Mariners trade catcher Omar Narvaez to Brewers for pitching prospect, draft pick
With three catchers on their active roster to end the 2019 season, the Seattle Mariners opted to trade one away, in an effort to continue their rebuilding plan.
The club announced Thursday morning it had traded Omar Narvaez, who made the majority of starts for the Mariners behind the plate last season, to the Brewers in exchange for pitching prospect Adam Hill and Milwaukee’s 2020 draft pick in the second competitive balance round, which is expected to land somewhere between selections 68-73.
“We were fortunate in 2019 to develop really good depth at the catcher spot, with Omar, Tom Murphy and Austin Nola at the big-league level, and Cal Raleigh rising quickly in our minor-league system,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a release.
“That depth allowed us to make a move today that we think will pay long-term dividends to us, while not impacting us in the short term.”
Murphy, 28, is expected to become Seattle’s primary catcher with Narvaez gone. He appeared in 75 games for the Mariners last season — the most in any one season of his five-year major-league career — after he was acquired from the Giants as a back-up in March.
He caught most of Seattle’s pitchers by season’s end and was praised by teammates for his instincts behind the plate. And he supplemented that by hitting .273/.324/.535 with 12 doubles, 18 homers and 40 RBI.
Narvaez’s departure also gives a clearer path to playing time for Austin Nola, who had a breakout rookie season as a 29-year-old for the Mariners. He was promoted from Triple-A in June to help boost Seattle’s ailing infield, and remained with the big-league club the rest of the season, slashing at .269/.342/.454 with 12 doubles, 10 homers and 31 RBI in 79 appearances.
Nola’s versatility gave him opportunities mostly in Seattle’s infield, playing primarily first (59 games) and second (15) base. He appeared in seven games behind the plate, as well.
He originally started catching games in the minors in 2017, hoping it would eventually create an avenue to the majors, and has consistently shown natural ability with pitch framing and knowing how to attack batters.
“Austin understands the game,” Dipoto said during a conference call Wednesday. “We’re really comfortable with the idea that he could be every bit of a strong back-up catcher as well as that versatile bounce-around piece. ... Austin provides us with a lot of options.”
Dipoto said in September he believed Nola had earned the chance to move forward with the Mariners, and Narvaez’s departure gives Seattle more options for where Nola can fit in. He was initially projected to battle first base prospect Evan White, who signed an unprecedented six-year deal in November.
Raleigh, 23, is the No. 7 prospect in Seattle’s organization and is moving through the minor-league ranks quickly after being drafted in the third round in 2018. He was promoted to Double-A Arkansas in July, hit .228/.296/.414 in 39 games there, and was one of three prospects — White and pitcher Logan Gilbert were the others — who was invited to visit the big-league clubhouse to gain exposure during the final week of the season.
Narvaez seemed the most likely candidate to depart, given his trade value as a powerful left-handed bat and his impressive offensive output in 2019. The 27-year-old slashed at .278/.353/.460 with 12 doubles, 22 homers and 55 RBI in 132 games. His home runs ranked fifth in the American League and eighth in the majors among catchers. He also tallied 47 walks, which ranked second in the AL among catchers and ranked third in hits (119) and runs (63).
Seattle continues to pile up pitching prospects with the addition of Hill, a 22-year-old right-hander who finished 2019 as the No. 24 prospect in Milwaukee’s organization. He finished 7-9 with a 3.92 ERA in 26 games (23 starts) with Single-A Wisconsin last season, with a 109-55 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 121 2/3 innings.
Hill was drafted in the fourth round in 2018 by the Mets out of South Carolina.
The 40-man roster is now at 38 players.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 9:11 AM.
