MLB Player News

Gosewisch agreed to a minor-league contract with the Mariners on Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.

The 34-year-old has seen his appearances at the major-league level decline each year since 2014, playing in just 11 games for Seattle this past season. During those contests, he went 2-for-28 with 14 strikeouts, and remains a likely candidate to start the 2018 season with Triple-A Tacoma.

Casali agreed to a minor-league contract with the Rangers on Thursday which includes an invitation to spring training.

Casali was recently released by the Angels on Tuesday after agreeing to an NRI deal with the club just a couple months prior. The 29-year-old only appeared in nine games with the Rays last season, and will likely only serve as added organizational depth for the Rangers moving forward, with Robinson Chirinos, Juan Centeno and Brett Nicholas all ahead of him on the pecking order.

Casali has been released by the Angels and is now a free agent, Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports.

Casali originally signed a minor-league deal with the Angels earlier in the winter, but the 29-year-old was granted his release after the team signed Rene Rivera, all but ending his chances of making the Opening Day roster. He'll now look to catch on elsewhere, though given his paltry .199/.285/.385 slash-line with the Rays over the past four seasons, it will likely be another minor-league deal.

Vazquez agreed to a one-year, $1.425 million deal with Boston on Friday, MLB.com's Ian Browne reports.

This was the first year of arbitration eligibility for Vazquez. The backstop took over the starting job by the end of last season, slashing .290/.330/.404 with five home runs, 32 RBI and seven stolen bases in 99 games. A BABIP of .348 shows signs of regression, but he should see more action behind the plate as Sandy Leon reverts into a more reserved role this coming season.

Leon agreed to a one-year, $1.95 million deal with the Red Sox on Friday to avoid arbitration, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

This was the second offseason of arbitration eligibility for Leon, who will receive a $650,000 bump in salary from last year. In 2017, the catcher hit just .225/.290/.354 with seven home runs and 39 RBI in 85 games after having a breakout campaign the previous season. He will serve in a reserve role behind Christian Vazquez during this upcoming season, but his ability to hit from either side of the plate will keep him relevant within Boston's lineup.

D'Arnaud agreed to a one-year, $3.475 million deal with the Mets on Friday, avoiding arbitration, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.

He gets a healthy raise over the $1.875 million he received in his first year of arbitration. Save for an impressive but injury-shortened 2015 season, d'Arnaud has been a pretty big disappointment, relative to his prospect pedigree. He will enter spring training in a competition with Kevin Plawecki for the starting catcher job, and in all likelihood, the two will split time pretty evenly this season.

Maldonado agreed to a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the Angels on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

After splitting catching duties in Milwaukee over the previous five years, Maldonado was thrust into a starting role with the Angels this past season, appearing in a career-high 138 games. His offensive numbers left a lot to be desired with a .221 average and 73 wRC+, but the backstop flashed his elite defensive abilities en route to his first Gold Glove award. He's expected to be the primary catching option again in 2018, but his offensive deficiencies make him a very low-end fantasy option.

Grandal and the Dodgers avoided arbitration by agreeing on a one-year, $7.9 million contract Thursday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

Despite the two parties agreeing on a contract for next season, it's still unclear where Grandal stands with the Dodgers' brass at this point. The backstop served as the team's starting catcher for most of the season, but his second-half struggles saw the hot-hitting Austin Barnes step into the starting role down the stretch. Still, Grandal hit a respectable .247/.308/.459 with 22 homers in 482 plate appearances (129 games), and given the fact that Barnes can play other positions, he should see his fair share of starts behind the dish, especially against right-handed pitching.

McCann and the Tigers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.375 million contract Thursday, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

The backstop is set to earn nearly $2 million more than he did in 2017 after the two parties reached an agreement for next season, thus avoiding arbitration in McCann's first year of eligibility. He enjoyed the best season of his career in 2017, hitting .253/.318/.415 with 13 homers in 391 plate appearances. As the Tigers begin their rebuild, McCann figures to be locked in as the team's starting catcher heading into next season.

Rupp agreed to a one-year, $2.05 million contract with the Phillies on Wednesday, avoiding arbitration, Matt Gelb of the Philly Inquirer reports.

Rupp slashed .217/.299/.417 with 14 home runs and 34 RBI in 88 games for the Phillies last season. The catcher will likely take on a reserve role in 2018, as Jorge Alfaro is assumed to hold down the starting spot. With Andrew Knapp also on the roster, Rupp may receive even less playing time, but that will depend on new manager Gabe Kapler's stance on keeping two or three active catchers. For fantasy purposes, Rupp is unlikely to make much of an impact barring an injury to Alfaro, and could be competing for a roster spot come spring training.