Veteran catcher Maile signs with Guardians
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GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Guardians have added to their catching depth.
The club announced on Monday that 31-year-old backstop Luke Maile has signed a one-year big league deal for 2022. According to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, Maile's contract is for $900,000.
Maile spent most of his time last year in Milwaukee’s Minor League system after not seeing any game action from 2018-20 due to injuries and the pandemic-canceled season. He went 9-for-30 (.300) in his limited time in the big leagues with the Brewers last season and has played a total of 231 big league games over six seasons.
The Guardians are set to have Austin Hedges as their everyday catcher in 2022. Prior to Saturday, Bryan Lavastida (Cleveland’s No. 13 prospect, as ranked by MLB Pipeline) was the only other backstop on the 40-man roster. The addition of Maile adds much-needed depth to the position, along with Triple-A catcher Gavin Collins and, eventually, No. 6 prospect Bo Naylor.
This is the first transaction for the Guardians as they get ready for Opening Day. The team’s roster still needs a handful of additions (especially in the outfield) prior to taking the field on April 7 at Kauffman Stadium, so it wouldn’t be surprising if more moves are made in the near future.