MLB Player News

The Reds agreed to trade Farmer to the Twins on Friday in exchange for right-hander Casey Legumina, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

A late bloomer, Farmer became a regular for the Reds at shortstop over the past couple seasons. He led Cincinnati in plate appearances by a wide margin in 2022, though the team eventually moved Farmer off shortstop to give Jose Barrero, Spencer Steer and others some time late in the year. The 32-year-old Farmer is best utilized as a utility player, and that's almost certainly what he will be with Minnesota.

The Twins agreed to trade Urshela to the Angels on Friday in exchange for right-hander Alejandro Hidalgo, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports.

Urshela finished third on the team in plate appearances in 2022 with 551 and was worth a couple wins above replacement by fWAR. However, he's due north of $6.5 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility, and the Twins ultimately decided to flip him for a young prospect rather than pay up. Urshela could play some shortstop for his new club or move across the diamond to first base, but Anthony Rendon's inability to stay healthy could open up plenty of playing time at third base as well.

Triolo (knee) was added to Pittsburgh's 40-man roster Tuesday.

Triolo spent the final month of 2022 on the injured list at Double-A Altoona with a hyperextended knee, but he still had a productive campaign with a .285/.378/.424 slash line and 24 steals in 112 games. The 24-year-old should move up to Triple-A Indianapolis at some point in 2023.

Vosler was designated for assignment by the Giants on Tuesday.

Vosler played in 36 contests for the Giants last season and hit well with an .811 OPS, four home runs and 12 RBI in 111 plate appearances. He bounced between Triple-A and the majors and could be ticketed for a similar role in 2023.

Mead (elbow) was added to the Rays' 40-man roster Tuesday.

Mead is one of Tampa Bay's most highly-regarded prospects, so it's no surprise he's been added to the 40-man roster in order to shield him from the Rule 5 draft. He split 2022 between the Double-A and Triple-A levels and had a .922 OPS with 13 home runs, 50 RBI and seven stolen bases in 76 games before he was shut down with an elbow injury.

Busch was added to the Dodgers' 40-man roster Tuesday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Busch opened 2022 at Double-A Tulsa and posted a 1.112 OPS in 31 games to earn a promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City. The 25-year-old clubbed 32 homers and 38 doubles between the two levels in 2022, though he may need to cut down on his 26 percent strikeout rate before he receives an extended look in the majors.

De La Cruz was added to the Reds' 40-man roster Tuesday.

One of the top prospects in baseball, De La Cruz crushed opposing pitchers in 2022, slashing .306/.361/.586 between High-A and Double-A ball. He still needs to clean up some things on the defensive end and improve his strikeout rate (30.9 K% in Double-A), but that kind of offensive production suggests it will only be a matter of time before De La Cruz gets the call to the majors.

Lipcius was added to the Tigers' 40-man roster Tuesday.

Lipcius had a productive year between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo with an .826 OPS in 2022, and the Tigers elected to protect him from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. The 24-year-old could be called up for his major-league debut sometime next season.

Rafaela was added to Boston's 40-man roster Tuesday, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports.

Rafaela is one of the better prospects who needed to be protected from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. A 22-year-old center fielder, Rafaela hit .278/.324/.500 with 12 home runs and 14 steals in 71 games at Double-A. It's unclear if he'll head back to that level or get the bump to Triple-A at the start of 2023.

The White Sox added Ramos to their 40-man roster on Tuesday

Ramos spent most of 2022 in High-A Winston-Salem, slashing .277/.352/.474 over 432 plate appearances. He earned a promotion to Double-A Birmingham in late August, putting up a .654 OPS over 86 plate appearances, so it's clear the 20-year-old third baseman has a ways to go before he's ready for the majors.