Luke Maile isn't coming back to the Cleveland Guardians, but he isn't leaving the state of Ohio either. The catcher has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds and will be the team's backup catcher in 2023.
The Guardians have a lot of question marks at catcher for this upcoming season. While bringing back Maile never truly felt like a serious option, it's officially out of the question now.
The seven-year veteran had an up-down year with the Guardians. He had a .221 batting average and a .627 OPS in the career-high 76 games he played. However, he did have a fantastic month of August when he slashed .333/.381/.539.
While the offense wasn't always there, Maile did do a solid job of taking care of the pitching staff as a backup catcher and the during the 55 games he started. A number of those were when starter Austin Hedges missed time with a concussion.
The Mail(e) Man's highlight with the Guardians was when easily when he hit a walk-off sacrifice fly on June 10.
Maile will have more of the same role as a member of the Reds. Tyler Stephenson will continue to be the team's everyday catcher and Maile will step in when he needs a day off or if Stephenson gets injured.
With Maile on his way out, the Guardians will now need to focus on acquiring another catcher whether that be by trade or in free agency.
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