MLB Player News

Duffy signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Friday.

The veteran infielder will be given an invitation to major-league spring training. It's a good landing spot for Duffy, as the Royals recently freed up some playing time in the infield when they traded Adalberto Mondesi. Duffy was solid for the Cubs in 2021 but struggled last season with the Angels, putting up a .619 OPS across 247 plate appearances.

Vosler signed a minor-league deal with the Mariners on Jan. 18.

Vosler was designated for assignment by the Giants in November, and he elected free agency after refusing an outright assignment to Triple-A Sacramento. The infielder forged a slash line of .242/.311/.433 with 18 homers in 360 at-bats with the River Cats in 2022.

Baty (thumb) is likely to begin the season at Triple-A Syracuse, Deesha Thosar of FOXSports.com reports.

The Mets' third-base job opened back up when their deal with Carlos Correa fell through, but they're expected to turn back to Eduardo Escobar rather than hand the hot corner over to Baty. Escobar is slated to play for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, so Baty will have plenty of opportunities in camp to change the Mets' minds. The top prospect mostly struggled when pressed into duty with the big club last season, but Baty is likely the future at third base. Ideally, the Mets would probably like him to seize the job against righties at some point in 2023.

Anderson told reporters via Zoom on Sunday that he will primarily play third base, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Anderson also said the team has talked to him about playing in the outfield, and also potentially at first base. The former Miami infielder/outfielder signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Brewers after being non-tendered by the Marlins following a disappointing 2022 season where he posted a .657 OPS over 98 games.

Bregman's broken left index finger has healed well, and he's been able to swing since the start of January, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Bregman broke his finger in the penultimate inning of last season, suffering the injury on a slide into second base in the eighth frame of Game 6 of the World Series. The injury could hardly have been better timed, as he was able to remain in the game and then had the maximum possible time to heal. It will be worth verifying that he does indeed look fully healthy once spring games begin, but he certainly appears to be on track.

Reynolds cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Louisville by the Reds on Thursday.

Reynolds has accepted the outright assignment and will be in major-league camp as a non-roster invitee. The 32-year-old has a career .630 OPS over parts of five seasons at the big-league level.

Anderson agreed to a contract with the Brewers on Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Anderson was non-tendered by the Marlins over the winter after slashing .222/.311/.346 with eight homers and 28 RBi over 98 games with Miami. After serving mainly as an everyday third baseman through his first five seasons with the Marlins, Anderson moved into more of a utility role in 2022, but a downturn in performance at the plate resulted in Miami cutting him earlier in the offseason. With the move to Milwaukee, Anderson will get the chance to win the starting job at the hot corner or in right field this spring, and at the very least, he should see plenty of playing time against left-handed pitching in 2023.

Reynolds was designated for assignment by the Reds on Friday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

After the Reds signed Luke Weaver on Friday, Reynolds was moved off the 40-man roster to open up a spot for him. The 32-year-old utility man slashed .246/.320/.332 over 272 plate appearances last season. His defensive versatility could draw interest from a team in search of bench depth.

Newman signed a one-year, $2.662 million contract with the Reds on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Newman turned in his best season at the plate since 2019, hitting .274 over 288 at-bats last year. However, walks and extra-base hits were few and far between for the 29-year-old infielder, limiting him to a .688 OPS. He will most likely be used as the Reds' everyday shortstop in 2023, but his offensive production is unlikely to surge.

Sosa agreed to a one-year, $950,000 contact with the Phillies on Friday to avoid arbitration, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It's the first year of arbitration eligibility for Sosa, who was acquired from the Cardinals at the trade deadline last season. The 26-year-old had a .227/.275/.369 slash line with two home runs and six stolen bases in 78 games and should fill a utility role for Philadelphia in 2023.