MLB Player News

Mets starting pitcher Zack Wheeler is making lower pitch counts and going deeper into starts his main goal in 2015, the New York Daily News reports.

"I think the biggest thing is just being consistent in the (strike) zone,” Wheeler said Wednesday from the team's spring-training complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. "I’m a power pitcher, so I can afford to get away with some walks. But I think it’s cutting down the pitches and the innings. I think it’s a little bit hard for me, just because I throw a little bit harder, so guys foul more stuff off and some things you can’t help like that. I think it’s just that I have to learn how to adjust to that and maybe throw it more in the strike zone. If I start getting hit, maybe just back off of that a little bit. It may take a bit of a hard learning experience to sort of accept that and try it out. But at the same time, that’s what we’re down here for at spring training and we’ll see how it goes over the next few months and go from there."

Wheeler is at the team's spring-training facility early in order to work on achieving his goal in the upcoming season. Pitchers and catchers aren't required to report until Feb. 19. Wheeler went 11-11 with a 3.54 ERA and 187:79 K:BB ratio in 185 1/3 innings in 2014.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. covets Padres pitcher Andrew Cashner, Yahoo! Sports reports.

The report indicates the Padres are still working hard to add a frontline starting pitcher and that the Padres do not appear on the no-trade list of Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels. Cashner is in his second year of arbitration eligibility and settled on a one-year, $4.05-million deal with the Padres in January to avoid arbitration.

The Padres have also been mentioned as a possible option for free-agent pitcher James Shields.

Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard knows he wasn't as good as he could've been in his first major league season in 2014. He also thinks he was able to grow a lot during the transition process.

"I'm going to take the things I learned last year and bring them into this year and become a well-rounded pitcher," Syndergaard said to the New York Post. "I can only worry about what I do, I can’t worry about outside factors. Do what I can do."

While some scouts have doubts about if Syndergaard can develop into the ace of the staff in New York, he is worrying about the things he knows he can control.

"I would start pressing and get really predictable," he said of getting in trouble on the mound. "I let things get in my head, like the Super Two thing. I was having a little bit of impatience. I’m glad I got to experience all of it at the minor league level as opposed to going up to the major leagues and experiencing it there. It’s all about how you bounce back and how you handle adversity."

He posted a 9-7 record with a 4.60 ERA in Triple-A Las Vegas last season.

"I’m real big on the breathing side of things and visualization," Syndergaard said.

There are 5-6 teams still trying to trade for Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels, according to USA Today. However, no team is close to coming up with a deal the Phillies like.

CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reported in mid-January the Padres, Red Sox, Cubs and Cardinals have expressed interest in Hamels, who finished sixth in the NL Cy Young race in 2014 (9-9, 2.46 ERA). The Dodgers and Rangers have also reportedly shown interest.

The left-hander Hamels is a three-time All-Star. He had won at least 10 games from 2007-12. He still has four years left on a seven-year, $159 million contract.

Braves pitcher Alex Wood is feeling strong heading into spring training this season. Wood, who was scratched with forearm tightness from his final start in 2014, has begun throwing off the mound in preparation for the season.

"I feel great," said Wood after his throwing session. "I think that's what I'm most excited about. The body's finally come back around to where I feel good. I'm ready to head off and get started. I'm definitely ready to get going."

Wood, who went 11-11 with a 2.78 ERA in 2014 with 170 strikeouts in 171 2/3 innings pitched, knows many think his forearm may have been injured than was originally let on.

"I was never worried about it at all," Wood said. "It's funny seeing all that stuff, when people asked me and talk about it, it was like, 'No. I was 180 innings deep and I just tweaked my forearm a little bit.'"

The Padres are "in touch" with the Phillies in an attempt to land pitcher Cole Hamels, FOX Sports reports.

The Padres have made plenty of upgrades across the roster since general manager A.J. Heller took over, and it's possible they don't have the ammunition to land the Philadelphia ace in a deal. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said last week that he didn't expect Hamels to be traded before the start of the season. Hamels went 9-9 with a 2.46 ERA and 198 strikeouts in 204 2/3 innings in 2014.

Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke said Saturday that he's yet to decide whether to opt out of his contract at the end of next season but added, "There's not really better options anywhere besides here," the Los Angeles Times reports.

Greinke is set to make $23 million in 2015, and he's due another $71 million over the following three seasons if he remains under his current contract. The Dodgers said earlier this offseason that they wouldn't discuss a contract extension with the pitcher during the winter.

Greinke went 17-8 with a 2.71 ERA and 207:43 K:BB ratio in 202 1/3 innings in 2014.

Reds manager Bryan Price said he's "very confident" starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani will be part of the rotation, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. However, Price added DeSclafani will have to earn his spot in the rotation this spring.

The Reds acquired DeSclafani in the December trade that sent Mat Latos to the Marlins. He went 26-16 with a 3.23 ERA over three seasons in the minors.

Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2016 season, but a report surfaced this week claiming Strasburg is available in a trade and open to leaving Washington.

However, Strasburg's agent -- Scott Boras -- made sure to deny the report Wednesday at the press conference of another one of his clients -- Max Scherzer, who just signed a seven-year deal with the Nationals.

“We don’t know where that came from,” Boras said Wednesday, per The Washington Times. “Stephen Strasburg wants to play here and wants to be with Max Scherzer and grow. I don’t know who the writer was, but the writer certainly never called us and he never called Stephen.”

The Nationals selected Strasburg with the No. 1 pick in the 2009 MLB draft. He made the All-Star team in 2012 and is 43-30 with a 3.02 ERA in five MLB seasons.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Tuesday he doesn't believe pitcher Cole Hamels will be traded before the season begins.

"I think Cole Hamels is going to be in our uniform, frankly," Amaro said. "I don’t really foresee him being moved. It is possible because we’re literally keeping our minds and eyes and ears open on every player that we have on our roster."

Hamels went 9-9 in 2014, posting a 2.46 ERA with 198 strikeouts in 204 2/3 innings. 

"In fact, the ownership group I think would rather keep him than not," Amaro continued. "But we have to be good listeners and I think we owe it to the franchise and the organization to listen on possible opportunities, and there have been some clubs that have been aggressive. Not aggressive enough, obviously, because we haven’t done anything."