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Pitchers and catchers will be reporting to spring training in about three weeks but a slow offseason means there are still plenty of free agents out there. MLBTR already took a look at the center fielders still available and will now take a look at some notable catchers.
- Gary Sánchez: Sánchez has always had big power in his bat, having launched 173 home runs already in his career. But he’s often paired that with low batting average/on-base numbers, strikeouts and questionable defense. He wasn’t able to secure a major league deal last offseason, signing a minor league pact with the Giants and then opting out and signing another with the Mets. The latter club added him to their roster but quickly put him on waivers, with the Padres putting in a claim. From there, he went on to have a terrific season. He hit 19 home runs in just 75 games, keeping his strikeouts to a palatable 25.1% clip before a wrist fracture ended his season in September. His glovework has also improved lately, relative to earlier in his career. His joining the Padres coincided with Blake Snell completely turning his season around and eventually winning a second Cy Young. Snell spoke positively of his relationship with Sánchez during the year, as relayed by Dennis Lin of The Athletic, perhaps suggesting his game-calling could be viewed as a plus. There are warts on his profile but he’s clearly a strong player and should be able to find a better deal than he did a year ago. He’s going into his age-31 season.
- Yasmani Grandal: Grandal has long been a strong backstop on both sides of the ball, but he has tapered off lately. He hit .240/.355/.451 from 2012 to 2021, combining power with a keen eye at the plate, but that batting line has dropped to .219/.305/.306 over the past two seasons. He’s still a strong framer and was good against lefty pitchers as recently as 2022. The switch-hitter slashed .257/.409/.365 against southpaws that year but just .186/.265/.241 against righties, though that split evened out last year. Now 35 years old, he may not be able to get a job as a club’s primary catcher, but his defense, framing and switch-hitting ability should make him a fit somewhere.
- Curt Casali: Casali has never been more than a part-time player, but he’s been a solid one. He’s appeared in each of the past 10 MLB seasons, though never in more than 84 games in any individual campaign. He has popped 47 home runs in 1,454 plate appearances while walking at a 10.7% rate, leading to a .220/.314/.380 batting line. His 89 wRC+ is below average overall but pretty close to par for a catcher. He’s generally considered a capable defender as well. He’s coming off a disappointing season wherein he hit poorly in 40 games for the Reds before landing on the injured list in July due to a foot contusion and not returning. He’s now going into his age-35 season.
- Manny Piña: Similar to Casali, Piña has long been a serviceable part-time catcher. He has appeared in 10 MLB seasons, only twice playing more than 76 games. He’s hit 43 home runs in his 1,255 plate appearances and slashed .243/.312/.410 for a wRC+ of 91. He’s only played nine big league games over the past two years, primarily due to wrist issues. He underwent surgery in May of 2022 while with Atlanta, then was flipped to the A’s going into 2023 as part of the Sean Murphy deal. The wrist issues lingered into last year and he was released in August. He’s now going into his age-37 season.
- Mike Zunino: As recently as 2021, Zunino showed off his huge power at the plate, launching 33 home runs for the Rays. But the year after, he required thoracic outlet surgery and wasn’t able to bounce back. The Guardians gave him a one-year, $6M deal for 2023 but he was nowhere near his previous self. Strikeouts have always been a problem for him even when he was at his best, as evidenced by his career rate of 35.1%. However, that rate was all the way up to 43.6% last year as he hit just .177/.271/.306. Zunino was released in June and didn’t sign with anyone else after that. His defense is considered strong, so he could be a useful player if his offense improved with a bit more removed from his surgery. He’ll be 33 in March.
