The Pirates added a player at a position of desperate need Monday, signing free agent catcher Luke Maile to a one-year major league contract.
Maile, 28, is known as a strong defensive catcher who hasn’t hit much in parts of five big league seasons.
For his career, he’s a .198 hitter with a .252 on-base percentage and .304 slugging percentage in 657 plate appearances. He has hit 10 home runs. Last season, he hit .151 in 44 games with the Blue Jays. The year before that, he hit .248.
In addition to his reputation as a good pitch framer, Maile threw out seven of the 25 runners who tried to steal on him last season. Two years ago, he threw out 13 attempted base stealers, which ranked 10th in the AL.
Before Maile signed, Jacob Stallings was the only catcher on the 40-man roster. The Pirates non-tendered Elias Diaz in December.
