MLB Player News

Hedges is projected to be the starting catcher for the Padres this season, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

With the club shipping Derek Norris to Washington, Hedges is next in line to start games behind the dish. He hasn't done much offensively in his two brief stints in the majors, slashing .161/.206/.236 in 178 plate appearances. That being said, batting .326/.353/.597 with 21 homers and 82 RBI with Triple-A El Paso last season shows that there is some potential in his bat at the major league level. Even is Hedges doesn't hit out of the gates, his defensive abilities should keep him in the lineup on a regular basis.

Bethancourt is targeting early March for his Cactus League pitching debut, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The Padres have been working with the catcher on his pitching mechanics, and recently clocked his fastball at 97 mph during a Panama Winter League game. Although the Padres have been unclear about his role going forward, his powerful arm could see him in the bullpen more often than expected. Last year with the Padres, the 25-year-old pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in two games and slashed .228/.265/.368 in 204 plate appearances.

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.