Milwaukee Brewers Sign Former Tampa Bay Rays Catcher Francisco Mejía to Minor League Deal

After failing to make the Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays' Opening Day rosters, Francisco Mejía has been given another chance from the Milwaukee Brewers.

Apr 18, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Tampa Bay Rays catcher Francisco Mejia (21) walks off the field. / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Brewers have signed veteran catcher Francisco Mejía to a minor league contract, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel reported Friday.

Mejía spent the past three years with the Tampa Bay Rays, but was let go at the end of 2023. After failing to catch on with the Los Angeles Angels earlier this year, Mejía returned to Tampa Bay for the remainder of Spring Training.

The Rays let Mejía go when they trimmed down their roster on Opening Day, and he spent the next week in free agency before landing in Milwaukee.

The Brewers have All-Star William Contreras holding down the fort at catcher, as well as veteran free agent addition Gary Sánchez backing him up. Mejía is unlikely to compete for a big league roster spot as it stands, but he would certainly be primed for a call-up if either Contreras or Sánchez were to get injured.

The 28-year-old backstop is set to join the Nashville Sounds in Triple-A, per McDaniel.

Mejía signed his first professional contract with the Cleveland Guardians in 2012, eventually making his MLB debut in 2017. The San Diego Padres picked Mejía up via trade in 2018, before he got sent to the Rays as part of the Blake Snell deal in December 2020.

Over the next three seasons, Mejía appeared in 227 games for the Rays. He hit .245 with 17 home runs, 85 RBI, a .682 OPS and a 2.3 WAR.

The Rays were content moving on to René Pinto at catcher in 2024, though, and Mejía ultimately lost out on the backup job when they landed Ben Rortvedt in a trade with the New York Yankees.

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