The Padres signed Gurriel to a minor-league contract Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Gurriel will make $1.25 million if he's in the majors, with an additional $1 million possible in incentives. The 40-year-old got into 18 regular-season games down the stretch with the Royals in 2024, putting up a .635 OPS with zero home runs. If he makes the team, Gurriel could potentially see some action at designated hitter, or at first base if the Padres use Luis Arraez at DH.

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.

Lowe will make $10.3 million in 2025 after losing his arbitration hearing against the Nationals on Saturday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Lowe will receive $800,000 less than what he filed for, but it still represents a $2.8 million raise from last season. The 29-year-old slashed .265/.361/.401 with 16 homers and 69 RBI across 565 plate appearances last season with the Rangers. He was traded in December to Washington, where he should continue to see regular opportunities at first base.

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.

Giants manager Bob Melvin indicated Thursday that Wade could bat leadoff this season, Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

If it happens, it would likely be only against right-handers, as Wilmer Flores (knee) is expected to fill the short side of a platoon at first base with Wade. If Wade does indeed hit leadoff versus righties, Jung Hoo Lee would be used in the three hole. Melvin also noted Thursday that Wade could see some action in the outfield this season in addition to first base. The 31-year-old has primarily been a first baseman over the last two seasons but made five starts in the outfield last year.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Wednesday that Hall will get additional reps at first base following the injury to Spencer Horwitz (thumb), Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Hall was signed to a minor-league contract with a spring training invite back in December. The 29-year-old has a .700 OPS with 10 home runs over 198 career plate appearances at the major-league level but spent all of 2024 at Triple-A Lehigh Valley in the Phillies organization. The Pirates' plan is to fill the void left by Horwitz internally, and while Jared Triolo and Billy Cook are probably the favorites to emerge at first base, Hall now has a fighting chance to make the Opening Day roster.

Horwitz said Wednesday that the surgery he underwent last week was to repair the extensor tendon in his right thumb, John Perrotto of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports. He's expected to face a recovery timeline of 6-to-8 weeks.

The left-handed-hitting Horwitz's procedure was designed to address chronic symptoms with his wrist, but the surgery itself was actually performed on the thumb of his throwing hand. In any case, Horwitz's projected 6-to-8-week recovery timeline could keep him out of action for most or all of spring training and force him to open the season on the injured list. If Horwitz is shelved to begin the campaign, Pittsburgh could turn to Jared Triolo, Billy Cook or Bryan Reynolds to pick up starts at first base early on.

Reds manager Terry Francona said Tuesday that he'd like to see Encarnacion-Strand play third base during spring training, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Encarnacion-Strand was expected to be the team's primary first baseman in 2024, but hand and wrist injuries limited him to 29 games. He started seven games at third base for the Reds in 2023, and the hot corner was a regular spot for Encarnacion-Strand in the minors and college. Francona indicated that several infielders will "move around" at the beginning of spring training before the manager settles on a position for players like Encarnacion-Strand, Gavin Lux and Jeimer Candelario.

Horwitz will miss time during spring training due to a right wrist injury, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Horwitz was traded from Toronto to Cleveland and then Pittsburgh back in December and was expected to begin 2025 as the Pirates' primary first baseman. However, he suffered a wrist injury in the offseason that required surgery and has yet to shed his cast. There's no telling if the infielder's absence will extend into the regular season, but if he ends up beginning the season on the injured list, Jared Triolo would likely be the next man up to start at first.