MLB Player News

Hiura signed a contract with the Tigers on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

The 27-year-old will be in camp as a non-roster invitee and earn $2 million if he makes the MLB roster, per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. Hiura last played in the majors in 2022 and hit 14 homers in 80 games with Milwaukee, but he also had a 41.7 percent strikeout rate and has struggled to make consistent contact in the majors.

Dalbec is taking reps in the outfield Friday, Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe reports.

Defense has never been a strength for Dalbec, but becoming a viable option in the corner outfield would increase his value as a utility player. The 28-year-old tallied just 53 plate appearances with the Red Sox last season, seeing most of his action at first base, but he was a force offensively at Triple-A Worcester with 33 home runs, 17 steals and a .938 OPS.

Flores is not expected to begin 2024 with a set position, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

It's a familiar refrain for Flores, who was a utility player at times in 2023 and still slashed .284/.355/.509 with a career-high 23 home runs and 60 RBI over 126 games. He'll likely have an easier time finding a spot against left-handed pitchers, but manager Bob Melvin notes his splits are acceptable against right-handers. The addition of Jorge Soler likely takes designated hitter away from the places Flores will see time, but he can fill in at a variety of infield positions.

O'Hearn signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Orioles on Wednesday, avoiding arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. The deal includes a $7.5 million club option for 2025.

O'Hearn had been in his final year of arbitration eligibility, but the Orioles will now have the option to keep him around for what would have been his first year of free agency, as well. The 30-year-old had a surprise re-emergence with Baltimore in 2023, posting an .801 OPS with 14 homers in 112 games. He will see regular action against right-handers between first base and designated hitter.

Abreu could receive more days off or see more time at DH during the 2024 season, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Abreu had a disappointing 2023 campaign-- his first in Houston -- as he posted a career-worst 86 wRC+ and .295 wOBA. At least a portion of his struggles have been apportioned to a back injury that he dealt with for much of the season and played through until a stint on the injured list in mid-August. The Astros appear to be taking a proactive approach to managing Abreu's workload in 2024, though it's currently unclear if that means he will lose at-bats or just means that he will shift to DH. In either scenario, Jon Singleton or Trey Cabbage could pick up some extra plate appearances.

Encarnacion-Strand is projected to be the Reds' starting first baseman, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Encarnacion-Strand gives Cincinnati pop from the right side of the plate, but the switch-hitting Jeimer Candelario figures to play his fair share there as well and Jonathan India could even enter the mix at the position on occasion. However it all shakes out, the DH spot will allow all three of those capable hitters to potentially be in the lineup together on any given day.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed at the team's Fan Fest event Feb. 3 that Freeman will remain the team's No. 2 hitter in 2023 even after the offseason signing of Shohei Ohtani (elbow), Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Ohtani batted out of the two hole in 71 of his 135 starts with the Angels in 2023, but Roberts said that the reigning American League MVP will slot in as the No. 3 hitter to begin his tenure with the Dodgers. Meanwhile, the Dodgers will maintain continuity atop the order with Mookie Betts in the leadoff spot and with Freeman as the No. 2 hitter, after the latter made all 161 of his starts out of that lineup spot in 2023 en route to producing a .977 OPS and scoring a career-high 131 runs. Assuming Ohtani doesn't experience any major delays in his recovery from last September's internal brace procedure and is ready to serve as a full-time designated hitter early in the season, Freeman could have a chance to improve upon his already immense counting stats from 2023. Catcher Will Smith was a solid performer as the Dodgers' primary No. 3 hitter a season ago, but Ohtani's OPS in 2023 was still 269 points greater than Smith's.

Singleton is out of minor-league options and could have the first chance on the big-league roster as a result, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Singleton had a standout game in which he hit two home runs and drove in five on Aug. 11, but his 105-plate appearance sample in the majors last year was otherwise unproductive. He maintained just a .165/.267/.264 line, though his 0.57 BB/K and .194 BABIP suggest he may have deserved better results. Singleton's most direct competition for a spot on the roster is likely to be the recently acquired Trey Cabbage.

Guerrero will make $19.9 million in 2024 after winning his arbitration case against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

It's the largest salary ever awarded by an arbitration panel, although the amount falls well short of the $31 million deal Juan Soto reached with the Yankees in January to avoid arbitration. Guerrero's numbers dropped in nearly every statistical category last season compared to the marks he set in 2022, but the slugging first baseman will receive a $5.4 million raise nonetheless. Guerrero remains a high-value fantasy asset, but his stellar 2021 campaign is beginning to look more like an anomaly than a season off which we should base expectations.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns indicated in an interview with Foul Territory on Wednesday that he does not expect to sign Alonso to a contract extension prior to the first baseman reaching free agency next offseason.

Stearns did say that he's hopeful the two sides will eventually be able to work something out, but it doesn't sound like either party anticipates that happening before the end of the season. Alonso, for what it's worth, hired Scott Boras as his agent earlier this offseason. The 29-year-old slugger will make $20.5 million in 2024 before hitting the open market next winter.