According to reports by both Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Jon Heyman of Fanrag Sports, the Diamondbacks have signed 31-year-old catcher Alex Avila. The left-handed hitting catcher posted a triple slash of .264/.387/.447 in time with both the Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs last season. MLB Trade Rumors ranked Avila at #32 in their rundown of the top-50 free agents of this off-season, predicting he would get a 2-year, 16-million dollar deal.
Avila will be the only offensively-focused catcher on the Diamondbacks’ roster, providing a much-needed boost to the position.