MLB Player News

Cabrera acknowledged that his right ankle bothered him for much of the 2016 stretch run, but he feels healthy now, MLB.com reports.

Cabrera did not have a stint on the disabled list or an offseason surgery in 2016 -- the first time he's avoided either since 2012. The star slugger is turning 34 in April, but after posting 38 home runs, 108 RBI and a .956 OPS last season, there's no reason to think that Cabrera is slowing down. He's still an elite fantasy option.

Carpenter will play for Team USA in this year's WBC, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Carpenter, who's slated to move to first base this coming season, is coming off a 2016 campaign during which he slashed .271/.380/.505 with 36 doubles, six triples, 21 homers and 68 RBI. He'll be a part of a loaded Team USA roster that includes Nolan Arenado, Brandon Crawford, Paul Goldschmidt, Daniel Murphy and Giancarlo Stanton.

Stanton will play for Team USA in the WBC, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

He'll join the Orioles' Adam Jones and the Pirates' Andrew McCutchen in the starting outfield for Team USA, while his Marlins teammates Christian Yelich and A.J. Ellis will also be on the bench for the squad. Stanton is coming off the worst season of his career, as various injuries limited him to 119 games with a career-low .240 batting average and .815 OPS, and his inability to stay off the DL has so far prevented the 27-year-old from becoming the fantasy superstar his elite power would suggest he could be.

Cabrera will once again represent Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic, as he's done in all three previous editions of the tournament.

Cabrera is Venezuela's leader, and his five career World Baseball Classic home runs are tied for the second most all-time in the tournament. It probably goes without saying, but Cabrera will be expected to carry a big load offensively for Venezuela.

McCutchen is on the USA roster for the World Baseball Classic, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

He will be joined in the outfield by Adam Jones, Christian Yelich, and Giancarlo Stanton. After the Pirates announced he will move to the corner outfield in 2017, it will be interesting to see where manager Jim Leyland plays McCutchen during the WBC.

The Cubs are working with Jimenez to be a bit more patient and use all fields at the plate, CSN Chicago reports.

Jimenez, who had a brilliant 2016 season and is considered the Cubs' top prospect, is just 20 years old and still a few years away from the majors, but the organization considers him advanced for his age. "He is someone who doesn't swing and miss much for (his age)," said Jason McLeod, the Cubs' Senior Vice President of Player Development and Amateur Scouting. "Just tremendous strength to drive balls to the middle of the field, probably makes a little too much contact early in counts. I think that's where we are with him and his development path right now, just understanding what pitchers are trying to do to him. (It's) understanding that he can hit balls 420 feet to right field as well as hitting them 480 to left field."

Brantley (shoulder) is at the "end stages" of his tee work, according to team president Chris Antonetti, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Slowly but surely, Brantley has increased the volume and intensity of his swings off the tee. He seems to be on the verge of taking the next step in his hitting progression, which will presumably be coach-pitch, soft-toss batting practice. The shoulder issues limited Brantley to just 11 games last year and the lost season has driven his cost down considerably, but his price figures to tick up if he looks healthy in spring training.

McCutchen will play right field for the Pirates in 2017.

The Pirates are switching up their outfield alignment, with Starling Marte moving to center field and Gregory Polanco taking over in left. McCutchen had his worst defensive season in 2016 and at 30 years old, he is likely better suited at the corner outfield spot.

After hitting 10 homers with a .333 on-base percentage in 285 plate appearances last season, Dickerson is the favorite to start in left field on Opening Day.

If you extrapolate Dickerson's numbers over the course of a whole season, you could be looking at a poor man's Kole Calhoun (18-20 homers with solid on-base totals) for leagues that use on-base percentage instead of batting average. Dickerson also showed no ill effects from playing half his games at Petco Park. In fact, he was a better hitter at home (.294 and 25.8 PA/HR) than on the road (.229 and 31.2 PA/HR).

Cespedes has been working hard in the offseason to strengthen his lower body and avoid a repeat of the quad injury that limited him in the second half of 2016, The NY Post reports. "I've really been concentrating on my legs so I can work from the ground up,'' Cespedes said earlier this week. "I am the only one who knew how much pain I was in [last season]. I was trying to mask it, trying to play through it and do as much as I could to help the team. After the games I was icing to try to be on the field as much as I could.''

The Mets made a $110 million commitment to Cespedes this offseason, and the 31-year-old has responded in kind by reporting early to the team's spring training complex and fully participating in the regimen that strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis has laid out for him. Cespedes has posted back-to-back campaigns with more than 30 home runs and a batting average of .280 or better, and after bouncing through four organizations in his first four MLB seasons, he's found a home in New York. A career year in 2017 could be in the offing now that his maturity level seems to have caught up to his physical tools.