MLB Player News

The Rangers designated Huff for assignment Monday, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Huff has put up a .768 OPS with 10 home runs in 214 career plate appearances in the majors, albeit with a 33.6 percent strikeout rate. He never really got an extended look at the major-league level, but Huff should draw some interest via trade or waivers, especially if a team believes he can be capable enough defensively at catcher.

The Reds traded Jackson to the Yankees on Friday alongside Fernando Cruz in exchange for Jose Trevino, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Jackson split time between Triple-A and the big leagues as part of the Rays organization last season. He slashed .238/.322/.533 with eight homers and 20 RBI in the minors but wasn't able to find his footing in the big leagues, finishing with a .438 OPS over 155 MLB plate appearances. The 28-year-old signed a minor-league deal with the Reds in November but will now compete with J.C. Escarra in spring training for the backup catcher spot in New York.

The Yankees traded Trevino to the Reds on Friday in exchange for Fernando Cruz and Alex Jackson, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Trevino slashed .215/.288/.354 with eight homers and 28 RBI over 234 regular-season plate appearances in 2024 while backing up Austin Wells. With Tyler Stephenson already in Cincinnati, Trevino will almost certainly continue to act as a backup, but the 32-year-old's career .637 OPS isn't likely to earn him a spot in the lineup very often.

Johnson received a spring training invite from the Rangers on Thursday.

Johnson has played in the minors since 2019 and has been at Double-A Frisco since 2023. In Frisco, he has slashed .230/.348/.464 with 14 home runs across 311 plate appearances since he was elevated there. The 26-year-old has now received his second career spring training invite after last receiving one from Detroit in 2020.

The Mariners claimed Raposo off waivers from the Blue Jays on Thursday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Raposo, 26, slashed just .206/.280/.340 with eight home runs over 78 games at the Triple-A level in the Cardinals and Blue Jays organizations in 2024. He's a defensive-minded catcher who will serve as organizational depth.

The Angels acquired Robinson from the White Sox on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations.

The White Sox have acquired Kyle Teel and Matt Thaiss over the last week, so they had a surplus of catching depth. With Logan O'Hoppe and Travis d'Arnaud projected to be the Angels' catching duo in the majors, Robinson is likely to begin the 2025 season as depth at Triple-A Salt Lake.

The Cubs traded Thaiss to the White Sox on Tuesday in exchange for cash, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

The Cubs acquired Thaiss from the Angels in November, but after signing Carson Kelly to a two-year deal, the former became expendable and will now compete for playing time with the Sox. Thaiss slashed .204/.323/.299 with 16 RBI in 186 plate appearances last season, and his main competition during spring training figures to be Korey Lee and prospect Edgar Quero.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said on Dec. 10 in an interview on MLB Network that Bart will enter 2025 as the favorite to start at catcher, The Bucco Beat reports.

The Pirates acquired Bart shortly after Opening Day and he eventually emerged as the team's primary catcher, slashing .265/.337/.462 with 13 home runs over 280 plate appearances. Endy Rodriguez will be back from elbow surgery and Henry Davis is still around, so Bart will have competition for playing time behind the plate, but he'll enter the season with a leg up for the starting job.

Kelly signed a two-year, $11.5 million contract with the Cubs on Friday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Over 91 games between Detroit and Texas in 2024, Kelly slashed .238/.313/.374 with nine home runs and 37 RBI. While his numbers may not jump off the page, he'll still provide competition in spring training to Miguel Amaya, who managed just a .645 OPS last season.

The Blue Jays designated Raposo for assignment Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

The Blue Jays claimed Raposo off waivers from St. Louis in early August, and he went on to slash .246/.361/.311 with five RBI over 20 games with Triple-A Buffalo. He'll be stripped of his 40-man roster spot to create room for Yimi Garcia, who officially signed a two-year deal with Toronto on Friday, though Raposo will likely remain with the club as organizational depth behind the plate.