MLB Player News

Mejia signed a one-year, $2.155 million contract with the Rays on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Mejia took a step back at the plate in 2022 with just a .645 OPS, and at this point it's difficult to see him turning into an everyday catcher. He will share time behind the dish with Christian Bethancourt in 2023.

Murphy (shoulder) and the Mariners agreed on a one-year, $1.625 million contract Friday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The catcher had to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery in late June, but he is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023 campaign. Murphy batted .303 with a solo homer and nine runs scored over 33 at-bats in 14 games with Seattle last season and figures to back up Cal Raleigh.

McGuire agreed to a one-year, $1.225 million contract with the Red Sox in January of 2023 to avoid arbitration, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

McGuire played in a career-high 89 games between the White Sox and Red Sox last season and had a .269/.307/.369 slash line. The 27-year-old hit especially well in 36 contests for Boston with an .877 OPS, and he currently projects to split catching duties with Connor Wong in 2023.

Jansen signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Blue Jays on Friday to avoid arbitration, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Jansen was superb at the dish when healthy in 2022, producing an .855 OPS with 15 home runs over 72 games. His playing time in 2023 could be affected by the Brandon Belt signing if it means more catching for Alejandro Kirk, but the reality is Jansen hasn't reached 250 plate appearances either of the last two seasons, anyway. He's still capable of being a viable second fantasy catcher even with a truncated workload.

Leon (knee) signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Leon, who underwent meniscus surgery on his right knee in October, is probably in line to begin the season at Triple-A Round Rock unless the Rangers are willing to carry three catchers. The 33-year-old saw action in 33 games for the Guardians and Twins in 2022, producing a .509 OPS.

Sands, Nick Maton and Matt Vierling were traded from the Phillies to the Tigers on Saturday in exchange for Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.

Sands made his big-league debut at age 26 last season but didn't stick around long enough to make an impression, going 0-for-3 with a walk. He hit a strong .308/.413/.428 in 57 Triple-A games, suggesting he has some potential at the plate, especially considering the low offensive bar at catcher. He'll compete with Jake Rogers and Andrew Knapp in spring training to earn the backup catcher job behind Eric Haase.

Gallagher signed a minor-league contract with the Guardians on Wednesday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Gallagher will head to Cleveland after being released by the Orioles in early November, joining the Guardians on a minor-league deal that includes an invitation to big-league spring training in February. The catcher spent the 2022 campaign as a member of the Royals, producing a .214/.267/.333 slash line with five doubles, five RBI and a run scored over 42 at-bats in 18 games. With newly-acquired Mike Zunino (shoulder) recovering from thoracic outlet surgery he underwent in July, Gallagher could find himself on the Opening Day roster if Zunino were to suffer a setback, though the latter is expected to ready to go for spring training.

McCann was told by the Orioles at the time he was acquired that he and Adley Rutschman could both see time at first base and designated hitter, in addition to catcher, this season.

McCann put up a .610 OPS over the last two seasons for the Mets, so it's difficult to believe the Orioles will actually attempt to squeeze him into the lineup very much on days he's not catching. Rutschman did see ample time in the DH spot last year, though, so if this is a route to save his legs then it's good news for his fantasy value. Even with a decent amount of playing time, McCann is unlikely to be relevant outside of deep, two-catcher leagues and single-league formats.

Godoy signed a minor-league contract with the Angels on Saturday.

A 28-year-old catcher who saw time in the majors in 2021 and 2022, Godoy projects as a third or fourth catcher on an organizational depth chart. He has a .123 average and 37.1 percent strikeout rate in 62 MLB plate appearances.

McCann has been traded from the Mets to the Orioles along with cash considerations in exchange for a player to be named later, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The Mets have been shopping McCann around all offseason and have found a taker in the Orioles. New York will cover $19 million of the $24.3 million still owed to the catcher over the next two seasons, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. McCann will back up Adley Rutschman in Baltimore, so playing time figures to be sparse. The Mets still have Omar Narvaez, Tomas Nido and Francisco Alvarez as catching options.