In a statement to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (Facebook link), Saltalamacchia expressed gratitude to his former organizations, teammates and fans, along with his family and agent Jim Munsey. He also spoke of the honor he felt following in the footsteps of his childhood idol, Jason Varitek, over a four-year run with the Red Sox.

Ultimately, Saltalamacchia will be remembered best for his time in Boston, over which he turned in 1,329 plate appearances of .243/.307/.455 hitting with 55 home runs. He was a big part of the team’s 2013 World Series championship outfit, turning in a career year at the plate (.273/.338/.466) while appearing in 121 games for the second-straight season.

That platform campaign set the stage for a successful trip onto the open market, as he landed a three-year, $21MM deal with the Marlins. Unfortunately, things didn’t really work out in Miami. Indeed, many of the drawbacks we noted in the post on that signing — high strikeout rate, difficulties against left-handed pitching, and questionable glovework behind the dish — led to an unexpectedly brief tenure with the Fish.

Saltalamacchia ultimately made it through just nine games in the second season of that deal before he was cut loose. He rebounded later in 2015 with the Diamondbacks, and earned a significant role with the Tigers in the ensuing campaign, but never really regained his footing in the big leagues. Saltalamacchia had brief showings over the past two seasons with the Blue Jays and Tigers.

Of course, all that occurred following Salty’s most memorable moment from a hot stove perspective. After being taken 36th overall by the Braves, and debuting in the big leagues on his 22nd birthday in 2007, Saltalamacchia was shipped to the Rangers along with four other talented young players in exchange for then-star first baseman Mark Teixeira. Saltalamacchia never fully established himself in parts of four seasons in Texas before he was swapped to the Red Sox in a decidedly less flashy deal that nevertheless paid dividends for his new team.

It’s not yet clear what Saltalamacchia will pursue next from a professional perspective, but he says his initial focus will be outside of the game. As he puts it, it is now his turn to join the “cheering section” for his wife and four daughters after they did the same for him over his long playing career. MLBTR extends its best wishes to Saltalamacchia and his family.

Stewart was taken 34th overall in the 2015 draft, selected by the Tigers with the compensation pick they received when Max Scherzer left the club to sign with the Nationals in free agency.  Now 24 years old, Stewart will get his first chance to display his power bat at the big league level, after swatting 93 homers and posting a .503 slugging percentage over 1930 plate appearances in the minors.  (His minor league slash line also includes a .262 average and .363 OBP.)  After topping the 131-strikeout plateau in his previous two seasons, Stewart displayed increased plate discipline in his first taste of Triple-A ball this season, with just 108 whiffs against 67 walks over 532 PA for Toledo.

Stewart’s bat is his calling card, as he is considered to be a below-average corner outfielder whose future may be as a designated hitter.  This is obviously a limit on his potential, though his scouting report on MLB.com (which ranks Stewart as the sixth-best prospect in Detroit’s system) notes that Stewart has displayed a strong work ethic in trying to improve himself as a defender.  Baseball America also ranked Stewart fifth in their midseason list of the ten best Tigers prospects.

Saltalamacchia signed a minor league deal with the Tigers last March and now looks on track to appear in his 12th Major League season, though he may not get a ton of playing time with James McCann and rookie Grayson Greiner ahead of him on the depth chart.  Saltalamacchia previously played for Detroit in the 2016 season, appearing in 92 games for the club.

This will mark the second go-around with the Tigers for Saltalamacchia, as the switch-hitting veteran also spent the 2016 campaign in Detroit. Salty got off to a fast start in ’16, carrying an OPS north of .900 through the month of April and managing to keep that mark at a solid .776 through the end of June. However, his offensive output cratered from that point forth, as he hit just .128/.237/.231 in his final 139 plate appearances of the season.

Last year, Saltalamacchia spent time in the Blue Jays organization, appearing in 10 big league games and 33 games in Triple-A while struggling mightily at each level (.515 OPS in Triple-A). Those struggles continued into a stint in the Mexican Winter League. He’d been working out at the free-agent Spring Training camp at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., prior to landing back with the Tigers.

Detroit has plenty of catching depth on hand at present, with James McCann slated to start and John Hicks in line to be his primary backup. Derek Norris has also been competing for that job on a non-roster deal in Spring Training and has performed quite well at the plate in limited action thus far. Fellow veteran Brayan Pena is also in Tigers camp, giving them yet another option (and another former Tiger) who could serve as depth in Triple-A.

