MLB Player News

Stephenson agreed to a one-year, $4.925 million contract with the Reds on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Stephenson receives a $2.4 million raise in his second year of arbitration eligibility after slashing .258/.338/.444 and setting career highs with 19 homers, 69 runs scored and 66 RBI in 2024. The Reds' offseason acquisition of Jose Trevino shouldn't cut too much into Stephenson's playing time, and the 28-year-old still projects as one of the better offensive backstops in the majors.

The Marlins and Fortes avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract Thursday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Fortes, 28, has managed just a .222/.275/.344 batting line over parts of four major-league seasons. He sits atop the Marlins' depth chart at catcher but is not an appealing fantasy option.

The Reds and Trevino avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.425 million contract Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Picked up in a trade with the Yankees last month, Trevino was arbitration-eligible for the third and final time. The 32-year-old will be the Reds' No. 2 catcher in 2025 behind Tyler Stephenson.

Bart and the Pirates avoided arbitration Thursday by agreeing to a one-year, $1.75 million deal, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft was unable to establish himself as the Giants' long-term answer at catcher over parts of four seasons in the big leagues, but the 28-year-old benefited from a change of scenery after he was shipped to Pittsburgh in April. He ended the 2024 campaign as the Pirates' top catcher, having slashed .265/.337/.462 with 13 home runs, 45 RBI and 38 runs across 282 plate appearances. The Pirates have 2021 No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis and 24-year-old Endy Rodriguez on hand as intriguing young options at catcher, but based on his performance last season, Bart will enter spring training as the favorite to open the 2025 campaign as the Bucs' top backstop.

The Padres and Campusano avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1 million contract Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

It was Campusano's first year of arbitration eligibility. The 26-year-old entered last season as the Padres' top catcher, but he was eventually passed on the depth chart by Kyle Higashioka and finished with just a .227/.281/.361 slash line while spending some time in the minors. Higashioka is now with the Rangers and Campusano is currently at the top of the catching hierarchy again in San Diego, but it wouldn't be a surprise if the club brought someone in to at least share the job.

The Nationals and Adams avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $850,000 contract Thursday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Adams is a career .224/.304/.378 hitter over parts of four big-league seasons and was eligible for arbitration for the first time. He's out of minor-league options, so he'll either open 2025 as the Nationals' backup catcher or be exposed to waivers.

The Giants claimed Huff off waivers from the Rangers on Wednesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Huff has held his own during his rare opportunities in the majors with a .768 OPS and 10 home runs in 214 career plate appearances, although that's come with a 33.6 percent strikeout rate. He's out of options, so the Giants will need to carry him on their Opening Day roster in 2025 or put him back through waivers.

The Dodgers designated Cartaya for assignment Friday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the signing of Hyeseong Kim. Cartaya was one of the top prospects in baseball just a couple years ago, but he slashed only .189/.278/.379 at Double-A Tulsa in 2023 and .221/.323/.363 between Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2024. He's just 23, so Cartaya should draw trade or waivers interest from an organization with a 40-man roster that's not as loaded as the Dodgers'.

The Yankees traded Trevino to the Reds on Friday in exchange for Fernando Cruz and Alex Jackson, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Trevino slashed .215/.288/.354 with eight homers and 28 RBI over 234 regular-season plate appearances in 2024 while backing up Austin Wells. With Tyler Stephenson already in Cincinnati, Trevino will almost certainly continue to act as a backup, but the 32-year-old's career .637 OPS isn't likely to earn him a spot in the lineup very often.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on Dec. 10 in an interview on MLB Network that Bart will enter 2025 as the favorite to start at catcher, The Bucco Beat reports.

The Pirates acquired Bart shortly after Opening Day and he eventually emerged as the team's primary catcher, slashing .265/.337/.462 with 13 home runs over 280 plate appearances. Endy Rodriguez will be back from elbow surgery and Henry Davis is still around, so Bart will have competition for playing time behind the plate, but he'll enter the season with a leg up for the starting job.