MLB Player News

Murphy signed a one-year, $1.575 million contract with the Mariners on Tuesday to avoid arbitration, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

Murphy is in his second year of arbitration eligibility after splitting time behind the plate with Cal Raleigh and Luis Torrens last season. Murphy hit .202/.304/.350 with 11 home runs in 34 RBI in 97 games, and the Mariners are entering 2022 with the same group of catchers.

Contreras and the Cubs did not reach a deal Tuesday and will head to an arbitration hearing, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Tuesday marked the deadline for arbitration-eligible players to reach a deal with their teams without a hearing. Chicago could decide to trade its top catcher after moving cornerstone players Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez before last season's trade deadline. Contreras is under team control through the end of this year, so he'll be a logical trade candidate as long as no extension is in place.

Moreno has yet to arrive at camp due to visa issues, but he's expected to show up by the end of the week, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports.

The 22-year-old catcher is an exciting prospect, but he probably wasn't going to compete for an Opening Day roster spot even without the visa delay. He's only appeared in three Triple-A games, so he'll need to conquer that level before pushing for his major-league debut.

Gallagher signed a one-year, $885,000 contract with the Royals on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Gallagher will get a modest raise in his first year of arbitration eligibility. He didn't have to do much as Salvador Perez's backup last season, hitting .250/.298/.330 with one homer in 48 games, and he's unlikely to fill a significant role this year, either.

Mejia and the Rays agreed Tuesday on a one-year, $1.455 million contract to avoid arbitration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Now that he's on the books for 2022, Mejia should be locked in to the smaller portion of a timeshare at catcher with Mike Zunino. Last season, the role gave Mejia a modicum of value in AL-only formats and in deeper mixed leagues that started two catchers. He logged 277 plate appearances -- a high total for a nominal No. 2 catcher -- and finished with a palatable .260 average to go with six home runs, 35 RBI and 31 runs.

Stassi signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Angels on Tuesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The agreement allows the two sides to avoid arbitration. He's coming off a solid season which saw him hit .241/.326/.426 with 13 homers in 87 games, though his 31.7 percent strikeout rate creates some risk heading into the upcoming season.

Higashioka and the Yankees agreed Tuesday on a one-year, $935,000 contract to avoid arbitration, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Higashioka is projected to fill the short side of a catching platoon in 2022 with the lefty-hitting Ben Rortvedt, whom the Yankees acquired earlier this month in the deal that sent fellow backstop Gary Sanchez to Minnesota. Rortvedt is currently tending to a Grade 1 oblique strain that could keep him on the shelf to begin the season, so Higashioka may enjoy a brief run of steady starts in April. Higashioka logged 211 plate appearances over 67 games in 2021, hitting a mere .181 but providing solid power numbers (10 home runs, 29 RBI).

Garver and the Rangers agreed to terms on a one-year, $3.335 million deal Tuesday, Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com reports.

The agreement means Garver won't have to go through the arbitration process with his new team. He'll receive a raise of roughly $1.5 million in his second season of arbitration eligibility after a season in which he hit .256/.358/.517 with 13 homers in just 68 games.

McCann was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Astros due to back tightness, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

McCann is scheduled to receive further evaluation from the Mets' training staff, but the team doesn't believe the injury is a serious concern at this juncture. Tomas Nido will get the nod at catcher in McCann's stead, forming a battery with ace Jacob deGrom in the latter's first start of the spring.

Hedges agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with the Guardians on Tuesday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Hedges will get a decent payday in his final year of arbitration eligibility. He must be getting paid purely for his defense, as he's hit a miserable .174/.236/.307 over the last three seasons.