MLB Player News

The Pirates and Washington discussed a deal involving McCutchen at the trade deadline last summer, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports.

According to Rosenthal, the Pirates wanted outfield prospect Victor Robles along with additional prospects. McCutchen, 30, performed poorly in 2016 but features a reasonable $14 million contract for 2017 and a $14.5 million option the following season. The Mets have also been rumored in trade talks for the outfielder, who may be asked to move from center field to right field in 2017.

Carpenter was told Tuesday that he will enter the 2017 season as the Cardinals' first baseman, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The Cardinals thought that the jumbled infield contributed to the team's uneven play throughout the year, so they decided to commit Carpenter to one position right out of the gate. This move definitely hurts Matt Adams' fantasy value, but it means that Jhonny Peralta and Jedd Gyorko will likely get to compete for St. Louis' starting third base job. All in all for Carpenter, however, it doesn't affect his value a ton for the 2017 campaign given his enormous position eligibility he'll carry over from 2016, but it could drop his 2018 stock considerably for those in dynasty leagues, as he'll now have to outperform big boppers like Edwin Encarnacion to garner fantasy value as a first baseman.

Turner received a qualifying offer from the Dodgers on Monday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Turner put together another productive season at the plate for Los Angeles, meaning that he'll likely decline this offer. However, the 31-year-old's market value will likely take a hit now that he'll also cost his signing team a draft pick.

Cespedes will likely opt out of the two years and $47.5 million remaining on his contract with the Mets, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports.

Cespedes continued to produce in 2016 despite a Mets lineup that declined, notching 31 home runs and 86 RBI in an injury-shortened 132-game campaign. Assuming the opt-out occurs, he should garner a big payday on the open market as one of the top outfielder options available.

Harper is doing fine physically and is on track to begin his normal offseason strength and conditioning work soon, according to agent Scott Boras, Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports.

The 24-year-old's uneven play throughout the summer months led to much speculation about his health, and Sports Illustrated reported in September that Harper had indeed been playing through a neck/shoulder issue for a significant portion of the season. While manager Dusty Baker strongly denied the report, Boras recently confirmed to the Washington Post that Harper "played with limitations at times this year, no question."

Harper is batting second for Game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers, Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic reports.

Harper has been a staple in the three- and four-hole all season, but with Daniel Murphy returning to the lineup and tough left-hander Clayton Kershaw toeing the rubber for Los Angeles, manager Dusty Baker decided to mix things up and move the reigning MVP up in the order. This could put Harper in line for more run-scoring opportunities with Jayson Werth and Murphy hitting behind him.

Carpenter went 1-for-2 with a home run, four RBI and two walks during Sunday's 10-4 win over the Pirates.

Carpenter put St. Louis ahead with his sixth-inning three-run homer, propelling his team to a 10-4 victory on the season's final day. The home run was his 21st of the season, and although Carpenter slumped after returning from an oblique injury in early August, he retained his pop with 19 extra-base hits over the season's final two months. Carpenter's overall numbers were excellent, as he finished at .271/.380/.505 -- nearly identical to his 2015 line of .272/.365/.505. When healthy, Carpenter is one of the better hitters in baseball with his combination of on-base skills and power.

Pederson suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Giants, but it's not expected to impact his availability for the NLDS, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Pederson stayed in the game Sunday, indicating the issue may not be overly serious. Still, this is a situation worth monitoring as the week progresses to ensure he's healthy for Game 1 against the Nationals.

Cespedes is out of the lineup Sunday against the Phillies, Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports.

After punching their ticket to the playoffs with Saturday's win, the Mets will rest a few regulars in the season finale. Cespedes hits the bench for the first time since Sept. 5. He didn't have a major role in the playoff-clinching win, going 0-for-5 with a strikeout, but he turned in a tremendous first full season with the Mets. Unless he gets a pinch-hitting opportunity Sunday, he'll finish the campaign with a .280/.354/.530 batting line to go with 31 homers, 86 RBI and 72 runs.

Ozuna is out of the lineup for a second straight game Sunday against the Nationals, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Ozuna is one of many Marlins regulars getting days off at the end of the season. He will yield center field to Christian Yelich for Sunday's season finale, while Xavier Scruggs will enter the lineup in left field and bat sixth for the Marlins.