MLB Player News

Grandal agreed to a one-year, $18.25 million deal with the Brewers on Wednesday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Grandal will receive slightly more than the $17.9 million qualifying offer he turned down earlier in the offseason. He was one of the best catchers in the league during the 2018 campaign, hitting .241/.349/.466 with 24 homers and 68 RBI across 140 games for the Dodgers. Look for Grandal to immediately slot in as the Brewers' primary backstop, representing a significant upgrade at the position.

Plawecki and the Indians agreed to a one-year, $1.1375 million contract Wednesday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Plawecki was acquired just three days prior and looks to be in line for a split with Roberto Perez behind the plate in Cleveland. Perez has never started more than 66 games behind the plate in Cleveland, typically playing a heavy backup role behind the now-departed Yan Gomes, but it remains to be seen whether Plawecki or Perez will be the leading man this season.

Perez signed a minor-league contract with the Orioles on Monday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The deal includes an invitation to spring training, though Perez seems more likely to open the season in the minors as catching depth. The backstop spent time with the Braves and Rangers in 2018, appearing in 28 games and slashing .143/.178/.214.

Plawecki was traded from the Mets to the Indians for pitcher Walker Lockett and infielder Sam Haggerty on Sunday.

Following the Mets' signing of Wilson Ramos, Plawecki looked to eventually wind up squeezed out of a roster spot in the big leagues. The Mets decided to use him as a trade piece, sending him to a Cleveland team that is a bit thin at catcher after shipping Yan Gomes away earlier in the offseason. Plawecki certainly doesn't possess the same offensive upside as Gomes, though, and his value is limited further if he ends up in a timeshare behind the plate with Roberto Perez, as the Indians employed in the past.

D'Arnaud and the Mets agreed to a one-year, $3.515 million contract Saturday, avoiding arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

D'Arnaud made it into just four games for the Mets last season before suffering a partially torn UCL, an injury which required Tommy John surgery. He's expected to be ready by Opening Day but will now be battling for a backup job with Kevin Plawecki and Tomas Nido after the Mets signed Wilson Ramos to be their starting backstop.

General manager Brian Cashman relayed last week that Sanchez has finished the "heavy lifting" of his rehab from left shoulder surgery and will serve as the Yankees' primary catcher in 2019, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News reports.

Sanchez was a major disappointment both offensively and defensively in 2018, slashing just .186/.291/.406 across 374 plate appearances while yielding 18 passed balls, five more than any other backstop. The 26-year-old's lack of defensive polish may force a move to first base or designated hitter down the line, but the Yankees remain hopeful that with improved health, Sanchez can acquit himself well enough to be a passable option behind the dish. For fantasy purposes, Sanchez still projects as an elite fantasy asset at the position if he can avoid the extended absences and terrible luck on balls in play that marred his 2018 campaign.

Plawecki may not begin the upcoming season with the Mets following the Wilson Ramos signing, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports.

Plawecki shared the catching duties with Travis d'Arnaud for most of the 2018 campaign, but he may be on the outside looking in after New York added a solid backstop via free agency in Ramos. The Mets could include Plawecki in a trade to acquire much-needed depth in the bullpen, per Martino, or Plawecki may simply end up at Triple-A Syracuse to begin the 2019 season.

Atlanta does not plan to hold further talks with the Marlins about Realmuto, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The Braves haven't been in touch with the Marlins within the past five days. They appear to be moving on after signing Brian McCann three weeks ago.

McCann agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the White Sox on Friday, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports.

McCann will provide some additional catching depth on Chicago's roster behind Welington Castillo after the team traded away Omar Narvaez two weeks ago. During 118 games with the Tigers this past season, McCann hit just .220/.267/.314 with eight home runs and 39 RBI after having a solid season at the dish in 2017. The 28-year-old should only be considered as a fringe option in two-catcher leagues heading into spring training.

Bethancourt has signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the NC Dinos to play in South Korea in 2019, the Yonhap News Agency reports.

Bethancourt spent all of last season at Triple-A Colorado Springs where he hit .297 with 20 home runs and a .834 OPS. At age 27, it's possible he could return to MLB if he's successful overseas.