The Chicago White Sox continued to make moves to improve their production behind the plate Thursday by signing veteran catcher Dioner Navarro to a one-year deal in free agency.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and ESPN.com news services, the signing will become official provided Navarro passes a physical.
The move caps a busy week for the White Sox in terms of catcher transactions. Per MLB.com’s Scott Merkin, Chicago recently signed former Detroit Tigers backstop Alex Avila. The Sox followed that up with the decision to not offer incumbent starter Tyler Flowers a tender, according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Flowers hit just .239 last season, and it is clear that the White Sox have made a concerted effort to improve in that regard.
That is why Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports believes the 31-year-old Navarro is a logical fit in the Windy City:
The switch-hitting Navarro served as a backup catcher to Russell Martin with the Toronto Blue Jays last season, although he also saw time as a designated hitter. While he hit just .246 with five home runs and 20 RBI, he enjoyed the best offensive season of his career in 2014 with the Jays.
Navarro hit .274 with 12 homers and a personal-best 69 RBI that year, and the White Sox are hoping they get something close to those numbers on a prorated basis in a timeshare with Avila.
As pointed out by ESPN’s Buster Olney, Navarro is a strong complement to Avila due to his proficiency against left-handed pitching in particular:
While Navarro isn’t viewed as an elite defensive catcher, the former All-Star did throw out 39 percent of attempted base stealers last season, so he can hold his own.
Navarro’s true value comes at the dish, though, and if he can regain the magic he had in 2014, then he has an opportunity to be an important part of a lineup in desperate need of some support for slugging first baseman Jose Abreu.
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