• Longtime catcher Chris Stewart has called it quits, Andy Martino of SNY tweets. Stewart entered the pros as a 12th-round pick of the White Sox in 2001 and went on to play with them as well as the Rangers, Yankees, Padres, Giants, Pirates, Braves and Diamondbacks from 2006-18. Although Stewart hit just .230/.297/.291 with nine home runs in 1,334 major league plate appearances, he earned the trust of plenty of teams behind the plate. The 37-year-old threw out 28 percent of would-be base stealers and garnered high marks from Baseball Prospectus’ Fielding Runs Above Average metric.
• Long Island Ducks outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis has also retired, the team announced. The former Met, 31, gave up baseball on the four-year anniversary of his personal masterpiece – a three-home run game against the Diamondbacks on July 12, 2015. Nieuwenheis was a third-round pick of the Mets in 2008 who also went on to see MLB action with the Brewers and Angels. He combined to hit .221/.311/.384 with 31 homers and 20 stolen bases over 1,116 plate appearances from 2012-17. Nieuwenhuis spent a greater amount of time at the Triple-A level, batting .253/.348/.441 with 49 HRs and 27 steals in 1,616 PA.

• Veteran catcher Chris Stewart has opted out of his deal with the Padres, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports. The 12-year MLB vet, a reliable backup for the Giants, Yankees and Pirates, among others, since his debut all the way back in 2006, will again look to provide defensive stability for a club in the stretch run. Stewart’s never hit much, with a career line of .230/.297/.291, but does flash occasional on-base ability and unexpected pop against quality lefties. In 73 plate appearances for Triple-A El Paso this season, Stewart slashed .277/.333/.354 with a lone homer. He led all MLB catchers in 2011 with 21 defensive runs saved in a mere 460 innings behind the dish.
• Righty Jeanmar Gomez has been placed on unconditional release waivers by the Rangers, per the club. The 31-year-old was designated for assignment by the club last week. Gomez was a capable performer for the Pirates and Phillies from 2013-16, but has fallen on hard times in recent seasons. He’s had particular difficulty with stranding runners – a 55.2% LOB mark in ’19 spelled his end in Texas, the latest in a disturbing trend that began in the 2016 season, when his grounder-heavy excellence began slowly to erode.

Stewart, 37 next month, has appeared in parts of 12 big league seasons and frequently served as a backup or third-string catcher throughout that time. A career .230/.297/.291 hitter in 1334 plate appearances, the defensive-minded veteran split last season between the Braves and D-backs organization, appearing in just eight games. Prior to that, Stewart spent four seasons in Pittsburgh, where he totaled 192 games of reserve work for the Pirates. Stewart has consistently graded out as a strong pitch framer and been solid in terms of blocking pitches in the dirt, per Baseball Prospectus, and he’s also registered a slightly better-than-average 28 percent caught-stealing rate in his career.

The 26-year-old Powell (not to be confused with the 1970 AL MVP and four-time All-Star) spent the 2018 season with the Athletics organization after Oakland acquired him in the 2017 swap that sent Yonder Alonso to Seattle. It was actually the A’s who originally drafted Powell back in 2012, though it took a series of three trades for him to eventually land in the big leagues in green and gold.

In 59 games and 160 plate appearances at baseball’s top level, Powell is a .262/.333/.383 hitter with three homers, six doubles, a triple and a steal. He’s capable of playing all three outfield positions and has shown a knack for getting on base but limited power during his time in the upper minors; in parts of four Triple-A seasons, Powell is a .276/.358/.371 hitter.

5:27pm: The Diamondbacks have agreed to a deal to acquire veteran catcher Chris Stewart from the Braves, per Robert Murray of The Athletic (via Twitter). Cash or a player to be named later will head to Atlanta in return, The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan tweets.

Stewart had been designated for assignment recently. He had briefly returned to the majors after being designated and outrighted earlier in the season. When the Braves acquired third catcher Rene Rivera yesterday, it became clear that Stewart wasn’t in their plans down the stretch.

While the D-Backs already have three catchers on their active roster, this’ll represent another depth piece for an organization that obviously values having options behind the dish. Stewart is not on the 40-man roster at present, but would need to be added to join the active roster.

