MLB Player News

Ibanez is in line to serve as the Rangers' starting third baseman on Opening Day after Isiah Kiner-Falefa was traded to the Twins on Saturday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Manager Chris Woodward said Friday that Kiner-Falefa was the favorite for the starting job at third base to begin the season, but Ibanez should now have the chance to step up at the hot corner once the 2022 campaign gets underway. However, Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said Saturday that Yonny Hernandez will also have a chance to compete for the starting job at the hot corner, while the team will also explore external options, Chris Halicke of SI.com reports. The 28-year-old Ibanez made his major-league debut in 2021 and slashed .277/.321/.435 with seven homers, 31 runs and 25 RBI in 76 games.

Stefanic will serve as a non-roster invitee for the Angels during spring training.

Stefanic progressed to the Triple-A level in 2021 and performed well across 104 appearances at Salt Lake, slashing .334/.408/.505 with 16 home runs, 67 runs, 56 RBI and six stolen bases. The 26-year-old will be able to develop with the big-league coaching staff this spring and could be in the mix to make his major-league debut at some point in 2022.

Kemp agreed to a one-year, $2.25 million deal with the A's on Monday, avoiding arbitration, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Kemp had by far the best year of his career in 2021, hitting .279/.382/.418 with eight home runs and eight steals in 131 games. He was worth 2.7 fWAR and split time between second base and left field. Kemp should once again play quite a bit, especially against right-handed pitching, in 2022.

Semien is signing a seven-year, $175 million contract with the Rangers, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

In Semien's one year with Toronto, the 31-year-old hit 45 home runs with 102 RBI and 15 stolen bases. Over the past three seasons, including his poor 2020 campaign, Semien has averaged 37 home runs and 93 RBI per 162 games while slashing .268/.346/.509. The 2021 Gold Glove winner is a good defender at second base and shortstop and joins a team lacking a strong option at either position.

Frazier was sent from San Diego to Seattle on Saturday in exchange for Ray Kerr and Corey Rosier, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Frazier started the season strong with the Pirates but was far more mediocre down the stretch following a trade to the Padres, though he still finished with a .305/.368/.411 slash line, good for a 114 wRC+. He makes a ton of contact, as his 10.8 percent strikeout rate was good for fourth among qualified hitters, but that contact is among the weakest in the league, with his 1.0 percent barrel rate ranking third-worst among that same group. Don't expect him to improve significantly on his meager five homers, but another average close to .300 is certainly possible and should come with plenty of runs if he settles into a role atop Seattle's lineup.

The Angels designated Wong for assignment Monday.

Wong will cede his spot on the 40-man roster to another utility type in Tyler Wade, whom the Angels acquired from the Yankees on Monday. Over his 66 plate appearances with the Angels in 2021, Wong slashed .167/.194/.233 with zero home runs, six RBI and three runs.

Diaz's contract was selected by the Athletics on Friday.

The move prevents Diaz from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. The 21-year-old has some potential and hit .288/.337/.483 in 90 games last season, but those at-bats all came at the High-A level, so he's not close to making his major-league debut.

Altuve went 2-for-5 with a solo homer and a pair of runs scored in Saturday's World Series Game 4 loss against Atlanta.

Altuve singled to lead off the game and came around to score on a Carlos Correa groundout in the top of the first. He made it 2-0 in the top of the fourth with a shot to center field off Kyle Wright. The homer was the 23rd postseason blast of Altuve's career, moving him ahead of Bernie Williams into sole possession of second on the all-time leaderboard, six behind Manny Ramirez, but it wasn't enough to secure the Astros a win, as Atlanta would score three late runs to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

Barreto (elbow) elected free agency after clearing waivers last week, Taylor Blake Ward of HomePlateView.com reports.

A once-acclaimed prospect in the Blue Jays system who later became the main piece in the trade sent Josh Donaldson from Oakland to Toronto, Barreto has not only faltered across various stints at the big-league level (45 wRC+ in 237 career plate appearances), but he's also struggled to stay healthy in recent years. He didn't see any action in affiliated ball at all in 2021, as he battled right elbow inflammation in spring training that later required Tommy John surgery in May. Though he'll face a shorter recovery timeline than a pitcher, Barreto will still likely face at least some restrictions heading into next spring, which may force him to settle for a minor-league deal this winter. Still just 25 years old, Barreto shouldn't be written off entirely from making a big-league impact, but he'll first need to prove healthy and effective at the Triple-A level before getting another look.

Haggerty (shoulder) was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma on Friday.

Haggerty missed most of the season while dealing with a right shoulder injury. He hit .186/.247/.291 in 35 games prior to hitting the injured list, so it's unsurprising that he passed through waivers unclaimed.