The Milwaukee Brewers are most likely going into the 2023 with a new starting catcher. Omar Narvaez hit just .206/.295/.305 with four home runs and 23 RBI for the Brewers this season and is now a free agent. While he likely will not cost much to bring back, the Brewers already have four catchers on their 40-man roster: Victor Caratini, Mario Feliciano, Payton Henry, and Alex Jackson. With the catching market lacking many big names, Narvaez will have no trouble finding a new home in 2023. According to Reviewing the Brew, that home may be with the Brewers’ chief rival: the Chicago Cubs.
Why Would the Cubs Want to Sign Omar Narvaez?
Longtime Cubs catcher and hit-by-pitch enthusiast Willson Contreras is also a free agent. Since the market for catchers is so thin this offseason, it is likely that he will be the highest-paid free agent at the position. Contreras, a three-time All-Star, hit .243/.349/.466 with 22 home runs and 55 RBI last season. While the Cubs may still re-sign Contreras, they will likely look to sign a veteran in the event that he goes elsewhere. This idea was first put forth by Cubs reporters Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sarma of The Athletic.
Narvaez would be an interesting candidate to replace Contreras in Chicago for a couple of reasons. For one, he is just one year removed from his own All-Star season in 2021. That year, Narvaez hit .266/.342/.402 with 11 home runs and 49 RBI. In 2019, with the Seattle Mariners, Narvaez hit .278/.353/.460 with 22 home runs and 55 RBI. In theory, the offense is there and 2022 was a down season. After all, Narvaez hit far below his career average last season. 2020 and 2022 were the only seasons in which Narvaez hit lower than .266.
Another reason the Cubs may be interested in Narvaez is his familiarity with the Brewers pitching staff. Chicago is certainly no stranger to Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta, but may be interested in whatever insight Narvaez has into the Brewers’ trio of aces.
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