It’s possible that one or both of Norris or Pena will ultimately land with another organization if he cannot crack the big league roster out of camp. In that instance, Saltalamacchia could occupy a spot in Triple-A Toledo to open the season. He could also simply use this opportunity with the Tigers as a means of giving other clubs a look at him for the next few weeks, at which point he, too, could land elsewhere.

Rough as the 2016-17 seasons were for Saltalamacchia, the 32-year-old is not that far removed from a relatively productive five-year run during which he slashed .237/.309/.434 with 75 homers in 1966 plate appearances. While those numbers are hardly eye-catching, they did translate to a 101 OPS+, or roughly average production when factoring in league and home park. Relative to other catchers, in particular, Saltalamacchia was a more than viable offensive option during that stretch.

Saltalamacchia, 32, opened as the Jays’ reserve backstop but had a brutal start to the season. Over his 26 plate appearances, the switch-hitter went down on strikes 16 times while reaching base just twice. He was also struggling to keep opposing baserunners at first base.

[Related: Updated Toronto Blue Jays depth chart]

While the on-base and fielding skills have always lagged for Saltalamacchia, he’ll obviously need to show more to find his way back to the majors. Still, there’s plenty of reason to believe he’ll rebound from that dreadful opening, though he’ll also now have to climb over both Luke Maile and Mike Ohlman on the depth chart.

“Salty” has been on a bit of a roller-coaster ride in recent years. But he has been an effective hitter as recently as 2015, when he gave the Diamondbacks 194 plate appearances of .251/.332/.474 hitting. Even last year, when his OBP dipped below .300 in a 92-game run with the Tigers, Saltalamacchia blasted a dozen home runs and a .175 isolated slugging percentage — right at his career average and well over the .150 average among catchers around the game.

• The Blue Jays announced that they have released catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. He had been designated for assignment recently. Saltalamacchia opened the year as the team’s reserve catcher, but never got it going offensively. The high-power, high-K switch-hitter did more of the latter, going down on strikeouts 16 times while recording only a single base hit over 26 trips to the plate. Saltalamacchia also struggled last year, though he did hit a dozen long balls in just 292 plate appearances.
• Angels lefty Greg Mahle was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers, per a club announcement. The 24-year-old was working at Salt Lake already, but gave up his 40-man spot when the team had a need for more pitching at the MLB level. Mahle reached the bigs last year, but struggled to a 5.40 ERA with 6.9 K/9 against 4.9 BB/9 in his 18 1/3 innings.

2:38pm: The Blue Jays have decided to make a move to swap out reserve backstops, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca. The precise move isn’t yet clear, but Jarrod Saltalamacchia will be removed from the roster to make room for Luke Maile.

Saltalamacchia, who’ll soon turn 32, had struggled badly early this year. He made the club after joining on a minor-league deal, but had recorded just one hit and one walk over his first 26 plate appearances — with a dreadful 16 strikeouts on his ledger. Saltalamacchia was also struggling to control the running game, as Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith notes on Twitter.

As for Maile, he only just joined the organization in a waiver claim. The Jays’ front office suggested it was high on the 26-year-old, so it’s not particularly surprising to see him earn an opportunity. Though he hasn’t hit much in his brief time in the majors — or in his time at Triple-A since arriving from the Rays — Maile is valued for his glove.

The fact that Toronto has moved on from Upton is no surprise, as ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Saturday that he wouldn’t crack the club’s 25-man roster. The Blue Jays had been working to trade Upton, whom they acquired in a deal with the Padres last summer, but weren’t able to find a taker, leading to his release. This is certainly a fall from grace for the 32-year-old Upton, who looked like a good bet to serve as a platoon left fielder with Ezequiel Carrera at the outset of camp. But a rough spring training and, more importantly, a .196/.261/.318 showing in 165 PAs with the Blue Jays led the club to bail on him.

Upton will make $16.45MM this season, the final year of the $75.5MM deal he signed with the Braves in 2012, but the Padres are on the hook for most of that. San Diego ate all but $5MM of the remaining $22MM left on Upton’s contract when it traded him. Upton was a useful player as a member of the Padres, with whom he slashed .257/.313/.435 with 21 home runs and 29 steals in 602 PAs and earned positive marks in the field (nine Defensive Runs Saved, 2.9 Ultimate Zone Rating). Not far removed from that production, he could catch on elsewhere as a low-cost option for an outfielder-needy team.

