MLB Player News

The Braves have agreed to a deal with catcher A.J. Pierzynski, CBSSports.com baseball insider Jon Heyman reports. Pierzynski's deal is expected to be for about $2 million, but it won't be finalized until January.

Pierzynski will fill a veteran presence to complement young catcher Christian Bethancourt, and the agreement also means the Braves are serious about moving forward with Evan Gattis in left field full-time, according to Eye On Baseball.

Pierzynski hit .251/.288/.337 in 338 at-bats between Boston and St. Louis in 2014. However, he managed to smack a combined 44 home runs over his previous two seasons.

The Dodgers and Padres have agreed to a deal that will send outfielder Matt Kemp to San Diego, confirms CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman. News that the deal had finally come together was first reported by Yahoo!

The trade has been in the works for some time, but was dependent on Kemp passing a physical. It was reported early Thursday that Kemp's physical revealed arthritic hips. The Padres had to to figure out insurance on the contract, which is why it took so long for the deal to go through.

Catcher Tim Federowicz will also head to San Diego in the deal. The Dodgers will send $32 million over as well. 

In return, Los Angeles is set to receive catcher Yasmani Grandal and pitcher Joe Weiland and Zach Eflin. Eflin is expected to be flipped to Philadelphia for shortstop Jimmy Rollins.

The 30-year-old Kemp hit .287/.346/.506 over 541 at-bats last year. Kemp is set to earn a little over $21 million in each of the next five seasons. 

The Diamondbacks selected catcher Oscar Hernandez from the Rays in Thursday's Rule 5 draft. 

The 21-year-old Hernandez hit .249 with nine home runs, 18 doubles and 63 RBI in 94 games for Class A Bowling Green in 2014. He has a career .275/.358/.469/.827 slash line in 292 minor-league games.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said he is "very comfortable" with the catcher tandem of Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart after failing to re-sign catcher Russell Martin, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Pirates acquired Cervelli in a trade with the Yankees.

"Francisco was an aggressive acquire for us," Huntington said, "and Chris did a heck of a job for us last year. We feel very comfortable with the defensive side, and we feel Francisco has some bat upside.

"At this point in time, we would feel very comfortable if opening day were tomorrow and this was our catching mix."

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has indicated catcher Alex Avila could see a lighter workload behind the plate in 2015, which means more work for rookie James McCann. Avila was behind the plate for 122 games in 2014.

"It's certainly open at this point," Ausmus said, per The Detroit News. "Clearly Alex has shown he has the ability to be an everyday catcher. He works well with the pitchers, they trust him. But I also think a guy like McCann has a very bright future. I like the way he catches."

Ausmus added Avila has no health limitations after enduring several concussions last season.

"A decision on who's No. 1 or No. 2 won't be made until spring training, or even if there is a No. 1 and a No. 2," Ausmus said. "Maybe there will be a split. I can't give you a full answer. All I can say is Alex is an established big-league catcher and I really like McCann. And (Bryan) Holaday did a really nice job as a backup last season. But a decision won't be made until March."

The Padres continue to talk with the Dodgers about a trade involving outfielder Matt Kemp, as it appears San Diego is the most likely landing spot if Los Angeles decides to deal Kemp, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

One deal being discussed would involve the Dodgers receiving catcher Yasmani Grandal and starting pitcher prospect Zach Elfin, sources said.

The Royals will seek to lighten the load of catcher Salvador Perez next season. He led the majors in 2014 with 146 games behind the plate.

"I can't catch Sal 150 games again," Ned Yost told CBSSports.com baseball writer Matt Snyder. "I'll kill the kid."

Including the postseason, Perez caught 161 games last year.

The Padres are looking like the most likely destination for Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, according to USA Today MLB columnist Bob Nightengale. The Padres are offering catcher Yasmani Grandal and another player in a deal for Kemp, who is still owed $107 million over the next five years.

CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman reported last week the Padres were one of three teams showing interest in Kemp. The other two were the Orioles and Mariners.

The Giants avoided arbitration with catcher Hector Sanchez, agreeing to a one-year, $800,000 contract, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Sanchez hit .196 with three home runs and 28 RBI in 66 games last season.

The Pirates have tendered a contract to 11 arbitration-eligible players prior to Tuesday's deadline, according to the team's official website. Those players include: Sean Rodriguez, Neil Walker, Francisco Cervelli, Mark Melancon, Chris Stewart, Travis Snider, Pedro Alvarez, Tony Watson, Josh Harrison, Jared Hughes and Vance Worley.