Though he has rarely hit much at all in the majors, the 36-year-old is valued for his work behind the dish and in managing a staff. He has spent most of the present season at Triple-A, where he carries a .219/.299/.277 slash in 156 plate appearances.

This is the second time this year the Braves have designated Stewart, whom they just brought back to the majors this past Wednesday. Atlanta has used the 36-year-old journeyman sparingly when he has been in the majors this season, as he has totaled just 16 plate appearances. Stewart has spent the majority of 2018 with Gwinnett, where he has batted just .209/.287/.269 line with no home runs in 152 trips to the plate. That line’s fairly similar to the .230/.297/.292 slash Stewart has put up across 1,333 major league PAs.

The reason for the promotion seems to be an injury to catcher Kurt Suzuki, which he sustained last night upon being hit on the elbow/triceps area by a fastball from Pirates righty Clay Holmes. Fortunately, the Atlanta organization announced earlier today that Suzuki was cleared of a fracture and has been diagnosed only with a left triceps contusion. Whether a stint on the DL will be required is not yet known, but if one is deemed necessary, it doesn’t seem that it’ll come today. Outfielder Michael Reed was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett to open roster space for Stewart’s return.

Stewart, 36, rarely strikes out but has never hit much in the majors and has struggled in particular since the start of the 2016 season. He’s slashing only .209/.287/.269 this year in 152 Triple-A plate appearances with Gwinnett. Still, Stewart is regarded as a sturdy, defensive-minded reserve option to have on hand and will be trusted to support Tyler Flowers as needed while Suzuki is unavailable. He’s gone 10-for-27 (37 percent) in halting stolen bases at the Triple-A level this season and has a solid track record in terms of pitch framing.

• The Braves announced that catcher Chris Stewart was outrighted after clearing waivers. He has accepted the assignment to Triple-A, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter). The 36-year-old opened as the third catcher in Atlanta but saw plenty of time in the first week of the season owing to injuries. Still, he was clearly on the chopping block at the first moment a roster need arose, especially once the club acquired younger receiver Carlos Perez. Stewart will remain on hand for depth if and when a need arises. He’s considered a sturdy presence behind the dish, but owns only a .230/.297/.292 lifetime batting line in the majors.
• Outfielder Darrell Ceciliani and left-handed reliever Kevin Chapman have signed with the New Britain Bees of the independent Atlantic League, the club announced. The 27-year-old Ceciliani has spent parts of the past three seasons in the Majors with the Mets and Blue Jays, hitting a combined .190/.250/.300 in 109 plate appearances. However, he’s a career .282/.336/.459 hitter in parts of three Triple-A seasons. Chapman, meanwhile, logged innings with the Astros from 2013-16, pitching to a combined 4.09 ERA with 7.9 K/9 against 5.1 BB/9 in a total of 55 innings. The 30-year-old has averaged 11.1 K/9 and notched a 3.96 ERA in 231 2/3 Triple-A innings, though he was hammered for a 6.65 ERA between the Triple-A affiliates for the Braves and Twins last year.
• Former Astros reliever Josh Zeid announced on Twitter today that he’s formally retiring as a player. The 31-year-old hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2014, but he’s logged plenty of Triple-A innings since spending two seasons in the Houston bullpen. Zeid also took pride in serving as the closer for Team Israel’s 2017 World Baseball Classic club, during which he tossed 10 shutout innings with a 10-to-6 K/BB ratio and notched a pair of saves. A former 10th-round draft pick out of Tulane (Phillies, 2009), Zeid retires with a 4.39 ERA in 650 minor league innings and a 5.21 ERA in 48 1/3 MLB frames.
• Right-hander Brandon Cunniff, who tossed 52 innings of 4.50 ERA ball with 9.2 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 with the 2015-16 Braves, has signed a deal with the Mexican League’s Bravos de Leon, according to the team. The 29-year-old spent the 2017 season with Miami’s Triple-A affiliate in New Orleans, where he worked to a 4.45 ERA with 54 punchouts against 28 walks in 54 2/3 innings out of the bullpen.

