MLB Player News

The Cubs declined to tender Davis a contract for 2018, Bruce Miles of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

Davis wasn't actually arbitration eligible, but the Cubs cut him loose anyway, having decided that he was not worthy of a 40-man spot. He slashed .297/.357/.429 with six homers and zero stolen bases in 102 games at Triple-A Iowa as a 27-year-old last season.

Casali signed a minor-league deal with the Angels that includes an invite to spring training, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

He elected free agency after the Rays removed him from the 40-man roster this offseason. Casali has a career .199/.285/.385 slash line with 19 home runs and a 30.5 percent strikeout rate in 466 MLB plate appearances, although his defense behind the dish grades out well. Martin Maldonado is the clear starter in Anaheim, but Casali will be able to compete with Juan Graterol and Carlos Perez for a shot to be the backup this spring.

Stassi is the frontrunner to be the backup catcher to Brian McCann in 2018, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 26-year-old Stassi has served as the organization's primary catcher at the Triple-A level the last four seasons, first at Oklahoma City and then at Fresno. He's coming off his best season at Triple-A, hitting 12 home runs with an .856 OPS. To be generous, his major-league track record is too small of a sample size (79 at-bats), but his career numbers in the minors don't suggest a productive hitter in MLB. That could present a problem should McCann's career trajectory continue on the same path. The 33-year-old catcher, who had 349 at-bats in 2017, has seen fewer at-bats in successive seasons since 2014.

Jansen was added to Toronto's 40-man roster and is protected from the Rule 5 draft.

The 22-year-old catcher reached Triple-A Buffalo last season. Although he played just 31 games with Buffalo, Jansen managed to make an impact at the plate. He posted a great .328/.423/.552 line and drew 11 walks while striking out just seven times. While the Blue Jays may want him to spend some more time with Buffalo to start the 2018 campaign, but he could push his way into consideration for backup duty in Toronto at some point.

McGuire was added to Toronto's 40-man roster Monday.

McGuire missed much of the 2017 season rehabbing from knee surgery, but managed to play 34 games at Double-A New Hampshire. Over the aforementioned outings, he slashed a solid .278/.366/.496 and slugged six home runs. By being added to the 40-man roster, McGuire will be protected from the Rule 5 draft.

Trevino was added to the Rangers' 40-man roster Monday.

Adding Trevino to the 40-man roster protects him from the Rule 5 draft. Trevino had a bit of a down year during his first season at Double-A Frisco. Before 2017, he'd posted a batting average above .250 and an OPS above .700 in each previous season. However, over 105 games last year he slashed just .241/.275/.323 (.598 OPS).

Rosario cleared waivers and was outrighted off the Cardinals' 40-man roster Monday, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

The 30-year-old has appeared in just 23 games for the Cardinals over the past two seasons, hitting .171/.209/.429 in 44 plate appearances. With Yadier Molina and top-prospect Carson Kelly ahead of him on the depth chart, Rosario's path to the big leagues with St. Louis is very murky.

Casali was outrighted off the Rays' 40-man roster and elected to become a free agent, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 28-year-old backstop failed to break camp with the Rays and appeared in just nine major-league games last season. Casali has compiled an unremarkable .199/.285/.385 line in 161 games with the Rays over the last four years, so he'll likely be forced to settle for a minor-league deal in the offseason.

Sanchez cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent Monday.

Sanchez decided to head to free agency after being outrighted off the Padres' 40-man roster. He served primarily as a pinch hitter for the big club last season, slashing .219/.245/.423 in 75 games. Sanchez did manage eight homers in 137 plate appearances, though he'll still likely settle for a minor-league contract.

Haase was added to the Indians' 40-man roster Monday.

The move was made to protect Haase from the Rule 5 draft. The 24-year-old hit .258/.349/.574 with 26 homers in 95 games for Double-A Akron last season. With top-prospect Francisco Mejia and Yan Gomes ahead of him on the depth chart, Haase currently doesn't have a clear path to the majors at catcher.