MLB Player News

Monell signed a minor-league contract with the Rays on Wednesday, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.

Monell is looking to make it back to the majors after spending 2017 with the KT Wiz of the Korean Baseball Organization. The 31-year-old backstop hit just .165/.395/.282 in 28 games for the Wiz, so he likely won't be viewed as anything more than an organizational depth piece in 2018.

Collins has been invited to the White Sox's major-league camp this spring, James Fegan of The Athletic Chicago reports.

Collins will join a long list of White Sox prospects headed to big-league camp this spring. The soon-to-be 23-year-old spent most of the 2017 season with High-A Winston-Salem, compiling a .223/.365/.443 slash-line and 17 homers in 101 games before earning a promotion to Double-A Birmingham. The backstop has flashed some serious power in his two years of pro ball, but that has also come with some contact issues (.229 average, 28.8 percent strikeout rate). With Welington Castillo inked to a two-year deal, Collins will have some time in the minors to correct his issues before the White Sox look to him for an everyday role.

Gosewisch agreed to a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.

The 34-year-old has seen his appearances at the major-league level decline each year since 2014, playing in just 11 games for Seattle this past season. During those contests, he went 2-for-28 with 14 strikeouts, and remains a likely candidate to start the 2018 season with Triple-A Tacoma.

Casali agreed to a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Thursday which includes an invitation to spring training.

Casali was recently released by the Angels on Tuesday after agreeing to an NRI deal with the club just a couple months prior. The 29-year-old only appeared in nine games with the Rays last season, and will likely only serve as added organizational depth for the Rangers moving forward, with Robinson Chirinos, Juan Centeno and Brett Nicholas all ahead of him on the pecking order.

Vazquez agreed to a one-year, $1.425 million deal with Boston on Friday, MLB.com's Ian Browne reports.

This was the first year of arbitration eligibility for Vazquez. The backstop took over the starting job by the end of last season, slashing .290/.330/.404 with five home runs, 32 RBI and seven stolen bases in 99 games. A BABIP of .348 shows signs of regression, but he should see more action behind the plate as Sandy Leon reverts into a more reserved role this coming season.

Leon agreed to a one-year, $1.95 million deal with the Red Sox on Friday to avoid arbitration, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

This was the second offseason of arbitration eligibility for Leon, who will receive a $650,000 bump in salary from last year. In 2017, the catcher hit just .225/.290/.354 with seven home runs and 39 RBI in 85 games after having a breakout campaign the previous season. He will serve in a reserve role behind Christian Vazquez during this upcoming season, but his ability to hit from either side of the plate will keep him relevant within Boston's lineup.

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.

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.

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.