MLB Player News

Plouffe and the Twins agreed to terms on a one-year, $7.25 million deal Monday, avoiding arbitration, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Plouffe drove in 86 runs and hit .244 last season, down from the career-best .258 mark he posted in 2014. He figures to return in a similar role in 2016, though with Miguel Sano expected to play more regularly in the field, Plouffe may face competition at third base. The 29-year-old also played sparingly at first base last season, so that may be an option, but GM Terry Ryan said back in October that he does not anticipate Plouffe moving to the outfield, where he hasn't played since 2012.

Escobar has earned the starting shortstop job for the Twins, manager Paul Molitor told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

After his 2014 breakout season, Escobar was surprisingly moved to a utility role in favor of Danny Santana at shortstop last spring. However, he reclaimed the starting job when Santana faltered. Escobar enters spring training this year as the clear favorite for the everyday job.

Moncada said he is fully recovered from the hand injury that prevented him from playing winter ball, the Boston Globe reports. "I feel great now," the 20-year-old said via a translator. "I'm looking forward to going into the season 100 percent healthy. I've started doing swings already."

Moncada, who struggled initially in his acclimation to baseball in the United States, finished the 2015 season with .817 OPS for Low-A Greenville and is considered Boston's top prospect. Depending on his development this year, Moncada could reach the majors by the end of the 2017 season.

Escobar agreed to a one-year, $2.15 million deal with the Twins on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

Escobar will see a substantial pay raise this season after earning $532K in 2015. He bounced around four different defensive positions last season but has a good shot at landing the every day shortstop role in spring training.

Machado and the Orioles agreed to terms on a one-year, $5 million deal Friday, avoiding arbitration, the Baltimore Sun reports.

It's a healthy raise for the star third baseman, who made only $485,000 in 2015. The All-Star hit .286/.359/.502 with a career-high 35 home runs, but the team and Machado are yet to get into advanced talks about a long-term contract. Machado is set to hit free agency following the 2018 season.

Valencia agreed to a one-year, $3.15 million contract with the Athletics on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.

Now that Valencia's contract has been settled, he can turn his focuses to holding onto the everyday third base job for the Athletics. The 30-year-old batted .290/.345/.519 with 18 home runs and 66 RBI between the Blue Jays and Athletics last season, and will look to continue his hot-hitting ways in 2016.

Britton signed a minor league contract with the Twins on Wednesday, LaVelle Neal of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

It's unclear whether the contract includes an invite to big-league camp for spring training. Regardless, Britton is a long-shot to work into any sort of significant major-league role in 2016, having failed to break through the Triple-A glass ceiling in his eight professional seasons. He hit .262/.311/.374 with the Dodgers' Oklahoma City affiliate last season.

Ramirez (leg) has ended his winter ball season but is working on his conditioning in Florida, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Ramirez suffered a scary looking leg injury in winter ball but it turned out to be nothing more than an ankle sprain and he's on track to be fully ready for the start of spring training.

Donaldson was named the 2015 AL MVP by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Thursday.

Of the 30 first-place votes, Donaldson received 23 while the Angels' Mike Trout received seven. Traded to Toronto from Oakland last winter, Donaldson finished top-3 in the AL in most offensive statistical categories, including home runs (41), RBI (123), runs (122), slugging (.568) and OPS (.939). He will turn 30 in December, but there's little reason to think Donaldson won't return first-round value again next season.

Ramirez was carted off the field on a stretcher after suffering a leg injury while playing in the Dominican Winter League on Wednesday, but X-rays were negative and he is considered day-to-day, Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes reports.

It looked like the injury could have been much worse, as Ramirez was in obvious pain after taking a hard slide at second base, but X-rays showed no break. While it's uncertain when Ramirez may return to Winter League action, it does not sound like this will jeopardize his status for spring training, where he will look to solidify his hold on the top utility infielder role.