MLB Player News

Nola signed a one-year, $2.35 million contract with the Padres on Friday to avoid arbitration, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Nola put up a disappointing .649 OPS for the Padres last season while making a career-high 94 starts at catcher. He'll enter the 2023 campaign atop the depth chart but figures to cede a good amount of playing time to Luis Campusano.

Smith and the Dodgers agreed on a one-year, $5.25 million contract Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Smith will avoid arbitration after a very productive 2022 campaign in which he batted .260 with 24 homers, 87 RBI, 68 runs and a stolen base over 508 at-bats. Hitting in the heart of a stacked Dodgers' lineup, the 27-year-old will remain one of the best fantasy backstops heading into the 2023 season.

Caratini signed a one-year, $2.8 million contract with the Brewers on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Caratini has served as a backup catcher for the majority of his career. However, he's managed to top 300 plate appearances in each of his last two seasons while also grading out as a well above-average framer behind the dish. Entering 2023, Caratini figures to serve as the secondary catcher in Milwaukee behind William Contreras.

Wynns was designated for assignment by the Giants on Friday.

With Michael Conforto officially joining the Giants on Friday, Wynns will serve as the team's roster casualty. The 32-year-old backstop is coming off his best season since 2018, slashing .259/.313/.358 through 177 plate appearances in 2022. Wynns also managed to record a 1.004 OPS in Triple-A last season, making it even more likely that he will be scooped up by another team in need of help behind the dish.

Murphy agreed to a six-year, $73 million extension with Atlanta on Tuesday, which includes a $15 million club option for 2029.

The contract buys out three years of arbitration eligibility and could keep Murphy in Atlanta until the 2030 campaign, barring a trade. The 28-year-old was acquired from Oakland in mid-December after he posted a .250/.332/.426 slash line with 18 home runs and 66 RBI for the Athletics last season, and he also won a Gold Glove in 2021.

Moreno was traded from Toronto to Arizona alongside Lourdes Gurriel (wrist) in exchange for Daulton Varsho on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports

Moreno was able to make his major-league debut with the Jays in 2022, slashing .319/.356/.377 over 73 plate appearances, though most of his season was spent with Triple-A Buffalo. As one of the top catching prospects in baseball, Moreno should receive his fair share of starts behind the dish in Arizona, initially splitting time with Carson Kelly, who posted just a .616 OPS last season.

Casali signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with a mutual option for 2024 with the Reds on Thursday.

Casali had the best stretch of his career offensively with the Reds from 2018-20 when he posted a .785 OPS with 18 home runs over 485 plate appearances. He'll be aided by Great American Ball Park again but will be behind Tyler Stephenson on the depth chart and will also have to contend with Luke Maile for at-bats.

Barnhart agreed to a one-year, $3.25 million contract with the Cubs on Thursday, which includes a $3.25 million player option for 2024, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Barnhart spent the 2022 campaign with Detroit and had the worst offensive season of his career with a .554 OPS in 94 games. The defensive-minded backstop should platoon with Yan Gomes in Chicago following the departure of Willson Contreras.

Hedges agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract with the Pirates on Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

For as great as Hedges is on the defensive side of the ball, he gives most of that value back at the dish. The 30-year-old has a career 54 wRC+ (100 is average) and he's been below that mark each of the past four seasons. Even in two-catcher fantasy leagues, Hedges falls short of clearing the bar, though his addition should be a boon to the Pirates' pitching staff.

Narvaez signed a one-year, $8 million contract that includes a player option for 2024 with the Mets on Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Narvaez has spent the last three seasons as Milwaukee's primary backstop. He had a poor 2022 campaign with the bat, as he hit just .206/.292/.305 across 296 plate appearances. However, Narvaez is considered an excellent framer and should be a solid complement to Francisco Alvarez (ankle) -- a bat-first catcher. As things currently stand, James McCann and Tomas Nido are also on the Mets' 40-man roster, so it's unclear exactly how playing time will be divided.