MLB Player News

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.

Santana has agreed to a one-year, $6.7 million deal with the Pirates, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Santana played for both the Mariners and Royals during the 2022 season, finishing the year with a .202/.316/.276 slash line. The 31-year-old will be a prime candidate to play DH for Pittsburgh due to his plate discipline and power.

The Nationals declined to tender Voit a contract for 2023, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Rumors were swirling that Voit was likely to be non-tendered, and indeed the Nats decided to cut ties rather than pay Voit north of $5.5 million in arbitration. Voit hit just .228/.295/.381 with nine homers in 53 games with Washington after coming over from San Diego. He famously led the majors in homers with 22 during the shortened 2020 campaign.

Smith was non-tendered by the Mets and became a free agent Friday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports

Smith slashed just .194/.276/.284 over 152 major-league plate appearances last season before being sent down to the minors in August. Stuck behind Pete Alonso and Daniel Vogelbach on the depth chart, it simply didn't make sense for the Mets to bring him back in 2023. The 27-year-old showed he can succeed in the majors in 2019 and 2020, recording a .937 OPS between the two seasons, so Smith should still draw some interest from teams looking for a left-handed bat.

Goldschmidt was named the 2022 National League MVP on Thursday.

Goldschmidt -- a seven-time All-Star -- earned his first MVP award after mashing 35 home runs and tallying over 100 RBI and runs in a single season for the first time since 2017. Paired with strong plate discipline, he also managed a 177 wRC+ -- the highest mark in the National League and third-highest among all hitters. In total, Goldschmidt earned 380 points in voting, well out-pacing Manny Machado, who finished second with 291.

Singleton was added to the Brewers' 40-man roster Tuesday.

Singleton recently re-signed with Milwaukee on a minor-league deal, and he's now been bumped up to the 40-man roster. The 31-year-old, who was a highly-regarded prospect with the Astros nearly a decade ago, spent 2022 at Triple-A Nashville and had a .219/.375/.434 slash line with 24 home runs, 87 RBI and 84 runs in 134 games. He'll likely receive an invite to big-league camp but will need a strong showing in spring training to have a chance of cracking the Opening Day roster.

Harris was added to the Rangers' 40-man roster Tuesday.

A 23-year-old left fielder who can also play first base, Harris' bat really needs to live up to its billing if he is to make it as an everyday player. He hit .257/.346/.471 with 17 home runs, 19 steals and a 19.4 percent strikeout rate in 85 games at Double-A before a knee injury put an end to his season. Harris should open the year at Triple-A.

Rizzo agreed Tuesday with the Yankees on a two-year, $34 million contract that includes a $17 million club option for 2025, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The Yankees will bring at least one of their free-agent sluggers back after Rizzo rejected the team's qualifying offer. Rizzo's left-handed power is a great fit in Yankee Stadium and in New York's righty-heavy lineup. The 33-year-old first baseman hit .224/.338/.480 with 32 home runs and six steals in 130 games this past season.