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Orioles claim pair of players
The Orioles have claimed infielder Vidal Brujan off waivers from the Cubs and right-hander Carson Ragsdale off waivers from the Giants, according to a team announcement. Brujan is out of options and must be added to the big league roster but has not yet reported. Ragsdale, meanwhile, was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles’ 40-man roster now stands at 37, so no corresponding 40-man moves are necessary. Brujan, 27, was a top-100 prospect in the Rays’ system for many years. He failed to establish himself at the big league level in Tampa, however, and hit just .157/.218/.221 across 99 games (272 plate appearances) between 2021 and 2023 for the club. Prior to the 2024 season, Brujan was shipped alongside reliever Calvin Faucher to the Marlins in a trade and he was able to take on a larger role with a rebuilding Miami club. With regular playing time available to him, his performance modestly improved. He remained a below-average contributor overall, however, with a 73 wRC+ despite a 19.4% strikeout rate and a 9.0% walk rate. Those solid discipline numbers were outweighed by a complete lack of power, less impressive speed on the basepaths than his days a prospect would’ve otherwise indicated, and a lackluster BABIP. While Brujan was versatile enough to hold onto a bench role for the Marlins, he was shipped to the Cubs last offseason in the Matt Mervis trade. He held onto a bench role with Chicago throughout the first half and had value on paper as a player who could help hold down third base while Matt Shaw developed in the minor leagues while also spelling Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field. Unfortunately, the fit didn’t work out as well in practice as Brujan posted an atrocious 43 wRC+ in 36 games and was designated for assignment just before the trade deadline. Ragsdale, meanwhile, is a 27-year-old right-handed starter. He was added to the Giants’ 40-man roster last November to protect him from the Rule 5 draft after he posted a strong 3.49 ERA in 14 starts at the Double-A level that year, but a career ERA north of 5.00 at Triple-A in conjunction with a 19.9% strikeout rate against a 13.0% walk rate at the level this year left Ragsdale as little more than a depth starter for a club with a number of viable young arms. San Francisco designated him for assignment to make room for top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt on the roster prior to the trade deadline. Now, both players are ticketed to join the Orioles organization. Brujan figures to join the club’s active roster within the next couple of days and could serve as a versatility utility option for the infield after Ramon Urias was traded to Houston prior to the deadline this past week. Ragsdale, meanwhile, could make his big league debut at some point down the stretch to help the Orioles eat innings amid injuries to key arms like Zach Eflin and Grayson Rodriguez, particularly after Charlie Morton was shipped off to Detroit.
Knee operation: Kirby Dach not yet back on his feet
Two years ago to the day, Canadiens fans were optimistic about Kirby Dach’s future in Montreal: the 6’4 forward had just collected 38 points in 58 games – in his first campaign in Quebec – and many wondered whether Dach had a better chance of establishing himself as a first NHL center than captain Nick Suzuki. The past 730 days have proven otherwise, but that’s not the point this morning. Since joining the Canadiens, Dach has earned a reputation as a fragile player. Virus, shoulder, upper body (concussion?), lower body, knee(ACL and MCL), knee again… Let’s just say that injuries haven’t spared Dach since he arrived in Montreal. In fact, injuries haven’t spared Dach since he started playing hockey. He has never played more than 70 games in a single season, and has only broken the 60-game barrier three times in nine junior or pro seasons. Last February, Dach underwent a second operation on his right knee in the space of 18 months. Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes may tell us that Kirby Dach is fine,but we still have our doubts. Especially whenyou consider that, with the Canadiens’ recent additions and departures, Kirby Dach is still the team’s second center on the organizational chart. content-ads]Last week, I wondered where Kirby was ? We’ve seen plenty of Habs players skating at the CN Complex this summer, but not Kirby Dach. And I had to work like a monk to catch a glimpse of him in a video filmed at Nick Suzuki’s wedding! Yesterday, I was told that Kirby Dach was spending the summer in Edmonton with Kaiden Guhle – Dach is from Saskatchewan and Guhle is from Alberta – and that Dach was still in rehab. I repeat: five months after his most recent knee operation and some 40 days before the start of practice camp, Kirby Dach is still not recovered and ready to play. Good informants spotted him in an Edmonton gym doing squats with loads that look like the ones I used to take when I went to Econofitness, not the ones an NHL player uses [content-ads]This explains it: when he came to Montreal for his captain’s wedding, Kirby Dach couldn’t – or wouldn’t – skate with his teammates in Brossard. It’s worth noting that Dach is also very quiet on social networks – his last post was in November 2024 – probably in an effort to be forgotten… to go unnoticed. Spending the summer in Alberta, rather than in Montreal (with his chums at Osheaga), makes sense, when you think about it…Let’s just say that the chances of Dach starting his season at the same time as everyone else in two months’ time are pretty slim, which is cause for concern for those hoping to see the Canadiens in the playoffs in 2026. Yes, the Kirby Dach problem would be solved if a guy like Mason MacTavish-good offensively, defensively, physically and in the face-off circle-came to Montreal, but let’s just say that the odds of that happening this summer are very low. And you can’t make plans with very improbable things![spacer title=’Prolongation’]Matthew Tkachuk, who was injured last winter while throwing down the gloves at the 4 Nations tournament, underwent surgery last month (hernia and adductor). According to the latest information from Elliotte Friedman, Tkachuk could return to action just before the Olympic Games. Let’s hope Kirby Dach doesn’t have to wait as long as Tkachuk.
