MLB Player News

Leon agreed to a one-year deal with the Red Sox on Friday, avoiding arbitration.

Terms of the agreement were not made public. Leon is coming off what may go down as a career year, slashing .310/.369/.476 over 283 plate appearances. However, every projection system forecasts massive regression, and he will have to compete with Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart for regular duty behind the dish.

Grandal and the Dodgers avoided arbitration Friday with a one-year, $5.5 million deal, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Despite playing hurt for much of the year, Grandal still managed to post a career-high .477 slugging percentage. He hit at an elite level when healthy, slashing .287/.410/.622 in the months of June and July, but the problem with him going forward is that he often isn't healthy. That aside, he remains a power bat with top pitch-framing skills behind the plate, so his spot with the Dodgers would seem to be secure.

D'Arnaud agreed to a one-year, $1.875 million deal with the Mets on Friday, avoiding arbitration, FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reports.

He is on track to enter the year as the Mets' No. 1 catcher, but on the heels of posting a 74 wRC+ with just four home runs and a .247 average in 276 plate appearances, his draft day price will be as low as ever. While a bounce back of sorts should be expected, d'Arnaud no longer looks like a high-upside option at the position.

Collins spent most of his time in the Arizona Fall League, catching bullpen sessions and refining his defensive skills.

The left-handed hitting Collins, the 10th overall pick in the 2016 draft, flashed as a hitter at High-A Winston-Salem, finishing with six homers and an .885 OPS in 153 plate appearances over 36 games. The White Sox know the kid can hit; now they have to develop his receiving skills. For those targeting Collins for fantasy leagues that carry minor-leaguers, don't be surprised if the hitting drops off as the organization has him focus on his defense. It happens to a lot of young catchers. Once the defensive part of the game becomes more instinctual, the bat will bounce back quickly.

Castillo signed a minor league deal with the Yankees on Saturday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

The veteran catcher spent last season in the Blue Jays' organization, slashing .250/.250/.344 at Triple-A Buffalo over 10 games. He figures to add depth at either Double-A Trenton or Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but a 32-year-old catcher that hasn't played at the major league level since 2009 is unlikely to crack the Yankees' 25-man roster.

The Braves have asked Jackson if he'd consider a move back to catcher, FOXSports.com reports.

Apparently, the talk of a possible positional change is "an ongoing conversation." General manager John Coppolella said this week that while the organization doesn't want to put too much pressure on Jackson, catcher "is a big area of need for us in the future." Jackson was regarded as a fairly strong defensive catcher coming out of high school and his bat certainly hasn't played well in the corner outfield so far at the lower levels, so a move would make sense. Jackson, the sixth overall pick by the Mariners in 2014, turns 21 later this month.

Rodriguez signed a minor league deal with the Twins on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The 31-year-old hasn't appeared in the majors since 2012 likely due to his batting average in the minors settling around the Mendoza Line since that brief stint. Unless something drastically changes for him, Rodriguez will likely act as an organizational depth piece in his new organization.

Rohlfing signed a minor league contract with the Twins on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The well-traveled catcher spent the past four seasons at the Triple-A level, but Rohlfing hasn't been able to crack the major league roster due to typically poor batting lines and strikeout rates north of 20 percent. Until he can solve these issues, he'll likely continue to dwell in the minors as an organizational depth piece.

Sanchez signed a minor league contract with the Padres on Tuesday, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

The Padres are expected to give Austin Hedges his shot to be the primary catcher in the big leagues, meaning Sanchez will likely spend another year in either a backup role or in an organizational depth role.

The Brewers traded Maldonado to the Angels on Tuesday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Milwaukee packaged Maldonado with Drew Gagnon to land a marginal upgrade at the catcher position in Jett Bandy. Maldonado graded out favorably behind the plate in 2016 and walked at a 13.8 percent clip, but the rest of his offensive numbers were less than stellar. Still, Maldonado would seem to have a leg up on Carlos Perez for the lion's share of the playing time in 2017.