MLB Player News

Correa signed a three-year, $105.3 million contract with the Twins on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Correa's deal with Minnesota comes as a surprise, as the 27-year-old had been linked to multiple contenders and larger-market teams in free agency -- the Twins don't seem to fit either description -- after turning down a five-year, $160 million contract from Houston in November, Mark Berman of Fox 26 reports. However, he'll join the Twins on a deal that includes opt-outs after each of the first two seasons with a $35.1 million annual salary that is the highest for any infielder in MLB history, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Correa spent the first seven years of his career with the Astros and appeared in 148 games during the 2021 campaign, slashing .279/.366/.485 with a career-high 26 homers and 104 runs to go with 92 RBI. The Twins traded for Gio Urshela last weekend, but the former Yankee will now have to compete with Luis Arraez for playing time at third base or settle into a utility role.

Marte (lower leg), the Mariners' No. 2 prospect, will see regular playing time during Cactus League games per manager Scott Servais, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Marte finished 2021, his first professional season, at High-A Everett, slashing .290/.333/.419 over eight contest after a productive 99-game tenure at Low-A Modesto. The 20-year-old shortstop is a significant part of the organization's long-term plans, so even though Seattle would reportedly like to add one more impact pitcher, it would be highly hesitant to part with Marte, who's primed to gain some valuable seasoning against big-league arms in spring training.

Witt is viewed as the Royals' Opening Day third baseman, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Witt came up through the minors primarily as a shortstop, but Adalberto Mondesi is expected to begin the season there. Instead, Witt could open his major-league career at the hot corner, which is a slightly less demanding position defensively. Mondesi logged some time at third base last season as well -- the Royals' lineup features a lot of flexibility around the infield. Witt split time between Double-A and Triple-A last season, combining for a .290/.361/.576 slash line, 33 home runs, 29 stolen bases, 97 RBI and 99 runs scored across 123 games.

Mondesi is viewed as the Royals' top shortstop heading into the 2022 season, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Mondesi struggled through another injury-plagued campaign last year. He was limited to just 35 games, where he slashed .230/.271/.452 with 15 stolen bases and six home runs. He moved around the infield at times and settled in as the third baseman by the end of 2021. With the versatile Whit Merrifield available, the Royals have plenty of different looks they can roll out -- if Mondesi is the primary shortstop throughout the season, Nicky Lopez would likely play second base and top prospect Bobby Witt could be begin his major-league career at the hot corner.

Astros manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday that Pena is the current frontrunner for the team's starting shortstop job as Opening Day approaches, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Baker added that Diaz will factor into the discussion at shortstop as well, but both Pena and Diaz may just be keeping the position warm for free agent Carlos Correa, whom the Astros continue to meet with about potentially re-signing with the team. Pena has yet to make his MLB debut, but he's a top prospect in the Houston system who turned in an impressive debut season at Triple-A Sugar Land in 2021. Though he didn't debut for Sugar Land until late August after he was sidelined to begin last year while recovering from wrist surgery, Pena posted a .944 OPS while going 5-for-6 on the basepaths and striking out in 26.3 percent of his 133 plate appearances.

Smith, Gunnar Hoglund, Zach Logue and Kirby Snead were traded from the Blue Jays to the Athletics on Wednesday in exchange for Matt Chapman, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Smith got his first taste of major-league action in 2021 and hit .094 with a solo homer and two runs across 18 games. In spite of his growing pains during his first stint in the majors, he was productive at Triple-A Buffalo last year, slashing .285/.370/.561 with 21 home runs, 69 RBI, 65 runs and 18 stolen bases. Even if he begins the 2022 campaign in the minors, it wouldn't be surprising to see him return to the big leagues at some point this year.

Owings (thumb) joined the Orioles as a non-roster invitee Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

Owings missed most of the last two months of last season after undergoing thumb surgery. Prior to that, the veteran utility man hit .326/.420/.628 for the Rockies, though that came in a tiny sample of 50 plate appearances and was far out of line with his career .243/.288/.372 slash line. If he does wind up making the team, it will likely be in a utility role.

Hamilton was invited to Boston's major-league spring training Saturday.

Hamilton was traded from the Brewers to the Red Sox in early December as part of the deal involving Jackie Bradley and Hunter Renfroe, and the 24-year-old will have a chance to develop with the major-league coaching staff in his new organization. He was promoted to Double-A Biloxi during the 2021 campaign and hit .242 with three homers, 16 runs, 12 RBI and 11 stolen bases across 33 games. Although the shortstop showcased his speed by stealing 52 bases between the High-A and Double-A levels last year, he'll likely begin the 2022 season at Double-A Portland and seems unlikely to make his major-league debut this year.

Yankees vice president of player development Kevin Reese said in January that he expects Volpe to open the season at Double-A Somerset, Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Reese added that he thinks Volpe will "hopefully make an impact in the big leagues soon," perhaps hinting that a late-season promotion to the Yankees in 2022 shouldn't be dismissed if the shortstop continues to mash in the minors like he did between stops at Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley in 2021. After an underwhelming professional debut at the rookie-ball level in 2019, Volpe looked like an entirely different player in his return to game action following the cancellation of the 2020 minor-league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 513 plate appearances between the two Single-A affiliates, Volpe posted an 1.027 OPS, 27 home runs and 33 stolen bases while striking out at a manageable 19.7 percent clip. The 20-year-old will face a stiffer test against more advanced Double-A pitching, but the big leap he made in 2021 makes him the Yankees' top prospect entering the upcoming season, both in real-life and fantasy terms.

Marte left Saturday's intrasquad game after fouling a ball off his left shin, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com

By all reports the move was a precautionary one as there's no reason for Marte to push himself through an injury this close to the start of the season. The infielder is thought of as one of the top prospects in the game after an impressive 2021 campaign at Low-A and High-A.