MLB Player News

The three-year deal Bichette signed with the Blue Jays on Tuesday has $33.6 million guaranteed, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

The contract extension came together on Tuesday evening, just two days out from Bichette's scheduled arbitration hearing with the Jays. It covers all of his arbitration-eligible seasons and carries performance-based escalators that could raise the total sum to $40.65 million. The 24-year-old shortstop is currently scheduled to reach free agency after the 2025 campaign.

Bichette and the Blue Jays have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a three-year contract extension, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

The financial terms haven't been announced, but Bichette is assuredly looking at a massive raise from the $723,000 he made last season. He was set for an arbitration hearing Thursday, but instead the star shortstop will receive a multi-year deal for his strong previous efforts. It buys out his remaining arbitration years, and he'll still hit free agency after the 2026 season. In 2022, Bichette 's red-hot September pushed him to an .802 OPS, 24 homers, 93 RBI and 13 stolen bases over his 159 total games.

Bichette's arbitration hearing with the Blue Jays is scheduled for Thursday, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca.

Bichette filed at $7.5 million, with the Blue Jays countering at $5 million, when arbitration figures were exchanged earlier this offseason. Now it's up to an arbitration panel to decide which of the two possible salaries the 24-year-old shortstop will earn in 2023. Bichette made just $723,500 last year while delivering an .802 OPS with 24 home runs, 93 RBI, 13 stolen bases and 91 runs scored across 159 regular-season games.

Volpe received an invitation Tuesday to the major-league side of the Yankees' camp.

Volpe is not currently on the Yankees' 40-man roster, but he'll be pushing to carve out a spot and make his MLB debut at some point in 2023. The 21-year-old top shortstop prospect put up an .802 OPS with 21 home runs and 50 stolen bases in 132 games last summer between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Correa will not play for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Correa's wife is due with the couple's second child at the same time the WBC will take place, and Hayes reports the Twins don't want the shortstop to be juggling both family and the tournament. Correa re-signed with the Twins after a tumultuous offseason that saw proposed contracts with the Giants and Mets rescinded because of concerns during his physical, and he'll spend spring training in the Grapefruit League.

The Red Sox acquired Mondesi (knee) along with a player to be named later from the Royals on Tuesday in exchange for Josh Taylor, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said Enrique Hernandez remains the likely starter at shortstop, per Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican, and Mondesi should be in the mix for playing time at both shortstop and second base. However, Mondesi isn't fully recovered from the ACL surgery he underwent last May and isn't guaranteed to be ready for Opening Day, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. Injuries have obviously been the 27-year-old's big bugaboo, but this looks like a small price to pay for the Red Sox for a player with some upside. Mondesi will make $3.05 million in 2023 and is slated to hit free agency next winter.

Story (elbow) believes he will be able to play in 2023, Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe reports.

Story underwent an internal bracing procedure on the UCL in his right elbow in the middle of January. The infielder is expected to miss at least 4-6 months while he recovers from the procedure, but that timeline does give him an opportunity to return at some point this summer. While Story is out, it appears that Enrique Hernandez will see the majority of his playing time at shortstop, but the Red Sox have made it known they are looking for additional help in the middle of their infield.

Camargo signed a minor-league deal with the Royals on Saturday.

Camargo struggled to a .237/.297/.316 slash line in 52 games for the Phillies last season, though his 74 wRC+ represented his best mark since 2018. His defensive versatility theoretically makes him a good fit for a bench spot, but he might wind up stuck in the minors waiting for an opportunity.

The Marlins traded Salas alongside Pablo Lopez to the Twins on Friday in exchange for Luis Arraez, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

Salas reached the High-A level for the first time in 2022, though he slashed just .230/.319/.340 in 217 plate appearances. The 19-year-old switch-hitter was considered one of the top prospects in the Marlins' farm system, and Salas' defensive versatility could help him rise through the Twins' minor-league system more quickly than expected.

Mateo signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Orioles on Friday to avoid arbitration, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Mateo's glove established him as Baltimore's everyday shortstop last year, but his poor .221/.267/.379 slash line makes him vulnerable to losing his spot to top prospect Gunnar Henderson. Mateo has experience playing all over the field, so he'll more than likely transition into a utility role, an assignment that might allow him to maintain the fantasy value provided by his 35 steals in 2022.