The Milwaukee Brewers have added catcher Austin Nola to a minor league contract that includes an invite to big league camp. Since 2020 he had been with the San Diego Padres in which over time his offensive numbers have dipped, he has regressed defensively, and health has become a concern. At 34 years old this signing does add to the organization’s depth at the position, but he is not joining as an expected MLB contributor.
Catchers currently on the Brewers 40-man roster include William Contreras, Eric Haase, and Jeferson Quero. Contreras is the clear cut everyday player and Haase is the expected backup. Quero is a promising prospect who was added in order to be protected from the Rule-5 draft, but has not yet played a game at the Triple-A level.
Following the announcement that Austin Nola was signing with the Brewers fans reacted on social media.
Milwaukee Brewers fans react to the team signing Austin Nola to a minor league contract with an invite to big league camp.
Spoiler alert: He’s not going to bounce back. They never do every off-season the Brewers make a version of the exact same move.
— Kyle Birling (@KJBD11) January 5, 2024
Typical Brewers signing lol. Hopefully this turns out better than the Jesse Winker signing though.
— Matt Millard (@ballhardmillard) January 5, 2024
Nola has -13 catcher framing runs above average over his last 162 games.
If I know anything about the Brewers, Austin Nola will be a plus framing catcher next season. Book it. https://t.co/flIAAIaUpn
— Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) January 5, 2024
If Nola is healthy, I like him more as a backup catcher than Haase.
Nola battled hand and knee injuries in 2022 and developed a vision issue in 2023 that made it difficult for him to track the ball. https://t.co/J5UJHOb2FF https://t.co/iTdeLzRO4b
— Jack Stern (@ByJackStern) January 5, 2024
Perfect signing for the Brewers. They’ll probably have him hit leadoff.
— Steve (@PackAttack1958) January 5, 2024
Not a move I saw coming for the Brewers. Guess they need depth. Austin Nola ranked 77th in my offensive catcher board. He’s not a threat with RISP. https://t.co/4PBLfVDcUS https://t.co/ogsM9C5zkU pic.twitter.com/GjJF5t0vVp
— Boz (@ChrisBzozowski) January 5, 2024
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