MLB Player News

Anderson ranked 10th in Defensive Runs Saved and 11th in Ultimate Zone Rating among shortstops that played at least 800 innings in 2016.

Anderson's athleticism was never questioned when the White Sox selected him 17th overall in the 2013, but whether he had enough defense in him to remain at shortstop was. As evidenced by his performance in 2016, his defensive improvement means he'll be firmly ensconced as the team's starting shortstop during the organization's current rebuild window. Offensively, the 23-year-old showed good middle-infield power, but his on-base skills weren't ideal for a top-of-the-order nor was his 27-percent strikeout rate. Those are obvious areas of improvement to look for in 2017, but he's in no danger of losing plate appearances on a team that figures to be in a rebuild mode. Additionally, he has the full support of manager Rick Renteria, who feels Anderson is a threat to opposing hurlers every time he steps in the box.

Diaz agreed to a minor league deal with the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old spent all of last season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and hit .207/.315/.249 in 371 plate appearances there. He has struggled across parts of three major league seasons, and will likely spend 2017 in Triple-A again as organizational depth.

Anna signed a minor league contract with the Royals on Monday.

Anna batted .266 in 383 plate appearances over 106 games with Triple-A Memphis in the Cardinals system last season. He has made just 26 career plate appearances in the majors, so he isn't a likely candidate for a spot in Kansas City. Expect him to serve as organizational depth.

Bogaerts agreed to a one-year deal with the Red Sox on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

Terms of the agreement were not available. Bogaerts set a career high last season in home runs (21), steals (13), runs (115) and RBI (89). He should continue to be a five-category force at shortstop in 2017.

Tejada signed a minor league deal with the Yankees on Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports.

He will enter the year behind Didi Gregorius and Ronald Torreyes on the organizational depth chart at shortstop. If one of those two were to suffer an injury, Tejada could join the active roster, as the Yankees' shortstop prospects are not quite ready to help out. Still, as a glove over hit shortstop, he is unlikely to offer much fantasy value, even if he finds his way into the big league mix.

Williams was selected by the Angels in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 draft Thursday.

The 27-year-old shortstop slashed .263/.355/.346 for Triple-A Memphis in the Cardinals' organization last season. In his 395 plate appearances over 113 games, he didn't do anything too substantial, hitting just one home run, stealing 11 bases in 18 attempts and knocking in 35 RBI to go along with his mediocre slash line. He will serve as organizational depth for the Angels next season.

Rodriguez has signed a minor league contract with the A's that includes an invite to spring training, CSN Bay Area reports.

The soon-to-be 32-year-old attended big-league camp with the A's last spring but opened the year at Double-A. Rodriguez eventually returned to the Triple-A level and posted a 24:25 BB:K with the top affiliate, and he also has a bit of power, but he will be a long shot to break camp with Oakland. He's bounced between with five different organizations in his 11 pro seasons and hasn't reached the majors since 2011.

Navarro agreed to a minor league contract with the Angels on Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Navarro was cast off the 40-man roster earlier in the month after mustering just a .227 batting average at Triple-A Salt Lake last season. With that in mind, it seems like he'll just be an organizational depth piece unless his bat comes back to life in 2017.

Mateo was added to the Yankees' 40-man roster Friday.

This was a no-brainer for the Yankees as Mateo is a top prospect in the system and needed to be protected from the Rule 5 draft. He did endure some growing pains at High-A Tampa in 2016, but Mateo has elite speed and there's optimism about his hit tool developing in time. There's been talk about him potentially moving to center field long term.

Navarro was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

His chances of holding onto his 40-man spot throughout the winter were slim, to put it nicely. Navarro put up just a .227/.253/.325 line at the Triple-A level in 2016 -- in the hitter-friendly PCL. He will provide organizational infield depth in 2017.