MLB Player News

Reds manager Bryan Price indicated catcher Devin Mesoraco could see a lot more time behind the plate in 2015, per the Dayton Daily News. He appeared in 114 games in 2014, starting 109 at catcher.

“I’ve been asked that question a lot about Mesoraco playing first base,” Price said. “How much would he play? Only if (Joey) Votto was injured. Realistically, I see him as a Yadier Moilina-type guy, who is going to catch 145 games a year, more so than I see him catching 110 a year and playing 20 or 30 at first base.

“It stood out more last year because I linked up Johnny Cueto with (Brayan) Pena catching. I anticipate Mesoraco catching a lot more games this year, especially if he stays healthy. We won’t pair Pena with Cueto as much. Devin did a real nice job with Johnny the times he caught him.”

The Reds agreed to a four-year, $28 million contract extension with catcher Devin Mesoraco, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman. Mesoraco was in his first year of arbitration, so the deal covers all three years of arbitration and his first year of free agency.

Mesoraco was a first-time All-Star in 2014, when he hit .273 with 25 doubles, 25 home runs and 80 RBI in 114 games. He has a career .245/.315/.432/.747 slash line in 289 games.

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco has filed for $3.6 million in aribtration, while the team has offered $2.45 million, CBSSports.com baseball insider Jon Heyman reports.

Mesoraco is eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason. He hit .273/.359/.534 with 25 home runs and 80 RBI in 384 at-bats in 2014.

Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart confirmed once again to MLB.com on Thursday that the team's search for a catcher is over. The team will head to camp with Tuffy Gosewisch as the starter, Rule 5 pick Oscar Hernandez as the backup and prospect Pete O'Brien on the cusp of making the major-league roster.

"We sat back and thought about it and talked to our guys internally, our coaching staff, and we're not going do to anything," Stewart said. "Tuffy Gosewisch has never had the opportunity to be a front-line guy, but we do know he's capable of handling the [pitching] staff. If we get some offense from him, it would be great.

"The kid Hernandez we know, through our scouting reports, is a good catch-and-throw guy. And we're not expecting any offense from him. So if we get it, that would be great. But even more importantly, we think that Peter O'Brien is going to be ready. Our coaching staff says he has a chance to break with us from spring training. And if not spring training, we expect to see him by May or June."

Pirates catcher Chris Stewart avoided arbitration on Friday, agreeing to a $1,225,000 contract for 2015, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman. He hit .294 with 10 RBI in 49 games last season for Pittsburgh.

The Brewers announced Thursday they avoided arbitration with catcher Martin Maldonado, agreeing to a two-year contract.

The 28-year-old Maldonado hit .234 with four home runs and 16 RBI in 52 games last season. He is a career .225 hitter with 16 home runs and 68 RBI in 200 MLB games.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said he hasn't given much thought yet to how he is going to divide up playing time between catchers Yasmani Grandal and A.J. Ellis, per the Los Angeles Times.

Ellis, who started a team-high 89 games at catcher in 2014, has been the team's primary catcher since 2012. Grandal is in his first season with Los Angeles following an offseason trade with San Diego.

“Just knowing that Yasmani was a guy that at the end of the year, we didn’t really like being up there with men in scoring position. He’s got a big upside offensively we think, and really comfortable with him behind the plate," Mattingly said Wednesday. “What makes that easier for me is dealing with A.J. Talking to A.J. [Tuesday], knowing that could be a little bit of a sticky situation, his first response was, 'I just want to win.' That’ll work itself out.”

Mattingly added he is not looking to match up his catchers with certain starting pitchers.

“I’m not really comfortable any time we talk about just one guy catching that certain pitcher every time because that it really gets you caught in the middle,” Mattingly said. “I can’t say that I really favor that. The catching situation, we’ll work it out.”

Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart said Tuesday the team will not add a catcher to the roster in large part due to the development of prospect Pete O'Brien, according to The Arizona Republic.

"I've decided that I'm not going to pursue another catcher," Stewart said. "I talked with my people and my coaching staff. They believe that O'Brien is going to be around sooner than later. If that does happen, there's no need to go out and get another guy.

"We would have had to trade somebody we didn't want to trade to make it happen. We're going to be patient and allow the progression of O'Brien to take place and stand pat on that."

Tuffy Gosewisch is the only catcher on the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster with major-league experience. Rule 5 selection Oscar Hernandez, who spent last season with the Rays' low Class-A affiliate, will also be in camp competing for a roster spot.

The Diamondbacks acquired O'Brien in a trade with the Yankees in July. The 24-year-old O'Brien hit a career-best 34 home runs in 2014. He has a .267/.319/.534/.853 slash line over three minor-league seasons.

The Diamondbacks haven't been happy with the cost of acquiring a catcher in a trade, according to the Arizona Republic.

We've not made a whole lot of headway in that area yet," general manager Dave Stewart said. "Without really giving up something that's going to cost us a player that we don't want to give away." Arizona dealt starter Miguel Montero to the Cubs in December, and the team is set to open the season with the unproven Tuffy Gosewisch behind the dish.

The club has been in contact with the Cubs regarding Welington Castillo, but nothing has materialized yet. Stewart said rival clubs are asking for Arizona's "top guys" in exchange for a catcher. 

The Braves have agreed to a deal with catcher A.J. Pierzynski, CBSSports.com baseball insider Jon Heyman reports. Pierzynski's deal is expected to be for about $2 million, but it won't be finalized until January.

Pierzynski will fill a veteran presence to complement young catcher Christian Bethancourt, and the agreement also means the Braves are serious about moving forward with Evan Gattis in left field full-time, according to Eye On Baseball.

Pierzynski hit .251/.288/.337 in 338 at-bats between Boston and St. Louis in 2014. However, he managed to smack a combined 44 home runs over his previous two seasons.