MLB Player News

It hasn't been a secret the Phillies have tried this offseason to trade first baseman Ryan Howard. Although unsuccessful in their attempts to trade the veteran slugger, it appears Howard will be the team's starting first baseman, barring any injuries or spring training moves.

Despite facing some criticism from Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., manager Ryne Sandberg believes Howard can help the team in 2015, per MLB.com.

"It's a new season, a fresh year for him," Sandberg said. "I had a good talk with him about working on his complete game, defensively, running and getting all that in, and I think that will help him with his whole game as well as his offense. It's not about working on one thing and being one dimensional, it's about working on his whole game. And so with the way that he looks, it should be a good camp for him."

Sandberg added he doesn't believe the speculation about Howard's future will affect the veteran first baseman.

"He's a professional and like everyone," Sandberg said. "He's in camp to get ready for a season, get in the best shape possible and get ready to go to help us win. Whatever else happens is on the business side of things and there's nothing you can do about that."

Although Mets infielder Wilmer Flores is viewed as the favorite to win the starting job at shortstop, he is taking nothing for granted.

"I'm just here like the years before, fighting for a job," he said, per NJ.com. "I got nothing secure so I'm just fighting for it.

"Everybody has their own opinion about every guy and about every player. Just wait until I play, until I play the season. We'll see how it goes. I'm ready to take this job and I'm ready to fight."

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. apologized to first baseman Ryan Howard for his offseason comments, according to philly.com.

Early in the offseason, Amaro told reporters that the team would be better off without Howard moving forward. Once camp started, however, Amaro reversed course. "Frankly, I apologized for those comments that I made that were public," Amaro said. "And I think he appreciated that." 

Amaro went out of his way to stress that Howard has always been a positive force with the club, and has never been a distraction. "This is a guy who’s always been a very positive person," he said." Great teammate. Good person for the younger players to be around."

The 35-year-old Howard hit .223/.310/.380 over 569 at-bats last year. He's set to make $25 million in 2015. 

Reds first baseman Joey Votto arrived two days early for spring training and spoke with reporters about whether he's expecting to be fully cleared without limitations.

“I haven’t gone through the evaluation process with the strength staff and the [physical therapy] staff and the doctor and obviously, the baseball people," Votto said, via MLB.com. "If I get a couple of days under my belt and get the evals done, I think we’ll have a better idea of where we’re at. As far as how I feel now, I feel good.”

Votto suffered a distal strain of his left quadriceps a year ago that forced him to miss 100 games. In 2014, Votto hit .255 with six home runs, 16 doubles and 23 RBI in 62 games.

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said Wednesday he expects Ryan Howard to be the team's starting first baseman in 2015, per The News Journal.

"I'll tell you one thing, he can get on the field and work at first base with Larry Bowa and he can get his running as good as it can be and he can work with Charlie Manuel and Steve Henderson and all of the hitting guys we have in camp to see where he can really get his stroke," Sandberg said. "If he can help us win games by being a bat like he has been in the past that would help us out."

In mid-January, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Howard will have to earn the starting job in spring training, but also hinted Howard is the favorite to start at first base.

"I think that if Ryan's with us, and he's likely to be with us in spring training, I think Ryan's got to prove to us that he's ready to play every day at first base for us," Amaro said. "I mean I'm kind of looking forward to him being ready and healthy and contributing. Right now, there's nobody really that can unseat him."

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said he is leaning toward batting Jonny Gomes or Chris Johnson cleanup against left-handed starters, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He might even move Freddie Freeman to fourth against right-handed starters, but Gonzalez is not sure yet if that will happen.

Justin Upton, who was traded to San Diego in the offseason, started a team-high 120 games as the Braves' cleanup hitter in 2014. Johnson made 17 starts in the cleanup spot last season.

As a team, the Braves hit .255 with a .444 slugging percentage, .763 OPS, 25 home runs, 37 doubles and a team-best 102 RBI out of the fourth spot in the lineup last season.

As the start of spring training nears, it appears the Mets are no longer looking to make an upgrade at shortstop and will give Wilmer Flores the chance to win the starting job. 

The Mets stopped using Flores as a shortstop in the minors in 2011 before moving him back to the position last season because of a need at the position. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson seems confident Flores could be a better shortstop this time around.

"In looking at Cal Ripken's career, you know he didn't play shortstop until he got to the major leagues," Alderson said, per ESPN. "There's been a lot of conversation about Wilmer Flores and whether he can play the position. Cal Ripken didn't play shortstop professionally until he got to Baltimore. He had been a shortstop when he was signed as a high school player, was moved off of shortstop almost immediately to third base, came up to Baltimore having played the vast majority of his games at third base, and it was [manager Earl] Weaver that moved him to shortstop, I think, a few months into his major-league career. 

"So shortstops are often questioned as to their ability to play the position -- and even the greats like Cal Ripken, who's not a prototypical shortstop of, say, the Mark Belanger variety, whom he replaced in Baltimore. It happens with a lot of players, so maybe that's a good sign for somebody like Wilmer Flores."

Reds manager Bryan Price delivered another positive update Thursday on the status of first baseman Joey Votto, who missed 100 games last season with a distal strain of his left quadriceps.

Votto has been monitored by Reds strength and conditioning coach Sean Marohn during the offseason.

“The last report when Sean was up in Toronto earlier this month was very, very good,” Price said. “The strength was outstanding, the stamina was good and the agility. Right now, we’re looking to hit the ground running when Joey gets to Goodyear and being able to see with our own eyes where he’s at. I’m confident that he’s going to be ready to go.”

Votto, who is a career .310 hitter, batted just .255 with six home runs, 16 doubles and 23 RBI in 62 games in 2014.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. stood by his recent comments on the future of Ryan Howard, reiterating that he'll have to earn the team's starting job at first base if he's with the Phillies this season, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.

"I think that if Ryan's with us, and he's likely to be with us in spring training, I think Ryan's got to prove to us that he's ready to play every day at first base for us. I mean I'm kind of looking forward to him being ready and healthy and contributing. Right now, there's nobody really that can unseat him."

Howard led the majors last season in strikeouts. He slashed .223/.310/.380 with 23 homers and 95 RBI over 569 at-bats in his first full season in three years. He is under contract through the 2016 season and is set to make $25 million the next two seasons. He also has a $23 million team option for 2017, which includes a $10 million buyout.

It seems Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo is pushing all of his chips into the middle of the table. When talking to the media Thursday, Rizzo didn't hold back on his expectations for the Cubs in 2015.

"We're going to win the NL Central," he said. 

The Cubs finished last in the NL Central in 2014 with a 73-89 record. The last time they finished above fifth in the NL Central was 2009. The last time they won the NL Central crown was 2008.

The Cubs have been active this offseason. They hired manager Joe Maddon, who won the AL pennant with the Rays in 2008 and took Tampa Bay to the playoffs four times. They signed ace Jon Lester and traded for catcher Miguel Montero. The Cubs also have a loaded farm system, with some close to major-league-ready talent in Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Jorge Soler.