MLB Player News

Rupp signed a minor-league contract with the Giants on Friday which includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.

The Giants obviously have one of the best catchers in the game in Buster Posey, though he's caught fewer than 100 games in each of the last two years, so whoever becomes his backup could make a fair amount of starts. Rupp owns a career .234/.298/.407 line in 296 games, numbers which don't excite but which are perfectly adequate for a backup catcher. He was stuck in Triple-A for the entirety of last season, spending time with three different organizations. He'll primarily be battling Aramis Garcia, who hit .286/.308/.492 in a 19-game cameo last season, for a roster spot.

Gosewisch inked a minor-league contract with Milwaukee that includes an invite to spring training.

Gosewisch has played in 137 major-league games over the course of his career, though only 11 of those have come since the start of the 2017 season. He spent the entirety of this past year at Triple-A Syracuse in the Nationals' system, slashing just .219/.310/.335 with three home runs and 25 RBI. The 35-year-old doesn't have a path to big-league playing time with Manny Pina, Erik Kratz and Jacob Nattingham ahead of him on the Brewers' depth chart.

The Indians traded Gomes to the Nationals in exchange for Daniel Johnson on Friday, Jon Heyman of FancredSports.com reports.

Gomes will likely split time with the recently-signed Kurt Suzuki at the catching position after spending the past six seasons as the primary backstop for Cleveland. The 31-year-old slashed .266/.313/.449 with 16 home runs and 48 RBI in 112 games in 2018. Look for Gomes to provide decent value as a cheaper option at a very thin catcher position.

The Tigers will not tender McCann a contract for the 2019 season, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

As expected, McCann will head to free agency after making just shy of $2.4 million this past season. The backstop slashed just .220/.267/.314 with eight home runs and 39 RBI in 118 games in 2018 and general manager Al Avila previously stated that the club would face a tough decision with McCann due to the Tigers being in a rebuilding mode. Look for McCann to find a home as a reserve catcher in 2019.

The White Sox traded Narvaez to the Mariners on Friday in exchange for Alex Colome.

Narvaez was one of the best hitting catchers in baseball last summer, slashing .315/.401/.502 with nine homers over the final four months. His 122 wRC+ ranked fifth among catchers with at least 200 plate appearances. This trade is great news for his fantasy value, as Narvaez appears primed to serve as a true primary starter with Seattle instead of splitting time with Welington Castillo.

Ruiz's contract was purchased by the Dodgers on Tuesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ruiz will move to the 40-man roster for protection from the Rule 5 draft. He should be in line to start the 2019 season at Triple-A after slashing .268/.328/.401 with 12 homers and 47 RBI over 101 games with Double-A Tulsa in 2018.

Stubbs was added to Houston's 40-man roster Tuesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stubbs will be shielded from the Rule 5 draft following the Astros' latest move. He's advanced to Triple-A Fresno in each of the last two seasons and appears to be closing in on his big-league debut after slashing .310/.382/.455 with four homers and 38 RBI over 84 games with the Grizzlies in 2018.

Zavala's contract was selected from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

Zavala was added to the White Sox's 40-man roster for protection ahead of the Rule 5 draft. He split time between Charlotte and Double-A Birmingham in 2018, hitting a combined .258/.317/.418 with 13 homers across 104 games. The 25-year-old backstop will likely head back to Triple-A to begin the 2019 season after struggling during his first stint with the Knights (.243/.267/.359 across 48 games).

Jackson was added to the Braves' 40-man roster Tuesday.

Jackson and several other prospects had their contracts selected by Atlanta in order to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. While he has big-time pedigree (No. 6 overall pick in 2014 by Seattle) and plus power, Jackson has struggled to hit in the upper levels of the minors. He posted strikeout rates north of 30 percent at Double-A and Triple-A while hitting just .201 across those two stops in 2018. Look for him to spend the bulk of 2019 back at Triple-A working on improving his on-base skills.

Grandal will decline the Dodgers' one-year, $17.9 million qualifying offer Monday, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports.

Grandal figures to draw plenty of interest as the best catcher in the free agent pool. While the 30-year-old struggled in the postseason, he was one of the best backstops in the league during the regular season, hitting .241/.349/.466 with 24 homers and 68 RBI across 140 games for the Dodgers. He's one of two catchers to have surpassed 20 homers in each of the last three seasons.