MLB Player News

Pederson agreed to a contract with the Cubs on Friday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, the agreement is for one year and $7 million. Pederson struggled during 2020 with a .682 OPS before hitting well during the playoffs, but he also had an .818 OPS over the previous five seasons for the Dodgers. The 28-year-old mostly operated as a platoon player for Los Angeles since 2016, and that trend could continue in Chicago. However, former Cub Kyle Schwarber was an everyday starter in left field, and Pederson could be plugged directly into that role. He came into the league seeing most of his time in center field before transitioning to the corner outfield for the past few seasons.

Brantley signed a two-year, $32 million contract with the Astros on Wednesday, Mark Berman of Fox 26 reports.

Brantley was pursued by several teams during free agency and was believed to be close to a deal with the Blue Jays earlier Wednesday, but he'll return to Houston on a two-year deal. The 33-year-old should reclaim his role as a top option in left field and at designated hitter after slashing .309/.370/.497 with 27 home runs and 112 RBI over his past two seasons with the Astros.

Brantley and the Blue Jays are not yet in agreement on a contract, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Contrary to a previous report, Brantley and the Blue Jays have not yet reached a deal. The Blue Jays remain interested in the 33-year-old, but the two sides are still in the negotiation process.

Brantley signed a three-year contract with the Blue Jays on Wednesday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

The financial terms of the deal haven't yet been disclosed. Brantley will join George Springer in Toronto just one day after Springer inked a six-year deal with the team. Brantley spent the past two seasons with the Astros and appeared in 46 games during the abbreviated 2020 season, slashing .300/.364/.476 with five home runs and 22 RBI. The 33-year-old has had an OPS above .800 in each of the past four seasons and will attempt to build on his success with the Blue Jays in 2021.

Canha signed a one-year, $6.925 million contract with Oakland on Friday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The 31-year-old receives a sizable raise from his $4.8 million figure for 2020 as he enters his final season of arbitration eligibility. Canha had a .246/.387/.408 slash line with five homers, 33 RBI and four stolen bases in 59 games last season.

Winker and the Reds avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.15 million contract Friday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Winker took a step forward at the plate in 2020, though it's perhaps more accurate to say he took two steps forward and one step back. He was suddenly no longer a contact hitter, as his 25.1 percent strikeout rate was nearly 10 points worse than the 15.2 percent mark he managed over his first three seasons, but he more than made up for it with a big jump in power. His .289 ISO smashed his .181 mark through his first three campaigns, leading to 12 homers in just 54 games and an overall .255/.388/.544 slash line.

Ohtani is expected to be part of the Angels' six-man rotation next season, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani has only thrown 53.1 innings over his three-year MLB career. Elbow issues limited him to just 10 starts in his 2018 debut, and he didn't pitch at all in 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He was set to be a two-way player again last season but was shut down from pitching again after making a pair of disastrous starts. 2021 could be the year Ohtani finally emerges as a true dual threat, though given his track record so far in North America there would seem to be little reason to expect things to go smoothly. The Angels remain committed to the project however, to the point of deploying a non-standard rotation in order to to help him manage his workload.

Alvarez (knees) posted a video of himself running the bases on his personal Instagram account Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 23-year-old was running on an anti-gravity treadmill in mid-October, and he's continued to progress his running program over the past couple months. Alvarez underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in late August, and it's a good sign to see him on the basepaths with no obvious limitations. There's still a couple months before the start of spring training, and Alvarez is expected to be ready by that point.

Ruf signed a one-year, $1.275 million deal with the Giants on Wednesday to avoid arbitration, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 34-year-old saw his first MLB action since 2016 and delivered for the Giants with a .276/.370/.517 slash line and five home runs in 40 games. Ruf is a solid bet to make the Opening Day roster with a decent showing in spring training.

Buxton signed a one-year, $5.125 million contract with the Twins on Wednesday to avoid arbitration, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The 26-year-old appeared in 39 games during 2020 and showcased his power with 13 home runs, though he also saw his walk rate drop to a minuscule 1.5 percent. The end result was a marginal improvement to an .844 OPS. As always, the question for Buxton is his health, and he missed some time with head and shoulder injuries.