MLB Player News

Carpenter is attending the Winter Meetings to speak with teams about a contract for next season, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Carpenter, 39, slashed .234/.314/.372 with four home runs over 59 contests with the Cardinals in 2024. He would surely have to accept a minor-league contract at this stage of his career and hope to win a reserve role.

Manager Dave Roberts stated he's unlikely to deploy Ohtani (shoulder) as a pitcher during the team's opening series against the Cubs in Tokyo, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers are expected to exercise caution as the club brings him back to the mound following Tommy John surgery, so this report isn't a big surprise. Roberts also mentioned that once Ohtani is cleared to pitch, he expects to utilize the reigning MVP in the DH slot on the days he pitches.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Monday that the team views Vientos as its third baseman right now, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

"Right now" is key, of course, as the Mets seem virtually certain to acquire a corner infielder and that will help determine whether Vientos plays the hot or cold corner. Regardless of the position he plays, Vientos is going to occupy a spot in the middle of the Mets' lineup, perhaps batting third after Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto.

Manager Joe Espada said Monday that he would like to "cut back" on Alvarez's playing time in left field for the 2025 season, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Of the 147 regular-season games Alvarez played in 2024, 94 of them were as the designated hitter compared to 53 games in left field. Part of Espada's desire to restrict Alvarez's playing time in the outfield is partially due with the left-handed slugger's right knee sprain toward the end of the 2024 regular season. If Alvarez serves as the Astros' full-time DH for 2025, that would mean more playing time in the outfield for the likes of Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubon and 24-year-old Zach Dezenzo, who Rome notes played in left field during winter baseball in Puerto Rico.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay indicated Friday that the club is looking to sign Rooker (forearm) to a contract extension, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

Kotsay was talking to reporters about the recent signing of Luis Severino and noted of Rooker that the team is "hopeful to get something done" with the 30-year-old that would show the Athletics are moving in a new direction in regard to "making commitments to players." Rooker is projected to make around $5 million in his first year of arbitration eligibility this offseason and is under team control through 2027. Athletics general manager David Forst said in November that he did not expect to trade Rooker, and the news that the club is looking to extend him instead certainly backs up that line of thinking. Rooker underwent right forearm extensor surgery but is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.

Ohtani was unanimously named the National League's 2024 Most Value Player on Thursday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

In the first year of his record-setting contract with the Dodgers, Ohtani won his first MVP in the National League unanimously. Having won two MVPs with the Angels prior, the superstar has now won an MVP in three of the last four seasons. He did so without throwing a pitch for the entirety of the 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and became the first designated hitter to win the award. The 30-year-old produced the first ever 50-50 season in MLB history, and he fell just four points shy of a Triple Crown with a .310 average. While speaking with the media Thursday, Ohtani noted that his goal is to be cleared to pitch by Opening Day, but that both he and the Dodgers will take things cautiously as he recovers from the shoulder surgery he underwent after the World Series to repair a torn labrum, per Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register.

The Mets signed Meneses on Thursday to a minor-league deal with an invite to MLB spring training, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Meneses elected free agency Nov. 4 after the Nationals removed him from their 40-man roster. The 32-year-old was in the middle of his third season in the big leagues before being optioned to Triple-A Rochester on July 4 as he was putting up his worst season yet. He had an OPS of .593 during 2024 with the Nationals, but was able to put up a .793 OPS in the minors after his demotion. The right-handed bat now has a chance to earn a spot on the roster of a National League East opponent.

The Yankees signed Reyes to a minor-league contract Monday, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

The 31-year-old utility player hit .287/.339/.377 as a part-timer in Boston in 2023 but slashed only .183/.234/.217 between the Red Sox and Mets in 2024. Reyes has started a game at every position on the diamond other than catcher and pitcher, so he will bring plenty of versatility to the table as a depth piece for the Yankees.

Madris signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Friday.

Madris elected to become a free agent after being outrighted off the 40-man roster Monday, but he'll now return to the Tigers after four days on the open market. The 28-year-old appeared in 21 games for Detroit last season, putting up a .269/.324/.358 slash line alongside five RBI over 74 plate appearances.

Ohtani's left shoulder surgery is likely to delay his pitching debut for the Dodgers, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a labrum tear in his left (non-throwing) shoulder, an injury he suffered during Game 2 of the World Series. While the expectation is that he will be ready to serve as a designated hitter during spring training and Opening Day, the timetable for Ohtani's first start on the mound for the Dodgers looks cloudy. The team elected to pause Ohtani's throwing program during the playoffs as he comes back from Tommy John surgery so as to not overtax him, and now the shoulder surgery will further delay his throwing program indefinitely. The Dodgers have a two-game series versus the Cubs in Japan from March 18-19 and then have their domestic opener against the Tigers on March 27. GM Brandon Gomes this week didn't rule out Ohtani being ready to pitch by the domestic opener, but Gomes "did not cast an optimistic picture of that possibility," per Harris. Ohtani was going to have workload restrictions in place on the mound in his first year back from Tommy John surgery anyway, so in that respect the delay isn't a huge deal. However, the situation creates an air of uncertainty with the two-way superstar's status. More clarity on Ohtani's situation should be available later in the offseason and into spring training.