The Twins and Jeffers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $6.7 million contract Thursday, Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul reports.

It's a nice raise for Jeffers, who was in his final year of arbitration eligibility ahead of free agency next winter. The 28-year-old catcher slashed .266/.356/.397 with nine home runs across 464 plate appearances with the Twins in 2025. With Christian Vazquez not expected to return, Jeffers is set to be the clear No. 1 catcher for Minnesota in 2026.

The Twins and Jackson avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.35 million contract Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

He'll get a little pay bump in his first year of arbitration eligibility. Jackson was acquired via trade from the Orioles in November and is set to serve as the Twins' backup catcher in 2026 behind starter Ryan Jeffers.

Fermin signed a one-year, $2.1 million contract with the Padres on Thursday to avoid arbitration.

Fermin was traded by the Royals to the Padres in late July, and across both clubs he posted a .636 OPS with one steal, 32 runs, 13 doubles, five home runs and 26 RBI over 347 plate appearances during the 2025 regular season. The 30-year-old projects to be the Padres' No. 1 catcher to begin 2026 while Luis Campusano serves as the backup.

O'Hoppe agreed to a one-year, $2.625 million contract with the Angels on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

It's the first year of arbitration eligibility for O'Hoppe, who has operated as the Angels' primary backstop the past two seasons. The 25-year-old will likely retain the role to begin 2026 but may need to improve upon his .629 OPS from last season to maintain the job all year.

The White Sox claimed Romo off waivers from the Mets on Thursday.

Thursday marks the third time that Romo has switched teams this offseason after previously being claimed by the Orioles and Mets following his departure from Colorado. With fellow backstops Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero and Korey Lee already on the White Sox's 40-man roster, Romo is likely destined to begin 2026 at Triple-A Charlotte.

The Diamondbacks and Moreno avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.55 million contract Thursday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

It's a nice raise for Moreno, who was eligible for salary arbitration for the first time. The catcher was limited to 83 games due to injury in 2025 but had his best offensive season, slashing .285/.353/.433 with nine home runs. Moreno -- who turns 26 in February -- has breakout potential in 2026 if he can stay healthy.

Rutschman agreed to a one-year, $7.25 million contract with the Orioles on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

Much like the Orioles as a whole, Rutschman is coming off a disappointing 2025 campaign that saw him finish with just nine home runs and a .220/.307.673 slash line in 90 games. Top prospect Samuel Basallo made his MLB debut down the stretch last year and inked a massive extension in August, which is likely to cut into Rutschman's playing time behind the plate in 2026. However, Rutschman is still expected to operate as the primary catcher, with Basallo set to see significant action at designated hitter.

The Mets and Alvarez (thumb) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.4 million contract Thursday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Alvarez had been arbitration-eligible for the first time as a Super 2 qualifier following a season that saw him put up a .787 OPS with 11 home runs over 76 tilts. The 24-year-old was scheduled to have surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right thumb shortly after the season, but he's expected to be ready to go for spring training.

Fortes signed a one-year, $2.535 million contract with the Rays on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After being traded from Miami to Tampa Bay at the deadline, Fortes slashed .213/.307/.348 with 11 RBI and eight runs scored across 101 plate appearances. He could continue to split reps behind the plate with Hunter Feduccia in 2026, though Fortes was by far the more productive of the two backstops last year.

The Pirates and Bart avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.53 million contract Thursday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Bart's second year in Pittsburgh didn't go nearly as well as his first, as he finished the 2025 campaign with a .249/.355/.340 batting line and only four home runs in 93 contests. The 29-year-old is in line to share catching duties with Henry Davis again in 2026.