Former Brewers catcher Victor Caratini reportedly signs with Astros

Catcher Victor Caratini, quietly a rock for the Brewers at backup catcher the past two seasons, reportedly signed a two-year, $12 million free-agent deal with the Houston Astros on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

Caratini, 30, posted a .711 OPS last year with the Brewers, hitting seven homers and posting a .327 on-base percentage. In 2022, he delivered an OPS of .642 with nine homers, including a memorable walk-off winner on July 4.

Those numbers belied the value Caratini brought to the equation, especially defensively and with the pitching staff. Most notably, he was often paired with 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes as Burnes continued his success over the next two years of his career.

Caratini arrived right at the start of the 2022 out of necessity, a last-minute acquisition from San Diego after presumed Brewers backup catcher Pedro Severino was suspended 80 games for testing positive for a banned substance.

Coincidentally, the maneuver marks the likely end of another ex-Brewers catcher in Houston, Martín Maldonado, a 37-year old who has been with Houston since 2018 (leaving in 2019 before getting traded back midway through the season).

Maldonado made six playoff appearances in six seasons, saw action in three World Series appearances (including one championship), caught two no-hitters and worked with 2022 Cy Young winner Justin Verlander. Maldonado was a backup in Milwaukee from 2011-2016.

Caratini will likely back up up-and-comer Yainer Díaz.

Who will step up as Milwaukee's backup catcher in 2024?

There's a pretty good chance the Brewers will add a catcher from outside the organization for next season.

The Brewers' primary catcher, William Contreras, won a Silver Slugger in his first season with Milwaukee, and he'll presumably return and get the bulk of the work behind the plate.

The Brewers have only one other catcher on the 40-man roster, top prospect Jeferson Quero, a 21-year-old who had an excellent season with Class AA Bilxoi last year but hasn't played at Class AAA yet and doesn't project to immediately break camp with the MLB team.

Prominent catchers at Class AAA last year included Alex Jackson and Payton Henry, though Jackson was traded to Tampa Bay in August in exchange for pitcher Evan McKendry, and Henry became a free agent in November. Brian Navarreto, who technically has big-league experience but only for five games with the Marlins in 2020, played the most games at catcher for Nashville with 266 at-bats, posting an OPS of .685.