MLB Player News

Manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that Casas will start against lefties and righties in 2025, Christoper Smith of Mass Live reports.

Casas dealt with a nagging rib injury in 2024 and played just 63 games. He finished up the campaign regularly sitting against left-handers and batting down the order. A career line of .227/.350/.422 against southpaws makes him a candidate for a platoon, but Cora will apparently give Casas a chance against all opposing starters. The 25-year-old first baseman said he had a "really good offseason" in terms of conditioning and wants to move back to the middle of the order.

Solano has yet to report to spring camp due to visa issues, though the team hopes he will arrive by Friday, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

The Mariners' Cactus League schedule begins Friday, so Solano should still be available for Seattle's entire slate of exhibition games as long as he arrives by then. The 37-year-old slashed .286/.343/.417 with eight homers and 35 RBI across 309 regular-season plate appearances with the Padres last year, and he's expected to begin 2025 in the short side of a platoon at first base with Luke Raley.

The Blue Jays and Guerrero were unable to reach a contract extension prior to Guerrero's Feb. 18 deadline, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Slated for free agency after the upcoming season, Guerrero does not want to discuss a long-term deal during spring training or the regular season, thus the self-imposed deadline of Feb. 18, which is the day of the Blue Jays' first full-squad workout. When asked whether the two sides came close to a contract extension, Guerrero simply said, "no," adding that while he is still willing to discuss a deal with the Blue Jays after the season, they will now have to compete with 29 other teams. Guerrero will earn $28.5 million in his walk year.

Santana will likely occupy an everyday role to start the 2025 season, Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com reports. The soon-to-be 39-year-old is expected to serve as the primary first baseman.

Santana returned to Cleveland in the offseason and still is a productive hitter in the twilight of his career. He credited former big leaguer Nelson Cruz, who taught him how to age gracefully. "I don't feel 38," Santana said. "This is my No. 1 priority. I eat healthy, sleep well, I'm not doing alcohol, I have training, I have a chef." The Guardians have up-and-comer Kyle Manzardo in the pipeline, but Santana is viewed as the primary replacement for Josh Naylor's power bat at first base. Santana crushed lefties in 2024 (.286/.356/.578), but a repeat of his line against righties (.219/.318/.358) could eventually create a platoon situation.

Though Torkelson has been squeezed by some other players on the roster, he could still make the team as a weapon against left-handed pitching, Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic reports.

Colt Keith has been taking reps at first base, which has seemingly pushed Torkelson aside. However, the latter still offers plenty of pop, particularly against southpaws. The Tigers may want that skill as part of their bench when they break camp. Torkelson's fantasy value has certainly taken a hit following a disappointing 2024 in which he batted .219 with a .669 OPS, though he could slowly boost his stock if he makes the team and begins to carve out a regular role. The former No. 1 overall pick did launch 31 home runs in 2023, which points to some of his upside as a slugger, but making consistent contact has been a challenge at the MLB level.

France is viewed by the Twins as the starter at first base, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. "He's going to play a lot," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "That's really the best way of saying it. The kind of hitter that he is, this isn't a platoon situation. I think he's going to play."

France signed just a one-year, $1 million contract which wouldn't appear to indicate he'd be the leader for an everyday role. Baldelli could be just boosting his confidence as the team works on his swing after a 2024 season that saw him hit just .234/.305/.365 with 13 homers over 140 regular-season games. Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien will also compete for playing time at first base and France could still work in a platoon or time share. Still, Baldelli's comments should make France the leader in the competition as spring training begins.

Gallo signed a minor-league deal with the White Sox on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Gallo has a skills profile that has produced extreme results throughout his career, and he's struck out at least 39 percent of the time in each of the last three seasons. He's still capable of producing plenty of power, exhibited by ISO marks of at least .175 in the same three-year span. Gallo now finds his way to a roster that has plenty of opportunity, with his best chance for playing time seemingly coming in right field or at designated hitter.

The Twins signed France to a one-year, $1 million contract Tuesday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

It's a major-league contract but is not guaranteed, per Miller. France will be thrown into the first-base mix for Minnesota along with Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien. The 30-year-old slashed only .234/.305/.365 with 13 homers over 140 regular-season games between the Mariners and Reds last season, but the Twins will be hoping to get a version of France closer to the one that produced an All-Star campaign in 2022 with Seattle.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Friday that the club will "continue to work" on signing Guerrero to a long-term contract extension, Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reports.

It's not earth-shattering news but is at least a confirmation on Atkins' part that negotiations with his star player are ongoing. Guerrero said on the Spanish-language Abriendo El podcast in December that the Blue Jays' offer "was not even close to what we are looking for," and Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported in January that the two sides were at least $100 million apart. The 25-year-old Guerrero has said he will not discuss an extension during spring training, so the two sides have until Feb. 18 to work something out. It does not appear at this juncture that a deal is close.

Aranda is expected to see regular at-bats as the Rays' designated hitter while also serving as the backup to Yandy Diaz at first base to begin the 2025 season, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

Aranda was expected to contribute to the Rays in 2024, though he lost roughly three months of the season due to finger and oblique injuries. However, he finally managed regular run with the big-league club in September when he hit .253 with five homers, 13 runs scored and 10 RBI across 85 plate appearances. Aranda then supplemented that playing time with 115 plate appearances in the Mexican Winter League, during which he maintained a 1.047 OPS. Barring more bad luck with injuries, he should have the chance to build off of that momentum to begin the 2025 season with regular at-bats against right-handed pitching.