MLB Player News

Contreras and the Cardinals agreed Wednesday on a five-year, $87.5 million contract, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

In bringing aboard Contreras, St. Louis has found a replacement for longtime catcher Yadier Molina, who retired following the 2022 campaign after 19 seasons with the Cardinals. With Molina's production having waned in recent years, the 30-year-old Contreras will provide a major upgrade at the position, particularly on the offensive end. Over the past two seasons, Contreras' 121 wRC+ ranks third among all catchers who have logged at least 500 plate appearances over that stretch. While joining a strong Cardinals lineup that includes Nolan Arenado and reigning National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt in the heart of the order, Contreras should have a good chance at improving upon the run and RBI totals he logged with sub-.500 Cubs teams both of the last two years.

Jackson was sent outright to Triple-A Nashville on Friday, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Jackson will still be invited to spring training by Milwaukee, but he will now have to fight to reclaim his spot on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old backstop spent most of last season in Triple-A, recording a .701 OPS through 119 plate appearances.

Maile signed a one-year deal with the Reds on Monday.

Maile slashed .221/.301/.326 through 206 plate appearances last season for Cleveland, and found a decent amount of success against left-handed pitching (.300 AVG, 8 RBI). Tyler Stephenson will likely remain Cincinnati's primary option behind the plate, but Maile could still see a good chunk of playing time in 2023 as a backup.

Wallach signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Wednesday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Wallach was cast off the Angels' 40-man roster in early November and became a free agent after refusing an outright assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake. However, he'll return to the organization and is a strong candidate to serve as a non-roster invitee this spring. He hit .143 with a home run, four RBI and three runs over 12 games with the Angels last year.

The Pirates declined to tender Heineman a contract for 2023, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Thrust into a regular role with Pittsburgh after joining the team on a waiver claim, Heineman slumped to a .211/.277/.254 line in 52 games with the Pirates. He missed time due to a groin injury and a concussion. His experience could keep him around the game for a while yet as catching depth is always in demand.

The Guardians declined to tender Maile a contract for 2023, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Maile has bounced around between Tampa Bay, Toronto, Milwaukee and Cleveland so far in his big-league career. He provides quality defense behind the plate but packs little punch with the bat, and his pitch framing was poor last year according to Statcast.

Kolozsvary was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.

Kolozsvary was claimed off waivers by the Orioles in mid-October, but he'll now lose his spot on the 40-man roster. It's still possible that he serves as a non-roster invitee at spring training.

Heineman was designated for assignment by the Pirates on Tuesday.

Heineman appeared in 62 games between the Pirates and Blue Jays last season and had a .217/.276/.268 slash line, and he won't stick on Pittsburgh's 40-man roster through the offseason.

Stephenson (collarbone) announced Wednesday via his personal Twitter account that he's resumed taking batting practice.

Stephenson's 2022 campaign came to an end in late July, when he suffered a broken right collarbone that later required surgery. The fact that he's swinging a bat again suggests he's nearing the finish line in his recovery from surgery, but he'll still need to complete a throwing program before he's fully cleared for catching duties in spring training. When healthy last season, Stephenson displayed the upside of a top-tier fantasy catcher, as he hit .319 with six home runs, 35 RBI and 24 runs in just 183 plate appearances.

Rodriguez was added to the Pirates' 40-man roster Tuesday.

Rodriguez is one of the league's best catching prospects and finished 2022 at the Triple-A level despite beginning the season at High-A. He played in only six games at the highest level of the minors, but his .997 OPS on the season could push him toward making his MLB debut next year.