the year and hit .133/.278/.283 in 72 plate appearances.
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Daniel Vogelbach DH | TOR
Daniel Vogelbach: Let go by Milwaukee
Vogelbach was non-tendered by the Brewers on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old was overtaken as the Brewers' primary first baseman by Rowdy Tellez, so the team opted not to tender him a contract for 2022. Vogelbach hit .219/.349/.381 with nine home runs, 24 RBI and 30 runs scored in 258 plate appearances last season.
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Ji-Man Choi 1B | NYM
Rays' Ji-Man Choi: Avoids arbitration
Choi agreed to a one-year, $3.2 million deal with the Rays on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Choi appeared in 83 games during 2021 and hit .229/.348/.411 with 11 homers, 14 doubles, 45 RBI and 36 runs in 305 plate appearances. He should see plenty of time at first base next season, especially with Yandy Diaz likely to see more time at third base following the departure of Joey Wendle.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Braves' Marcell Ozuna: Eligible to return
Ozuna was handed a retroactive 20-game suspension Monday for a violation of the league's Join Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy which has already been completed, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Ozuna landed on the injured list with broken fingers in late May and was arrested for aggravated assault and family violence soon after. He didn't return for the rest of the season while the case played out in court but was placed on administrative leave in mid-September after agreeing to enter a diversion program which could see his charges dropped. The league evidently felt that the time he already missed constituted a sufficient punishment, as his time on administrative league counted for the purposes of the suspension.
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Byron Buxton CF | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Reaches long-term deal with Twins
The Twins signed Buxton to a seven-year, $100 million contract extension Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
The contract includes a full no-trade clause. Injuries have plagued Buxton throughout his career, but he's proven to be an immensely impactful player both offensively and defensively when available. At about $14 million per year, the contract will be a bargain for Minnesota if the center fielder manages to stay healthy. Despite being limited to 61 games in 2021, Buxton hit 19 home runs and stole nine bases while slashing .306/.358/.647 in 254 plate appearances.
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Mark Canha LF | TEX
Mets' Mark Canha: Agrees to two-year deal with Mets
Canha and the Mets agreed to terms on a two-year, $26.5 million deal Friday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
The late bloomer looks set to slot straight into Michael Conforto's spot in right field after Conforto declined a qualifying offer to try his luck on the open market. Canha will turn 33 in February but he remains an effective player, hitting .231/.358/.387 (good for a 115 wRC+) with 17 homers and a career-high 12 steals last season. He is one of the league's premier on-base threats, as his .377 on-base percentage over the last three seasons is good for ninth among qualified hitters. His power appears to be fading, however, as his .156 ISO in 2021 represented a career low while his 7.1 percent barrel rate was his lowest mark since 2017.
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Alex Dickerson DH | ATL
Giants' Alex Dickerson: Designated for assignment
Dickerson was designated for assignment by the Giants on Monday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Dickerson had an unremarkable 2021 season, hitting .233/.304/.420 (good for a 97 wRC+) with 13 homers in 312 plate appearances. It's possible he lands in a platoon role elsewhere, as he did produce an out-of-nowhere 151 wRC+ in 170 plate appearances in 2020, but the upside seems fairly low for a player with a modest track record heading into his age-32 season.
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Harold Ramirez DH | WAS
Cubs' Harold Ramirez: Dealt to Cubs
Ramirez was traded from the Guardians to the Cubs on Monday in exchange for cash considerations.
Ramirez hasn't shown himself to be anything more than a bench piece through three major-league seasons, hitting .271/.308/.405 for his career. He makes good contact, striking out in just 18.2 percent of his plate appearances, but he's walked just 4.0 percent of the time and has below-average power, as seen in his 5.6 percent career barrel rate. That profile might work as a passable starter if he were a good defensive center fielder, but he's graded out poorly there and fits better in a corner. He's at least found himself with a team that has plenty of playing time available, but he'll be an unexciting option even if he plays regularly.