MLB Player News

Heim was sent from Texas to Oakland along with Khris Davis and Dane Acker on Saturday in a trade which sent Elvis Andrus, Aramis Garcia and cash considerations the other way, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Heim made a brief MLB debut last season, hitting .211/.268/.211 in 13 games. He may not project as anything close to a star, but he has a good chance to be a useful enough piece for the Rangers, as he hit a strong .310/.385/.477 in 85 games across the two highest levels of the minors in 2019. He'll be competing for a roster spot with Jose Trevino, Sam Huff and Drew Butera in camp.

Realmuto feels 100 percent after recovering from the hip flexor strain he battled late in the season, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

Realmuto missed 11 games with the issue in mid-September and spent time at first base and designated hitter after his return. Despite the fact that he was able to return before the end of the regular season, he indicated Monday that he didn't feel fully healthy until three or four weeks into the offseason. Now fully healed, the issue doesn't appear to be a significant cause for concern for the star catcher heading into his age-30 season.

Perez signed a minor-league deal with the Athletics on Friday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The 30-year-old has spent parts of four seasons in the big leagues, though he hasn't done much with his opportunities and hasn't received any since 2018. in 670 career plate appearances at the highest level, he owns a .215/.257/.319 slash line. He was a member of Oakland's player pool last season but never made it onto the big-league roster.

Godoy was invited to Seattle's minor-league camp Thursday, Lauren Smith of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Godoy has spent his entire professional career thus far as a member of the Cardinals' system. He's a fringe prospect at best, projecting for a sub-par bat with average defense, but he could earn his big-league debut this season as he lines up as one of Seattle's top minor-league depth options behind the plate.

Realmuto agreed to a five-year, $115.5 million deal to return to the Phillies on Tuesday, Craig Mish of SportsGrid.com reports.

There was no better player to fill the Realmuto-shaped hole in Philadelphia than Realmuto himself, so it makes sense that he and the Phillies were able to come to terms on a deal that suits both sides. Realmuto's average annual value of $23.1 million will be the highest ever for a catcher. It's hard to say the contract is undeserved, as he's been the top backstop in the league over the last several seasons. Heading into his age-30 season, Realmuto will presumably start declining sometime soon, but he showed no signs of doing so last season, hitting .266/.349/.491 with 11 homers and four steals in 47 games. He should remain a key piece of a decent lineup in a hitter-friendly park for the foreseeable future.

The Athletics announced Monday that Soderstrom will report to big-league spring training as a non-roster invitee.

After being selected in the first round of the 2020 first-year player draft, Soderstrom didn't get the chance to make his debut in affiliated ball due to the cancellation of the minor-league season. The assignment to major-league spring training will thus give the Athletics a greater opportunity to evaluate Soderstrom against higher-level competition, even though he won't be a serious candidate to break camp with the big club. Look for the 19-year-old backstop to make his professional debut at the rookie-ball level.

Sanchez and the Yankees reached a one-year, $6.35 million deal Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Despite a lackluster season during the 2020 campaign in which Sanchez lost out on playing time late in the year, the two sides won't need to go to arbitration during the offseason. Sanchez will have to compete for the starting role during spring training after slashing just .147/.253/.365 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI over 178 plate appearances last year.

Contreras and the Cubs agreed to a one-year, $6.65 million contract Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Contreras has been the subject of trade rumors this winter, but he remains in Chicago for now. Wherever he winds up, he'll remain one of the top offensive catchers in the game, as he's posted an average or better slash line in each of his five big-league seasons, including a .243/.356/.407 line last season.

Murphy signed a one-year, $875,000 contract with the Mariners on Friday to avoid arbitration.

The 29-year-old was expected to start behind the plate for Seattle in 2020, but he missed the entirety of the season after fracturing his foot in July. Murphy is expected to work in a timeshare at catcher with Luis Torrens in 2021.

Stallings agreed to a one-year contract with the Pirates on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

The 31-year-old backstop hit .248/.326/.376 with three home runs in 143 plate appearances last year. He was also a strong defensive catcher, so he should be the primary backstop in Pittsburgh this season.