MLB Player News

Despite Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels willing to be traded to a contender, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said he expects Hamels to be the team's opening day starter, reports USA Today.

Hamels recently said he wants to pitch for a contender, which Amaro said he understood.

Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels has yet to be traded despite having his name mentioned heavily in trade rumors throughout the offseason. While Hamels has been mum on the topic, he finally opened up to USA Today and said he would welcome a trade.

"I just want to win,'' Hamels said in his first interview since the end of the 2014 season. "That's all. That's all any competitor wants.

"And I know it's not going to happen here. This isn't what I expected. It's not what the Phillies expected, either. But it's reality.''

Hamels said he understands "these things take time," but he is surfing the Internet to check out the latest rumors.

"I don't watch much TV in the offseason, and I had friends texting me and telling me what's going on,'' Hamels said, "so I tried to stay away from all of it. But I'd be lying if I didn't say I was checking the Internet to see the latest.

"I wanted to see where I was going to spend my next four years. Now that I'm here, I plan on being here for the next six weeks. I think it would be pretty chaotic if that's not the case. But it's out of my control.

"All I can do is get ready this spring, be ready for opening day, and be prepared for the long season.''

Reds manager Bryan Price said Wednesday starting pitcher Tony Cingrani, who missed the final few months of the 2014 season due to a shoulder strain, is ready to go for spring training, per MLB.com.

Price added that Cingrani and Anthony DeSclafani continue to have the inside track for the final two spots in the Reds' rotation.

Reds manager Bryan Price pretty much indicated Wednesday that Johnny Cueto will be the team's opening day starter, per the Cincinnati Enquirer. Price said he wouldn't be "sticking (his) neck out" to say Cueto would start April 6 vs. Pittsburgh.

Cueto has started the last three openers for Cincinnati.

The Nationals are hoping starting pitcher prospect Sammy Solis will pitch a full season in 2015, per MASNsports.com.

Solis, who was a second-round pick in 2010, has had his fair share of health-related issues the last few seasons. He missed the 2012 season due to Tommy John surgery, and then was limited to five starts last season due to more elbow problems.

"We are looking forward to seeing Sammy in the spring and (have him) get hands-on (attention)," Nationals director of player development Mark Scialabba said. "Hopefully, this is a year where he can stay healthy and help us. Because he certainly has the talent to help us at the major level. It's just a matter of being able to stay on the field. We have a positive outlook on Sammy."

Pirates starting pitcher Charlie Morton, who is coming off late September hip surgery, is throwing 30-40 pitches in bullpen sessions, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Morton is expecting to be in the rotation for the start of the season.

Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha threw a bullpen session Tuesday, with pitching coach Derek Lilliquist, manager Mike Matheny and general manager John Mozeliak all watching, per MLB.com. 

Wacha got to show the Cardinals brass that he is doing well after being limited to 19 starts in 2014 due to a stress reaction in his shoulder.

"I don't have any of that feeling in the shoulder area," Wacha said. "I'm real happy with everything, the way everything is coming out, the way the arm feels throughout the whole 'pen. Hopefully I'll just keep building off of each bullpen, getting a little more command of each pitch each time out.

"It's a pretty rare injury, and a lot of people don't know how it happened or how to fix it rehab wise. I'm continuing to get stronger, and hopefully I'm building the muscles around the injury to where it doesn't happen again."

Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez, who is set to compete for a spot in the rotation this spring, showed up to the team's spring-training complex Monday morning to find his locker moved next to veteran catcher Yadier Molina.

The move was made at the suggestion of Molina, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

"I thought it was a great idea," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. "Yadi is excited to have Carlos near him. Carlos is going to be the recipient of baseball talk."

While players aren't required to report to camp until later this week, Martinez is one of more than 20 Cardinals to report early, and most are participating in voluntary workouts. He finds himself battling for a rotation spot after spending much of his time with the major-league club in the bullpen, and Molina is primed to help him reach his goal.

"I’m going to have help from him, and it’s important I feel more comfortable around him now," Martinez said through a team official who assisted as translator. "It’s huge. I know I’m going to get a lot of advice."

Matheny said the team will meet later this week to discuss Martinez's workload in 2015. He threw 99 2/3 innings in 2014, with 50 of his 59 appearances coming in relief.

"We’re toying with the expected workload," Matheny said. "But first things first. He’s got to come in and win a job. He won’t have anything given to him."

In his most recent stint exclusively as a starter, Martinez went 5-3 with a 2.51 ERA and 63:27 K:BB ratio in 68 innings over 13 Triple-A starts in 2013. His competition this spring should include Marco Gonzales and Jaime Garcia.

Mets RHP Dillon Gee was the subject of offseason trade rumors. That's understandable, since he arrived at spring training as one of six established starting pitchers on the Mets' staff. 

The other candidates for the Mets' rotation are: LHP Zack Wheeler, 41-year-old RHP Bartolo Colon, LHP Jon Niese , RHP Jacob deGrom, who won last season's NL Rookie of the Year award and RHP Matt Harvey, returning after missing last year with arm surgery.

A source told ESPN New York that, although there wasn't much trade talk on the first day of camp, Gee "could be traded" during the spring, if the right deal came along.

Colon is also a candidate to be traded to clear the logjam in the starting rotation.  

If the team keeps all six pitchers, Gee is the leading candidate to be sent to the bullpen for long relief and the occasional spot start. 

Gee was 7-8, with a 4.00 ERA in 22 starts for the Mets last year. In his five MLB seasons, all with the Mets, he's 40-34, 3.91. His last relief appearance was in 2011. 

Amid a Boston Globe report the Red Sox were one of four teams to have made a trade offer for Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels, multiple reports surfaced Monday the Red Sox aren't any closer to acquiring the left-handed hurler.

A major-league source told WEEI.com the Red Sox aren't "remotely close" to any deal for Hamels. However, the source added the Red Sox have made the Phillies aware of what they are willing to give up in a trade for Hamels.

FOX Sports reporter Jon Morosi also reported Monday there was no recent progress in trade talks between Boston and Philadelphia.

Hamels can block a trade to 20 teams, and the Red Sox are reportedly among the teams on his no-trade list. It is speculated the Red Sox would likely have to pick up a $20 million team option for the 2019 season on Hamels' contract in order for the veteran left-handed hurler to waive his no-trade clause. Hamels is guaranteed to make $94 million over the next four seasons, per Baseball-Reference.com.