MLB Player News

Sanchez signed a minor league deal with the Angels on Friday, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Sanchez split the 2016 season in the Blue Jays and Giants' organizations, struggling to stay above the Mendoza Line in Triple-A at both stops. He's had a few brief stints in the majors, but at this point the 28-year-old figures to serve primarily as organizational depth behind the plate and will likely open the season back at Triple-A.

Gosewisch and the Braves agreed to a one-year deal on Wednesday and avoided arbitration.

He was claimed off waivers by the Braves last week, so they were obviously committed to coming to terms with him for the 2017 season. Look for him to jockey with Anthony Recker in spring training for the backup catching duties behind Tyler Flowers.

Ohlman signed a minor league contract with Toronto on Monday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports.

The 25-year-old catcher also received an invite to join the Jays for spring training. Ohlman hit .287 with seven homers and 44 RBI between two of St. Louis' minor league affiliates in 2016.

Jackson was traded to the Braves on Monday, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reports.

Jackson hit .243 and recorded 11 home runs to go along with 55 RBI through 92 games with the Mariners single-A minor league affiliate in 2016. The Mariners get Rob Whalen and Max Povse in return. The 20-year-old Jackson was considered one of the Mariners higher prospects at the time of the trade.

Pena signed a minor league contract with the White Sox on Monday, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.

He was drafted in 2010 by the Astros and reached Triple-A last season for the first time in his career. Omar Narvaez, Kevan Smith and Alfredo Gonzalez are all likely ahead of Pena on the organizational depth chart, but it is a very weak position for the White Sox, so playing time could become available. That said, he has never posted a wRC+ above 90 in seven minor league seasons, so the offensive upside is very limited.

Caratini was added to the Cubs' 40-man roster on Friday.

Caratini registered a solid season with Double-A Tennessee in 2016, posting a .291/.375/.405 line with six homers. He probably isn't seeing regular playing time in the majors anytime soon with Willson Contreras ahead of him, but he's looked decent enough that the Cubs chose to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Mejia was added to the Indians' 40-man roster Friday, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Indians weren't going to let Mejia get away in the Rule 5 draft -- he's one of the top catching prospects in the game (one of the top hitting catchers in the minor leagues, anyway). He posted a combined .342/.382/.514 line between Low-A and High-A in 2016, at one point hitting safely in 50 straight games. The 21-year-old figures to advance to Double-A next season.

Gallagher was added to the Royals' 40-man roster Friday.

The Royals opted to add Gallagher rather than risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. He advanced to the Double-A level in 2016, batting .259/.348/.359 with four homers and 24 RBI in 91 games. It's hard to imagine Gallagher will get a chance in 2017 with three other catchers on the 40-man roster.

Thole cleared outright waivers and elected free agency, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

He has never been good at the plate, but Thole was so bad in 2016 (.474 OPS) that he eventually lost his job as R.A. Dickey's personal catcher late in the year. His familiarity with the knuckleballer may help Thole continue sticking around the majors though, as the Braves have a need behind the dish.

Garver was added to the Twins' 40-man roster on Friday, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger reports.

The Twins protected him from the Rule 5 draft, as expected. Given the state of catching in the minors and the lack of a reliable one on the Twins' 25-man roster, Garver has understandably gained some steam as a sleeper at the position. He hit 11 home runs with a 118 wRC+ in 95 games at Double-A and dominated in a brief run at Triple-A, thanks largely to a .436 BABIP. Look for him to head back to Triple-A at the start of 2017, with a potential promotion to the big leagues at some point during the summer.