MLB Player News

Turner (knee) has not dealt with any setbacks in his recovery from a microfracture procedure in November, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Turner reportedly had a portion of the cartilage torn off the outside of his knee in the postseason, requiring him to undergo the surgery shortly after the season. Assuming the rest of his rehab process goes as planned, the 31-year-old third baseman should be ready for the beginning of spring training.

Two years ago, Marcell Ozuna looked like a rising star, coming off a season in which he clubbed 23 homers and hit .269 as a 23-year-old. He slumped in a big way last year, however, ultimately winding up with a dubiously deserved trip to the minors to work on his swing. Which Ozuna should Fantasy owners expect this season; the one who could hit 30 homers, or the barely replacement-level player we saw for most of last season.

Ozuna's power largely disappeared last season, especially prior to his demotion. He hit just four homers in his first 79 games, and it's not hard to see why -- he stopped hitting the ball in the air. Ozuna's swing was all out of whack, and he sported a 53.3 percent groundball rate in the first half of the season. However, he lowered that groundball rate to 38.9 percent after returning from the minors, and hit six homers in 42 games, while hitting .278/.320/.469.

Ozuna's Fantasy value is going to depend on his ability to hit 20-plus homers, and he can't do that if half of his batted balls are on the ground. With the adjustments he made in the second half of the season, there is reason to believe he can get back to his 2014 levels, if not improve on them.

Now that Yoenis Cespedes has re-signed with the reigning National League Champions one may wonder if he can continue his magical run from the second half of 2015. Cespedes was a monster in the Big Apple last season, posting a .942 OPS that would have ranked third amongst outfielders behind only Bryce Harper and Mike Trout had he maintained it for the entire season.

Cespedes set career highs in 2015 in nearly every offensive category and it's likely that they will remain career highs at the end of 2016. Cespedes' high strikeout totals are costly in point leagues and will prevent him from being a top fifteen outfielder moving forward. His power numbers will likely regress to the 25 home run range, leaving you with an outfielder that should be drafted in the fifth round or later.

Blackmon and the Rockies agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract Monday, avoiding arbitration, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports reports.

Blackmon got a nice deal to avoid arbitration, as the midpoint between the Rockies and him was $3.3 million. He'll likely slate in as the Rockies' centerfielder again in 2016 after posting a .797 OPS with 17 home runs and 43 stolen bases last season.

Cespedes agreed to a three-year contract with the Mets on Friday, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.

Cespedes' deal includes an opt out after just one year, but he will spend at least another season with the team he spurred to a World Series berth in 2015. It remains to be seen exactly where he will hit in the order, but he knocked in runs in bunches for the Mets last season with 44 RBI in 57 games. He will be the team's every day left fielder in 2016.

Cespedes has received an offer from the Washington Nationals, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Wednesday night.

It's unclear if the Nationals are willing to go rich enough to sign Cespedes, who was a National League MVP candidate thanks to his absurdly excellent post-trade performance for the division rival Mets last year. Rosenthal says the contract offer is for less than the six years and $132.75 million Justin Upton received from the Tigers, so we'll have to see if he's willing to accept second place in the outfield market this offseason.

Manager Pete Mackanin said Ryan Howard, who platooned with Ruf at first base toward the end of last season, will need to show improvement against left handed pitchers this spring to avoid entering the season with the same arrangement, CSN Philadelphia reports.

Howard hit just .130 with a .418 OPS and 40 strikeouts against lefties last season. It seems unlikely that Howard will finally overcome his difficulties with lefties this spring. A more likely scenario has Howard opening the season in a platoon with Darin Ruf, who hit .371 with 8 home runs and a 1.107 OPS against lefties last season. Ruf could also earn at-bats against right handed pitching if Howard struggles or if the team decides to bench him more as he heads toward free agency after the 2016 season.

Turner (knee) agreed to terms with the Dodgers on a one-year, $5.1 million deal Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.

Turner followed up an impressive 2014 with a productive 2015 campaign, hitting .294 with a career-high 16 home runs to go with 60 RBI and five steals. The third baseman underwent microfracture surgery on his knee in November, and while it's expected to keep him from working out at full speed until next month, he said he expects to be 100 percent by the time spring training begins.

Ozuna has been the subject of trade talks between the Miami Marlins and the Texas Rangers for a month, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports, but those talks have "yet to significantly advance."

Ozuna was disappointing in 2015 (.259/.308/.383 in 494 plate appearances), but he is just 25 years old and all of one year removed from a 23-homer, 85-RBI season with the Marlins. If the Marlins are ready to give up on Ozuna, there will be a team ready to pounce. However, it doesn't appear the Rangers, seemingly set with an outfield of Josh Hamilton, Delino DeShields, and Shin-Soo Choo, are ready to pull the trigger just yet.

The Tigers continue to be mentioned as a suitor for Cespedes, whose "price might be dropping," reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

The 30-year-old outfielder hit .291 with 35 home runs and 105 RBI last season between the Tigers and Mets. He was the American League's Gold Glove winner in left field and late in the season indicated he would be interested in returning to Comerica. The Tigers have indicated their big moves are done, but the longer Cespedes is out there, the more the rumors swirl.