MLB Player News

An agreement has been reached between the MLBPA, MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball regarding Ohtani's (ankle) posting, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

While the details of the deal haven't been confirmed yet, it appears Ohtani will be available to sign with an MLB team as early as Dec. 1. This is massive news, as a move to the MLB wasn't guaranteed for the 23-year-old two-way superstar prior to Tuesday's agreement. He figures to be one of the most sought-after international free agents in baseball history.

The MLBPA agreed to extend the deadline for Ohtani's (ankle) posting agreement to 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Initially, the deadline for a posting agreement to be reached had been set for 8 p.m. ET on Monday. However, it didn't look like an agreement would be reached with Nippon Professional Baseball by the initial deadline, so a 24-hour extension was put in place. News regarding the international star's status should be available at some point Tuesday.

Ramirez was outrighted off the Blue Jays' 40-man roster Monday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Ramirez garnered a bit of buzz after his strong showing at Double-A in 2016, but flopped in a repeat of that level in 2017 (.266/.320/.358). He doesn't have any real standout offensive skills, which is a big negative for a player who is limited to the outfield corners, defensively. The 23-year-old seems destined to play out most of his career as organizational depth in the minors.

Jimenez was added to the White Sox's 40-man roster on Monday to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

One of the top prospects in the game, Jimenez was perhaps the best hitter in all the minors after getting traded from the Cubs in the Jose Quintana trade this past summer. He has monstrous raw power and an excellent hit tool, profiling very nicely as a future cleanup-hitting right fielder. The White Sox will face a difficult decision with Jimenez this season, as he could be forcing the issue for a promotion to the majors at some point this summer, but if they are disciplined enough to hold him down until April 2019, they would gain an extra year of control.

Ohtani's (ankle) move to MLB in 2018 is not certain to happen, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

The MLB Players Union set up a deadline of 8 p.m. ET on Monday for themselves, MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball to come to terms on a new posting agreement. It was reported last week that Ohtani had been posted, but MLBPA's concerns regarding the new posting system could result in the Nippon-Ham Fighters not posting him this season. We should know by the end of the day whether an agreement has been reached that would allow Ohtani to come over this season.

Stanton was named National League MVP on Thursday.

Stanton ended up narrowly edging out Joey Votto to take home his first MVP award. The slugging outfielder put together a historic campaign during which he led the majors in both homers (59) and RBI (132), while also hitting an impressive .281/.376/.631 in 159 games. He'll be the subject of trade talks all offseason, though he ultimately has the right to veto or accept any trade.

Jimenez (leg/illness) returned to action Sunday in the Dominican Winter League, Junior Matrille of Fiebredeportiva.com reports.

It was originally reported that he suffered a minor leg injury, but he also dealt with the flu over the past few days. When healthy, Jimenez has been a dominant force in the Dominican Winter League. He has four home runs and a 1.175 OPS in 15 games, picking up where he left off at the end of the minor-league season at Double-A. Jimenez could earn an assignment to Triple-A out of spring training, with a chance to force a big-league promotion this summer.

Trade talks between the Marlins and Red Sox for Stanton "may be heating up," according to an MLB source, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. "They're definitely in play," the source said of the Red Sox, who are at least exploring the possibility of acquiring MLB's reigning home-run king.

The Marlins are believed to be prepared to entertain offers for Stanton at next week's meeting of general managers that kicks off Monday in Orlando. Other teams are reportedly in the mix, including the Cardinals, Phillies and Giants. Stanton has the right to veto or accept any trade, and there's speculation that he would prefer to play on one of the coasts. The Red Sox are circling in after a year in which they experienced a drop in power.

Ohtani (ankle) will be available this winter after being posted by the Nippon-Ham Fighters on Friday, Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times reports.

Although this was one of the most expected announcements of the offseason, it is now official, and teams will be able to negotiate for the 23-year-old's services in the near future. At this point, it would be very surprising if Ohtani is not wearing an MLB uniform by the time spring training rolls around. He's coming off ankle surgery in October but is fully expected to be ready for spring training.

Canha had surgery on his right wrist to remove a cyst Tuesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Canha should be all healed up and ready to go by the time spring training rolls around, barring any sort of setback that stems from this procedure. During the 2017 season, the outfielder played in 57 big-league games for the A's, slashing .208/.262/.382 with five home runs and 14 RBI.