Brewers swing deal for catcher Narvaez
The Brewers acquired former White Sox catcher Omar Narvaez from the Mariners on Thursday for minor-league pitcher Adam Hill and a compensation-round pick in the amateur draft in June.
Narvaez becomes the Brewers’ replacement for Yasmani Grandal, who signed a four-year, $73 million contract with the Sox last month.
Narvaez, 28, was excellent at the plate in his one season with the Mariners, hitting .278 with 22 home runs and 55 RBI in 132 games. Narvaez led American League catchers in on-base percentage (.373), slugging percentage (.516) and OPS (.889) and was second among major-league catchers in those categories.
The issue for Narvaez has been his defense, although he improved last season with the Mariners. He had only three passed balls after being charged with 12 with the Sox in 2018.
Mets trade for OF Marisnick
The Mets acquired outfielder Jake Marisnick from the Astros for minor-league pitcher Blake Taylor and minor-league outfielder Kenedy Corona.
Marisnick is an excellent defender with speed but hasn’t hit well in the majors. He might play center field, which would allow the Mets to use Brandon Nimmo primarily in left. Juan Lagares played 125 games in center for the Mets last season but became a free agent.
Marisnick, 28, hit .233 with 10 homers, 34 RBI and 10 stolen bases last season. In advanced metrics, he ranks seventh among big-league outfielders with 64 defensive runs saved since 2004.
Reports: Twins, Pineda agree
Multiple outlets reported the Twins and free-agent righthander Michael Pineda agreed to terms on a two-year, $20 million contract, pending the results of a physical.
Pineda, 30, was 11-5 with a 4.01
ERA in his first season with the Twins in 2019. He missed the 2018 season while recovering from surgery on his right shoulder.
Major League Baseball suspended Pineda for 60 games on Sept. 7 for testing positive for a diuretic that can mask the presence of steroids. He will open the 2020 season on the suspended list.
Rothschild joins Padres
The Padres hired former Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild to the same position. He replaces Darren Balsley, who was let go after the season.
Rothschild, who was the Cubs’ pitching coach from 2002 to 2010, spent the last nine seasons as the Yankees’ pitching coach before being fired after the season. He has been a coach or a manager in the majors in every season but one since 1986.
Manager Jayce Tingler also named Bobby Dickerson bench coach, Wayne Kirby first-base coach and Ben Fritz bullpen coach.