Sandy León DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Atlanta Braves signed relief pitcher Jackson Stephens and catcher Sandy Leon to minor-league deals Tuesday, per The Athletic's David O'Brien. Stephens elected free agency in March after being outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett by the Braves and served as a decent reliever for the Braves from 2022 through 2023. Leon should serve as catcher depth for the organization with Sean Murphy (oblique) on the injured list with an oblique injury but will not contribute much offensively. Neither of these players should factor into the fantasy landscape at this time.

Free-agent catcher Sandy Leon and the Kansas City Royals have agreed to a minor-league deal with an invite to 2024 spring training. The veteran split the 2023 season between the Guardians and Rangers organizations, appearing in 22 games with the world-champion Rangers. He hit just .146 without zero homers, a 2.3% walk rate, and a 45.5% strikeout rate across just 44 trips to the plate in that time. Known for his defense, Leon again posted positive defensive metrics in the small sample size. A veteran of 557 big-league games, Leon is a career .208 hitter with 31 home runs and a .587 OPS across 1,729 trips to the plate. With Salvador Perez likely to get more rest behind the plate and MJ Melendez slated for full-time outfield duty, Leon could perhaps find his way to the majors but will likely serve as Triple-A mentorship and depth in 2024.