Brewers: Manny Pina Signed to Contract for 2021 Season

Manny “Pineapple” Pina is returning to the Milwaukee Brewers for the 2021 season. He and the Brewers agreed to a contract at $1.6MM.

33-year-old catcher and fan/clubhouse favorite Manny Pina will return to a crowded catching roster, the club announced on Wednesday. The Brewers technically have five serviceable catchers now on their roster with a sixth soon to join.

Before Pina’s contract, Milwaukee signed catcher Luke Maile earlier in the week, pending physical. They also signed catcher Omar Narvaez for $2.5MM for 2021.

The Brewers now have Pina, Maile, Narvaez, Jacob Nottingham, David Freitas and Mario Feliciano. Feliciano is likely the catcher of the future, but that is still a lot of catchers on the active roster when the Brewers need to fill in other infield positions.

Pina’s 2020 Season

A torn meniscus in his right knee cut Pina’s 2020 season short in late August. He ended the year with a .231 batting average, two home runs, five RBIs and a .744 OPS. He had basically taken over every day catching duties before his injury.

To compare, Narvaez ended with a worse batting average, also had two home runs and only 10 RBIs with 60 more at-bats. Nottingham ended under .200 for batting average as well. Over 48 at-bats, Jacob had five home runs and 17 RBIs. The team missed Pina after his injury.

Pina’s Brewers Tenure

Manny has been with the Brewers since 2015. Some fans believe he was brought up in the farm system, but that is not the case.

Pina actually came over to the Brewers in December of 2015. He was the player to be named later with the Brewers sent Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriquez to Detroit. The last two seasons have now had setbacks with injuries. Can the catcher stay healthy this year while reaching his mid-30s? We will find out in 2021.

Which Brewers Catchers Will Stick?

With the 2021 contracts of Narvaez and Pina, they will probably split duties again at catcher next season.

Maile would probably be third, but also comes with a minor league option if needed. So do Narvaez and Feliciano. Nottingham and Freitas do not. So the question is, what will happen with a crowded position. Trades? Multiple players released?

David Stearns was already asked the same questions fans are thinking:

Only the remainder of the offseason and winter meetings will tell. But, if Pina can stay healthy, Brewers fans are happy to have him back and staying in Milwaukee.

There was plenty of speculation as to which arbitration eligible players would remain with the Brewers for 2021. It looks like another fan favorite is set to stay.