MLB rumors: Justin Verlander wants three years, Astros don't; Dodgers may shift infield to fit star shortstop

Duffy signed a minor-league contract with the Royals on Friday. The veteran infielder will be given an invitation to major-league spring training. It's a good landing spot for Duffy, as the Royals recently freed up the potential for more playing time in the infield when they traded Adalberto Mondesi. Duffy was solid for the Cubs in 2021 but struggled last season with the Angels, putting up a .619 OPS across 247 plate appearances.

Major League Baseball's offseason is in full swing, and that means everyone is thinking about the future. In most cities, that means next season; in some, though, it means the bigger picture, the next three to five years. You're either selling wins or you're selling hope, the old saying goes. We here at CBS Sports like to provide as much hope as we can around this time of the winter by evaluating each team's farm system.

Sheffield cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma by the Mariners on Thursday. Sheffield got the boot off the 40-man roster last week to open up a 40-man roster spot for Tommy La Stella. A former top prospect, Sheffield holds a career 5.47 ERA in 186 innings (33 starts, 15 relief appearances) at the major-league level. It's certainly notable that he didn't draw much interest from other MLB teams on the waiver wire leading into what will be his age-27 campaign.

Voth has avoided arbitration with the Orioles and signed a one-year contract Thursday, which includes a club option for 2024. Voth will be guaranteed $1.85 million with this new deal, and the 2024 option is worth $2.45 million with escalators that could add another $500,000. The 30-year-old right-hander struggled out of the gate last season with Washinton before moving on to Baltimore and registering a sharp 3.04 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 17 starts and five relief appearances covering 83 innings. He projects to operate in a swingman role again for the O's in 2023, shuffling between long relief and emergency starting/opening duties.

Tatis (shoulder/wrist/suspension) took batting practice Thursday, Hector Gomez of Z101Digital.com reports. Tatis was cleared to resume baseball activity Jan. 6 and this was his first public step toward returning to the field since. He is expected to be ready to participate at the start of spring training, though he'll still be required to sit out the first 20 games of the season due to a PED suspension. After missing the entire 2022 campaign, Tatis will have high expectations in 2023 after posting an OPS above .930 in all three of his previous seasons in the majors.

Former second baseman Jeff Kent has been up for Hall of Fame consideration for a decade, with this year marking his last crack at induction via the Baseball Writers Association of America. Kent received 46.5% of the vote during this cycle, well shy of the 75% needed for induction. He falls off the ballot and will no longer be considered by the BBWAA.

Adams (forearm) signed a minor-league contract with the Diamondbacks on Jan. 20. Adams elected free agency after being outrighted to Triple-A El Paso by the Padres in November. The right-hander underwent surgery to repair a tear in his right flexor tendon, and it's unknown if he'll be able to participate in spring training. When healthy, Adams could provide help for the Arizona bullpen, but the Diamondbacks will have to add him to the 40-man roster for that to happen.

Antone's offseason throwing program has been slowed by a right forearm injury, per MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. The good news is that the issue is not thought to be related to Antone's elbow, which required Tommy John surgery more than two years ago and gave him a lot of trouble in the aftermath. The 29-year-old reliever will be eased into action at Reds camp this spring with the hope that he might be ready to be used in high-leverage situations at some point in the early part of the 2023 season. Antone posted a 2.48 ERA with 87 strikeouts over his first 69 major league innings between 2020-2021.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday night that Scott Rolen, a veteran of 17 big-league seasons, has been voted into Cooperstown by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Rolen received a vote on 76.3 percent of the ballots, putting him just above the 75 percent threshold. He was the only member of the 28-player ballot who was chosen for enshrinement.

Vosler signed a minor-league deal with the Mariners on Jan. 18. Vosler was designated for assignment by the Giants in November, and he elected free agency after refusing an outright assignment to Triple-A Sacramento. The infielder forged a slash line of .242/.311/.433 with 18 homers in 360 at-bats with the River Cats in 2022.

Rodriguez cleared waivers Tuesday and was sent outright to High-A Everett. Rodriguez was booted off the 40-man roster last week to clear a spot for J.B. Bukauskas. The 22-year-old outfielder has yet to advance beyond the High-A level, where he slashed .261/.336/.396 in 527 plate appearances last season.

Sometimes picking the perfect song for a specific situation can be a difficult task. It gets more challenging if you're a baseball player and are trying to pick a walk-up song. Aaron Judge's wife knows the struggle a little too well. In an recent interview on "The Tonight Show with...

Perez re-signed with the Mets on a minor-league contract Thursday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports. Perez was acquired from the Pirates last midseason and later elected free agency after being outrighted off the 40-man roster, but he's now back with the organization on a minor-league pact. The 30-year-old sports a career .545 OPS over parts of five big-league seasons.