One of the biggest needs that the Guardians need this offseason is a catcher, whether that be a starter or backup. Luke Maile has signed with the Cincinnati Reds, Austin Hedges remains a free agent, and question marks still remain with Bo Naylor.
Cleveland has been heavily rumored to be in pursuit of Athletic catcher Sean Murphy, However, the market for the All-Star catcher is massive and there's no guarantee the Guardians will land him.
Knowing that there are no guarantees with the trade or free agent market, the organization took a proactive approach to bring in a Major League ready catcher in Meibrys Viloria.
The Guardians have signed Viloria to a Minor League contract with an invitation for 2023 Spring Training.
Viloria has been part of the Kansas City organization for most of his professional career and has a .274/.362/.400/.762 slash line during his time in the Minors. Unfortunately, he's struggled to produce those numbers at the Major League level.
In 2020, Viloria had a .190 batting average with the Royals, and in 2022 he hit .159 with the Rangers. Perhaps Cleveland believes they take his Minor League success and transfer it to the Big Leagues.
There are multiple angles to take with this signing. Although it's only a Minor League contract, there is a chance the organization feels they need to have a plan in place if they miss out on trading for Murphy.
This could also be a move to boost depth at catcher in the Minor League system if Naylor is spending the majority of his time on the Big League roster. This would be a position similar to Sandy Leon in 2022.
Even though this is a minor move for the Guardians, it's highly unlikely this is the only move they make before Opening Day.
Luke Maile Signs With Another Ohio Club
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