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.

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.

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.

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.

Maile is expected to platoon with Curt Casali at catcher until the newly acquired Wilson Ramos (knee) is healthy.

The 25-year-old backstop slashed .227/.252/.361 with three homers and 15 RBI over 126 plate appearances at the big league level in 2016. Those numbers represented a notable improvement over his 2015 cup of coffee, which consisted of a scant 35 plate appearances and saw Maile generate a .171/.171/.257 line. With Ramos not expected back until late May at the earliest, Maile figures to see a decent amount of playing time while platooning with Casali to open the season, with his exact role after Ramos' return likely to be largely predicated on how he acquits himself during that period.

Casali is expected to platoon with Luke Maile at catcher until the newly acquired Wilson Ramos (knee) is healthy.

Despite slashing .186/.273/.336 over 256 plate appearances last season at the big league level, Casali displayed a knack for making it count when he did make contact, rapping out 18 extra-base hits (10 homers) and tallying 25 RBI. His bloated 32 percent strikeout rate certainly needs improvement, but Casali's solid work behind the plate and occasional pop is likely to keep him involved even after Ramos is healthy enough to play, which is likely to be in late May or early June. In the interim, he figures to platoon with Luke Maile to begin the 2017 campaign.

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.

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.