MLB Player News

Higgins was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Thursday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Chicago announced the signing of veteran catcher Tucker Barnhart on Thursday, and Higgins was DFA'd to make room on the roster. Higgins appeared in 74 games during 2022 and had a .229/.310/.383 slash line with six home runs and 30 RBI.

The Royals designated O'Hearn for assignment Wednesday.

O'Hearn was dropped from the 40-man roster to make room for starting pitcher Jordan Lyles, who inked a two-year deal with Kansas City. Despite sticking with the big club all of last season and not spending any time on the injured list, the 29-year-old O'Hearn logged just 145 plate appearances, slashing .239/.290/.321 with a 24.1 percent strikeout rate.

Rivas was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Friday.

Rivas slashed .235/.322/.307 with 25 RBI over 287 plate appearances last season while playing first base in the majority of Chicago's games. As someone who doesn't hit the ball that hard and tends to strike out quite a bit, he may not be suited for a contributing role in the majors, though he has found success in Triple-A. The move comes as a result of the Cubs claiming Anthony Kay off waivers from the Blue Jays.

Padlo signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Friday, Taylor Blake Ward of The Sporting Tribune reports.

Padlo has seen brief action in the majors with four different teams over the last two seasons, going just 5-for-46 at the plate. The 26-year-old is capable of playing both corner infield spots as well as some second base and left field.

Casas (knee) is poised to be the Red Sox' regular first baseman after Eric Hosmer was designated for assignment Friday, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

There's a good chance Casas was ultimately going to be the preferred option over Hosmer anyway, but with the veteran gone the situation is that much clearer. Casas flashed his upside in a short stint with Boston in 2022, hitting just .197 but collecting 19 walks and five home runs over 95 plate appearances. The youngster injured his knee in October during winter ball but should be 100 percent for spring training.

The Reds will give Steer an extended look at third base to begin the 2023 season, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Steer spent most of his 2022 season, both in the minors and majors, at third base, though he also saw significant time at second base and shortstop during his time in the minors. The Reds seem more committed to Steer, whom they got in the Tyler Mahle trade last season, than they do with Mike Moustakas.

Noda was selected by the A's during the Rule 5 draft Wednesday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

The Dodgers opted not to add Noda to the 40-man roster, and the A's picked him second during the Rule 5 draft. The 26-year-old had a .259/.396/.474 slash line with 25 home runs, 90 RBI and 20 stolen bases at the Triple-A level last year, and he'll now receive a major-league chance in Oakland.

Lester signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Lester made his major-league debut with the Tigers last season and went 0-for-5 in two games. The 28-year-old spent most of the campaign at the Triple-A level and had a .246/.311/.479 slash line with 29 home runs, 99 RBI and seven stolen bases in 145 contests.

Bell signed a two-year, $33 million deal with the Guardians on Tuesday, which includes an opt-out after the first season, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

The Guardians won a postseason series last season despite ranking 29th as a team in home runs. Bell theoretically offers the team plenty of additional pop, as he homered 37 times back in 2019 and has topped 25 home runs in two other seasons. He suffered through a bit of a power outage last season, however, clearing the fence just 17 times while splitting time between the Nationals and Padres. He still managed a solid .266/.362/.422 slash line and his 15.8 percent strikeout rate was strong. Assuming he rebounds from the slump he fell into after his midseason move to San Diego, he should offer the Guardians a well-rounded presence in the middle of their lineup

Abreu and the Astros agreed Monday on a three-year contract, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. The deal is worth around $60 million, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.

With Yuli Gurriel (knee) becoming a free agent this winter, the Astros will turn to another mid-30s veteran in Abreu to step in as their everyday first baseman in 2023. Though his numbers have tapered off a bit since his American League MVP-winning campaign during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Abreu remained a well above league-average performer at the dish in his final two years with the White Sox. Over 679 plate appearances in 2022, Abreu slashed .304/.378/.446 with 15 home runs, 75 RBI and 85 runs en route to finishing with a 137 wRC+. A return to the 30-plus home-run production he delivered during his peak years with Chicago may not be attainable as he enters the back half of his thirties, but Abreu could see his RBI and run totals climb while he's surrounded by a more talented collection of hitters in Houston.