The 29-year-old Bolsinger came to the Blue Jays from the Dodgers last summer in a one-for-one swap involving righty Jesse Chavez. Bolsinger didn’t reach the majors with Toronto, instead throwing 25 1/3 innings with Triple-A Buffalo. He amassed 189 1/3 innings with the Diamondbacks and Dodgers from 2014-16, almost exclusively from the rotation (37 appearances, 36 starts), and posted a 4.61 ERA, 8.13 K/9, 3.38 BB/9 and a 50 percent ground-ball rate.

Osuna, whose DL placement is retroactive to Saturday, is on the shelf thanks to a cervical spasm. The star reliever’s loss, even if it’s brief, should be a notable one for a Toronto club that’s lacking in high-end bullpen weapons. Osuna has been just that during his career, having pitched to a 2.63 ERA and registered 9.84 K/9 and 1.88 BB/9 in 143 2/3 frames over the previous two seasons. The 22-year-old has also combined for 56 saves, 36 of which came last season. Either Jason Grilli, who has plenty of ninth-inning experience, or Joe Biagini will take over the ninth inning in Osuna’s absence, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

More from the American League East…

• Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith takes a look at Jarrod Saltalamacchia and the work he’s put in thus far in Spring Training to familiarize himself with the Blue Jays’ pitchers. Russell Martin has quickly taken to Saltalamacchia and is helping to advise him in any way possible as the two gear up for the 2017 campaign. The 31-year-old Saltalamacchia says he’s always had great respect for Martin but has seen that admiration grow even more due to Martin’s clubhouse presence, extra video work, extra bullpen sessions and other off-field factors. Both Martin and Saltalamacchia spoke about the importance of a catcher’s performance behind the plate, and Saltalamacchia is putting forth extra work to improve in that regard. One evaluator from another club tells Nicholson-Smith that the knocks on Saltalamacchia’s defense are a bit overstated, pegging him as a 45 defender (on the 20-80 scale). Nicholson-Smith notes that the Jays don’t yet know how much Salty will play in 2017, as they no longer need to rest Martin every fifth day to allow Josh Thole to catch R.A. Dickey. But, about 40 starts behind the plate seems plausible, per Nicholson-Smith.
• Sandy Leon tells Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that even though he’s been characterized as a lock to make the Red Sox’ Opening Day roster, he’s not assuming anything in Spring Training. Leon, who has been optioned to the minors six times and designated for assignment on multiple occasions in his career, tells Abraham, “I don’t know how to think that way,” adding that nothing should be considered guaranteed. The 28-year-old Leon had the opportunity to play for his native Venezuela or his wife’s native Colombia in the World Baseball Classic but passed on both opportunities to better prepare for the 2017 season with Boston. Leon’s breakout season finished with a prolonged slump, though Abraham notes that Leon played 53 games in Winter Ball before the regular season and was working a starter’s workload for the first time in 2016, which may have caused him to wear down. Leon logged just four Winter Ball games this offseason and figures to start for the BoSox on Opening Day in 2017.
• Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy had been projected to begin playing in spring games on March 10, but that may be a bit further delayed, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. The 34-year-old Hardy has been sidelined by some back issues but says he’s getting near full strength now. Hardy has yet to field grounders but expects to swing today. He tells Encina that he should have plenty of time to get up to speed and log 40 to 50 at-bats by the end of camp, which would put him in position to be ready for the season opener.

4:08pm: The Blue Jays and free-agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia are closing in on an agreement, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. If completed, Saltalamacchia would presumably become the favorite to serve as a backup to starting catcher Russell Martin. The 31-year-old Saltalamacchia is represented by ACES. ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported yesterday that Toronto had expressed interest in the veteran switch-hitter.

Saltalamacchia spent the 2016 season with the Tigers (although it was technically the final season of a three-year, $21MM deal he’d signed with the Marlins prior to the 2014 campaign). Though he showed some pop early in the season (.874 OPS, seven homers through his first 86 plate appearances), Saltalamacchia struggled to a .171/.281/.346 batting line in 292 PAs when over the course of the season as a whole. He is, however, a year removed from a .251/.332/.474 showing in nearly 200 PAs with the D-backs, and his .237/.309/.434 batting line from 2011-15 was solid, if unspectacular.

As Davidi points out, Saltalamacchia is a known commodity to Blue Jays vice president of baseball operations Ben Cherington, who served as the general manager in Boston for much of Saltalamacchia’s tenure with the team.

