MLB Player News

D'Arnaud agreed to a one-year, $3.475 million deal with the Mets on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.

He gets a healthy raise over the $1.875 million he received in his first year of arbitration. Save for an impressive but injury-shortened 2015 season, d'Arnaud has been a pretty big disappointment, relative to his prospect pedigree. He will enter spring training in a competition with Kevin Plawecki for the starting catcher job, and in all likelihood, the two will split time pretty evenly this season.

Maldonado agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Angels on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

After splitting catching duties in Milwaukee over the previous five years, Maldonado was thrust into a starting role with the Angels this past season, appearing in a career-high 138 games. His offensive numbers left a lot to be desired with a .221 average and 73 wRC+, but the backstop flashed his elite defensive abilities en route to his first Gold Glove award. He's expected to be the primary catching option again in 2018, but his offensive deficiencies make him a very low-end fantasy option.

Grandal and the Dodgers avoided arbitration by agreeing on a one-year, $7.9 million contract Thursday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Despite the two parties agreeing on a contract for next season, it's still unclear where Grandal stands with the Dodgers' brass at this point. The backstop served as the team's starting catcher for most of the season, but his second-half struggles saw the hot-hitting Austin Barnes step into the starting role down the stretch. Still, Grandal hit a respectable .247/.308/.459 with 22 homers in 482 plate appearances (129 games), and given the fact that Barnes can play other positions, he should see his fair share of starts behind the dish, especially against right-handed pitching.

McCann and the Tigers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.375 million contract Thursday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The backstop is set to earn nearly $2 million more than he did in 2017 after the two parties reached an agreement for next season, thus avoiding arbitration in McCann's first year of eligibility. He enjoyed the best season of his career in 2017, hitting .253/.318/.415 with 13 homers in 391 plate appearances. As the Tigers begin their rebuild, McCann figures to be locked in as the team's starting catcher heading into next season.

Rupp agreed to a one-year, $2.05 million contract with the Phillies on Wednesday, avoiding arbitration, Matt Gelb of the Philly Inquirer reports.

Rupp slashed .217/.299/.417 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI in 88 games for the Phillies last season. The catcher will likely take on a reserve role in 2018, as Jorge Alfaro is assumed to hold down the starting spot. With Andrew Knapp also on the roster, Rupp may receive even less playing time, but that will depend on new manager Gabe Kapler's stance on keeping two or three active catchers. For fantasy purposes, Rupp is unlikely to make much of an impact barring an injury to Alfaro, and could be competing for a roster spot come spring training.

Perez appears unlikely to open the 2018 campaign with the Angels after the team signed fellow catcher Rene Rivera to a one-year, $2.8 million contract Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

It would seem the Angels are placing a premium on defense behind the plate heading into 2018, as Rivera, who has thrown out 36 percent of attempted base stealers throughout his career, will slot in on the depth chart behind Martin Maldonado, the reigning American League Gold Glove winner at the position. Since the Angels are unlikely to enter Opening Day with three catchers, Perez, who is out of minor-league options, is at risk of losing his 40-man roster spot through trade or being designated for assignment. Though the 27-year-old might have more perceived upside than Rivera, his inferior defense at this stage of his career along with his meager .224/.267/.332 battling line across three seasons in the majors doesn't warrant much of a commitment on the Angels' part.

Ohlman signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Tuesday which includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of FanRagSports.com reports.

Ohlman spent most of the 2017 season with Triple-A Buffalo, though he earned a few promotions to the Blue Jays throughout the season. He struggled at both stops, however, hitting just .216/.334/.401 in 90 games with the Bisons and .231/.231/.231 in seven games with the Blue Jays. While he'll have a chance to compete for the Rangers' backup catching gig in spring training, it will be tough for him given Texas already has three catchers on its 40-man roster.

Hernandez has signed a contract with Boston, Alex Kolodziej of FanRag Sports reports

Hernandez last played in the big leagues back in 2016 with the Diamondbacks, where he only made 11 plate appearances -- the 24-year-old catcher spent 2017 in Double-A Jackson, slashing a disappointing .197/.182/.348. Look for Hernandez to start the season at Triple-A Pawtucket, where he figures to provide additional depth for Boston's minor league system behind the dish.

Bethancourt signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Monday which includes an invitation to spring training.

Bethancourt has spent parts of each of the previous two seasons as a two-way player for the Padres, though he hasn't found much success in either role. The 26-year-old hit just .225/.261/.360 across 211 plate appearances with San Diego over the past two seasons while allowing nine runs (six earned) on six hits and eight walks across 5.1 innings over that same span. It's unclear if the Brewers will continue to use Bethancourt as a two-way player at this point, but at the very least, look for him to offer organizational catching depth in 2018.

Vazquez said that he needs to get better at calling a game, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports,

Vazquez carries a reputation as an elite defensive catcher but is still learning the art of pitch sequencing and playing to the strength of a pitcher. He's rebounded nicely from Tommy John elbow surgery in 2015 and emerged as Boston's leading catcher. The 27-year-old essentially split the catching chores with Sandy Leon in 2017, but Vazquez was the much better hitter (.290/.330/.404) and should get the greater share of at-bats in 2018. In addition to his surprising hitting results, Vazquez's arm came back to pre-surgery strength, as he threw out 21 of 50 would-be base stealers.