MLB Player News
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Jacob Stallings C | COL
Jacob Stallings: Becomes free agent
Stallings declined his mutual option Monday and entered free agency, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Stallings will test out the open market after slashing .263/.357/.453 with nine homers, 36 RBI and 31 runs scored over 82 regular-season games with Colorado in 2024. He'll be a strong candidate to become a back-up catcher elsewhere.
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Christian Bethancourt C | CHC
Christian Bethancourt: Becomes free agent
Bethancourt elected free agency Monday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
The Cubs cleared some space on their 40-man roster and Bethancourt has decided to hit free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment. Bethancourt finished the 2024 season strong with an .814 OPS in 24 games with the Cubs, but that was after he had a .466 OPS in 38 contests with the Marlins.
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Rene Pinto C | TB
Orioles' Rene Pinto: Claimed by Baltimore
The Orioles claimed Pinto off waivers from the Rays on Monday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Pinto began the 2024 season as the Rays' starting catcher but was sent down in early May after a slow start and was never recalled. The 28-year-old has hit .231/.263/.404 with 10 home runs over 82 games at the big-league level. Baltimore has an opening at backup catcher and Pinto will be a candidate to fill it.
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Travis d'Arnaud C | ATL
Travis d'Arnaud: Free agent after option declined
Atlanta declined d'Arnaud's $8 million club option for 2025 on Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said last month that the team planned to exercise d'Arnaud's option, but evidently feelings changed since then. The emergence of catching prospect Drake Baldwin could have played into the club's decision, as Baldwin is viewed as nearly major-league ready and could potentially be paired with Sean Murphy in 2025. D'Arnaud, who turns 36 in February, should be able to land a starting job somewhere after slashing .238/.302/.436 with 15 home runs over 99 games in 2024.
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Austin Barnes C | LAD
Dodgers' Austin Barnes: Brought back for 2025
The Dodgers exercised Barnes' $3.5 million club option for 2025 on Saturday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Barnes slashed .264/.331/.307 with 11 RBI across 156 plate appearances in 2024 -- good enough for the Dodgers to keep him around as the backup catcher behind Will Smith. While Barnes is likely to break spring training as Los Angeles' reserve backstop, a drop in production from the 34-year-old could eventually result in prospects Dalton Rushing or Hunter Feduccia taking his spot on the roster.
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Austin Wynns C | CIN
Austin Wynns: Elects free agency
Wynns (shoulder) declined his outright assignment to Triple-A Louisville on Saturday and elected free agency.
Wynns spent the majority of last season in Triple-A, where he slashed .250/.309/.410 across 110 plate appearances. However, a teres major tear in his right shoulder cut his season short toward the end of July. It's unknown if he'll be ready for the start of spring training, but the 33-year-old backstop should be able to at least net a minor-league deal in free agency.
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Luke Maile C | CIN
Luke Maile: Reds decline option
The Reds declined Maile's $3.5 million club option for 2025 on Friday.
Maile slashed just .178/.268/.252 across 154 plate appearances last season, so the Reds will opt to move on from the 33-year-old backstop rather than give him a $500,000 raise from 2024.
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Austin Wynns C | CIN
Reds' Austin Wynns: Outrighted to Triple-A
The Reds outrighted Wynns to Triple-A Louisville on Friday.
Wynns is not on the 40-man roster but will remain in the organization for now. The veteran catcher suffered a teres major tear in his right shoulder in late July and it's not clear whether he will be healthy for the start of spring training.
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Max Stassi C | CHW
Max Stassi: Club option declined
The White Sox declined Stassi's $7.5 million club option for 2025 on Friday.
Stassi will be paid a $500,000 buyout and is now a free agent. The veteran catcher has not played in the majors since 2022, as he missed all of 2023 due to a hip injury in addition to a family medical issue and then all of 2024 (aside from five rehab games) before having left hip surgery in June. It's not clear what Stassi's current health status is.
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Will Smith C | LAD
Dodgers' Will Smith: Hits first homer of World Series
Smith hit his first homer of this World Series in Tuesday's Game 4 loss to the Yankees.
The playoffs and especially the World Series tend to magnify what would be the normal ebbs and flows of the regular season. Smith is playing through a sore hand after taking a foul ball of his left hand in the NLCS. He had a slightly disappointing regular season, hitting .248/.327/.433 with 20 homers, trading some on-base and batting average for a little more power.