Steelers Trade Package for Micah Parsons Predicted
If the Pittsburgh Steelers are viewing 2025 as a Super Bowl or bust-type season and want to stay true to the "all-in" strategy they've adopted this offseason, perhaps there's one more splash move left on the table. Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons requested a trade late last week, and while the likeliest outcome is that the two sides agree to terms on a record-setting extension that would surpass T.J. Watt's three-year, $123 million contract that he signed with Pittsburgh last month, there's also a world in which things go sideways. The Steelers aren't among the teams who need any additional pass rushers or necessarily would want to exhaust their assets by acquiring one, but there may be some wiggle room left to do so if they think landing Parsons is in the cards. Steelers Wire's Andrew Vazquez drew up a mock trade between Pittsburgh and Dallas that would send edge rusher Alex Highsmith, second-round picks in 2026 and 2027 as well as a 2027 seventh-rounder to the Lone Star State for Parsons. "The price to pay is undoubtedly steep — but there's no question the Steelers would boast an even more devastating pass rush with All-Pro DT Cameron Heyward on the interior and the edge rush duo of Parsons and former 2021 Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt," Vasquez wrote. Highsmith is a high-level player who's posted a combined 13 sacks in 28 games over the past two seasons and also logged 14.5 quarterback takedowns with five forced fumbles in 2022. The 28-year-old is under contract through 2027 with no guaranteed salary while carrying cap hits of $18.602 million in 2025, $20.102 million in 2026 and $21.102 million in 2027, per Over the Cap. Even so, a package centering around him and a pair of second-rounders likely wouldn't meet Dallas' asking price for Parsons, a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro who has never recorded less than 12 sacks in a single season. Paying two edge rushers top-of-the-market money in Watt and Parsons simply isn't realistic for the Steelers. Considering an extension would likely be a necessity in any trade for Parsons with the Cowboys, Pittsburgh can let his standoff with Dallas play out without getting involved.
Former Yankees Standouts Lose Jobs After Trade Deadline
The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and in its wake are dozens of roster moves making way for new faces in new places. As a result, several players got their walking papers. The list includes three former New York Yankees contributors. On Friday, the San Diego Padres designated for assignment infielder Tyler Wade and optioned reliever Ron Marinaccio. "Wade was the final roster casualty to accommodate newcomers Freddy Fermin , Ramon Laureano and Ryan O'Hearn," MLB Trade Rumors reported. "This is the second DFA of the season for Wade. He didn’t make the team out of Spring Training and was outrighted off the roster. Wade accepted a minor league assignment and was called back up a couple weeks into the season. " Wade played in 59 games this season, hitting . 206. The 30-year-old played in 90 games last year with the Padres, hitting .217. MLB Trade Rumors reports San Diego will place Wade on waivers. "There’s a decent chance he’ll clear, at which point he’d again have the right to elect free agency," according to the site. "He bypassed that last time around but may feel his path back to a roster spot with the Padres is more cluttered." New York selected Wade in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft. The versatile infielder made his major-league debut in 2017 with the Yankees. He played five seasons in the Bronx before being traded to the Los Angeles Angels after the 2021 season. Marianccio, a 30-year-old right-hander from Toms River, N.J., made two appearances this year with the Padres, throwing a total of 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball. The Yankees selected Marinaccio in the 19th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He played for New York from 2022 to 2024, posting a 3.22 ERA in 101 appearances. The Yankees waived Marianccio last September. On Saturday, the Chicago Cubs designated for assignment reliever Brooks Kriske. They needed to clear space on the roster for right-hander Michael Soroka, who went to Chicago in a deadline deal with the Washington Nationals. Kriske, a 31-year-old right-hander, threw six shutout innings over four appearances this year for the Cubs. The Yankees selected Kriske in the sixth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He debuted in the Bronx in 2020 and spent parts of 2021 with the big-league club. Kriske made a total of 12 appearances for New York with a 15.09 ERA. Yes, you read that right. He gave up 19 earned runs in 11 1/3 innings of work. The Yankees waived Kriske in September of 2021. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! What Yankees Are Getting in David Bednar, Jake Bird, Camilo Doval Former Yankees Outfielder Traded To NL East Contender Yankees' Brian Cashman Wins Deadline War Against Rival GM What Yankees Are Getting in Austin Slater Former Yankees Catcher Traded to World Series Contender
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