The Milwaukee Brewers have found their catcher for the foreseeable future. According to reports, they are set to acquire Omar Narvaez from the Seattle Mariners.
The acquisition comes after All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal left the Brewers for a four-year contract with the Chicago White Sox. The Mariners will receive right-handed pitcher Adam Hill and a draft pick in return.
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Breakout Season For Narvaez
Omar Narvaez had a breakout season for the Mariners in 2019, and he built up his value as a hitter. His slash line was .278/.353/.460 while hitting 22 home runs. His OPS+ of 120, further emphasizes how good of a season he had.
The most appealing aspect of Narvaez is that he will be under team control for three more seasons. He is set to enter his first season of arbitration, and the earliest that he can become a free agent will be after the 2022 season.
Therefore, the Brewers have acquired an affordable-offensive catcher with control. They have already cleared $63 million in payroll from their 2019 roster, and continue to add value at a lower cost.
Narvaez played 132 games in 2019, easily the most in his career. An interesting note is that he did play 22 games as designated hitter, a luxury that the Brewers will not have.
His defense has not been his strength. His DRS was -20, and he only threw out 18% of runners attempting to steal. For his career, the DRS is -61 throwing out 21% of runners.
Mariners Return
Adam Hill, the main return for the Mariners, was the Brewers 24th best prospect according to MLB Pipeline, with an MLB ETA of 2021. Hill’s best pitch is a fastball that can top out at 95 MPH while usually sitting around 91-93 MPH. He also features a curveball, slider, and changeup, and all four of his pitches receive scouting grades of 50/80 or 55/80.
Hill is felt to be more physical than athletic, and he struggles to repeat his delivery at times, which impacts his control. He pitched in A-Ball in 2019 with 3.92 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 121.1 innings pitched.
Hill projects to be a third starter if he can improve his consistency and secondary pitches. If not, he projects more as a sixth or seventh inning reliever.
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