MLB Player News

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.

Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said Wednesday that Morel will play first base in winter ball, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Morel has never appeared in a game at first base at any level of professional ball, but the Cubs are hoping that he might take well to the position and be an option for them there in 2024. The 24-year-old was primarily used at designated hitter down the stretch in 2023 because his defense anywhere in the field proved to be too unreliable.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Wednesday that Harper will strictly play first base moving forward, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Harper is almost a full calendar year removed from his November 2022 Tommy John surgery and there has been some thought that he could return to the outfield in 2024, but the 31-year-old slugger apparently took a liking to first base this past season and will now make it his permanent position in Philadelphia. Dombrowski noted that he spoke to Harper at length behind the scenes before making this information public. Dombrowski also said he relayed the news to Rhys Hoskins, who could depart in free agency this winter.

The Tigers declined Cabrera's $30 million option for 2024 on Friday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

This was a formality, of course, as Cabrera will receive an $8 million buyout and head into retirement. The future Hall of Famer will finish his career with 511 home runs, 3,174 hits, two MVPs and one triple crown.

Torrens elected to become a free agent Friday.

Torrens was pushed off the Mariners' 40-man roster Tuesday and opted to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A Tacoma. He's a career .227/.289/.354 hitter in 807 major-league plate appearances, but the 27-year-old could get a look as catching depth with some other organization.

Turner declined his $13.4 million player option for 2024 on Friday, Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reports.

Turner will become a free agent and receive a $6.7 million buyout for declining his option. After belting 23 homers and a career-high 96 RBI for the Red Sox in 2023, the 38-year-old veteran should have little trouble finding a team willing to offer him a contract similar to the $8.3 million deal he signed last offseason.

Carpenter (elbow) exercised his $5.5 million player option for 2024 on Friday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Carpenter slashed .176/.322/.319 across 236 plate appearances with the Padres in 2023 and was unlikely to attract a large offer in the open market, so he'll opt into $5.5 million heading into his age-38 season. Carpenter battled injuries and saw his playing time decrease during the latter half of the season, and it's possible he remains in a reserve role to begin the 2024 campaign.

Soler has informed the Marlins that he will opt out of the final year of his contract on Thursday, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

Soler played out two seasons of his three-year contract, but he was set for a relatively low salary of $9 million in 2024. He hit 36 home runs and maintained a .853 OPS across 580 plate appearances in 2023, so there should be plenty of interest in him from teams around the league.

The Padres sent Seagle outright to Triple-A El Paso on Thursday.

Seagle was selected to the major-league roster as a depth piece during the final days of the regular season and registered only one plate appearance. He slashed .209/.261/.296 across 230 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A, and he'll now return to the minors without the benefit of a 40-man spot.

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.