Stewart, 36, joined the Atlanta organization on a non-guaranteed MLB deal over the winter. He made the Opening Day roster, though it’s not known what financial obligations the Braves will carry after today’s move. (It is possible that the club worked out an advanced consent agreement in advance to avoid being on the hook for a full season of salary.)

The veteran receiver received quite a bit of action early in 2018 with both Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki dealing with injuries. But the Braves ended up landing another option in Carlos Perez, obviating the need to continue carrying the light-hitting Stewart with the top two backstops on the mend.

As for Jackson, he had been bounced from the 40-man roster in late December but will get an early shot at redemption. Of course, he could ultimately also be a roster casualty when a need arises. The 26-year-old owns a 5.64 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 68 2/3 total MLB innings.

9:52am: The Braves have announced a series of roster moves that set up the team’s Opening Day, 25-man unit. Third baseman Rio Ruiz has been optioned while non-roster players including righty Anibal Sanchez, outfielders Ezequiel Carrera and Danny Santana, and infielder Sean Kazmar were reassigned out of MLB camp.

These decisions reflect some shifts in thinking over recent days. It had seemed that Ruiz would open up with a shot at third base due to an injury to Johan Camargo. But the organization ended up snagging Ryan Flaherty, who now is set up to get some run at the hot corner in concert with utilityman Charlie Culberson.

Likewise, Santana long seemed a likely candidate to take a utility role from the bench, but the recent signing of Peter Bourjos seems to have bumped Santana from the immediate plans. As MLB.com’s Mark Bowman suggested earlier today on Twitter, Santana (along with Carrera) can be stashed at Triple-A to begin the season. That’s preferable to boosting either player to the 40-man and perhaps then facing an early call when it comes time to add a fifth starter. Instead, Lane Adams will now likely take an Opening Day job, barring an intervening acquisition, though the out-of-options outfielder could now be vulnerable when the roster pressure arises.

Speaking of that fifth starter’s spot, it seems the expectation remains that Sanchez will ultimately ascend to the rotation. For now, though, he’ll be assigned to Triple-A. If and when he does come up, he’ll need to be added to the 40-man roster.

While this slate of moves allows the Braves to avoid any final decisions — since control rights have been maintained over all the team’s options — that doesn’t mean that some moments of reckoning won’t soon arise. As we discussed in our review of the club’s offseason, this roster seems primed to undergo a fair bit of turnover at the start and over the course of the 2018 season.

• The Mets had Bud Norris “on their board” before the veteran right-hander signed with the Cardinals, The Athletic’s Marc Carig reports (Twitter link).  Norris’ versatility as both a reliever and a potential swingman or spot starter intrigued the Mets, who may or may not be still looking for rotation depth.
• Juan Lagares’ name has surfaced in some trade rumors over the offseason, though MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (Twitter link) doubts the Mets would part with the defensively-gifted outfielder.  The team is thin on outfield depth as it is, and Lagares is penciled in as the starting center fielder until Michael Conforto is healthy.  Dealing Lagares (who is owed $15.5MM over the next two seasons) would free up some payroll space for the Mets, and he hasn’t hit much over the last three years, with injuries playing a role in his struggles at the plate.  Nevertheless, DiComo writes that “the Mets are super bullish on” Lagares and even plan to use him against both left-handed and right-handed pitching.
• Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos discussed his team’s signing of Chris Stewart with reporters (including David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution), admitting that Stewart’s addition is “not a clean fit right now” since the team is set behind the plate with Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki.  The hope is that Stewart will accept an assignment to Triple-A at the end of Spring Training to provide additional depth at catcher behind the MLB duo.  The Braves would’ve preferred to sign Stewart to a minor league deal, though Stewart was insistent on receiving a Major League contract, even if his deal isn’t guaranteed.
• The idea of players asking for trades is “a little radical” for Martin Prado, the veteran infielder told reporters, including Clark Spencer and Andre C. Fernandez of the Miami Herald.  Unlike several Marlins teammates who are still with the team (J.T. Realmuto, Starlin Castro) or have since been dealt (Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich), Prado said he would never request a trade, though he “respected” those players’ decisions.  While Prado may have not have asked for a deal, Miami reportedly looked into trading the infielder and $28.5MM remaining on his salary as part of the team’s latest payroll slash.
• Wei-Yin Chen won’t be ready to be on the Marlins’ Opening Day roster, manager Don Mattingly told media, including Spencer and Fernandez.  Chen is beginning a throwing program during Spring Training as he continues to recover from the elbow problems that limited him to only 33 innings in 2017.  Mattingly didn’t put a timetable on when Chen is expected to be ready, other than to say that he expects the southpaw to be in the rotation at some point.
• Also from the Spencer/Fernandez piece, Dan Straily’s arbitration hearing with the Marlins will take place tomorrow.  The two sides will face the arb panel despite a rather small difference in submitted figures; Straily is asking for a $3.55MM salary in 2018, while the Fish countered with an offer of $3.37MM.  Miami has already gone to arbitration hearings twice this winter, winning one (against Realmuto) and losing the other (to Justin Bour).
• With the Phillies stressing defensive versatility, the team will work Roman Quinn out at shortstop this spring, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Daily News writes.  Manager Gabe Kapler said the team won’t try Quinn at shortstop in an actual game before they see how he handles infield drills, though Kapler noted that “we’d be foolish not to look under that stone” given Quinn’s athleticism.  Quinn was originally drafted as a shortstop the Phillies took him in the second round in 2011, but was shifted to the outfield after some early-career defensive struggles.  Quinn can already play all three outfield spots, though adding shortstop to his defensive repertoire would only help his chances of winning a spot on what could be a short Phillies bench.

