MLB Player News
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Tuffy Gosewisch C | WAS
Braves' Tuffy Gosewisch: Avoids arbitration
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.
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Alex Jackson C | MIN
Braves' Alex Jackson: Traded to Braves
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.
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Victor Caratini C | MIN
Cubs' Victor Caratini: Added to 40-man roster
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.
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Austin Nola C | COL
Marlins' Austin Nola: Added to 40-man roster Friday
Nola was added to Miami's 40-man roster Friday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.
Nola was a serviceable infielder at the Triple-A level last season, batting .261 with 23 doubles and a low strikeout rate, although he doesn't have much luster to his prospect shine. His defensive versatility and proximity to the big leagues could help him creep onto the major league roster at some point in 2017, but the 26-year-old's ceiling isn't overly high.
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Tuffy Gosewisch C | WAS
Braves' Tuffy Gosewisch: Becomes member of Braves
Gosewisch was claimed off waivers by the Braves on Friday, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.
The 33-year-old split time between the majors and minors last season, and although he saw little success with the Diamondbacks, he mashed with their Triple-A affiliate, amassing a .952 OPS in 58 games. Tyler Flowers still seems to be the top backstop in Atlanta, but Gosewisch's power and historically good contact rate could help him garner a backup role over Anthony Recker.
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Devin Mesoraco C | NYM
Reds' Devin Mesoraco: Rehab progress report
Mesoraco (hip, shoulder) will begin catching drills in mid-to-late January.
The Reds fully expect Mesoraco to spend the season behind the plate, rather than moving him to a corner outfield spot. However, it wouldn't be a surprise if he carried less of a workload than was expected prior to his injuries, given both his injury history and the development of Tucker Barnhart. This is all offseason speculation of course - let's see how he does with actual catching activity before locking in any estimate of playing time.
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Tony Sanchez C | TEX
Giants' Tony Sanchez: Outrighted to minors
Sanchez was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Sanchez split the 2016 season between two organizations, those being the Blue Jays and the Giants. He played with each clubs' respective Triple-A affiliate, but failed to make much of an impact. Over 61 games, he hit just .201/.351/.399 and posted a 22 percent K-rate.
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Jacob Stallings C | BAL
Pirates' Jacob Stallings: Outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis
Stallings was outrighted to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.
The Pirates trimmed down their 40-man roster by outrighting three players Wednesday, including Stallings. The 26-year-old Stallings did not have particularly good odds at sticking on the major league roster this offseason with Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart seemingly locked into two catcher spots for the Pirates.
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Travis d'Arnaud C | LAA
Mets' Travis d'Arnaud: Not a lock to be Mets' top catcher in 2017
The Mets plan "to at least keep their eye open for external options for their top catcher role," Adam Rubin of ESPN.com reports.
Injury issues continued to haunt d'Arnaud in 2016, with elbow and shoulder problems forcing him to miss most of the first half. It's hard to blame the Mets for being open to finding a more durable option, but it could be difficult to find a catcher on the market that can match d'Arnaud's upside and his price.
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Willson Contreras 1B | BOS
Cubs' Willson Contreras: Out of lineup Sunday
Contreras is out of the lineup Sunday for Game 5 of the World Series against the Indians, Carrie Muskat of MLB.com reports.
As has been the case throughout the season, David Ross will start at catcher with battery mate Jon Lester on the mound, forcing Contreras to head to the bench. Contreras, who is batting 9-for-33 (.273) with one home run in 33 postseason at-bats, could be called upon as a pinch hitter if the right matchup presents itself.