Braves and catcher Chadwick Tropp According to MiLB.com Trade Tracker, the minor league contract was agreed to earlier this week. BSE institutional clients may receive non-roster invitations to spring training and start the season with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Tropp became a minor league free agent last week after completing one year in the Red Sox farm system. The Aruba-born catcher hit just .135/.183/.167 in 28 games with Boston’s top team. Unsurprisingly, that didn’t make him a Major League Baseball figure. Tropp made eight major league appearances earlier this season, splitting time between Atlanta and Baltimore. He started the season as Atlanta’s backup catcher and ended up being Rookie of the Year. Derek Baldwinas Sean Murphy He missed the first few weeks with a broken rib.
After Murphy returned, the Warriors took Tropp off the roster with no choice. He was elected as a free agent and signed a minor league deal with Baltimore. Tropp didn’t play well at any level last season and has a career .245/.318/.398 batting average in parts of eight Triple-A seasons. In six years, he made 178 major league appearances and had a .221/.230/.390 line.
The Braves won’t count on Tropp to provide much help at the plate. They obviously like his presence as a defender and with the club, so he’s a great depth addition. Baldwin and Murphy are the only two catchers on the 40-man roster. The latter is coming off season-ending hip surgery. He is expected to be fully ready for spring training. Troop won’t have a good path to the active roster if both Baldwin and Murphy are healthy, although teams could elect to carry three receivers if they plan to DH one of Murphy or Baldwin every day. Tropp is the only catcher in the organization with Major League Baseball experience.
