MLB Player News

The Orioles and Rutschman avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $5.5 million contract Thursday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Rutschman receives a well-earned raise in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The switch-hitting catcher trailed off in the second half of the 2024 regular season for the Orioles but still popped 19 home runs and drove in 79 runs.

Bart and the Pirates avoided arbitration Thursday by agreeing to a one-year, $1.75 million deal, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft was unable to establish himself as the Giants' long-term answer at catcher over parts of four seasons in the big leagues, but the 28-year-old benefited from a change of scenery after he was shipped to Pittsburgh in April. He ended the 2024 campaign as the Pirates' top catcher, having slashed .265/.337/.462 with 13 home runs, 45 RBI and 38 runs across 282 plate appearances. The Pirates have 2021 No. 1 overall pick Henry Davis and 24-year-old Endy Rodriguez on hand as intriguing young options at catcher, but based on his performance last season, Bart will enter spring training as the favorite to open the 2025 campaign as the Bucs' top backstop.

The Twins acquired Cartaya from the Dodgers on Thursday in exchange for minor-league right-hander Jose Vasquez.

Once regarded as the one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball, the 23-year-old Cartaya has seen his stock plummet over the past two seasons while his plate skills and power output have both trended downward during his stops between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. With Dalton Rushing also leapfrogging Cartaya on the organizational catching depth chart, the Dodgers elected to move Cartaya off the 40-man roster last week, even though he still has a minor-league option remaining. The Twins have swooped in to take a chance on Cartaya, but he'll still likely be headed to the Triple-A level to begin the 2025 campaign with Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez locked in as the catching tandem at the big-league level.

The Padres and Campusano avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1 million contract Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

It was Campusano's first year of arbitration eligibility. The 26-year-old entered last season as the Padres' top catcher, but he was eventually passed on the depth chart by Kyle Higashioka and finished with just a .227/.281/.361 slash line while spending some time in the minors. Higashioka is now with the Rangers and Campusano is currently at the top of the catching hierarchy again in San Diego, but it wouldn't be a surprise if the club brought someone in to at least share the job.

The Tigers and Rogers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.64 million contract Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Rogers had been arbitration-eligible for a second time. The catcher slashed a disappointing .197/.255/.352 with 10 home runs in 2024, but he remains a trusted receiver and is slated to open 2025 at the top of the Tigers' catching depth chart.

The Nationals and Adams avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $850,000 contract Thursday, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.

Adams is a career .224/.304/.378 hitter over parts of four big-league seasons and was eligible for arbitration for the first time. He's out of minor-league options, so he'll either open 2025 as the Nationals' backup catcher or be exposed to waivers.

The Giants claimed Huff off waivers from the Rangers on Wednesday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Huff has held his own during his rare opportunities in the majors with a .768 OPS and 10 home runs in 214 career plate appearances, although that's come with a 33.6 percent strikeout rate. He's out of options, so the Giants will need to carry him on their Opening Day roster in 2025 or put him back through waivers.

The Orioles designated Pinto for assignment Friday, Danielle Allentuck of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.

Baltimore claimed the 28-year-old off waivers in November to compete for the backup catcher spot, but he became expendable after the O's signed Gary Sanchez to a one-year deal in December. Pinto will forfeit his spot on the 40-man roster to make room for the newly signed Charlie Morton and once again hit the waiver wire. Pinto has slashed .231/.263/.404 with 32 RBI over 83 career games in the majors, all with the Rays.

The Dodgers designated Cartaya for assignment Friday, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The transaction clears a spot on the 40-man roster for the signing of Hyeseong Kim. Cartaya was one of the top prospects in baseball just a couple years ago, but he slashed only .189/.278/.379 at Double-A Tulsa in 2023 and .221/.323/.363 between Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2024. He's just 23, so Cartaya should draw trade or waivers interest from an organization with a 40-man roster that's not as loaded as the Dodgers'.

The Guardians signed Anchia to a minor-league contract Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training.

Anchia's agent, Gavin Kahn, broke the news. The 27-year-old catcher spent the 2024 season at Double-A Arkansas in the Mariners organization, slashing just .210/.246/.358 with nine home runs over 85 games. Anchia has yet to reach the major-league level and is unlikely to do so in 2025.