MLB Player News

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.

Belt (concussion) was fully cleared by doctors to resume his normal offseason program, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area reports.

Belt was shut down at the tail end of the 2015 season due to lingering concussion symptoms. With a few months of recovery, he has been fully cleared to resume his offseason activities. Belt also underwent a procedure to repair a torn meniscus in his knee, but he has fully recovered from that as well. He should enter 2016 healthy, and the starting first baseman for the Giants.

Stanton (broken hamate bone) has begun swinging pain-free and is expected to be healthy heading into spring training, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

According to the report, Stanton has begun to "rev up" his hitting program, which is taking place in California. Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill seemed optimistic regarding Stanton's health saying, "He took 60 swings off the tee, which is just part of the first step in his offseason hitting program" adding, "he said he felt great." Amidst a tumultuous offseason, the Marlins are in desperate need of some good news and the slugger's health sure seems to qualify as such. However, considering Stanton has played in more than 123 games just twice in six major league seasons, fantasy players fixated on his first-round upside should proceed with caution.

McCutchen has had a "normal" offseason, saying he feels "100 percent healthy, has been working out regularly and has no (surgical) procedures planned," the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

McCutchen played through knee pain for much of 2015, even taking games off in spring training. The center fielder batted .185/.280/.293 in his first 107 plate appearances before turning in a typical campaign at the plate. He finished with just 11 steals, however, the lowest number in his career -- and it remains to be seen whether that drop off is permanent at age 29.

Harper said Thursday that he's open to a contract extension with the Nationals, the team's website reports. "I'm definitely excited to be part of the Nationals organization," said Harper. "I think that being able to play in [Nationals Park], this city, this town, around the fans, it's such a great place to play. Baseball is up and coming... I'm very excited to further my career with the Nationals. I have a couple of more years in D.C., and then hopefully at the end of that, we can do what we can and I can be a National for life, hopefully."

He's not eligible for free agency for another three years, but Harper is headed for some big arbitration awards before then if he isn't locked up. Mike Trout signed a six-year, $144.5 million extension in 2014 that bought out his arbitration years, and given his numbers last year and the fact that Scott Boras is his agent, you can expect Harper to look for something better than that if the Nats want to follow suit.

Vogelbach was added to the Cubs' 40-man roster on Friday, the Daily Herald's Bruce Miles reports.

He should spend the majority of his age-23 season at Triple-A, as the Cubs do not have an opening for the bulky slugger. That said, if he were traded to an American League team, Vogelbach would immediately become one of the more exciting designated hitters from a fantasy standpoint.

Ramirez was added to the 40-man roster Friday.

Ramirez had a very impressive campaign with High-A Bradenton at just 20 years old for most of the season, slashing .337/.399/.458 in 80 games. He figures to keep moving up the organizational ladder in 2016 and will now be protected from the Rule 5 draft.

Harper was named the 2015 NL MVP by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Thursday, MLB.com reports.

Most fans saw Harper as the only logical winner, and that was reflected in the voting, as Harper was the unanimous choice with all 30 first-place votes. Harper exploded with a .330/.460/.649 slash line in 2015, leading the NL with 42 homers and finishing second with 124 walks. A case can be made to take Harper, who is younger than NL Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant, with the first overall pick in drafts in 2016.