MLB Player News

Jones was traded from the Angels to the Orioles on Monday in exchange for Alex Cobb, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Jones made his big-league debut at the end of last season, grabbing three hits in seven trips to the plate. The 23-year-old could probably use some more time in the minors, however, as he's yet to appear in a Triple-A game and hit a modest .234/.308/.324 over a full season at Double-A Mobile in 2019. When he does eventually arrive in the majors for good, he projects as much more of a role player than a star, as he's a good athlete but doesn't have any above-average tools other than his speed.

Biggio may see the bulk of his time at third base in 2021 following the signing of Marcus Semien on Tuesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Biggio appeared in 10 of the last 13 games at third base in 2020, but he spent most of the past two seasons working at the keystone. Semien has primarily played at shortstop in his career but will now shift to second base, with Bo Bichette remaining at shortstop for Toronto. Biggio also saw some time at all three outfield spots last season, so he could fill a utility role if the team wants to give Vladimir Guerrero another look at the hot corner. Regardless of where he plays in the field, Biggio should see plenty of at-bats for the Blue Jays with a .798 OPS through his first 159 big-league games.

Arraez is expected to move to a utility role following the signing of Andrelton Simmons on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Simmons is joining Minnesota on a one-year, $10.5 million deal, which will push Jorge Polanco (ankle) over to second base. Arraez has primarily played at the keystone since making his big-league debut in 2019, but he's also seen time at third base, shortstop and left field. The 23-year-old has an .819 OPS through his first 124 major-league contests, and the Twins should still find significant at-bats for him, regardless of where he plays in the field.

Polanco (ankle) will move to second base for 2021 after the Twins signed Andrelton Simmons on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Polanco has primarily played shortstop since making his big-league debut in 2014, but he did play second base during his time in the minors. Simmons is joining the team on a one-year, $10.5 million deal, and it's no surprise he'll be taking over at shortstop as one of the best defenders in the league, regardless of position. As a result of the signing, Luis Arraez is also expected to move into a utility role for Minnesota. Polanco underwent surgery in October to remove a bone spur and a small bone chip from his right ankle, but he's expected to be ready for the start of spring training.

Semien agreed to a one-year, $18 million contract with the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The 30-year-old was unable to secure a long-term deal this offseason, but he'll get $18 million this season before returning to free agency ahead of the 2022 campaign. Bo Bichette isn't going anywhere at shortstop for the Blue Jays, so Semien is expected to take over at second base, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Semien has exclusively played shortstop since 2015, but he did have some big-league experience at second base and third base across the two previous seasons. He largely struggled in 2020 with a .679 OPS in 53 games, but he posted an .891 OPS with 33 homers in 2019 and will look to recapture that form for Toronto.

Hernandez signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Red Sox on Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez will head to Boston for the 2021 campaign after spending the past six seasons with the Dodgers. The middle infielder slashed .230/.270/.410 with five home runs and 20 RBI during the abbreviated 2020 season after hitting double-digit home runs in each of the previous three years. He should work at second base and in a utility role for his new club in 2021.

Torres and the Yankees reached a one-year, $4 million deal Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Even after the Yankees re-signed DJ LeMahieu on Friday, Torres and New York won't require arbitration for his 2021 contract since the two sides reached an agreement shortly before Friday's deadline. The shortstop struggled over a limited sample in 2020, hitting .243 with three home runs and 16 RBI over 42 contests, but he will attempt to return to form in 2021.

Frazier agreed to a one-year, $4.3 million contract with the Pirates on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

Frazier has typically graded out pretty well in the field but was pretty unlucky at the plate last season. He has a career .303 BABIP but that mark was down to .246 in 2020, leading to a career-worst .230 batting average. Most projection systems expect him to get back up in the .265 range, but he probably won't chip in enough home runs or stolen bases to be sought after in most formats.

Rosario agreed to a one-year, $2.4 million contract with Cleveland on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The newly acquired middle infielder had become a spare piece for the Mets, so Cleveland will look to get a bounce-back season from the 25-year-old former top prospect. If Rosario can return to his 2019 form (.287/.323/.432, 15 HR, 19 SB), he would be a great bargain in fantasy drafts. If that season turns out to be the outlier, however, Cleveland has top second base prospect Tyler Freeman waiting in the upper levels of the minors.

Drury signed a minor-league contract with the Mets on Friday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The 28-year-old appeared in 21 games in 2020 for the Blue Jays and had a .358 OPS in 49 plate appearances before being designated for assignment at the start of September. Drury provides organizational infield depth for the Mets after the departures of Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez in the trade for Francisco Lindor.