Astros manager Joe Espada said Thursday that he hopes to play Alvarez more in left field this season, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez made 40 starts in left field last season (versus 73 at designated hitter), but his playing time in left tapered off in the second half after he came back from an oblique injury. The slugger is still expected to be Houston's primary DH in 2024, but Espada also wants to use the spot occasionally to give other regulars a break from playing the field. One of Chas McCormick or Jake Meyers will likely be on the bench on days Alvarez plays left field.

Solak signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Tuesday and received an invitation to major-league spring training, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Solak spent all of last season in Triple-A, slashing .238/.353/.362 across 411 plate appearances between three different franchises. He'll have an opportunity to crack Seattle's Opening Day roster as a bench piece, but the 29-year-old outfielder is likely once again headed to Triple-A in 2024.

Turner signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

He can earn an additional $1.5 million in roster and performance bonuses. Turner is expected to be Toronto's primary designated hitter in 2024 while also providing the Jays with an option at third base and first base. Most importantly, he will give the team some more thump in the middle of its lineup. The 39-year-old slashed .276/.345/.455 with 23 home runs and 96 RBI last season with Boston.

Torrens signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Thursday.

Torrens bounced around between four different organizations last season, managing to record seven hits and four RBI in just 28 big-league at-bats. He figures to operate as organizational depth in Triple-A but could see time in the majors should New York struggle to find production from behind the dish.

Garver agreed to a two-year, $24 million contract with the Mariners on Sunday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The M's now have their primary replacement for Teoscar Hernandez in Garver, who posted an .870 OPS and 19 home runs in 87 regular-season games last season (while adding three more long balls during the Rangers' World Series run). Primarily a designated hitter at this stage in his career, Garver can also chip in occasionally behind the plate. He made 28 appearances at catcher last season.

Buxton (knee) is expected to begin baseball activities next week and the Twins plan for him to be the team's starting center fielder next season, the Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "We're going to go into spring training planning on, if everything continues to go well, having him out there in center field and very hopeful that the procedure he had puts him in the spot he needs to be in," manager Rocco Baldelli said, "but we also have to plan for everything, as usual."

Buxton underwent an arthroscopic procedure in October on his right knee to clean up scarring from a 2022 surgery that led to irritation. Buxton had a workout at Target Field last week and was able to do some activities that he was unable to last season. Buxton wasn't able to play in the field last season due to his knee issues (aside from one game during a minor league rehab stint). While the Twins are optimistic he'll be able to play in the field, the team will seek to find options for a backup given that Buxton hasn't played more than 100 games in any of the past seven years and Michael Taylor elected free agency.

Ford was designated for assignment by the Mariners on Tuesday.

Ford was probably going to be non-tendered ahead of Friday's deadline had he remained part of the 40-man roster mix in Seattle. The 31-year-old served as the Mariners' primary designated hitter for a portion of the 2023 season but batted just .193 with a .663 OPS over his final 130 plate appearances. He'll likely elect free agency if he passes through waivers unclaimed.

Madris signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Monday, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

He'll be in major-league camp during spring training. Madris was a waiver claim by the Tigers two offseasons ago but was traded before playing for them. The 27-year-old has managed just a .500 OPS over 51 games to this point at the major-league level. He'll likely begin 2024 at Triple-A Toledo.

Seattle sent Torrens outright to Triple-A Tacoma on Tuesday.

Torrens drew only 30 major-league plate appearances this season between the Cubs and Mariners. The 27-year-old catcher is a .227/.289/.354 hitter in 269 career games at the big-league level.

Garver (ribs) is batting fifth and will serve as Texas' designated hitter against Arizona in Game 1 of the World Series.

Garver had to make an early exit from Game 7 of the ALCS after taking a fastball to the ribs, but he managed to escape without any serious injuries and will now return to the lineup to begin the Fall Classic. Garver has been a key piece to the Rangers' offensive success throughout the postseason, slashing .294/.368/.529 with two homers and 11 RBI.