MLB Player News

The Nationals extended a $17.9 million qualifying offer to Harper on Friday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

As expected, Harper was issued the one-year qualifying offer prior to Friday's deadline. Look for Harper to quickly decline this offer while searching for a massive payday in free agency this winter.

Dickerson (elbow) elected to become a free agent after being outrighted from the Padres' 40-man roster Friday.

Dickerson missed the entire 2018 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery near the end of March. The outfielder was also sidelined for all of 2017 due to a back issue. He should be fully recovered by the time spring training rolls around, though finding a nice fit may be challenging for the 28-year-old since he hasn't played in over two years.

The Indians are not expected to extend a $17.9 million qualifying offer to Brantley before Friday's deadline, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.

This comes as a bit of a surprise, as the Indians are light in the outfield and Brantley hit an impressive .309/.364/.468 with 17 homers and 12 stolen bases across 143 games in 2018. The 31-year-old missed extended time in 2016 and 2017 due to injuries, however, which could have influenced Cleveland's decision to let him hit the open market. He should draw plenty of interest around the league given his .295 career average across parts of 10 seasons.

Harper is expected to receive a $17.9 million qualifying offer from the Nationals before Friday's deadline, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Harper is also expected to reject the offer as he pursues what is likely to be the largest free-agent contract of the offseason. The 26-year-old officially has 10 days to render a decision on the one-year contract offer. Harper's 2018 season got off to a slow start, but he still finished with an .889 OPS, 34 home runs and 100 RBI, and led the majors with 130 walks.

Ozuna is scheduled to undergo a procedure to clean up his shoulder Tuesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Ozuna dealt with shoulder injuries throughout the 2018 season, and it was determined after a meeting with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Tuesday that the outfielder's best course of action would be a shoulder scope. Ozuna, who hit .280/.325/.433 with 23 homers and 88 RBI in his first season with the Cardinals in 2018, is expected to be fully healthy for spring training.

Meneses was released by the Phillies on Monday so that he could join the Orix Buffaloes in Japan, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Meneses had an excellent season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, winning the International League MVP after hitting .311/.360/.510, but as a 26-year-old who had yet to reach the big leagues, his chances of having an impact at the top level were slim. He does fit the profile of someone who could theoretically put up big numbers in Japan and catch the eye of major-league scouts, so it's possible his name will be relevant in a few years, but it's equally likely that his time in American baseball has ended.

Pederson is not in the starting lineup for Game 5 of the World Series against Boston on Sunday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Pederson will begin the game on the bench with lefty David Price slated to toe the rubber for the opposition. Pederson will server as a valuable left-handed bat in the later innings.

Pederson is not in the lineup for Game 4 of the World Series against the Red Sox on Saturday.

As usual, Pederson will head to the bench to avoid a lefty-on-lefty matchup with Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez. Chris Taylor will get the starting nod in left field to replace him.

Martinez (ankle) will start in left field and bat cleanup in Game 3 of the World Series against the Dodgers on Friday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

There was some concern that Martinez wouldn't be able to take the field Friday night due to an ankle injury, but the 31-year-old didn't have any issues in pre-game drills so he'll be ready to go for Game 3. Since there's no DH in the Dodgers' National League park, Andrew Benintendi will begin Friday's contest on the bench as Martinez patrols left field.

Cespedes underwent a second surgery to remove the calcifications in his left heel Friday.

Cespedes is expected to resume baseball activities around late February/early March, though the Mets aren't anticipating him to return until the second half of the 2019 season, per Mike Puma of the New York Post. The main reason his return to the field is projected for a few months after he's initially slated to start activities is due to the fact that he won't be able to advance to a running program until late March. The outfielder is hopeful that he'll be able to return before the All-Star break. Cespedes previously underwent a similar procedure on his right heel in early August.