4:01 p.m.: The Brewers announced the deal. You will also receive cash payments.
4:00 p.m.: catcher Brett Sullivan and outfield prospect Korry Howell travel back to San Diego in return, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post (on twitter).
3:54 p.m.: The Brewers acquire Catcher Victor Caratini by the Padres in exchange for minor leagues, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). It’s a quick blow for Milwaukee to find a #2 backstop for the putative No. 2 after an 80-game suspension Pedro Severinwho tested positive for the banned substance clomiphene this week.
Caratini spent a season at San Diego after coming over from the Cubs alongside him Yu Darwish last off-season. He acted as Darvish’s personal catcher, starting behind the plate on 29 of the right-hander’s 30 starts. The Switch-hitting backstop also saw more than expected action in non-Darvish outings as a putative starter Austin Nola was limited to 56 games by injuries.
Ultimately, Caratini notched a personal best of 356 plate appearances during his only season in San Diego. He hit .227/.309/.323 with seven home runs, slightly worse than the .250/.327/.372 line he’d run as the No. 2 option in Chicago the previous four seasons. Last season’s 9.8% walk percentage and 23% strikeout rate both matched his respective career metrics, but he only managed seven homers and nine doubles en route to a below-average ISO of 0.096 (slugging minus batting average).
Caratini’s average exit speed and hard contact rate were surprisingly strong, but he squandered much of his extra base potential by hitting the ground more than half the time. Even if he can’t make any more offensive impact, he should offer skipper Craig Counsell some decent bats off the bench. Caratini has been better on the right side of the plate throughout his career, a trait that resonates well with the #1 left-handed catcher Omar Narvaez.
The Caratini acquisition is clearly tied to Severino’s suspension, who left Milwaukee without an apparent backup catcher. The Brewers are expected to welcome Severino back in the second half of the year, but Caratini could have a way of securing the job with a strong first half. He’s making $2 million this season after avoiding arbitration this offseason, and he’ll be manageable again through that process before reaching the free hand after 2023.
From the Padres’ perspective, the trade appears to be a vote of confidence in the out-of-options backstop George Alfaro. San Diego acquired Alfaro, who baseball operations president AJ Preller is well acquainted with from his days with the Rangers organization, in a small trade with the Marlins before the bidding deadline last November. It was a mere cash transaction, but the fact that the brothers hit the nail on the head in the affirmative to add Alfaro rather than not letting Miami give him free rein (which was obvious the Pisces wanted to do so) suggested the brothers had hopes that Alfaro would cancel the season.
It seems he can do just that after a fantastic performance in spring training. Alfaro had ten hits, including four homers, in 24 at-bats in the Cactus League game. That’s far less conclusive than his more modest .258/.309/.399 regular-season career, but Alfaro is a former top contender who many reviewers had predicted as a possible starter given his power at the plate and strong throwing arm. He is likely to create the club as a replacement for Nola, with top prospects Luis Campusano even on the fringes of the big leagues.
There’s more to come.