MLB Player News

Arias was added to San Diego's major-league spring training camp as a non-roster invitee.

The soon-to-be 20-year-old will get a chance to train alongside big leaguers following a breakthrough 2019 campaign during which he hit .302 and slugged 17 home runs with High-A Lake Elsinore. Arias is likely to spend the entire regular season in the minors, but he could see time with the big club as soon as 2021 if he can improve his plate discipline and continue to impress defensively.

Cronenworth is expected to pitch "one inning per week" during spring training, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

While Cronenworth will primarily take infield reps, San Diego is not ignoring the 26-year-old's potential to make an impact on the mound. Cronenworth is looking to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster after hitting .334 and hurling 7.1 innings without allowing an earned run in Triple-A last season.

Bell is working to improve his throwing mechanics at first base during spring training, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

He's throwing from a three-quarters slot in hopes of making better throws from first base to second. Bell ranked last in the majors among 14 qualified first basemen with a minus-18.2 defensive WAR. The switch hitter enters his age-27 season with a reason as to why he feels he slumped offensively in last year's second half (he hit .224 after July 6). Bell claims he struggled because he went from synching up fastballs to synching up breaking balls. "I feel like if you're not synching up to the fastballs, you can't hit either," the slugger noted. "But once I started focusing more and more on offspeed pitches, I just went downhill for a stretch of time." Bell's name surfaced in trade talks, but it's likely the new management team in Pittsburgh will want to see what it has in its players before making any rash moves.

The Twins have agreed on a deal to send Brusdar Graterol, Raley, and the 67th pick in the 2020 draft in exchange for Kenta Maeda and cash, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Raley spent the majority of his 2019 season with Triple-A Rochester, hitting .302/.362/.516 with seven home runs, 28 runs scored and 21 RBI in 138 plate appearances. The 25-year-old was drafted by the Dodgers in 2016, and traded to the Twins as a part of the Brian Dozier deal in 2018. Raley returns to Los Angeles as an outfield prospect with big-time left-handed power.

Flores agreed to a multiyear contract with San Francisco on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Flores hit an impressive .317/.361/.487 with nine home runs, 37 RBI and 31 runs scored across 89 games for the Diamondbacks in 2019. The 28-year-old will compete with Mauricio Dubon for playing time at second base, and he could serve in a utility role having played all four infield positions throughout his seven years in the majors. Flores' versatility in the infield will allow the Giants to rest either Brandon Crawford or Brandon Belt when needed against left-handed pitching.

Rivas was traded from the Athletics to the Cubs on Monday in exchange for Tony Kemp.

Rivas is primarily a first baseman but has also spent time in the outfield corners. In two professional seasons, which includes eight games at the Triple-A level but none at Double-A, he's hit .290/.390/.411. He's shown strong contact skills and the ability to take a walk, but he may not have enough power to be a significant big-league contributor.

Bohm received an invitation to the Phillies' big-league camp Monday.

Bohm will get a chance to work with the Phillies' major-league coaching staff, people he'll likely be spending quite a lot of time with in the not-too-distant future. He's unlikely to break camp with the team, having yet to play a game at the Triple-A level, but he has a clear path to being the Phillies' long-term third baseman and could step into that role at some point this season if he opens the year hot in the minors.

Bell agreed to a one-year, $4.8 million deal with the Pirates on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

This is a pretty solid payday for a player's first year in the arbitration process, but it was well deserved after Bell hit 37 home runs in 143 games last year. He will be subject to the arbitration process again in 2021 and 2022 before he becomes a free agent.

Cabrera signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Nationals on Saturday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Cabrera played in 93 games with the Rangers last season before being released in August. The 34-year-old turned things around with Washington over the final weeks of the season, hitting .323/.404/.565 with six home runs and 40 RBI over 38 games. While Cabrera was effective with the Nationals last year, he'll likely battle for playing time at second base with Starlin Castro in 2020, but he could see increased action at third base following Anthony Rendon's departure if top prospect Carter Kieboom isn't ready to handle a starting role in the majors.

Calhoun signed a two-year deal with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Calhoun will make $16 million guaranteed and could make more than that if the Diamondbacks pick up a team option for the 2022 season. The 32-year-old rebounded from a rough 2018 campaign to hit a career-high 33 homers last season. His .232/.325/.467 slash line was good for a respectable 108 wRC+, but he'll have to keep his power numbers up if he's to remain a good fantasy option in 2020, as his batting average has remained low for three straight seasons. He lines up as Arizona's primary option in right field and should see quite a lot of playing time unless his numbers collapse again.