MLB Player News

Escobar signed a one-year, $4.85 million deal with the Twins on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Escobar enjoyed a solid yet unspectacular season with the Twins in 2017, slashing .254/.309/.449 over 499 plate appearances, including career-high marks of 21 home runs, 73 RBI and five stolen bases. He'll likely see a majority of his playing time at third base and DH this upcoming season.

Duffy recently resumed running on a track and has been attending therapy three days a week to ensure his left Achilles' tendon is healing as expected, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

Projected to open last season as the Rays' starting shortstop, Duffy never logged a single at-bat in 2017 after suffering multiple setbacks with the Achilles and ultimately requiring his second surgery to address the injury. Though he'll need to prove in the spring that his health isn't a concern, Duffy is the frontrunner to secure a full-time role at third base heading into the upcoming campaign after the Rays traded franchise icon Evan Longoria to the Giants earlier in the offseason. With a career .281 average and some modest pop, Duffy could provide decent value in the later rounds of deeper mixed and AL-only drafts if he's able to steer clear of the injury setbacks for the bulk of the 2018 campaign.

Peterson signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Friday, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.

Atlanta declined to tender Peterson a contract for this upcoming season, and now the 27-year-old will look to latch on with the Yankees on this minor-league deal. He played in 89 big-league games last year, slashing .215/.318/.317 with two home runs and 17 RBI. He will likely begin the year in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre due to the overload of talent in the Yankees' outfield, but should serve as reliable depth for the club in 2018.

Machado has been the subject of multiple trade offers with the White Sox's bid being the best the Orioles have received, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Machado can be a free agent following the 2018 season and is expected to break some team's bank. The White Sox have plenty of top prospects to offer and need a third baseman. They are a young team still early in a rebuilding window, but the addition of Machado, who has averaged 29 homers and 86 RBI while winning two Gold Gloves over the past five years, would accelerate their competitiveness in 2018.

Olt agreed to a minor-league deal with the Red Sox, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.

After spending all of 2017 with the Red Sox's Double-A affiliate, he returns to Boston's farm for another season. The 29-year-old hit .245/.332/.436 with 16 home runs in 448 plate appearances last season at Double-A and will simply provide organizational depth this season.

Bichette signed a minor-league deal with the Rockies, Matt Kardos of Pinstriped Prospects reports.

Bichette appears to have stalled out at Double-A in the Yankees system, as that's where he's spent the majority of the last three seasons, never reaching Triple-A. He lacks the promise of his younger brother Bo, who is a top prospect in the Blue Jays' system. This is a homecoming of sorts as his father played for the Rockies from 1993 to 2000.

Senzel has been invited to the Reds' major-league camp this spring.

The Reds will give their top prospect a look during spring, though he'll likely open the season in the minors before potentially making his major-league debut later in 2018. He quickly worked his way up from High-A Daytona to Double-A Pensacola in 2017, where he slashed an impressive .340/.413/.560 in 235 plate appearances. The 22-year-old was shut down near the end of August as he dealt with vertigo symptoms, but it's nothing that's expected to carry into his offseason preparation.

Longoria was dealt to the Giants from the Rays in exchange for Denard Span, Christian Arroyo, Matt Krook and Stephen Woods on Wednesday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The longtime Ray is set to move on from the organization that drafted him following 12 years with the club, and will immediately become the starter at the hot corner for the Giants in 2018. During this past season, Longoria slashed .261/.313/.424 with 20 home runs, 86 RBI and six stolen bases, and played in 156 games, which marked his lowest number of appearances in a season since 2012 when he dealt with a hamstring injury for most of the year. It was also the fifth straight year that Longoria hit at least 20 home runs, but he just barely got there, during the final week of the season. AT&T Park in San Francisco has been the worst park in baseball for home runs over the last four seasons.

Asche agreed to a minor-league deal with the Royals on Thursday.

After six years in the Phillies' organization, Asche linked up with the White Sox prior to the 2017 campaign. He failed to impress in his 19 games with the big-league club (going 6-for-57 at the plate), but he put up arguably the best numbers of his career with Triple-A Charlotte. In 347 plate appearances, the veteran slashed .292/.392/.495 with 14 long balls. Despite his minor-league success, he became a free agent at season's end and will now look to put together a strong spring training performance with hopes of working his way onto the rebuilding Royals' Opening Day roster.

Almanzar agreed to a minor-league deal with Washington on Wednesday, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Almanzar finished up the 2017 campaign with Triple-A Syracuse within the Nationals' system, and that is likely where he will begin the 2018 season. The 27-year-old has yet to play in a major-league contest, and is unlikely to do so next year on a stacked Washington roster.