MLB Player News

Blackmon agreed to a one-year, $14 million deal with the Rockies on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

This was Blackmon's final offseason as an arbitration-eligible player, as he will hit the open market next winter. He received almost double the $7.3 million he received last offseason. Blackmon, who turns 32 in July, has been a fantasy stud for several years due to his stolen-base totals and Coors-aided batting averages, but last season he set career bests in most relevant offensive categories and also had his best year in the field since 2012. He is a surefire first-round pick in re-draft leagues.

Ozuna was traded to the Cardinals from the Marlins on Wednesday in exchange for Sandy Alcantara, Magneuris Sierra, Zac Gallen and Daniel Castano , Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports.

After failing to secure Giancarlo Stanton, the Cardinals will snag a different outfielder from Miami, as Ozuna is heading to St. Louis following five seasons in the big leagues with the Marlins. During his breakout 2017 campaign, Ozuna slashed .312/.376/.548 with 37 home runs and 124 RBI, with all stats checking in as career highs. Ozuna is the impact bat that the Cardinals were searching for at the winter meetings, and he will be a mainstay in the No. 3 or 4 spot in the order for St. Louis during this upcoming season. As for defensive positioning, Ozuna will probably remain in left field while Tommy Pham transitions to right.

Stanton will approve a trade to the Yankees and is on his way to New York to complete his physical, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

News broke Saturday morning that an agreed-upon deal would send Starlin Castro and prospects to the Marlins in exchange for Stanton and cash, but the trade hinged upon the slugger's approval due to his no-trade clause. According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, the Bronx Bombers will be taking on $265 million of Stanton's $295 million deal. At this point, there has been no word on which prospects will head to Miami, but it sounds like the package will entail a couple of lower-level minor leaguers.

The Yankees and Marlins have agreed to a trade that would send Stanton to New York for Starlin Castro and prospects, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports. Stanton must still approve the deal, Jon Heyman of Fanrag Sports reports.

It's assumed Stanton will approve the deal since the Yankees were on a list of four teams he reportedly said he'd be willing to be traded to. It's not clear what prospects may be involved. The deal will also need players to pass physicals before being finalized.

Colon signed a minor-league contract with the Braves on Wednesday which includes an invitation to spring training, Robert Murray of FanRag Sports reports.

Colon played in 24 major-league games between the Royals and Marlins this past season, slashing .160/.236/.180 (eight hits in 57 plate appearances). The 28-year-old will look to latch on as a utility infielder with Atlanta for the upcoming season, but may wind up spending a decent amount of time in the minors yet again.

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.

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.

The Pirates picked up McCutchen's $14.5 million club option for 2018 on Friday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

McCutchen will return to Pittsburgh for another season following this announcement, as the 31-year-old underwent an up-and-down season in 2017. All in all, he wound up slashing .279/.363/.486 with 28 home runs and 88 RBI, and he hit .361 after May 26.

Pederson will bat sixth and play left field for Game 2 of the World Series against the Astros on Wednesday.

With right-hander Justin Verlander on the hill for Houston, manager Dave Roberts will turn to a lefty bat and place Enrique Hernandez on the bench for this contest. He decided to go with Pederson over Andre Ethier because of the former's ability to hit velocity. This marks only the second start Pederson has made in the 2017 postseason, the other coming in the NLCS against the Cubs in Game 3, in which he went 1-for-3 from the plate.

Turner (undisclosed) is starting at third base and batting second for Game 1 of the World Series against the Astros on Tuesday.

As expected, Turner is in the lineup for Game 1 despite being held out of team workouts over the past two days. He'll look to continue his remarkable postseason, as he's hitting .387/.500/.677 with three homers, 12 RBI and a 5:6 K:BB in 31 at-bats so far.