MLB Player News

The Giants designated Sabol for assignment Saturday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The move makes room on the Giants' 40-man roster for Justin Verlander, whose one-year, $15 million contract was officially signed Saturday. Sabol spent most of the 2024 regular season with Triple-A Sacramento, where he slashed .246/.340/.388 with 11 stolen bases, 11 home runs and 54 RBI across 403 plate appearances. He appeared in 11 regular-season games with the Giants, going 10-for-32 with five walks, two doubles and one RBI.

The Diamondbacks claimed Pinto off waivers from the Orioles on Friday, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Pinto has slashed .231/.263/.404 with 10 homers over 82 games at the big-league level but spent most of 2024 at Triple-A Durham in the Rays organization. He is out of minor-league options, so the Diamondbacks will need to carry him on the Opening Day roster or attempt to pass him through waivers.

Heim and the Rangers agreed to a one-year, $4.6 million contract to avoid arbitration Thursday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Heim is entering his second year of arbitration eligibility and will earn a $1.5 million raise from 2024. He's coming off of a disappointing season, as he slugged only 13 homers with a .602 OPS across 491 plate appearances. Heim is currently projected to split time behind the plate with newly acquired Kyle Higashioka in 2025.

Kirk agreed to a one-year, $4.6 million contract with the Blue Jays on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Kirk will get a $1.8 million raise ahead of the 2025 campaign, which will be his sixth with Toronto. The catcher produced a .253 average with five home runs, 54 RBI and 23 runs scored over 103 games in 2024. Kirk will likely operate as the team's primary catcher again in 2025 with Tyler Heineman set to serve as his primary backup.

Stephenson agreed to a one-year, $4.925 million contract with the Reds on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Stephenson receives a $2.4 million raise in his second year of arbitration eligibility after slashing .258/.338/.444 and setting career highs with 19 homers, 69 runs scored and 66 RBI in 2024. The Reds' offseason acquisition of Jose Trevino shouldn't cut too much into Stephenson's playing time, and the 28-year-old still projects as one of the better offensive backstops in the majors.

The Marlins and Fortes avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract Thursday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Fortes, 28, has managed just a .222/.275/.344 batting line over parts of four major-league seasons. He sits atop the Marlins' depth chart at catcher but is not an appealing fantasy option.

The Rays and Rortvedt avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.125 million contract Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He was eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter. Rortvedt led Rays catchers with 328 plate appearances in 2024 but is slated to take a back seat to Danny Jansen in 2025.

The Reds and Trevino avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.425 million contract Thursday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Picked up in a trade with the Yankees last month, Trevino was arbitration-eligible for the third and final time. The 32-year-old will be the Reds' No. 2 catcher in 2025 behind Tyler Stephenson.

Raleigh agreed to a one-year, $5.6 million contract with the Mariners on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Raleigh will receive a $4.8 million salary bump in his first year of arbitration eligibility after setting career highs with 34 home runs and 100 RBI in 2024. While his career .218 batting average remains an issue for fantasy managers, the 28-year-old's power and consistent playing time make him well worth rostering in 2025.

The Twins and Jeffers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.55 million contract Thursday, Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul reports.

Jeffers had been eligible for salary arbitration for a second time. The catcher took a step back offensively in 2024 with a .226/.300/.432 batting line but still cranked a career-high 21 home runs. He's currently slated to share catching duties with Christian Vazquez in 2025.