Notably, Bowman adds, this signing will represent the veteran depth move that was referenced earlier today. He adds that he was mistaken in suggesting that the club was close to adding an outfielder, so it seems that the organization is currently set in its outfield mix.

Also of importance, the reports suggest that Stewart is not expected to replace either of the team’s top two catchers. That is, both Tyler Flowers and Kurt Suzuki are expected to remain with the organization.

Stewart hit the free agent market after the Pirates declined a $1.5MM option for his services for the coming season. He had slashed only .183/.241/.221 through 144 plate appearances on the year, a career-low output from the 11-year MLB veteran.

Soon to turn 36, Stewart is not likely to suddenly turn into a quality producer at the plate. After all, he carries a lifetime .590 OPS at the MLB level. Clearly, though, he’s valued for his presence behind the dish and in handling a pitching staff. Just how he’ll fit into the picture in Atlanta remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, the Bucs have declined their options over catcher Chris Stewart and lefty Wade LeBlanc. The team also adds that LeBlanc has been outrighted to Triple-A.

It comes as no surprise that Pittsburgh elected to retain McCutchen rather than paying a $1MM buyout. Stewart would have earned $1.5MM but will instead receive a $250K buyout. LeBlanc will take home a $50K buyout on his $1.25MM option.

McCutchen, 31, turned things around after a tepid start to the 2017 campaign. He ended the year with a .279/.363/.486 batting line with 28 long balls and 11 steals over 650 plate appearances. That didn’t represent a full bounce all the way to back to his prior, MVP-level output, but certainly constituted a turnaround after a worrying 2016 season.

The question remains though, whether the Bucs will end up keeping Cutch’s contract. He’ll be pursue by other organizations over the offseason, with the Pirates weighing a potential infusion of young talent against the loss of a high-quality and still-affordable player. Perhaps there’s still some faint possibility of the sides considering a new extension, but in truth that’s difficult to see happening.

Stewart could end up back in Pittsburgh on a minors deal, but won’t be retained as the backup catcher after turning in a woeful .183/.241/.221 slash line in 2017. The 33-year-old LeBlanc, a soft-tossing southpaw, was perhaps a bit unlucky to post a 4.50 ERA in his 68 frames, but did not show the Pirates enough for his contract to be guaranteed for another year. LeBlanc, who continued to post his typical reverse platoon splits, will have the righty to elect free agency.

SEPT. 14: Pirates catcher Chris Stewart will likely require knee surgery, MLB.com’s Adam Berry was among those to report. Pittsburgh has already placed him on the 60-day DL and scheduled a visit with Dr. James Andrews.

