MLB Player News

Mondesi will compete for a job in spring training, but may open the year at Triple-A Omaha following Friday's signing of Alcides Escobar, 610 Sports Radio reports.

There are few intriguing fantasy options on the Royals, but Mondesi was lining up to be one of them, as a potential power/speed shortstop with a slick glove. However, general manager Dayton Moore said Escobar will play shortstop for the Royals and Mondesi will compete at second base in spring training. Of course, Whit Merrifield would either need to be traded or moved to third base for Mondesi to win the starting job at the keystone. An Escobar/Mondesi double-play duo might be the best defensive pairing in the majors if it came to pass, but Moore's comments about Mondesi are awfully troubling. For now it seems safe to discount Mondesi quite a bit in drafts, as he now carries a lot more playing time risk than it initially seemed he would.

Anna signed a minor-league contract with the White Sox on Monday, according to his personal Twitter account.

For the second season in a row, the 31-year-old utility man spent all year in the minors, hitting .285/.364/.376 across 112 games for Triple-A Omaha. Anna hasn't made it back to the majors since he appeared one game for the Cardinals back in 2015; he owns a paltry .130/.192/.302 career slash-line across 13 major-league games. He'll be viewed as an organizational depth piece in 2018.

Vincej agreed to a minor-league deal with Seattle on Friday which includes an invite to spring training.

Vincej spent most of the 2017 season at the Triple-A level within the Reds' organization, but he earned a promotion once rosters expanded in September and appeared in nine games with Cincinnati. During that time he only received 12 plate appearances, going 1-for-9 with five strikeouts, but he had a decent enough campaign in the minors to warrant a look from the Mariners. The 26-year-old will likely begin next season at Triple-A Tacoma while serving as infield depth in the organization.

Navarro signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners which includes an invitation to spring training.

Navarro hasn't appeared in the majors since 2015, spending each of the previous two seasons with the Angels' minor-league affiliates. He hit a respectable .278/.342/.380 across 126 games with Triple-A Salt Lake last season, but that wasn't enough for him to make it back to the show. Navarro will get a chance to compete for a bench role in spring, though he'll likely wind up as organizational infield depth in 2018.

Berti signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays on Monday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Berti is back with the Blue Jays after spending all of 2017 in their minor-league system. The soon-to-be 28-year-old spent most of his time with Triple-A Buffalo, where he struggled to a .205/.271/.321 line in 62 games. He did swipe 23 bases and can play all over the field, but he'll likely be viewed as an organizational depth piece again in 2018.

Bogaerts agreed to a one-year, $7.05 million deal with the Red Sox on Friday, Evan Drellich of NBC Sports Boston reports.

This marked the second offseason he was an arbitration-eligible player. Bogaerts hit .273/.343/.403 with 10 home runs, 62 RBI and 15 stolen bases in 2017. While he's proven to be a durable commodity, Bogaerts has yet to break out in the way that many expected, and he profiles as a second- or third-tier option at shortstop heading into the 2018 campaign.

Adrianza agreed to a one-year, $1 million deal with Minnesota on Friday, avoiding arbitration, LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribune reports.

Adrianza appeared in 70 games during his first season with the Twins in 2017, slashing .265/.324/.383 with a pair of home runs, 24 RBI and eight stolen bases. The utility man played all four infield spots for the club last year, in addition to recording some time in the outfield and as the DH. Looking ahead to this upcoming campaign, Adrianza will likely be utilized in a similar fashion, but his lack of regular at-bats and limited potential at the plate limit the 28-year-old's fantasy potential.

Featherston agreed to a minor-league contract with the Twins on Friday, Mike Berardino of The Pioneer Press reports.

Featherston has played in 137 major-league games during the course of his professional career, and although most of those appearances came in 2015, he will be able to provide added infield depth for Minnesota heading into this upcoming season. During the 2017 campaign, the second baseman spent most of his time at the Triple-A level -- which is where he will likely begin next year -- and hit just .179/.277/.359 during 39 at-bats in the big leagues for the Rays.

Manager Buck Showalter said Sardinas is a candidate to serve a utility role next season, Rich Dubroff of PressBoxonline.com reports.

The Orioles are in need of a utility man with Ryan Flaherty heading to free agency, and Sardinas could fill that role in 2018. He signed a minor-league contract with the team in October after finishing last season with Triple-A Norfolk. Throughout his career, the 24-year-old has appeared in multiple games at first base, second base, third base and shortstop. Sardinas hit just .163/.226/.163 in a 29-game stint with the Padres last season before being designated for assignment.

Manager Scott Servais said Gordon is expected to bat leadoff in 2018, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Jean Segura is expected to hit second with Gordon taking over atop the order, though obviously nothing is set in stone at this point. With the speedster batting leadoff, he should once again be a reliable source of steals, runs and batting average next season.