MLB Player News
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Chad Wallach C | LAA
Athletics' Chad Wallach: Lands with A's on MiLB deal
Wallach signed a minor-league contract with the Athletics on Sunday.
Wallach spent time with the Rangers' and Angels' Triple-A affiliates in 2025 and slashed .248/.319/.430 with 43 RBI and 33 runs scored across 259 plate appearances. The 34-year-old backstop hasn't appeared in an MLB game since 2023, and he'll likely remain a depth piece at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2026.
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Jhonny Pereda C | SEA
Twins' Jhonny Pereda: Designated for assignment
The Twins designated Pereda for assignment Friday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
The 29-year-old backstop will be replaced on Minnesota's 40-man roster by Victor Caratini, whose signing became official Friday. Pereda slashed .246/.325/.333 in 2025 across 78 MLB plate appearances split between the Athletics and Twins. However, he finished the minor-league season with an .887 OPS across 192 plate appearances at Triple-A, which could be enough for another team to pick him up off waivers.
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Riley Adams C | WAS
Nationals' Riley Adams: Designated for assignment
The Nationals designated Adams for assignment Thursday.
The 29-year-old backstop appeared in a career-high 83 games during the 2025 season but was a liability when holding a bat, as he slashed .186/.252/.308 across 286 plate appearances. With no need for five catchers on their 40-man roster, the Nationals will now move on from Adams in order to make room for Gus Varland (undisclosed), who was claimed off waivers from Arizona on Thursday.
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Tres Barrera C | TB
Nationals' Tres Barrera: Back with Nationals as NRI
The Nationals signed Barrera to a minor-league contract Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training.
Barrera was drafted by the Nationals and broke into the big leagues with them. The 31-year-old catcher spent 2025 in the minors in the Rays organization and last saw action in the majors in 2023. Barrera will likely begin the 2026 season at Triple-A Rochester as catching depth.
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Ivan Herrera C | STL
Cardinals' Ivan Herrera: Begins throwing program
Herrera (elbow) was cleared to begin a throwing program earlier in January and is expected to begin hitting and defensive drills this week, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Herrera underwent surgery in November to remove bone spurs from his right elbow, an injury that limited him to designated-hitter duty in the final few months of the 2025 season. The 25-year-old is expected to be ready to roll for the start of spring training. Herrera will attempt to return to the catching position in 2026, though Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol indicated that the team's evaluation of Herrera at catcher will likely continue into the regular season. For fantasy purposes, Herrera will enter 2026 as utility-eligible only, but he could regain catcher eligibility early on.
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Victor Caratini C | MIN
Twins' Victor Caratini: Lands two-year deal with Twins
Caratini signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Twins on Friday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Caratini played with the Astros in 2025 and slashed .259/.324/.404 across 386 plate appearances while racking up 12 homers, 46 RBI and 35 runs scored -- all of which represent career highs. Now in Minnesota, the 32-year-old switch hitter figures to share time with Ryan Jeffers behind the plate and could fill in occasionally for Trevor Larnach as the team's DH against southpaws.
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J.T. Realmuto C | PHI
Phillies' J.T. Realmuto: Back with Phils on three-year deal
The Phillies re-signed Realmuto to a three-year, $45 million contract Friday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
The deal can max out at $60 million if Realmuto reaches all of his incentives. The backstop turns 35 in March and has been in a steady decline both offensively and defensively, finishing the 2025 campaign with a .257/.315/.384 batting line and 12 home runs over 134 regular-season contests. However, while Realmuto's best days are behind him, he remains a quality hitter compared to most catchers, still has a great throwing arm and is well-liked in the Phillies' clubhouse.
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Chuckie Robinson C | LAD
Dodgers' Chuckie Robinson: Signs with Dodgers
The Dodgers signed Robinson to a minor-league contract Dec. 18.
Robinson spent most of 2025 at the Triple-A level but did appear in one game with the Dodgers before being removed from their 40-man roster. The 31-year-old will give the organization some experienced catching depth at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
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Bryan Lavastida C | ATH
Athletics' Bryan Lavastida: Re-signs with Athletics
The Athletics re-signed Lavastida to a minor-league contract Dec. 18.
Lavastida split the 2025 season between the Astros and Athletics minor-league systems, hitting .279/.362/.438 with 10 homers in 89 games. The 27-year-old's only major-league experience came back in 2022, and he is merely organizational depth for the A's.
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Willson Contreras C | BOS
Red Sox's Willson Contreras: Pegged for cleanup spot
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Saturday that he expects Contreras to be his cleanup hitter this season, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.
Things could change based on additional moves the Red Sox make this offseason, but as things stand, Contreras is penciled into the No. 4 spot. Jarren Duran, Trevor Story and Roman Anthony appear likely to hit in the first three spots of the batting order, setting Contreras up for plenty of RBI opportunities. Acquired via trade from the Cardinals in December, Contreras slashed 257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs over 562 plate appearances with St. Louis in 2025.