Brewers trade Maldonado, prospect to Angels for catcher Bandy
When Milwaukee dealt Jonathan Lucroy at the trading deadline, there was some question as to who would be the Brewers' starting catcher in 2017.
It turns out, Milwaukee made another deal to perhaps land that starter.
On Tuesday, the Brewers traded Martin Maldonado, the presumed '17 starter, and minor-league pitcher Drew Gagnon to the Los Angeles Angels for catcher Jett Bandy.
"We are pleased that we were able to add Jett Bandy to the organization," Brewers general manager David Stearns said in a statement. "Jett's presence augments our group of young catchers at the major-league level and upper levels of the minor leagues. Jett has developed into a well-rounded contributor both behind the plate and at bat. He brings solid defensive acumen along with above average power, and we are looking forward to watching his continued growth in the Brewers organization."
The 6-foot-4 Bandy was a 31st-round pick of the Angels in 2011. He isn't arbitration eligible until 2019 and can't be a free agent until 2022.
After appearing in two games in 2015, Bandy played 70 games for Los Angeles in 2016 with 60 starts at catcher, batting .234 with a .281 on-base percentage and .392 slugging percentage. Bandy also threw out 19 of 48 attempted basestealers (39.6 percent) last season.
"I was told when I was younger that I've got a better chance when you put the ball in play," Bandy told reporters Tuesday.
At Triple-A Salt Lake in 2016, Bandy batted .274 with a .411 slugging percentage in 24 games and threw out 13 of 27 on the basepaths (48 percent). In his minor-league career, Bandy has a 265/337/422 slash line while throwing out 36 percent of attempted stealers.
Maldonado, who was arbitration eligible this offseason, was known more for his arm than his bat. In six seasons with Milwaukee, he hit just 217/299/342 in 335 games including 202/332/351 in 76 games in 2016. However, he has been above average every season in throwing out baserunners, including last year when he nabbed 20 of 50 (40 percent).
The right-handed Gagnon was a third-round pick of the Brewers in 2011 and was a starting pitcher until being converted to a reliever this past season. He spent most of 2016 at Triple-A Colorado Springs where he had a 5.56 ERA and 1.473 WHIP in 55 innings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