Saltalamacchia isn’t regarded as a strong defensive option, as he’s stopped a below-average 22 percent of stolen-base attempts against him in his career and also seen his pitch-framing numbers deteriorate over the years. Salatlamacchia is a switch-hitter, though, so he can help to balance out a lineup that is heavily right-handed if he ultimately does make the team.

Among internal candidates, recent waiver claim Juan Graterol and longtime Jays prospect A.J. Jimenez represent the most significant competition that will face Saltalamacchia in Spring Training. Graterol has a limited offensive track record but is more well-regarded from a defensive standpoint. Jimenez, meanwhile, was once regarded as one of the Jays’ best prospects but has seen his stock slide in recent years. He’ll turn 27 early in the 2017 season and is coming off a season in which he batted .241/.290/.377 in Triple-A.

Saltalamacchia spent the 2016 season with the Tigers and got off to a hot start, carrying an .874 OPS into mid-May and clubbing seven home runs in that time. However, his bat went ice-cold for the remainder of the season as he OPSed just .519 in his final 200 plate appearances and finished the year with an unsightly .171/.284/.346 batting line in 292 PAs.

While those numbers aren’t appealing, Saltalamacchia is just a year removed from a strong performance with the D-backs, during which he batted .251/.332/.474 and hit eight home runs in 194 plate appearances while serving largely in a reserve capacity. From 2011-15, he batted a collective .237/.309/.434, which comes out to a roughly league-average OPS+ (101).

One of the questions that Toronto will have to answer is whether Saltalamacchia is a strong enough defensive option behind the dish to fill their vacancy. Throwing out runners, for instance, has been a struggle for much of Salty’s career, as he’s prevented just 22 percent of stolen-base attempts against him. He also went from solid framing marks from 2010-12 to below-average marks in recent seasons (including a particularly poor 2014 campaign). He’s had issues with passed balls and wild pitches in the past as well, most notably in 2011, though it should be noted that he caught nearly all of knuckleballer Tim Wakefield’s innings that season.

The Jays have been linked to names like Bobby Wilson, Chris Gimenez and Chris Iannetta since the Winter Meetings as they’ve searched for a backup, but each of those options has signed elsewhere (Wilson with the Dodgers, Gimenez with the Twins, Iannetta with the D-backs). Kurt Suzuki, too, has recently come off the board by signing a one-year deal with the Braves. A.J. Jimenez is the top internal option, but he’s coming off a poor 2016 season in Triple-A. Prospect Reese McGuire could eventually be an option in Toronto, but the 21-year-old didn’t exactly thrive in Double-A last season and has yet to even play a game in Triple-A.

• The Brewers had some interest in Sergio Romo prior to their signing of Neftali Feliz, Andrew Baggarly of the Bay Area News Group.  Milwaukee was known to be looking for relief pitching and landed both Feliz on a big league deal and Joba Chamberlain on a minors contract this week.  The Brewers also made an offer to Romo’s former Giants teammate Santiago Casilla before they signed Feliz.  Romo was known to have received interest from at least two non-Giants teams this offseason, though there hasn’t been much buzz overall about the veteran right-hander’s market.
• Drew Pomeranz told reporters (including Tim Britton of the Providence Journal) that he received a stem-cell injection in his left elbow after last season concluded.  The southpaw said he felt some “minor elbow discomfort” last year but is now feeling healthy as he enters his pre-Spring Training preparations.  Pomeranz’s health was a major source of controversy last season, as Padres GM A.J. Preller was issued a 30-day suspension for failing to disclose medical information about Pomeranz to the Red Sox before Boston acquired the lefty for top pitching prospect Anderson Espinoza.
• Speaking of Pomeranz, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told the Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham (Twitter link) and other reporters that the two sides are getting close to a deal to avoid an arbitration hearing.  Pomeranz filed for a $5.7MM salary while the Sox countered with a $3.6MM offer.
• The Braves have the top farm system in baseball, ESPN’s Keith Law opines, as he ranks the minor league systems of all 30 teams in a three-part series for ESPN.com subscribers.  The Yankees (#2 on Law’s list) and Padres (#3) also have strong cases for the top spot, though Law gives Atlanta the edge due to the Braves’ sheer volume of talented pitching prospects and position players in the middle of the field.  Coming in at the bottom of the ranking are the Diamondbacks, who Law feels are “several drafts away from getting back into the middle of the pack” thanks to ill-advised trades, draft picks and international signings under the regime of former GM Dave Stewart.
• Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is now being represented by ACES, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).  Jim Munsey, Saltalamacchia’s former agent, is leaving the business, so we could soon be hearing more about further representation switches from other Munsey Sports Management clients like Sean Burnett or Rafael Lopez.  Check out MLBTR’s Agency Database for an extensive listing of representation information for more than 2,500 Major League and Minor League players. If you see any errors or omissions, please let us know via email: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

