MLB Player News
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Vladimir Guerrero 1B | TOR
Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero: Avoids arbitration with Blue Jays
Guerrero agreed to a one-year, $28.5 million contract with the Blue Jays on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Guerrero will return to Toronto in 2025 with a well-deserved $8.6 million raise. The 25-year-old produced a career-high .323 average last season while adding 30 home runs, 103 RBI, 98 runs scored and two stolen bases over 616 at-bats in 159 games. Guerrero finished sixth in the AL MVP voting in 2024, while his 5.5 WAR ranked 11th in the AL amongst hitters. The team has been open to potentially moving Guerrero to third base in 2025, but regardless of position, he remains one of the best players in baseball.
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Andrew Vaughn 1B | CHW
White Sox's Andrew Vaughn: Avoids arbitration hearing
Vaughn signed a one-year, $5.85 million contract with the White Sox on Thursday to avoid arbitration, James Fegan of SoxMachine.com reports.
Vaughn had a career-worst .699 OPS over 149 games in 2024 but will still receive a sizable raise in his second year of arbitration eligibility. The 26-year-old should open 2025 as Chicago's primary first baseman, but his opportunities could shrink if he continues to regress.
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Ryan Mountcastle 1B | BAL
Orioles' Ryan Mountcastle: Avoids arbitration
The Orioles and Mountcastle avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $6.787 million contract Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Mountcastle had been in his second year of arbitration eligibility. The first baseman fell off to just 13 home runs over 124 regular-season games with the Orioles in 2024, but he should be among the beneficiaries of the left-field wall at Camden Yards being moved in this season.
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Josh Naylor 1B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Josh Naylor: Settles at $10.9 million
Naylor agreed to a one-year, $10.9 million contract with the Diamondbacks on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Naylor slashed .243/.320/.456 with 31 home runs and 108 RBI with the Guardians last season -- good enough to secure a $4.3 million salary increase entering his first year in Arizona. With Christian Walker now in Houston, Naylor is expected to handle most of the workload at first base.
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LaMonte Wade 1B | SF
Giants' LaMonte Wade: Settles at $5 million
The Giants and Wade avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5 million contract Thursday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
This was Wade's final year of arbitration eligibility, as he's slated to hit free agency next winter. While the 31-year-old is the current favorite to open the 2025 season as the Giants' primary first baseman against right-handed pitching, there have been reports of the club seeking help at the position from outside the organization and also whispers of Wade being available via trade.
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Bobby Dalbec 1B | CHW
White Sox's Bobby Dalbec: Goes to ChiSox as NRI
The White Sox signed Dalbec to a minor-league contract Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training.
Dalbec showed some initial promise with the Red Sox with 33 home runs in his first 156 games across the 2020 and 2021 seasons, but his performance has deteriorated since then to the tune of a .599 OPS and 37.9 percent strikeout rate since the start of the 2022 season. The 29-year-old should have a decent shot to crack the White Sox' Opening Day roster, perhaps as a short-side platoon option.
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Triston Casas 1B | BOS
Red Sox's Triston Casas: Not being shopped in trades
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Monday that the team is "not shopping" Casas in trade talks this offseason, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
We wouldn't have expected him to say otherwise, and Breslow did acknowledge that he's discussed Casas with other clubs in trade scenarios this winter. Breslow also noted that he's looking for a right-handed bat, and a trade of the left-handed hitting Casas still seems possible as the Red Sox seek to balance out their lineup.
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Josh Bell 1B | WAS
Nationals' Josh Bell: Returns to Washington
Bell signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Nationals on Sunday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Bell will return to Washington, where he previously played in 2021 and part of 2022. The 32-year-old played in 145 games between the Marlins and Diamondbacks in 2024, batting .249 with 19 home runs, 71 RBI and 62 runs scored. With Nathaniel Lowe set to hold down first base with the Nationals this season, Bell will likely use his switch-hitting ability to operate as the team's primary designated hitter in 2025.
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Matt Mervis 1B | MIA
Marlins' Matt Mervis: Moved to Miami
The Marlins acquired Mervis from the Cubs on Sunday in exchange for utility man Vidal Brujan, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Following a breakout 2022 campaign in the minors, Mervis entered 2023 as one of the more highly regarded prospects in baseball thanks to his combination of power hitting and on-base skills, but the sheen has largely worn off over the past two seasons. Mervis struck out at a 31.5 percent clip and posted a meager .103 ISO over 127 plate appearances in the majors with the Cubs across the past pair of campaigns, and he didn't mash in the minors in 2024 like he had in the past either, slashing .235/.329/.434 in 81 games with Triple-A Iowa. Though he still had a minor-league option remaining, Mervis didn't seem to have much of a future in Chicago with Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki entrenched at first base and designated hitter, respectively, but he should have a clearer path to playing time in Miami. Jonah Bride currently sits atop the organizational depth chart at first base, but Mervis' superior pop likely makes him a higher-upside option.
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Spencer Torkelson 1B | DET
Tigers' Spencer Torkelson: Role undetermined
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said Friday that Torkelson's role for 2025 is not yet defined, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
The Tigers have signed Gleyber Torres to play second base and will move Colt Keith to first base, leaving Torkelson without a clear path to playing time against right-handed pitching. He could be used in a short-side platoon with Keith at first base, but the Tigers dangling Torkelson in trade talks might be a likelier scenario. The former top prospect popped 31 home runs in 2023 but put up a .669 OPS in 2024 and spent a chunk of the season in the minors.