MLB Player News

The Reds and Lux avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.325 million contract Thursday, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Acquired from the Dodgers via trade earlier this week, Lux had been arbitration-eligible for the second time. The 27-year-old slashed .251/.320/.383 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI across 487 plate appearances during the 2024 regular season with the Dodgers and is in line for regular reps against righties with his new team in 2025.

Perdomo and the Diamondbacks avoided arbitration Thursday by agreeing to a one-year, $2.55 million deal, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Perdomo will be heading into his fourth season as the Diamondbacks' primary shortstop, though he may only be keeping the seat warm until top prospect Jordan Lawlar is ready for a full-time role at the MLB level. The 25-year-old Perdomo is a quality defender who hit at league-average level last season (.273/.344/.374 slash line, 101 wRC+), but he lacks power (.095 career ISO) and isn't a premium base stealer (34 stolen bases in 401 career games). He'll likely hit near the bottom of the batting order while he remains a regular in the Arizona lineup.

The Nationals signed Rosario to a one-year, $2 million contract Wednesday.

All four of the Nationals' projected starting infielders bat left-handed, so the right-handed-hitting Rosario is a nice fit as someone who should play regularly against lefty pitchers. The 29-year-old sports a career .298/.337/.460 batting line versus southpaws and slashed .294/.325/.412 against them in 2024.

The Astros traded Kessinger to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday in exchange for Matthew Linskey, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

The signing of Christian Walker caused Kessinger to lose his spot on Houston's 40-man roster in December, and he will now look to work his way back into the majors in the D-backs organization. The 27-year-old infielder owns just a .456 OPS through 70 career MLB plate appearances but slashed .262/.337/.388 over 67 Triple-A games last season. He'll most likely remain in the minors upon joining his new club.

With the Reds trading for Gavin Lux, the likelihood of McLain moving to center field increases, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer suggests.

The Reds made sure that McLain took some reps in center field during the Arizona Fall League in October and November. It's possible that Lux could move off second base -- either to the outfield or third base -- so it's not set in stone that McLain will move.

The Dodgers traded Lux to the Reds on Monday in exchange for Mike Sirota and a Competitive Balance Round A pick, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Lux had garnered trade interest from multiple teams during the offseason including the Yankees and Mariners, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network, and those rumors intensified after the Dodgers signed Hyeseong Kim to a three-year contract this past Friday. Lux could start at second base for the Reds if the club chooses to use Matt McLain in center field or other positions, or Lux himself might bounce around to multiple spots. Lux finished the 2024 regular-season with a slash line of .251/.320/.383 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI across 487 plate appearances.

The Marlins acquired Caba and Emaarion Boyd from the Phillies on Sunday in exchange for left-hander Jesus Luzardo (back) and minor-league catcher Paul McIntosh, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Caba was one of Philadelphia's top prospects after signing in the 2022-23 international class and split the 2024 campaign between rookie ball and Single-A Clearwater. He'll likely return to the Single-A level to begin 2025 given his .493 OPS in 26 games there last season, but he showcased a strong eye at the plate with a 14.4 percent walk rate in addition to his plus-glove at shortstop.

The Brewers acquired Durbin and Nestor Cortes from the Yankees on Friday in exchange for Devin Williams, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The 24-year-old was added to New York's 40-man roster in November in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft and was expected to have "a big, big role" in the majors next season, per manager Aaron Boone, but he's instead been shipped out to bring an All-Star closer to the Bronx. Durbin was one of the Yankees' top prospects and should have an immediate path to playing time in Milwaukee following the departure of shortstop Willy Adames. Durbin features a high-contact, low-power bat and had an .867 OPS with 10 homers, 29 stolen bases, a 13.2 percent walk rate and 9.9 percent strikeout rate in 82 games at the Triple-A level in 2024.

Lindor said Wednesday that the back injury he dealt with in September has not been an issue during offseason workouts, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Lindor missed a little over a week of action down the stretch of the regular season with a back problem, but he showed no ill effects during the playoffs with a .275/.387/.490 slash line in 13 games, and it has been a non-issue this offseason. Following his National League MVP runner-up showing in 2024, the star shortstop will likely bat leadoff ahead of Juan Soto in 2025.

The Rangers traded Acosta to the Marlins on Tuesday alongside Echedry Vargas and Brayan Mendoza in exchange for Jake Burger, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

In 104 games with Double-A Frisco last season, Acosta slashed .286/.351/.423 with 56 RBI and swiped 26 bags. He was selected to the Rangers' 40-man roster in November to protect him from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft, which means he will now have a spot on Miami's 40-man roster. While the 22-year-old is unlikely to crack the big-league squad out of spring training, a promotion to Triple-A Jacksonville could come in the near future.