"It's not great news," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of the visa situation that has held up the two catchers' arrivals, per the Sun-Times. "[It's] looking like next weekend, at the earliest .... There's not much you can do .... We've just got to play this process out ...." Counsell had originally indicated that the catchers were "expected shortly" when they weren't in camp for day one, and then later said that the situation was "out of our control a little bit,"
During the 2021 International Free Agency period, the Miami Marlins signed the catcher to a bonus of $450,000. He received only 60 plate appearances that season with the Marlins' Dominican Summer League team, where he failed to hit a home run, but slashed .340/.450/.440 for a 159 wRC+. Duran repeated the level in 2022, slashing .224/.325/.406 with no home runs in 169 plate appearances.
Jonah Heim was a free agent in the first place after he got non-tendered by the Texas Rangers following two underwhelming seasons. He hit .213/.271/.332 with a .266 wOBA and 69 wRC+ last season, which would be an acceptable amount of production for a catcher if their defense was good. Unfortunately for Heim, his defense was not good in 2025 as he graded below average in plenty of defensive catching metrics in 2025.
"I've really planned to play any position they ask," Rushing said at DodgerFest on Saturday. "Whether I've played it before or I haven't, just - like I said - take advantage of every opportunity. I know catching, first base are going to be the main two."
The catcher began his journey through the minor leagues with the Dodgers, who signed him out of Venezuela in 2019. Valladares was one of a few Venezuelan catching prospects in the Dodgers' system alongside Diego Cartaya and Keibert Ruiz. Both Cartaya and Ruiz eventually left the Dodgers via trade, but Valladares remained with the Dodgers and trudged his way through L.A.'s farm system.
The Brewers have signed catcher Reese McGuire to a minor league contract and invited him to major league spring training, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reported last week that the two sides had been talking. McGuire is represented by Apex Baseball. McGuire, 31 in March, is a former first-round pick and top prospect who's played in parts of eight major league seasons with four teams - most recently the 2025 Cubs.
A tenth-round pick for the Astros in the 2019 draft, Stubbs was cut loose by Houston in May 2024, and he then quickly inked a new minor league deal with the Nationals. This stint in the Nats organization resulted in Stubbs' first taste of Major League action, albeit a small one - Stubbs' MLB resume consists of a single game, as he went 0-for-3 while starting behind the plate in Washington's 2-0 win over the Marlins on September 1.
BOSTON (AP) - Catcher Connor Wong and the Boston Red Sox agreed Thursday to a one-year deal for $1,375,000, a day ahead of the deadline for teams to offer 2026 contracts to unsigned players on their 40-man rosters. Wong can earn an additional $75,000 in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $25,000 each for 250, 300 and 350.
No doubt they need the likes of Springer and his suddenly rejuvenated offense, as well as Daulton Varsho and his Gold Glove calibre defense in the outfield, along with Kevin Gausman to dominate opposing hitters into submission. But if there was one player that the Jays can't afford to lose this postseason, that player is none other than Alejandro Kirk.
D-Backs catcher José Herrera went unclaimed on waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Reno, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Arizona designated him for assignment when Gabriel Moreno returned from the injured list last week. Herrera has played parts of four seasons as a light-hitting backup. He's worked behind Moreno for the past three of those. The switch-hitting Herrera has tallied 204 plate appearances this season. He has slashed .187/.285/.259 with a pair of home runs. He has hit a trio of homers among his 562 career trips to the dish.
Francisco Mejia signed a minor league contract with the Nationals and was assigned to Triple-A Rochester, coming off a stint in the Mexican League where he excelled. Mejia's earlier high expectations faded after several disappointing seasons. Despite challenges, he displayed strong performance in Mexico, highlighting potential resurgence opportunities.
