MLB Player News

Casali agreed to a one-year, $2.6 million deal with the Giants on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Casali joined the Giants last season and had a .663 OPS while operating as the backup to Buster Posey. Casali and Joey Bart are set to split catching duties this season in the wake of Posey's retirement.

Contreras and the Cubs did not reach a deal Tuesday and will head to an arbitration hearing, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Tuesday marked the deadline for arbitration-eligible players to reach a deal with their teams without a hearing. Chicago could decide to trade its top catcher after moving cornerstone players Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez before last season's trade deadline. Contreras is under team control through the end of this year, so he'll be a logical trade candidate as long as no extension is in place.

McCann was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros due to back tightness, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

McCann is scheduled to receive further evaluation from the Mets' training staff, but the team doesn't believe the injury is a serious concern at this juncture. Tomas Nido will get the nod at catcher in McCann's stead, forming a battery with ace Jacob deGrom in the latter's first start of the spring.

Caratini and the Padres agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal Tuesday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

The contract means the two sides won't have to go through arbitration. Caratini will be part of a crowded catcher depth chart in San Diego this season, with Austin Nola, Jorge Alfaro and Luis Campusano all competing for playing time.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Barnes passed all concussion testing and is considered day-to-day, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Barnes was fortunate to avoid the concussion after he exited Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox upon taking a foul tip to his catcher's mask. Roberts suggested that the veteran backstop would likely remain out of the lineup for a couple more days before checking back in behind the dish by the end of the week.

Narvaez agreed Tuesday with the Brewers on a one-year, $5 million contract to avoid arbitration, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

With Narvaez now under contract for 2022, he'll begin preparing for his third season as the Brewers' No. 1 backstop. He should remain one of the better fantasy options at catcher after hitting .266 with 11 home runs, 54 runs and 49 RBI across 445 plate appearances in 2021 en route to earning his first All-Star nod.

Barnes left Monday's exhibition against the White Sox early after taking a foul tip to his catcher's mask, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Skipper Dave Roberts noted after the game that Barnes was feeling "a little foggy" after the foul tip, so the team decided to exercise caution by removing him. He'll be considered day-to-day moving forward and will be re-evaluated Tuesday, per Toribio.

O'Hoppe was sent to minor-league camp Monday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

O'Hoppe emerged as the Phillies' top catching prospect last season and should eventually push for a roster spot. He's not yet on the 40-man roster, however, a group which contains four other catchers, so it was never likely that he'd break camp in the majors.

Wynns signed with the Phillies as a non-roster invitee Saturday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

With a career .216/.255/.326 slash line in 115 major-league games, Wynns hasn't shown himself to be anything more than an organizational depth option behind the plate. That's the role he'll likely fill for the Phillies, a team that already has four catchers on the 40-man roster.

Diaz, whose arrival to big-league spring training has been delayed by visa issues, is scheduled to join the Rockies on Thursday, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Since he missed only a handful of workouts, Diaz isn't at any risk of not being ready to go from a preparation standpoint for Opening Day. After inking a three-year, $14.5 million contract extension in November, Diaz appears locked in as the Rockies' No. 1 catcher. The 31-year-old was a below-league-average performer at the plate in 2021 (92 wRC+), but thanks in no small part to the favorable hitting confines of Coors Field, he was a serviceable fantasy catcher with a .246 average, 18 home runs, 52 runs and 44 RBI over 371 plate appearances.