MLB Player News

Mejia signed a one-year, $2.155 million contract with the Rays on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Mejia took a step back at the plate in 2022 with just a .645 OPS, and at this point it's difficult to see him turning into an everyday catcher. He will share time behind the dish with Christian Bethancourt in 2023.

Murphy (shoulder) and the Mariners agreed on a one-year, $1.625 million contract Friday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The catcher had to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery in late June, but he is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023 campaign. Murphy batted .303 with a solo homer and nine runs scored over 33 at-bats in 14 games with Seattle last season and figures to back up Cal Raleigh.

Nola signed a one-year, $2.35 million contract with the Padres on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Nola put up a disappointing .649 OPS for the Padres last season while making a career-high 94 starts at catcher. He'll enter the 2023 campaign atop the depth chart but figures to cede a good amount of playing time to Luis Campusano.

Smith and the Dodgers agreed on a one-year, $5.25 million contract Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith will avoid arbitration after a very productive 2022 campaign in which he batted .260 with 24 homers, 87 RBI, 68 runs and a stolen base over 508 at-bats. Hitting in the heart of a stacked Dodgers' lineup, the 27-year-old will remain one of the best fantasy backstops heading into the 2023 season.

McGuire agreed to a one-year, $1.225 million contract with the Red Sox in January of 2023 to avoid arbitration, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

McGuire played in a career-high 89 games between the White Sox and Red Sox last season and had a .269/.307/.369 slash line. The 27-year-old hit especially well in 36 contests for Boston with an .877 OPS, and he currently projects to split catching duties with Connor Wong in 2023.

Jansen signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Blue Jays on Friday to avoid arbitration, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen was superb at the dish when healthy in 2022, producing an .855 OPS with 15 home runs over 72 games. His playing time in 2023 could be affected by the Brandon Belt signing if it means more catching for Alejandro Kirk, but the reality is Jansen hasn't reached 250 plate appearances either of the last two seasons, anyway. He's still capable of being a viable second fantasy catcher even with a truncated workload.

Caratini signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Brewers on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Caratini has served as a backup catcher for the majority of his career. However, he's managed to top 300 plate appearances in each of his last two seasons while also grading out as a well above-average framer behind the dish. Entering 2023, Caratini figures to serve as the secondary catcher in Milwaukee behind William Contreras.

Leon (knee) signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Leon, who underwent meniscus surgery on his right knee in October, is probably in line to begin the season at Triple-A Round Rock unless the Rangers are willing to carry three catchers. The 33-year-old saw action in 33 games for the Guardians and Twins in 2022, producing a .509 OPS.

Sands, Nick Maton and Matt Vierling were traded from the Phillies to the Tigers on Saturday in exchange for Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Sands made his big-league debut at age 26 last season but didn't stick around long enough to make an impression, going 0-for-3 with a walk. He hit a strong .308/.413/.428 in 57 Triple-A games, suggesting he has some potential at the plate, especially considering the low offensive bar at catcher. He'll compete with Jake Rogers and Andrew Knapp in spring training to earn the backup catcher job behind Eric Haase.

Wynns was designated for assignment by the Giants on Friday.

With Michael Conforto officially joining the Giants on Friday, Wynns will serve as the team's roster casualty. The 32-year-old backstop is coming off his best season since 2018, slashing .259/.313/.358 through 177 plate appearances in 2022. Wynns also managed to record a 1.004 OPS in Triple-A last season, making it even more likely that he will be scooped up by another team in need of help behind the dish.