MLB Player News

Dickerson signed a one-year, $2.1 million deal with the Giants on Wednesday to avoid arbitration, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The 30-year-old had a .298/.371/.576 slash line with 10 homers, 10 doubles and 27 RBI over 52 games during the 2020 campaign, so it's not a surprise to see San Francisco bringing him back at such a modest price. Dickerson had only 12 plate appearances against left-handed pitching last season, and he's a strong bet to work in the strong side of a platoon in left field again in 2021.

Solak will likely win the starting job at second base if he can prove this spring that he can handle the position defensively, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The main reason the Rays traded Solak to the Rangers for Pete Fairbanks a couple years ago was because he was seen as a player with limited defensive potential who fit best as a designated hitter. Solak hit .293/.393/.491 in 135 plate appearances as a rookie and .268/.326/.344 in 233 plate appearances in 2020. Rougned Odor would move to a utility role if Solak wins the job this spring, which seems to be the Rangers' preference. There will also be at-bats at third base available early in the season for whoever loses out on the second base job until prospect Josh Jung gets the call.

Rooker (forearm) was cleared to resume swinging a bat Monday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Rooker appears to be making good progress since requiring surgery in late September to address a fractured right forearm. The 26-year-old will likely gradually ramp up the intensity of his workouts throughout the winter with the aim of receiving full clearance ahead of spring training. He'll likely be competing for a spot on the Twins' Opening Day roster in 2021 as a right-handed bench bat.

Morel's contract was purchased by the Cubs on Friday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Morel has not played above Low-A, but as one of the Cubs' better position player prospects with any full-season experience, they will opt to shield him from the Rule 5 draft in advance of a potential rebuild. Morel hit .284/.320/.467 with six home runs in 73 games at Low-A in 2019 and should be assigned to Double-A this season.

Lewis was named the AL Rookie of the Year on Monday.

Lewis earned some sleeper buzz heading into the season and went on to surpass expectations, finishing with a .262/.364/.437 slash line while hitting 11 homers and stealing five bases. That was enough to earn him all 30 first-place votes for the award. Luis Robert finished second, picking up 27 second-place votes, with Cristian Javier coming in third.

Ohtani has been throwing for approximately a month and has reached 120 feet, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Ohtani remains somewhat limited but has been able to throw at 75 to 80 percent effort. The Angels expect him to enter spring training as a two-way player. Of course, he was expected to be a two-way player this year as well, but he wound up allowing seven runs while recording just five outs over a pair of starts before the Angels shut him down from throwing. The team will hope that putting his Tommy John surgery another year in the rearview mirror and going through a normal offseason and spring buildup process will bring different results this time around.

Martinez will not opt out of the remaining two years on his contract with the Red Sox, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

This seemed like a forgone conclusion, especially with Martinez coming off a down year. He is due $38.75 million over the next two years. The designated hitter, who turned 33 in August, slashed .213/.291/.389 with seven home runs in 54 games this season.

Turner was removed from Game 6 of the World Series against the Rays on Tuesday due to a positive test for COVID-19, per the FOX telecast.

The news comes as the Dodgers celebrate their first World Series title since 1988, putting the finishing touches on a roller-coaster 2020 season. Turner started at third base and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts before being replaced in the field for the start of the eighth inning for what was a previously-unknown reason. The win by Los Angeles helps MLB avoid some serious logistical problems regarding a potential Game 7.

Pederson will be on the bench for Game 6 of the World Series against the Rays on Tuesday, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

As usual, Pederson hits the bench with a lefty (Blake Snell) starting for the opposition. A.J. Pollock will be the left fielder Tuesday, with Will Smith serving as the designated hitter and Austin Barnes catching.

Pederson went 1-for-2 with a solo home run Sunday in the Dodgers' 4-2 win over the Rays in Game 5 of the World Series.

Pederson turned in a big weekend as the Dodgers pushed their series lead to 3-2, going 4-for-7 with three RBI and two runs between Games 3 through 5. He was nearly the hero of Saturday's Game 4 after providing a go-ahead, two-run single in the top of the seventh, but the lead changed two more times before the Rays walked off the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth. Despite coming through Sunday with his second home run of the postseason, the lefty-hitting Pederson will likely head to the bench Tuesday in Game 6 with southpaw Blake Snell on the bump for Tampa Bay.