MLB Player News

Plawecki will compete with Rene Rivera for the backup catcher spot on the Mets' 25-man roster this spring.

The team will give Travis d'Arnaud at least one more chance to prove he can stay healthy and effective, so Plawecki could find himself back at Triple-A Las Vegas for the fourth straight season. The 25-year-old has put up some good batting averages in the desert, including a .300/.348/.484 line in 190 at-bats in 2016, but has yet to translate that production to the majors.

D'Arnaud has spent the offseason completely retooling his swing, as well as working on his throwing mechanics behind the plate, the New York Post reports.

The 27-year-old catcher is coming off the worst offensive season of his career, and while d'Arnaud's inability to stay healthy certainly played a big role in his .630 OPS, the length of his swing was also an issue. Eliminating his habit of wrapping the bat around his head while in his stance, and taking a more direct path to the ball, could help him recapture the promise he showed in 2015 when he hit 12 home runs with an .825 OPS in 67 games. The Mets still have Kevin Plawecki and Rene Rivera on hand to provide competition, but d'Arnaud will get at least one more chance to establish himself as the team's catcher of both the present and the future.

Mejia will enter spring training as part of the team's 40-man roster, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Mejia captured the spotlight thanks to a remarkable season that included a 50-game hitting streak in 2016. The 21-year-old will likely begin the year at Double-A Akron, with an outside chance that he breaks the big league roster at some point in 2017. Although maybe not relevant in standard leagues just yet, Mejia makes for a great option in dynasty leagues. Signed by the Indians as a free agent in 2012, Mejia now ranks at the organization's No. 3 overall prospect.

Mesoraco is expected to begin spring training without any limitations, Jon Morosi of MLB.com reports.

This is great news for Mesoraco and Cincinnati fans, as the catcher has played a combined 39 games over the past two years. In his last full season, which was 2014, the 28-year-old posted his best numbers to date, slashing .273/.359/.534 with 25 homers in 440 plate appearances while earning his only All-Star nomination.

Deglan agreed to a minor league deal with the Yankees that includes an invitation to spring training.

The 24-year-old hasn't made it past Double-A in his seven seasons with the Rangers since being taken in the first round of the 2010 draft. He struggled at Double-A Frisco last season, slashing .194/.256/.332 in 294 plate appearances, striking out a tough 36.7 percent of the time in the process.

Moore agreed to a minor league deal with the Indians on Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

The 32-year-old catcher spent most of his time in Triple-A Columbus, slashing .247/.316/.365 in 329 plate appearances. He was briefly called up to the Indians, going hitless in five at-bats with four strikeouts. Given his career slash line of .197/.237/.303 in 292 major league plate appearances, he will likely serve as organizational depth again for the Tribe.

Gosewisch was claimed off waiver by the Mariners on Thursday, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

The 33-year-old has struggled across the parts of four major league seasons, accumulating a .199/.237/.286 line in 392 at-bats. He will merely serve as an organizational depth piece if he cracks the big league roster.

Stassi suffered a concussion in October while playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Stassi entered last season as the team's backup catcher, but a broken left wrist in March derailed his season. With just a total of 256 at-bats (13 in the majors), he tried to make up for lost time during winter ball, but that lasted just two games after a batter clipped him on the head on his backswing and was diagnosed with a concussion. He said he's healthy and ready for spring training, but is third on the depth chart behind Brian McCann and Evan Gattis. If neither of those two suffer a significant injury, Stassi, who is out of minor league options, will have to pass through waivers to remain in the organization.

Thole agreed to a minor league deal with the Diamondbacks on Monday, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

Thole was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays in 2016 after struggling at the plate to the tune of a .169 batting average over 50 games played. He has never been much of an offensive threat and will likely provide organization catching depth for the Diamondbacks in 2017.

Maldonado agreed to a one-year, $1.725 million deal with the Angels on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Prior to being acquired by the Angels in December of 2016, Maldonado acted as the Brewers' back-up catcher for the better part of the past five seasons. Known more for his defensive prowess, the veteran catcher owns a career batting average of .217. He'll likely receive a fair amount of playing time for the Angels in 2017, but doesn't figure to provide much of an offensive impact.