Yesterday news broke that Brewers backup catcher Perdro Severino was being suspended 80 games. This left David Stearns very little time to find a replacement prior to opening day. However, less than 24 hours after Severino’s suspension was announced a trade for Victor Caratini was made.
Victor Caratini and cash have been acquired from San Diego in exchange for OF Korry Howell and C Brett Sullivan. pic.twitter.com/eL72xcPeIq
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 6, 2022
There are multiple factors as to why the Brewers elected to look externally for a backup catcher. A few big reasons include questions regarding the major league readiness of their internal prospects. Another being that Pedro Severino will be ineligible for post-season play this year.
Trade is official and cost the Brewers a nice prospect in the versatile Howell.
One important factor in Milwaukee moving decisively to replace the suspended Pedro Severino: In addition to 80 regular season games, by rule he is ineligible for postseason play. https://t.co/ffDYqOrzRQ
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) April 6, 2022
Who is Victor Caratini and who did the Brewers give up in this trade?
Most Brewer fans will remember Caratini from his tenure with the Chicago Cubs from 2017-2020. He departed Chicago as a part of the Yu Darvish trade and spent just one season in San Diego. The Padres have been very active this off-season and had an influx of major league catching talent. Trading Caratini ultimately opened up more opportunities for Austin Nola and Jorge Alfaro.
As for Caratini, he has never been an everyday catcher at the major league level, but he does have five years of big league experience. He is a switch hitter and carries a OPS+ of 82 throughout his career. The Brewers will have the ability to shuttle him to the minors if they need to for he has one minor league option remaining. This could come into play if Severino re-joins the Brewers later in the season.
Interestingly, the Brewers gave up catcher Brett Sullivan in this trade. Sullivan is yet to make his major league debut, which is likely one reason why the Brewers were hesitant to commit to him as the backup catcher. The other prospect involved was outfielder Korry Howell. He previously was the Brewers 17th ranked prospect in the system. Unfortunately for him, the Brewers farm system is loaded with outfield prospects, so they could afford to use him in this trade.
Following this transaction, the Brewers major league roster is now set. The next thing order of business is opening day and getting the season rolling!
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