The Seattle Mariners have met another of their off-season goals today by trading catcher Omar Narvaez to Milwaukee for right-handed pitching prospect Adam Hill and a round B pick in the 2020 competitive balance draft.
Moving Narvaez seemed a sure thing in the last couple weeks. A career season at the plate had his value higher than it’s ever been before, and his team friendly contract helped attract attention, while his defensive inability behind the plate gave the Mariners the desire to see someone else take the bulk of innings in pads next season. The move leaves Tom Murphy the obvious candidate for every day starting catcher, and while he doesn’t quite carry the same bat that Narvaez does, his defense was favored greatly by Mariners pitchers throughout the 2019 season. While Narvaez wasn’t quite the fit the Mariners may have been hoping for when they acquired him last season, the Brewers and their fans should be excited to have his bat in the middle of their lineup.
Narvaez hit .278/.353/.460/.813 with a 120 OPS+ and 22 homeruns in 132 games with Seattle last season.
