MLB Player News

Green agreed to a minor league deal with the Nationals on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training, the Washington Post's Chelsea Janes reports.

Green does not figure to break camp with the big league club, as he is behind Stephen Drew and Wilmer Difo on the organizational depth chart, among the club's backup middle infield options. He has a career .251/.286/.339 slash line with four home runs in 350 career MLB plate appearances, and most recently washed out of the Giants organization.

Manager Dave Roberts said that he expects Forsythe to be his leadoff hitter for the 2017 season, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The 30-year-old was the Rays' primary leadoff hitter last season, so it comes as no surprise that Roberts sees him as a competent option to set the table every night. With this spot in the batting order, Forsythe will likely be in line for more run-scoring opportunities thanks to his position in front of mashers like Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez.

Petit signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays on Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi reports.

Petit was designated for assignment by the Angels this offseason after a rough 2016 campaign in which the utility infielder posted a wRC+ of 78 over 89 games played. He'll likely serve as organizational infield depth for the Blue Jays in 2017.

Forsythe was traded to the Dodgers on Monday in exchange for pitcher Jose De Leon.

After months of trade rumors, the Dodgers have found their starting second baseman. Forsythe is a versatile infielder coming off of an injury-riddled, yet productive 2016 season in which he slashed .264/.333/.444 and belted 20 home runs over 127 games. He'll likely see a nice increase in his offensive production in the potent Dodger lineup.

Andrus (groin) is expected to be healthy for the start of the 2017 season, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Andrus said that he's being careful while rehabbing his injury, but plans to be ready for the upcoming campaign. He also said that the groin ailment limited his ability to steal bases throughout 2016, so an increase in stolen base production may be in order for the 28-year-old shortstop.

Solarte and the Padres agreed to a two-year contract extension Friday, with team options for two additional years.

The terms of the contract were not disclosed, but the contract buys out two of Solarte's arbitration years and could be extended through 2020 at the Padres' discretion. Solarte is coming off his best year with the bat, one which saw him hit .286/.341/.467 with 15 home runs and 71 RBI over just 109 games. He will head into the 2017 season as the Padres' regular third baseman, and figures to slot into a spot near the top of their batting order.

Espinosa agreed to a one-year, $5.425 million contract with the Angels on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

The former Washington National will see close to a $3 million pay raise with his new club in 2017. Espinosa had a disappointing final season with the Nationals, slashing .209/.306/.378 with 174 strikeouts. He did, however, mash 24 home runs and drove in 72 runs. Espinosa figures to be the Angels' primary second baseman, which is a position that the club struggled to find production from last year.

Drury could be in line to see a lot of time at second base in 2017, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports. "We're going to try and get as many at-bats for our best players, so he would be one of those," general manager Mike Hazen said.

The new leadership team has expressed a desire to improve the outfield defense, play Jake Lamb almost every day at third base, and get Drury as many at-bats as possible, which leads to the idea that he could win the starting job at second base during spring training. Drury played primarily in the outfield last season, despite playing only third base and second base in the minors. Despite the position change, he still posted a .282/.329/.458 slash line with 16 home runs in 499 plate appearances, and he could possibly improve upon those numbers if his defensive responsibilities are simplified. Chris Owings, Ketel Marte and Nick Ahmed will be competing for the shortstop job in spring training, and whoever loses out will likely also be considered at second base, but based on his production in 2016 and the statements from the new brass, Drury appears to have the inside track.

Espinosa was traded to the Angels on Saturday, Josh Norris of Baseball America reports.

Espinosa will head to Los Angeles after playing 779 games with the Nationals over parts of the last seven seasons. He played shortstop in Washington, but with Andrelton Simmons playing that position for the Angels, Espinosa will presumably move to second base. Espinosa hit just .209 last season, but did set career highs with 24 home runs and 72 RBI over 157 games.

Polanco is the leading candidate for Minnesota's starting shortstop job as spring training approaches, manager Paul Molitor told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.

Polanco was impressive at the plate last season when given a trial as the team's everyday shortstop, hitting .288 with a .751 OPS over his last 56 games. However, there were questions about his defense, which could ultimately move him to second base. Still, this shows Polanco is ahead of Eduardo Escobar at shortstop, although the Twins could still shake up their roster this winter.