It seems that the knee issue isn’t just a run-of-the-mill injury. Stewart has suggested that a surgical option could be career-threatening, but also said that he may not be able to continue playing without it.

“Everything is on the table at this point. We don’t know,” he  said. “The way I’ve been playing, I’m kind of leaning toward [surgery, which] might be the only way to go to continue my career. We’ve tried to do pretty much everything else to keep me on the field without the surgery.”

The 34-year-old has found a home in Pittsburgh as a reserve backstop, signing a two-year, $3MM deal over the winter which includes a club option for 2018. But the injury has limited Stewart to 113 plate appearances on the year, and he has compiled a subpar .214/.319/.286 batting line.

Here’s more from Cincinnati and the rest of the NL Central:

• Reds manager Bryan Price isn’t at risk of dismissal, president of baseball operations Walt Jocketty tells Rosenthal. Price says that the removal of pitching coach Mark Riggins was done as part of an effort to add “a different perspective, different approach” to address the club’s pitching woes.
• Rosenthal also notes that the Reds could conceivably look to give youngster Jose Peraza more time at second while reducing the role of veteran Brandon Phillips, who has struggled at the plate. Jocketty acknowledges that Peraza’s current super-utility role is “not the most ideal way to develop a guy,” but says “that’s what [the Reds] have” at present. Rosenthal wonders whether the organization could re-approach Phillips about waiving his no-trade clause, which he has been unwilling to do thus far, though Jocketty says the organization isn’t considering that at the moment. Generally, Jocketty says that trade chatter still isn’t “that active right now.”
• Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter left tonight’s game with what has been diagnosed as an oblique strain, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was among those to report (Twitter links). He’s headed for an immediate assessment of the injury as the team seeks to get out ahead of things, and manager Mike Matheny says there’s a “high level of concern.” It’s obviously not possible to assess how much time he might miss at this point, let alone whether a DL stint will be required, but the manner in which the Cards are proceeding suggests some pessimism. St. Louis just lost Brandon Moss, so it’s not an optimal time for another position player to be dealing with an injury issue.
• Meanwhile, Cardinals catcher Brayan Pena is headed to the DL with knee inflammation not long after being activated, as MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch reports on Twitter. 11-year minor-league veteran Alberto Rosario will get his first big league call to replace Pena as the backup receiver, but that’s probably not what St. Louis was hoping for. The team recently lost Eric Fryer on waivers while attempting to outright him to clear space for Pena.
• Pirates reserve catcher Chris Stewart will attempt to play through knee soreness, head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk told reporters including Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). An MRI showed “wear and tear” to the joint, which could ultimately require surgery, but it seems that Stewart will at least make an effort to avoid going under the knife.

• Backup catcher Chris Stewart is happy to have received a multi-year deal this winter, MLB.com’s Adam Berry writes. Stewart’s deal was modest — he’ll get just $2.75MM total for 2016 and 2017, along with a $250K buyout on a cheap option in 2018. But it gives him more of a sense of stability than he’s previously had in his career. “Knowing that I’ll be here for more than a year — hopefully three or more, that’s the goal — that’s something I’m not used to,” he says. Stewart is slated to back up Francisco Cervelli in 2016, and then could back up Elias Diaz, a prospect with a good defensive reputation, in 2017 if Cervelli isn’t extended.
• Top pitching prospect Tyler Glasnow appears likely to make an impact sometime in the coming season, but the Pirates also considered promoting him during the 2015 campaign, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. “We had legitimate discussions about (calling up) Tyler last year,” says Pirates GM Neal Huntington. “Ultimately, we felt it was in his and our best interest to continue the development and command of the fastball, the consistency of his breaking ball, the ability to throw it for a strike and for a chase, and to develop the changeup (in Triple-A).” He now seems likely to have to wait to be promoted until June, after the passing of the Super Two threshold. That’s what the Bucs did with Gerrit Cole three years ago, and Cole says it had no ill effects on him. “It’s actually better; you kind of light a fire under somebody,” Cole says “And he gets an opportunity to fine-tune his routine.”