MLB Player News

Angels manager Joe Maddon confirmed Tuesday that Ohtani will be a "full go" for spring training and head into the 2021 season as a two-way player, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

There was little reason to believe Ohtani wouldn't be a two-way player this season, but it's still good to see some confirmation from the team after he was shut down from pitching following two disastrous starts last year. Despite his considerable hype, Ohtani has now spent three full seasons in the majors and has yet to be a full-time two-way player for the entirety of any of those campaigns. Elbow issues ended his time on the mound just 10 starts into his debut season and eventually led to Tommy John surgery, which kept him as purely a designated hitter in 2019. His awful outings on the mound in 2020 can be explained away by his recovery from that procedure, but it's still hard to have complete confidence that things will finally go well for him in his fourth MLB season.

Ohtani and the Angels avoided arbitration for this year and the next by agreeing to a two-year, $8.5 million contract Monday.

The agreement gives both sides stability for the near future, which could prove quite important given that Ohtani's outlook is rather uncertain. He's yet to truly establish himself as the two-way phenom he was billed as when he came over from Japan in 2018, as he was shut down from pitching just 10 starts into his rookie season and didn't throw at all the next year due to Tommy John surgery. A pair of awful outings on the mound to open 2020 made him just a hitter for the rest of the season, but that didn't go at all well as he struggled to a .190/.291/.366 line. If his struggles continue this year, he could look overpaid even at his modest salary, but if his breakout finally arrives he could wind up leaving quite a bit of money on the table.

Choi will earn $2.45 million this season after winning his arbitration case Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Choi will make significantly more than the $1.85 million the Rays had offered. He won his case despite hitting a mediocre three homers last season and producing a barely above-average 103 wRC+, the product of a .230/.331/.410 slash line. Choi lines up to continue his platoon role this year.

Stanton has scaled back his weightlifting this offseason in an effort to stay healthy, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton has spent a combined 202 days on the injured last combined across the last two seasons with knee and hamstring injuries. While the shift in offseason work may not change Stanton's ability stay healthy, it's encouraging that both he and the Yankees' training staff are looking for different ways to help him remain on the field. Even with the recent frustrating campaigns, Stanton flashed his power upside during the Yankees' 2020 postseason run by slugging six home runs in only 31 plate appearances.

Brantley signed a two-year, $32 million contract with the Astros on Wednesday, Mark Berman of Fox 26 reports.

Brantley was pursued by several teams during free agency and was believed to be close to a deal with the Blue Jays earlier Wednesday, but he'll return to Houston on a two-year deal. The 33-year-old should reclaim his role as a top option in left field and at designated hitter after slashing .309/.370/.497 with 27 home runs and 112 RBI over his past two seasons with the Astros.

Brantley signed a three-year contract with the Blue Jays on Wednesday, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports.

The financial terms of the deal haven't yet been disclosed. Brantley will join George Springer in Toronto just one day after Springer inked a six-year deal with the team. Brantley spent the past two seasons with the Astros and appeared in 46 games during the abbreviated 2020 season, slashing .300/.364/.476 with five home runs and 22 RBI. The 33-year-old has had an OPS above .800 in each of the past four seasons and will attempt to build on his success with the Blue Jays in 2021.

Canha signed a one-year, $6.925 million contract with Oakland on Friday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The 31-year-old receives a sizable raise from his $4.8 million figure for 2020 as he enters his final season of arbitration eligibility. Canha had a .246/.387/.408 slash line with five homers, 33 RBI and four stolen bases in 59 games last season.

Ohtani is expected to be part of the Angels' six-man rotation next season, Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani has only thrown 53.1 innings over his three-year MLB career. Elbow issues limited him to just 10 starts in his 2018 debut, and he didn't pitch at all in 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He was set to be a two-way player again last season but was shut down from pitching again after making a pair of disastrous starts. 2021 could be the year Ohtani finally emerges as a true dual threat, though given his track record so far in North America there would seem to be little reason to expect things to go smoothly. The Angels remain committed to the project however, to the point of deploying a non-standard rotation in order to to help him manage his workload.

Alvarez (knees) posted a video of himself running the bases on his personal Instagram account Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 23-year-old was running on an anti-gravity treadmill in mid-October, and he's continued to progress his running program over the past couple months. Alvarez underwent arthroscopic surgery on both knees in late August, and it's a good sign to see him on the basepaths with no obvious limitations. There's still a couple months before the start of spring training, and Alvarez is expected to be ready by that point.

Buxton signed a one-year, $5.125 million contract with the Twins on Wednesday to avoid arbitration, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The 26-year-old appeared in 39 games during 2020 and showcased his power with 13 home runs, though he also saw his walk rate drop to a minuscule 1.5 percent. The end result was a marginal improvement to an .844 OPS. As always, the question for Buxton is his health, and he missed some time with head and shoulder injuries.