Braves sign potential backup catcher

According to Aram Leighton of Just Baseball, the Braves have agreed to a minor-league deal with catcher Curt Casali.

Casali is an 11-year MLB veteran that most recently spent time with the Giants, playing in 41 games last season. He’s not going to offer much with the stick, boasting just a .218 batting average with 48 homers over 543 career games. However, he is reliable defensively and can start in a pinch if needed.

With Travis d’Arnaud now in Los Angeles, the backup catcher behind Sean Murphy becomes a bit of a concern, but the Braves now have plenty of options. Chadwick Tromp has been the team’s third catcher for several years now and is more than capable of serving in a backup role.

The Braves also have top prospect Drake Baldwin patiently waiting for his opportunity. There’s a chance he impresses so much throughout Spring Training that they have no choice but to include him on the major-league roster. However, it’s probably best for his long-term trajectory for the Braves to keep him busy in Gwinnett rather than playing him sparingly in Atlanta.