MLB Player News

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.

General manager Farhan Zaidi said Turner -- who was held out of Sunday's practice -- is a little "banged up" after the NLCS but expects to be ready for Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Zaidi downplayed Turner's absence from Sunday's workout, equating it to a maintenance game the third baseman would take during the regular season to rest his chronically inflamed knees. He was seen doing agility drills in the outfield Monday, and assuming everything checks out fine, he should be good to go for Game 1. Turner has started all eight of the Dodgers' playoff games so far, hitting a ridiculous .387/.500/.677 with three homers, 12 RBI, one stolen base and a 5:6 K:BB in 31 at-bats.

Belt (concussion) has been officially cleared by MLB, Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Belt, who has a history with head injuries, missed the final two months of the season with a concussion, but he'll head into the offseason with no restrictions after being deemed symptom-free. He hit .241/.355/.469 with 18 homers in 104 games before his season was cut short due to the injury. Assuming he's able to enter next season healthy, look for him to return to a starting role for the Giants.

McCutchen was named the NL Player of the Week after hitting .471 with two homers and nine RBI.

His final slash line (.279/.363/.486) doesn't do justice to the roller coaster ride in 2017. The soon-to-be 31-year-old slashed .361/.464/.652 over a 64-game stretch starting May 26, but he slumped for month-long stretches on multiple occasions. The Pirates hold a team option for $14.5 million in 2018, but the organization could decide to trade him or simply let him walk. Most likely, Pittsburgh will exercise the option and keep him for one last run in 2018. General manager Neal Huntington refused to tip his hand as to what direction the team might take with McCutchen, saying during his radio show Sunday that he'll announce plans surrounding McCutchen's option shortly after the end to the World Series. If McCutchen remains with the Pirates, it's expected that he'll return to center field on a full-time basis.

Carpenter (shoulder) had an MRI that revealed only inflammation, and he will be able to avoid offseason surgery as a result, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

With an offseason to rest, Carpenter should be able to report to spring training in February at full strength. In addition to the shoulder ailment, back, finger, quad and hip injuries impacted Carpenter at various points in 2017, but he managed to appear in 145 games and reach the 20-homer mark for the third straight season.

McCutchen (foot) is starting in center field and batting third in Sunday's game against the Nationals, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

McCutchen was a late scratch from Saturday's contest due to some left foot discomfort, but after a day of rest, he's ready to rejoin the Pirates' starting lineup. He'll look to end his strong 2017 campaign on a positive note in the season's final game.