MLB Player News

Torrens, who was selected by the Reds in the Rule 5 draft, was traded to the Padres on Thursday, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reports.

The Reds will receive cash and a player to be named later in the deal. Torrens, a 20-year-old catching prospect, missed all of the 2015 season following surgery to repair a torn labrum and played in just 52 games in 2016. He has some on-base skills, posting a 13.4 percent walk rate at Low-A, but he won't be fantasy relevant anytime soon. The Padres will have to keep Torrens on the active roster all season, otherwise he will be exposed to waivers and offered back to the Yankees. He will probably be stashed on the bench if he breaks camp with the club, as he is unlikely to be ready to handle the offensive or defensive side of the game at the big league level.

McCutchen is increasingly likely to remain in Pittsburgh in 2017 with a move from center field to one of the corner spots, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

With a trade market full of quality veteran outfielders, the Pirates may be changing course with McCutchen and considering dealing other pieces, perhaps prospects, from the organization instead. McCutchen's contract can keep him in Pittsburgh through the 2018 season, as he'll collect $14 million in 2017 before a $14.5 million option is on the table for 2018.

Torrens was selected by the Reds with the second pick of Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, Baseball America reports. However, Baseball America Editor JJ Cooper believes he will be dealt to San Diego.

Torrens will officially be a Cincinnati Red for now, though it seems he could land in the Padres uniform in the near future. The 20-year-old backstop spent the 2016 season with the Yankees organization, posting a .687 OPS across multiple Class A levels. Regardless of his landing spot, Torrens would ultimately be returned to New York if he gets removed from the major league roster from whichever team he ends up with and clears waivers.

Soler was traded to the Royals on Wednesday in exchange for Wade Davis, MLB.com's Jeffrey Flanagan reports.

Of the Cubs' young hitters, Soler was the most likely to be moved this winter, as he would have struggled to see the field, and may have been confined to a role as a lefty-mashing bench bat, given the team's other options. In Kansas City, however, he figures to be the everyday right fielder, and could bat as high as fourth or fifth in the lineup. He has a career .258/.328/.434 slash line and 27.6 percent strikeout rate, but there is still considerable room for growth entering his age-25 season. He has plus power and could hit 25-plus homers if he can stay healthy, although the transition to the American League could lead to a bit of a learning curve initially.

Soler will be traded to the Royals on Wednesday in exchange for Wade Davis, provided both players pass their physicals, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Due to the Cubs' surplus of outfield bats, Soler wouldn't have had an everyday role had he remained with the team to begin 2017, but the move to the Royals will significantly improve his outlook. Soler should be the leading candidate to play regularly in right field, with Lorenzo Cain shifting over to center field to clear room for him. While Soler hasn't lived up to expectations through his first three MLB seasons, he's still just 24 years old and carries plenty of pop in his bat. The opportunity to see more consistent at-bats with the Royals should give him his best chance to date to unlock some of his immense talent.

Lewis is ahead of schedule in his rehab from the knee surgery he underwent in July, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.

Lewis was batting .299 with three home runs in 30 games with short-season Everett prior to tearing his ACL, so it's a very welcome sight to see the top prospect getting back into shape so quickly. Divish also reports that the Mariners are insistent that they will not rush him back into action, which keeps his expected return date sometime in June.

Brantley (shoulder) is expected to resume hitting after Christmas and remains on track to be ready for spring training, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The 2016 season proved to be quite a disappointment for Brantley, who appeared in only 11 games for the Indians after experiencing several setbacks in his return from shoulder surgery. The talented outfielder will make for an intriguing draft-day gamble, as he possesses the upside to win some fantasy leagues, but also comes with a fair amount of risk due to his recent injury history.

Cespedes signed a four-year, $110 million deal with the Mets on Tuesday, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.

This is a luxury signing for the Mets, as they once again have a bit of a logjam in the outfield, but Cespedes should have no problem getting something close to everyday at-bats. Over the past two seasons he has settled in as a good bet for a batting average north of .275 with 30-plus home runs and the potential for over 100 runs and RBI if he stays healthy. That caveat is particularly relevant after last season, as a quadriceps issue limited him to 132 games and severely impacted his ability to run and play the field when he was in the lineup in the second half. The Mets will likely give him a handful of strategic off days in 2017, given their depth and the concerns about aggravating his quad, but he still makes for a low-end OF1 in most formats.

Winker was added to the Reds' 40-man roster on Friday.

The Reds protected Winker from the Rule 5 draft, as expected. No longer the top prospect in the organization, following the drafting of Nick Senzel in June, Winker failed to hit for power last year at Triple-A, but still displayed a plus hit tool and phenomenal approach (59:59 K:BB in 448 plate appearances). He has shown the ability to hit double-digit homers in a season on three previous occasions, so owners should not overreact to him hitting just three over the fence in 2016. Winker should reach the majors early on in 2017 and should quickly earn a spot near the top of the big league lineup.

Cespedes rejected the Mets' one-year, $17.2 million dollar qualifying offer Monday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

This news comes as no surprise, as Cespedes is one of the premier right-handed bats to grace the free agent market this offseason. The 31-year-old outfielder will likely command a high price, although some of his suitors may be deterred by the draft pick that must be sacrificed in order to sign him.