MLB Player News

Sands, Nick Maton and Matt Vierling were traded from the Phillies to the Tigers on Saturday in exchange for Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Sands made his big-league debut at age 26 last season but didn't stick around long enough to make an impression, going 0-for-3 with a walk. He hit a strong .308/.413/.428 in 57 Triple-A games, suggesting he has some potential at the plate, especially considering the low offensive bar at catcher. He'll compete with Jake Rogers and Andrew Knapp in spring training to earn the backup catcher job behind Eric Haase.

Gallagher signed a minor-league contract with the Guardians on Wednesday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Gallagher will head to Cleveland after being released by the Orioles in early November, joining the Guardians on a minor-league deal that includes an invitation to big-league spring training in February. The catcher spent the 2022 campaign as a member of the Royals, producing a .214/.267/.333 slash line with five doubles, five RBI and a run scored over 42 at-bats in 18 games. With newly-acquired Mike Zunino (shoulder) recovering from thoracic outlet surgery he underwent in July, Gallagher could find himself on the Opening Day roster if Zunino were to suffer a setback, though the latter is expected to ready to go for spring training.

McCann was told by the Orioles at the time he was acquired that he and Adley Rutschman could both see time at first base and designated hitter, in addition to catcher, this season.

McCann put up a .610 OPS over the last two seasons for the Mets, so it's difficult to believe the Orioles will actually attempt to squeeze him into the lineup very much on days he's not catching. Rutschman did see ample time in the DH spot last year, though, so if this is a route to save his legs then it's good news for his fantasy value. Even with a decent amount of playing time, McCann is unlikely to be relevant outside of deep, two-catcher leagues and single-league formats.

Godoy signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Saturday.

A 28-year-old catcher who saw time in the majors in 2021 and 2022, Godoy projects as a third or fourth catcher on an organizational depth chart. He has a .123 average and 37.1 percent strikeout rate in 62 MLB plate appearances.

McCann has been traded from the Mets to the Orioles along with cash considerations in exchange for a player to be named later, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Mets have been shopping McCann around all offseason and have found a taker in the Orioles. New York will cover $19 million of the $24.3 million still owed to the catcher over the next two seasons, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. McCann will back up Adley Rutschman in Baltimore, so playing time figures to be sparse. The Mets still have Omar Narvaez, Tomas Nido and Francisco Alvarez as catching options.

Vazquez agreed to a three-year, $30 million contract with the Twins on Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Vazquez will immediately slot in as Minnesota's starting catcher following an impressive 2021 season across stops in Boston and Houston, though he was much better with the Red Sox. The 32-year-old backstop slashed .274/.315/.399 with nine homers, 52 RBI, one stolen bag and 41 runs scored over 119 contests.

Wallach signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Wednesday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Wallach was cast off the Angels' 40-man roster in early November and became a free agent after refusing an outright assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake. However, he'll return to the organization and is a strong candidate to serve as a non-roster invitee this spring. He hit .143 with a home run, four RBI and three runs over 12 games with the Angels last year.

Kolozsvary was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Kolozsvary was claimed off waivers by the Orioles in mid-October, but he'll now lose his spot on the 40-man roster. It's still possible that he serves as a non-roster invitee at spring training.

The Royals selected Fermin's contract Tuesday.

He made his big-league debut this past season, but only played in three games. The 27-year-old catcher will serve as Kansas City's third catcher on the depth chart. He hit .270/.365/.480 with 15 home runs in 87 games at Triple-A.

Maldonado underwent surgery Tuesday to repair a sports hernia, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Maldonado played through the injury late in the year, though you wouldn't necessarily be able to tell based on his numbers. His 85 wRC+ in the second half wasn't a strong mark, though it was much better than his 61 wRC+ in the first half. The defense-first catcher is expected to be fully recovered from the procedure in time for spring training in 2023.