MLB Player News

General manager Mike Rizzo said Tuesday that the Nationals are preparing for Gomes to draw the majority of the team's starts at catcher in 2021, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports. "I think Yan's capable of it," Rizzo said. "It's such a demanding, physically taxing position that we certainly would like to take a little bit of burden off him. But I think he's capable of playing 90 to 110 games at least."

Gomes has been part of a roughly even timeshare with Kurt Suzuki in both of the past two seasons, appearing in 127 of the team's 222 regular-season games (57.2 percent) over that stretch. While the Nationals aren't expected to bring back Suzuki in free agency, Rizzo noted the team does plan to bring in another veteran backstop this winter, though seemingly not a player that would challenge Gomes for the top spot on the depth chart. With that in mind, Gomes -- health prevailing -- should be in a good spot to reach 400 plate appearances for the first time since his final season in Cleveland in 2018, perhaps making him one of the more intriguing fantasy options in a weak catcher pool.

Jeffers recently underwent a minor procedure to remove "loose bodies" from his throwing elbow but is expected to be ready for spring training, manager Rocco Baldelli told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Baldelli said Jeffers is "essentially back to normal already," so it sounds like a minor injury. Still, he'll be someone to monitor early in spring training. Jeffers had a strong rookie year and should be part of the mix at catcher for the Twins next season after hitting .273 with a .791 OPS. His outlook for playing time is uncertain since both he and Mitch Garver are right-handed. However, the Twins have made it a point to give catchers adequate rest, so the duo may split playing time even if not in a traditional platoon.

Bethancourt returned to the Phillies as a non-roster invitee Tuesday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Bethancourt filled the same role for the Phillies last season but never cracked the big-league roster. He's currently lined up to compete with Rafael Marchan for the backup catcher spot, though the team will presumably try to bring J.T. Realmuto back and push Andrew Knapp into a reserve role. Organizational depth is seemingly the role that suits Bethancourt best, as he hasn't appeared in a major-league game since 2017 and owns a career .222/.252/.316 slash line in 489 plate appearances.

McCann signed a four-year, $40 million contract with the Mets on Saturday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

McCann has been close to a deal with the Mets for several days, but he now has a deal in place, pending a physical. The 30-year-old had a career-best .289/.360/.536 slash line with seven home runs and 15 RBI over 31 games with the White Sox in 2020, and he should take over as the Mets' primary catcher next season.

Tromp announced via his personal Twitter account Tuesday that he signed a contract with the Giants.

The 25-year-old was non-tendered by the Giants last week, but he'll be rejoining the club on a lesser deal. Tromp made his big-league debut in 2020 and had a .213/.219/.426 slash line with four home runs and 20 strikeouts in 64 plate appearances.

The Orioles outrighted Wynns off their 40-man roster Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.

None of MLB's other 29 teams put in a claim for Wynns after he was exposed to waivers, so he'll remain in the Orioles organization as a non-roster player for the time being. The soon-to-be 30-year-old catcher has seen scant action at the big-league level, appearing in 60 career games while slashing .239/.271/.339 in 192 plate appearances.

Tromp was non-tendered by San Francisco on Wednesday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 25-year-old made his big-league debut with the Giants in 2020 and had a .213/.219/.426 slash line and 31.2 percent strikeout rate in 24 games. Tromp had a .999 OPS at Triple-A in 2019, so he shouldn't have an issue securing a minor-league deal somewhere.

Garver signed a one-year, $1.875 million contract with the Twins on Wednesday to avoid arbitration, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

The 29-year-old was set to enter his first year of arbitration but instead reached a deal with Minnesota. Garver struggled during the shortened season with a .511 OPS and 45.7 percent strikeout rate, but he's only a year removed from putting up a .995 OPS and 31 homers during the 2019 campaign.

Casali was non-tendered by the Reds on Wednesday.

Casali logged a respectable .866 OPS in 93 plate appearances last year, working primarily as a backup. He should be able to catch on elsewhere in a similar capacity, but he may need to settle for a pay cut.

Plawecki agreed to a one-year, $1.6 million deal with the Red Sox on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

He made a strong impression as a backup last season, hitting .341/.393/.463 with one home run and one steal in 89 plate appearances. There will be steep regression coming, but he should be locked in as Christian Vazquez's backup.