Nationals announce catcher today Jorge Alfaro Cleared waivers and elected as a free agent. As a player with more than five years of service, Alfaro has the option of declining an outright appointment. Now he has done that and is free to sign with any club.
The 32-year-old joined the Nationals in early September after opting out of his minor league contract with the Brewers. By that point, he had already spent a full year at the Triple-A level, and his time in Washington represented his first major league action since 2023. In 14 games and 39 plate appearances, Alfaro hit just .256/.256/.308 and had a 54 wRC+. His strikeout rate was an astounding 35.9 percent, and he didn’t get on base once with four balls. Sure, the sample size is small, but they’re consistent with Alfaro’s career metrics. In nine seasons in the majors, he struck out 34% of the time, walked 4.1% of the time, and posted an 86 wRC+. While receiver is typically a weaker offensive position, Alfaro’s output was still below average.
Alfaro’s defense also leaves a lot to be desired. Despite his above-average release time, Statcast graded him negatively on framing, throwing and blocking in 2025 (despite being behind the plate in just 91 2/3 innings). Alfaro has never been a great blocker, but just in 2021 he did have positive results with the Marlins in framing and pitching. Defensive metrics are tricky, especially in small samples, but it looks like his current offensive and defensive output will limit Alfaro’s ceiling to that of a backup player. His results at Triple-A this year, including an 88 wRC+ in 326 PA, weren’t much better.
Alfaro now joins a relatively small group of free agent receivers headlined by JT Realmuto, Victor Caratiniand Danny Jensen (whose co-option will be rejected). Realmuto will be 35 when the 2026 season begins and has shown signs of decline, posting a 94 wRC+ and -2 defensive runs this year for the Phillies. Caratini is an average hitter for the Astros in 2025, but is worth -5 DRS despite playing only 49 games. Jansen’s offense is also about average, with a 98th percentile block grade this year, but well below average for frame-makers (9th percentile). This is a thin group and the team is always going to need help, so Alfaro figures to be available as a depth option somewhere — likely via a minor league deal.
Photography: John Jones, Imagn Images
