The Blue Jays have acquired veteran catcher Dioner Navarro from the White Sox in exchange for minor-league left-hander Colton Turner. The White Sox announced the deal on Friday night.
Navarro, 32, batted .210/.267/.339 in 85 games for the White Sox this season. The switch-hitter owns a career OPS+ of 84 across parts of 13 big-league seasons. Navarro spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons with Toronto and was highly popular figure in the clubhouse during his years with the Jays. He's owed the balance of a $4 million salary for 2016 and is eligible for free agency this upcoming offseason.
Navarro will replace Josh Thole as the primary backup to regular catcher Russell Martin. While Navarro hasn't hit this season, he'd still be an upgrade over what the Jays have gotten from Thole over the last three-plus seasons (.196/.273/.243 with Toronto since 2013). Since this trade was completed prior to Sept. 1, Navarro will be eligible for the postseason roster.
On the White Sox's side of things, Turner, 25, was a 21st-rounder in 2012 who's pitched to a 3.42 ERA and 2.25 K/BB ratio across parts of four minor-league seasons. He's worked almost exclusively as a reliever over the last two years. Turner will be assigned to Double-A.
