Addressing the Milwaukee Brewers Options at Catcher

The Brewers may be fine at catcher despite how harsh the loss of Jonathan Lucroy feels now.

The Milwaukee Brewers traded away the best catcher in their history just a week ago. I know it hurts.  And the decrease in production behind the dish will be noticeable, but the Crew still has many options at the position. So let’s have a look at those players and what they would bring to the position.

The placement of the catchers below are more based on their current organizational position than my feelings on their individual values.

OPTION 1: Martín Maldonado || MLB plate appearances: 969 || MLB OPS: .635

Defensive reputation: very good

Nearly every mention of Maldy must begin by referencing the canon he calls his right arm. But the longtime Brewer also has a great reputation for calling games and pitch-framing.

Also in Maldy’s favor is that 2016 is an even year, which, if history is any indication, means he will be near league-average with the bat. His wRC+ (100 is league average) in even years, starting in 2012, are 97, 96, and this year, 78. In odd years, those numbers drop to 38 and 52.

Even/odd year silliness aside, the large fluctuations in his numbers make his offensive value tough to nail down, but he’s likely a slightly better hitter than his career numbers imply. Maldonado turns 30 this month and for the time being looks like a solid, defense-first starting catcher.

Next: Who's Option 2?