MLB Player News

Gallagher signed a minor-league contract with the Guardians on Wednesday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Gallagher will head to Cleveland after being released by the Orioles in early November, joining the Guardians on a minor-league deal that includes an invitation to big-league spring training in February. The catcher spent the 2022 campaign as a member of the Royals, producing a .214/.267/.333 slash line with five doubles, five RBI and a run scored over 42 at-bats in 18 games. With newly-acquired Mike Zunino (shoulder) recovering from thoracic outlet surgery he underwent in July, Gallagher could find himself on the Opening Day roster if Zunino were to suffer a setback, though the latter is expected to ready to go for spring training.

McCann was told by the Orioles at the time he was acquired that he and Adley Rutschman could both see time at first base and designated hitter, in addition to catcher, this season.

McCann put up a .610 OPS over the last two seasons for the Mets, so it's difficult to believe the Orioles will actually attempt to squeeze him into the lineup very much on days he's not catching. Rutschman did see ample time in the DH spot last year, though, so if this is a route to save his legs then it's good news for his fantasy value. Even with a decent amount of playing time, McCann is unlikely to be relevant outside of deep, two-catcher leagues and single-league formats.

Godoy signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Saturday.

A 28-year-old catcher who saw time in the majors in 2021 and 2022, Godoy projects as a third or fourth catcher on an organizational depth chart. He has a .123 average and 37.1 percent strikeout rate in 62 MLB plate appearances.

Murphy agreed to a six-year, $73 million extension with Atlanta on Tuesday, which includes a $15 million club option for 2029.

The contract buys out three years of arbitration eligibility and could keep Murphy in Atlanta until the 2030 campaign, barring a trade. The 28-year-old was acquired from Oakland in mid-December after he posted a .250/.332/.426 slash line with 18 home runs and 66 RBI for the Athletics last season, and he also won a Gold Glove in 2021.

Moreno was traded from Toronto to Arizona alongside Lourdes Gurriel (wrist) in exchange for Daulton Varsho on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports

Moreno was able to make his major-league debut with the Jays in 2022, slashing .319/.356/.377 over 73 plate appearances, though most of his season was spent with Triple-A Buffalo. As one of the top catching prospects in baseball, Moreno should receive his fair share of starts behind the dish in Arizona, initially splitting time with Carson Kelly, who posted just a .616 OPS last season.

Casali signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with a mutual option for 2024 with the Reds on Thursday.

Casali had the best stretch of his career offensively with the Reds from 2018-20 when he posted a .785 OPS with 18 home runs over 485 plate appearances. He'll be aided by Great American Ball Park again but will be behind Tyler Stephenson on the depth chart and will also have to contend with Luke Maile for at-bats.

Barnhart agreed to a one-year, $3.25 million contract with the Cubs on Thursday, which includes a $3.25 million player option for 2024, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Barnhart spent the 2022 campaign with Detroit and had the worst offensive season of his career with a .554 OPS in 94 games. The defensive-minded backstop should platoon with Yan Gomes in Chicago following the departure of Willson Contreras.

McCann has been traded from the Mets to the Orioles along with cash considerations in exchange for a player to be named later, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Mets have been shopping McCann around all offseason and have found a taker in the Orioles. New York will cover $19 million of the $24.3 million still owed to the catcher over the next two seasons, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. McCann will back up Adley Rutschman in Baltimore, so playing time figures to be sparse. The Mets still have Omar Narvaez, Tomas Nido and Francisco Alvarez as catching options.

Hedges agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract with the Pirates on Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

For as great as Hedges is on the defensive side of the ball, he gives most of that value back at the dish. The 30-year-old has a career 54 wRC+ (100 is average) and he's been below that mark each of the past four seasons. Even in two-catcher fantasy leagues, Hedges falls short of clearing the bar, though his addition should be a boon to the Pirates' pitching staff.

Narvaez signed a one-year, $8 million contract that includes a player option for 2024 with the Mets on Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Narvaez has spent the last three seasons as Milwaukee's primary backstop. He had a poor 2022 campaign with the bat, as he hit just .206/.292/.305 across 296 plate appearances. However, Narvaez is considered an excellent framer and should be a solid complement to Francisco Alvarez (ankle) -- a bat-first catcher. As things currently stand, James McCann and Tomas Nido are also on the Mets' 40-man roster, so it's unclear exactly how playing time will be divided.