MLB Player News

Bethancourt signed a minor-league contract with the Athletics on Nov. 25.

Bethancourt will likely report to Triple-A Las Vegas to begin the 2022 campaign, but he could be the first catcher in line for a promotion to the big club, given that the Athletics currently have only two backstops (Sean Murphy and Austin Allen) on the 40-man roster. The 30-year-old has previously seen big-league action with Atlanta and San Diego across five seasons from 2013 through 2017, slashing a collective .222/.252/.316 in 489 career plate appearances.

Perez signed a minor-league contract with the Rockies on Sunday.

Perez spent 2021 with the A's at the Triple-A level and hit .269/.337/.572 with 31 homers, 89 RBI and 61 runs in 97 games, crushing his previous season high of 14 home runs. The 31-year-old should serve as organizational depth but could receive a big-league opportunity with another strong campaign.

Bemboom signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Thursday, Dan Connolly of The Athletic reports.

Bemboom spent most of the 2021 season at the Triple-A level and slashed .232/.352/.412 with eight home runs, 37 RBI and 35 runs across 65 games. He appeared in eight major-league games with the Angels and should be in the mix to join the Orioles' active roster at some point in 2022.

Plawecki signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Red Sox on Wednesday, avoiding arbitration, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

Plawecki served mainly as a secondary option at catcher behind Christian Vazquez in 2021, and he'll likely take on a similar role to begin the 2022 campaign. Across 64 appearances last year, the 30-year-old hit .287 with three homers, 15 runs and 15 RBI.

Perez signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Pirates on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Pirates didn't have a catcher on the roster after trading Jacob Stallings to the Marlins on Monday. That could mean Perez has an easy path to the primary catcher role in 2022, though his .155/.253/.277 slash line over the last two seasons suggests that the Pirates may want to bring in an alternative alongside him.

Gomes agreed to a two-year, $13 million contract with the Cubs on Tuesday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

It's a bit unusual to see the Cubs give a multi-year deal to a 34-year-old when they don't appear to be close to playoff contention, but they could see Gomes as a potential mentor for their next wave of pitchers or perhaps as someone they can flip at the deadline. The veteran has been a slightly below-average hitter for most of his career, with his 93 wRC+ last season nearly matching his career wRC+ of 91. That's an unexciting mark but an adequate one for a backstop. He doesn't appear to have a path for more than backup at-bats unless Willson Contreras is traded, but he could do enough in that small role to matter in deep, two-catcher formats.

Stallings was traded from the Pirates to the Marlins in exchange for Zach Thompson, Kyle Nicolas and Connor Scott on Monday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Stallings spent his first six major-league seasons in Pittsburgh, and he appeared in a career-high 112 games during the 2021 season. He hit .246 with eight home runs, 53 RBI and 38 runs last year and appears to be in line to serve as the Marlins' primary catcher in 2022.

Sullivan agreed to a one-year, major-league contract with the Brewers on Monday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The news of a major-league deal comes as something of a surprise, as Sullivan is a 27-year-old with zero major-league experience. He wasn't particularly good at the Triple-A level last season, either, hitting .223/.302/.375 across 90 games, but the Brewers evidently feel he adds something as an extra catcher who can also provide cover at the infield and outfield corners.

Deglan signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Monday.

The deal includes an invitation to big-league spring training, but Deglan will more than likely be bound for Triple-A Buffalo before the regular season gets underway. The 29-year-old backstop split time at the Triple-A level between Buffalo and the Yankees' affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2021, slashing .211/.320/.358 over 109 plate appearances.

Perez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Perez was cast off the Pirates' 40-man roster last week but will remain in the organization after he went unclaimed on waivers. The 29-year-old appeared in 70 major-league games during the 2021 campaign, and he'll likely compete for a spot on the active roster during spring training in 2022.