Update (5:16 PM): Alex Avila’s contract is a 2-year, $8.25M deal (first reported by Ken Rosenthal). He can earn an additional $250K per year in incentives. To make room for Avila on the 40-man roster, the Diamondbacks designated outfielder Rey Fuentes for assignment.
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. With catchers Avila, Jeff Mathis, John Ryan Murphy, and Chris Herrmann all on the roster, somebody is going to end up being the odd man out. I believe that the 40-man roster is currently full, so a corresponding move will have to be made.
The story will be updated when contract details are released.