MLB Player News

Lewis is ahead of schedule in his rehab from the knee surgery he underwent in July, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports.

Lewis was batting .299 with three home runs in 30 games with short-season Everett prior to tearing his ACL, so it's a very welcome sight to see the top prospect getting back into shape so quickly. Divish also reports that the Mariners are insistent that they will not rush him back into action, which keeps his expected return date sometime in June.

Brantley (shoulder) is expected to resume hitting after Christmas and remains on track to be ready for spring training, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The 2016 season proved to be quite a disappointment for Brantley, who appeared in only 11 games for the Indians after experiencing several setbacks in his return from shoulder surgery. The talented outfielder will make for an intriguing draft-day gamble, as he possesses the upside to win some fantasy leagues, but also comes with a fair amount of risk due to his recent injury history.

Cespedes signed a four-year, $110 million deal with the Mets on Tuesday, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.

This is a luxury signing for the Mets, as they once again have a bit of a logjam in the outfield, but Cespedes should have no problem getting something close to everyday at-bats. Over the past two seasons he has settled in as a good bet for a batting average north of .275 with 30-plus home runs and the potential for over 100 runs and RBI if he stays healthy. That caveat is particularly relevant after last season, as a quadriceps issue limited him to 132 games and severely impacted his ability to run and play the field when he was in the lineup in the second half. The Mets will likely give him a handful of strategic off days in 2017, given their depth and the concerns about aggravating his quad, but he still makes for a low-end OF1 in most formats.

Winker was added to the Reds' 40-man roster on Friday.

The Reds protected Winker from the Rule 5 draft, as expected. No longer the top prospect in the organization, following the drafting of Nick Senzel in June, Winker failed to hit for power last year at Triple-A, but still displayed a plus hit tool and phenomenal approach (59:59 K:BB in 448 plate appearances). He has shown the ability to hit double-digit homers in a season on three previous occasions, so owners should not overreact to him hitting just three over the fence in 2016. Winker should reach the majors early on in 2017 and should quickly earn a spot near the top of the big league lineup.

Cespedes rejected the Mets' one-year, $17.2 million dollar qualifying offer Monday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

This news comes as no surprise, as Cespedes is one of the premier right-handed bats to grace the free agent market this offseason. The 31-year-old outfielder will likely command a high price, although some of his suitors may be deterred by the draft pick that must be sacrificed in order to sign him.

Turner rejected the Dodgers' qualifying offer Monday, making him a free agent, Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball reports.

Coming off of another productive season at the plate, Turner's decision to decline the one-year offer comes as no surprise. He'll now hit the open market, where he figures to secure a long-term deal from another franchise. Another Dodgers player, Kenley Jansen, also declined the team's qualifying offer Monday, as expected.

Ruf was traded to the Dodgers on Friday along with Darnell Sweeney in exchange for Howie Kendrick.

The 30-year-old fell out of favor in the Phillies' organization, as he failed to capitalize on his opportunities against left-handed pitching in 2016 (.695 OPS) and was passed by Tommy Joseph on the organizational depth chart at first base. He will get a fresh start with the Dodgers although there's not a clear path to at-bats and he's far from a lock to even make the Opening Day roster. Adrian Gonzalez struggled against lefties but a healthy Scott Van Slyke (if he's tendered a contract) may be a better platoon option.

The Pirates and Washington discussed a deal involving McCutchen at the trade deadline last summer, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports.

According to Rosenthal, the Pirates wanted outfield prospect Victor Robles along with additional prospects. McCutchen, 30, performed poorly in 2016 but features a reasonable $14 million contract for 2017 and a $14.5 million option the following season. The Mets have also been rumored in trade talks for the outfielder, who may be asked to move from center field to right field in 2017.

Carpenter was told Tuesday that he will enter the 2017 season as the Cardinals' first baseman, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The Cardinals thought that the jumbled infield contributed to the team's uneven play throughout the year, so they decided to commit Carpenter to one position right out of the gate. This move definitely hurts Matt Adams' fantasy value, but it means that Jhonny Peralta and Jedd Gyorko will likely get to compete for St. Louis' starting third base job. All in all for Carpenter, however, it doesn't affect his value a ton for the 2017 campaign given his enormous position eligibility he'll carry over from 2016, but it could drop his 2018 stock considerably for those in dynasty leagues, as he'll now have to outperform big boppers like Edwin Encarnacion to garner fantasy value as a first baseman.

Cespedes received a qualifying offer from the Mets on Monday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Cespedes already opted out of the last two years of his contract with New York, so there's little to no chance that he'll accept this offer either. The 31-year-old will likely command a high price on the free agent market, although the draft pick that needs to be sacrificed in order to add him certainly doesn't add to his value.