The Brewers solidified their remarkable position this afternoon, announcing the acquisition of Victor Karatini and monetary considerations from Padres. San Diego catches a fellow catcher Brett Sullivan and an external possibility Corey Howell On the other hand. It’s a quick blow for Milwaukee to find support #2 in the wake of 80 games being suspended to supposed #2 Pedro SeverinoWho is the Tested positive to the banned drug clomiphene this week.
Karatini spent one season in San Diego after that coming on cubs side by side yo darwish Post offseason. He acted as Dervish’s personal catcher, lining up behind the plate in 29 out of 30 starts. The kickstands on the switch also saw more movement than expected on non-Darvish outings, as initially expected. Austin Nola He was limited to 56 matches due to injuries.
Ultimately, Caratini scored 356 high personal appearances for the board during his only season in San Diego. It arrived .227/ .309/ .323 with seven home runs, which is slightly worse than the .250/ .327/ .372 line he had laid out in the previous four seasons as a backup option in Chicago. His 9.8% walk percentage last season and 23% strike rate were both in line with his career scores, but he only managed seven players and nine doubles on his way to below ISO 0.96 (slowing minus hitting average).
Karatini’s average exit velocity and hard contact rate were surprisingly strong, but he negated much of his potential in the extra base by hitting the ball to the ground more than half the time. Even if he can’t add more offensive impact, he has to deliver some decent kicks off the bench to captain Craig Counsell. Caratini has been better on the right side of the plate over the course of his career, a trait that pairs well with the #1 catch on left-hand strikes. Omar Narvaez.
The Caratini acquisition is clearly linked to Severino’s suspension, which has left Milwaukee with no clear reserve holding. The Brewers are set to welcome Severino back in the second half of the year, but Caratini may have a path to securing the job with a strong start to the season. He’s earning $2 million after avoiding refereeing this off-season, and he’ll be controllable again through the process before hitting free agency after 2023.
From Padres’ perspective, the trade appears to be a vote of confidence in support of options exit Jorge Alfaro. San Diego acquired Alvaro, with whom head of baseball operations A.J. Brillier was all too familiar from his time in the Rangers organization, in a small deal with the Marlins ahead of last November’s bidding deadline. It was only a cash transaction, but the brothers hit positively to add Alvaro rather than allow Miami not to bid for him to free agency (which it became clear that Fish was about to do) they suggested the monks were hoping to break Alvaro’s camp.
It looks like he’s in line to do so after a great show at spring training. Alvaro has had ten hits, including four of his teammates, in 24 players in the Cactus League. That’s a lot less important than his more modest .258/.309/.399 seasonal offering, but Alvaro is a former senior that many evaluators predicted would be possible thanks to his strength in the plate and strong arm. He’s supposed to make the club a backup for Nola, with a high probability Luis Camposano Also on the verge of major tournaments.
Sullivan, too, could find himself in the mix. The 28-year-old has never played in the major leagues, but secured a major league contract with the Brewers this winter after qualifying for free agency in the minor league. Eric Longenhagen from FanGraphs Writes He is a contact-oriented hitter and can be a deep choice in the short term, albeit without much power or a big arm.
The left-handed hitter Sullivan only comes out of the .223/ .302/ .375 streak in Triple-A. The Brewers clearly preferred to go abroad rather than turn the job of picking up backup to him to start the season. However, the fact that both Milwaukee and San Diego were willing to compel him to a 40-player roster suggests he has appeal with many clubs.
Meanwhile, Howell is a former twelfth-round pick from the Iowa Junior College. Major League Baseball named the 29th right-hander in the Milwaukee farm system this off-season, praising his athletic performance and discipline, but citing concerns about his batting skills. This is demonstrated in his minor league numbers, with Howell making 28.9% of his trips to the plate at High-A last season. That mark jumped to 39.6% upon a late-season upgrade to Double-A. Even with the strikes, Howell was particularly productive on the previous leg, though. He hit 12 homes and stole 20 bases in 69 games while running an 11.1% strong clip, showing a mixture of athleticism and patience the BA noted.
Kevin Lacy from the San Diego Union-Tribune I first mentioned that the Padres were trading Caratini to Brewers in exchange for a pair of young dropouts. Joel Sherman from The New York Post Reported the return of Sullivan and Howell.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.