Orioles Sign Former Atlanta Braves Catcher To Minor League Deal

The Baltimore Orioles have a new potential backup catcher in the minors after signing a former Atlanta Braves fan favorite to a minor league deal.

May 17, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher Chadwick Tromp (45) hits a double against the San Diego Padres in the eighth inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have some new competition for their backup catcher role after signing a new player to a minor league deal.

The MLB's transaction log had a surprising move for the Orioles, as the team has signed former Atlanta Braves fan favorite Chadwick Tromp to a minor league deal.

Tromp has a career .224/.235/.385 slash line, playing in 61 games over six years. He has never been able to stick at the Major League level, but could at least provide some solid defense behind the plate.

The 30-year-old could be especially useful against southpaws, as his career numbers jump up to .278/.278/.463 against lefties.

He was fighting for a spot on the Braves opening day roster this spring, but found himself on the open market after going 5-for-34 with one walk to eight strikeouts.

Perhaps he could unlock something in the Orioles system, who has done a good job in developing slugging catchers in the past few years.

Baltimore could be desperate to find a better option behind Adley Rutschman as their offseason acquisition of Gary Sanchez has not gotten off to a smooth start.

Sanchez is just 1-for-15 so far with one walk to seven strikeouts. That is an OPS+ of -27. Something needs to change if he wants to stick around for the entire season.

Tromp will start out in Triple-A per game notes shared by Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.

David Banuelos suffering an injury and landing on the injured list also certainly plays a role in this move as he was a catcher for the Triple-A team.

There is certainly room for Tromp to stick around even when Banuelos gets healthy.