MLB Player News

Hedges avoided arbitration Friday by signing a one-year, $3.28 million deal, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Hedges will see a small boost from his 2020 salary of $3 million. It's hard to argue that he deserved a much bigger raise, as he hit an awful .145/.231/.290 in 35 games for San Diego and Cleveland last season.

Haase cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday.

Haase was recently removed from Detroit's 40-man roster to make room for right-hander Jose Urena, and he went unclaimed on waivers. The catcher appeared in seven games for the Tigers late in the 2020 season, logging eight hits with two RBI and six strikeouts over 17 at-bats.

Mejia is set to be traded from the Padres to the Rays in exchange for left-hander Blake Snell, pending a review of medical records, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports.

Mejia was unable to maintain a spot on the Padres' active roster in 2020 after the team acquired Austin Nola and Jason Castro during the season. Although Mejia struggled mightily over a limited sample last year, slashing .077/.143/.179 with one home run and two RBI over 42 plate appearances, he should compete for major-league playing time behind the dish as Mike Zunino also had a lackluster year in 2020.

Murphy is fully healed from his foot injury and participating in full workouts, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.

Murphy missed the entire 2020 season due to a lingering foot injury, but he's fully recovered and will be ready to participate in spring training. The 29-year-old is expected to operate in a timeshare with Luis Torrens in 2021 since Torrens performed well after being acquired by the Mariners at the trade deadline last year.

Jeffers recently underwent a minor procedure to remove "loose bodies" from his throwing elbow but is expected to be ready for spring training, manager Rocco Baldelli told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Baldelli said Jeffers is "essentially back to normal already," so it sounds like a minor injury. Still, he'll be someone to monitor early in spring training. Jeffers had a strong rookie year and should be part of the mix at catcher for the Twins next season after hitting .273 with a .791 OPS. His outlook for playing time is uncertain since both he and Mitch Garver are right-handed. However, the Twins have made it a point to give catchers adequate rest, so the duo may split playing time even if not in a traditional platoon.

The Orioles outrighted Wynns off their 40-man roster Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

None of MLB's other 29 teams put in a claim for Wynns after he was exposed to waivers, so he'll remain in the Orioles organization as a non-roster player for the time being. The soon-to-be 30-year-old catcher has seen scant action at the big-league level, appearing in 60 career games while slashing .239/.271/.339 in 192 plate appearances.

Garver signed a one-year, $1.875 million contract with the Twins on Wednesday to avoid arbitration, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The 29-year-old was set to enter his first year of arbitration but instead reached a deal with Minnesota. Garver struggled during the shortened season with a .511 OPS and 45.7 percent strikeout rate, but he's only a year removed from putting up a .995 OPS and 31 homers during the 2019 campaign.

Plawecki agreed to a one-year, $1.6 million deal with the Red Sox on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

He made a strong impression as a backup last season, hitting .341/.393/.463 with one home run and one steal in 89 plate appearances. There will be steep regression coming, but he should be locked in as Christian Vazquez's backup.

Sanchez was tendered a contract by the Yankees on Wednesday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Sanchez posted lackluster numbers at the plate in 2020 and was rumored to be a non-tender candidate during the offseason. However, he'll remain with the Yankees next season while also avoiding arbitration. While Kyle Higashioka enters the season as the favorite to serve as the Yankees' primary catcher, Sanchez could certainly carve out more playing time in 2021 if he can return to his previous form.

Wong's contract was purchased by the Red Sox on Friday.

Acquired from the Dodgers in the Mookie Betts trade, Wong is Boston's top catching prospect. He spent the summer at the alternate training site after finishing 2019 at Double-A, so he should open the year at Triple-A. Wong has significant right-handed power, but needs to improve his approach at the plate.