MLB Player News

The Reds don't anticipate bringing in another veteran catcher, instead relying on Barnhart and Devin Mesoraco's return from injury.

That likely rules out free agent Matt Wieters. Mesoraco's status is still up in the air - he's on track with his rehab but hasn't been rigorously tested yet. So that means that Barnhart could still have a pretty heavy workload in 2017.

Barnes is the favorite to win the backup catcher job out of spring training.

Barnes didn't do much in his limited playing time last season, slashing a meager .156/.270/.188 in 37 plate appearances. That was a small sample size, and there is hope for his bat after he slashed .295/.380/.443 with Triple-A Oklahoma City last season. With Carlos Ruiz gone, Barnes will handle primary backup duties for Yasmani Grandal.

Plawecki will compete with Rene Rivera for the backup catcher spot on the Mets' 25-man roster this spring.

The team will give Travis d'Arnaud at least one more chance to prove he can stay healthy and effective, so Plawecki could find himself back at Triple-A Las Vegas for the fourth straight season. The 25-year-old has put up some good batting averages in the desert, including a .300/.348/.484 line in 190 at-bats in 2016, but has yet to translate that production to the majors.

D'Arnaud has spent the offseason completely retooling his swing, as well as working on his throwing mechanics behind the plate, the New York Post reports.

The 27-year-old catcher is coming off the worst offensive season of his career, and while d'Arnaud's inability to stay healthy certainly played a big role in his .630 OPS, the length of his swing was also an issue. Eliminating his habit of wrapping the bat around his head while in his stance, and taking a more direct path to the ball, could help him recapture the promise he showed in 2015 when he hit 12 home runs with an .825 OPS in 67 games. The Mets still have Kevin Plawecki and Rene Rivera on hand to provide competition, but d'Arnaud will get at least one more chance to establish himself as the team's catcher of both the present and the future.

Mesoraco is expected to begin spring training without any limitations, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports.

This is great news for Mesoraco and Cincinnati fans, as the catcher has played a combined 39 games over the past two years. In his last full season, which was 2014, the 28-year-old posted his best numbers to date, slashing .273/.359/.534 with 25 homers in 440 plate appearances while earning his only All-Star nomination.

Thole agreed to a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks on Monday, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

Thole was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays in 2016 after struggling at the plate to the tune of a .169 batting average over 50 games played. He has never been much of an offensive threat and will likely provide organization catching depth for the Diamondbacks in 2017.

Grandal and the Dodgers avoided arbitration Friday with a one-year, $5.5 million deal, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Despite playing hurt for much of the year, Grandal still managed to post a career-high .477 slugging percentage. He hit at an elite level when healthy, slashing .287/.410/.622 in the months of June and July, but the problem with him going forward is that he often isn't healthy. That aside, he remains a power bat with top pitch-framing skills behind the plate, so his spot with the Dodgers would seem to be secure.

D'Arnaud agreed to a one-year, $1.875 million deal with the Mets on Friday, avoiding arbitration, FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reports.

He is on track to enter the year as the Mets' No. 1 catcher, but on the heels of posting a 74 wRC+ with just four home runs and a .247 average in 276 plate appearances, his draft day price will be as low as ever. While a bounce back of sorts should be expected, d'Arnaud no longer looks like a high-upside option at the position.

The Braves have asked Jackson if he'd consider a move back to catcher, FOXSports.com reports.

Apparently, the talk of a possible positional change is "an ongoing conversation." General manager John Coppolella said this week that while the organization doesn't want to put too much pressure on Jackson, catcher "is a big area of need for us in the future." Jackson was regarded as a fairly strong defensive catcher coming out of high school and his bat certainly hasn't played well in the corner outfield so far at the lower levels, so a move would make sense. Jackson, the sixth overall pick by the Mariners in 2014, turns 21 later this month.

Sanchez signed a minor league contract with the Padres on Tuesday, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

The Padres are expected to give Austin Hedges his shot to be the primary catcher in the big leagues, meaning Sanchez will likely spend another year in either a backup role or in an organizational depth role.