More from around the majors:

• The Astros have been ultra-aggressive in upgrading their roster this offseason, yet team president Reid Ryan indicated Sunday that they’re still missing a major piece. “What we lack is that starter who you pencil in at the top of the rotation that is an automatic W,” Ryan told MLB Network Radio (Twitter link). Houston does have 2015 AL Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel atop its rotation, though his production took steps backward during a shoulder injury-shortened 2016. Notably, the Astros are in the mix for White Sox ace Chris Sale and the Rays’ starters, including Chris Archer.
• The Rangers have two star-caliber players entering contract years in ace Yu Darvish and catcher Jonathan Lucroy, but the team is unlikely to discuss extensions with either during the winter meetings, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). For now, the reigning AL West champions’ focus is on making outside acquisitions. The Rangers could certainly turn their attention to new deals for Darvish and Lucroy later in the offseason.
• Even though Joe Nathan turned 42 last month, the free agent reliever plans to continue his career and is drawing interest from clubs, tweets Heyman. Nathan, who’s eighth on the all-time saves list (377), returned from 2015 Tommy John surgery to throw a combined 6 1/3 scoreless innings with the Cubs and Giants last season.
• The market for free agent catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia is “moving,” a source told SB Nation’s Chris Castillo, who reports that three teams are chasing the 31-year-old (Twitter link). The switch-hitter batted just .171/.284/.346 in 292 plate appearances with the Tigers in 2016, and both Baseball Prospectus and StatCorner assigned him negative defensive grades.

More from L.A. and the AL West:

• Angels GM Billy Eppler told reporters that he’s looked into deals for a short-term option in the corner outfield, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. As Fletcher notes, Jay Bruce of the Reds is one player who could meet that description, though it’s not clear that he’s a target for the Halos.
• Free agent second baseman Howie Kendrick is “definitely open” to returning to his long-time club, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. While Eppler and co. have reached out to the veteran, that isn’t “on the front burner” for the team at present.
• The Rangers have had internal discussions about adding free agent first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports via Twitter. Pearce has long seemed a good match on paper for Texas, which has a heavily left-handed lineup.
• Meanwhile, the Rangers are looking at bringing Colby Lewis back and want to add at least two starters, Sullivan tweets. Texas would be looking for a rotation piece in any theoretical deal of first baseman Mitch Moreland.
• While the Rangers’ interest in righty Joe Kelly now seems dead in the water after Boston dealt Wade Miley, Texas could also look to chat with the Red Sox about a possible deal for a catcher, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. Tigers backstop Bryan Holaday could draw some attention from Texas as well, Sullivan adds on Twitter. As MLB.com’s Jason Beck notes on Twitter, Holaday is out of options and could hit the waiver wire if he loses the team’s reserve catching job to the just-signed Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
• In other Rangers-related backstop news, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that he’s told the team “covets” Brewers receiver Jonathan Lucroy. Of course, as he adds, Milwaukee likely won’t move Lucroy unless it can achieve a “huge return.”
• The Mariners are not looking at any major rotation upgrades after acquiring Miley, GM Jerry Dipoto tells Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News-Tribune (via Twitter). Dipoto also noted that he wasn’t willing to guarantee Hisashi Iwakuma a third year, which is why the club reportedly lost out on him to the Dodgers, MLB.com’s Greg Johns tweets. Miley was the M’s “Plan A” after missing on Iwakuma, added Dipoto.

The Tigers have landed themselves a veteran who can be a reliable presence behind starter James McCann.  Saltalamacchia also could get some opportunities as DH and first base as he moves back to the American League.  The former first round pick looked strong in his 70 game run for the D’Backs in 2015 and he’ll attempt to build off of that with Detroit in the New Year.

Detroit will be committed to Saltalamacchia for only one year at the MLB minimum rate. He’ll still earn a healthy $8MM this year, however, as the Marlins are still paying down the rest of the free agent contract he signed with the team.

Salty, who’ll turn 31 early in the season, lost his spot in Miami last year after a rough 2014 campaign and slow start. He landed with the Diamondbacks, putting up a strong .251/.332/.474 slash in 194 plate appearances. The switch hitter has historically been quite excellent against right-handed pitching, making him a nice potential complement to the righty McCann.