MLB Player News

Realmuto was extended an $18.9 million qualifying offer by the Phillies on Sunday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Realmuto will certainly decline the qualifying offer, but any team that signs him will now forfeit a draft pick as compensation, which could cost Realmuto a little money on the open market. However, as the clear top catcher in the game, he figures to be an appealing target for most competitive ball clubs this winter. He hit .266/.349/.491 with 11 home runs and four steals in 47 games in his age-29 season.

Perez's $5.5 million team option for 2021 was picked up by Cleveland on Friday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Perez sustained a right wrist contusion during Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series, but it's unlikely that the issue will impact his offseason plans as he prepares for another season with Cleveland. The 31-year-old also missed time earlier in the season with a shoulder injury, but he served as the primary catcher when he was healthy, slashing .165/.264/.216 with five RBI over 32 games.

Maile (finger) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and outrighted to the minors Friday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Maile missed the entire season after undergoing finger surgery. As a 29-year-old with a career .198/.252/.304 slash line in 216 big-league games, he's understandably not a major part of the Pirates' plans going forward.

Perez was claimed off waivers by the Pirates on Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The 28-year-old was apparently placed on waivers by the Rays, and the Pirates didn't allow him to get very far down the waiver order. Perez appeared in 38 games for Tampa Bay in 2020 and posted a .167/.237/.238 slash line with one home run and a 29 percent strikeout rate.

Barnes went 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored in Game 3 of the World Series against the Rays on Friday.

Barnes drove in his first run in the fourth inning on a safety squeeze, laying down an effective bunt along the first-base line. He followed that up with a solo home run in his next at-bat, putting the Dodgers up 6-1. It was Barnes' first home run of the postseason, though he's managed a strong .350/.381/.500 line across 22 plate appearances overall.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo homer Wednesday in a loss to the Rays in Game 2 of the World Series.

The 25-year-old swatted a solo homer in the sixth inning off Nick Anderson. The impressive catcher slashed .289/.401/.579 during the regular season while recording an impressive 164 OPS+.

Campusano was charged with felony marijuana possession in his home state of Georgia on Saturday, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Campusano was pulled over in the early morning and found with 79 grams (2.8 ounces) of marijuana in his car. Georgia law dictates that possession of more than one ounce of marijuana is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. What exactly will happen with Campusano, and how exactly his baseball career will be affected, remains to be seen.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Braves on Friday.

Smith provided the turning point of the contest, launching the homer in the sixth inning to put the Dodgers up 4-2. From there, the team never relinquished the lead to force Game 6 on Saturday. It was Smith's first career postseason home run, and one of the few bright spots for him this October. In 41 plate appearances, Smith has hit just .216/.293/.378, though he has managed to drive in nine runs.

Smith isn't starting Game 4 of the NLCS against Atlanta on Thursday.

Smith had a double with two RBI and three strikeouts in Wednesday's blowout win, and he'll get a breather for Game 4. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate Thursday.

Stassi recently underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip.

The 29-year-old had a strong 2020 campaign with a .278/.352/533 slash line and seven homers in 31 games, and it wasn't known he was dealing with the injury until undergoing an MRI at the close of the season. The typical return game is 4-to-6 months, so if his recovery timeline goes on the long end of that spectrum, he may not be ready for the start of the 2021 season.