Inside The Padres

Former Padres Catcher DFA'd By NL's Worst Team

Maren Angus-Coombs

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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The Miami Marlins designated former San Diego Padres catcher Christian Bethancourt for assignment on Friday.

The Marlins acquired Bethancourt in a trade with Cleveland for cash on Dec. 10. He was expected to take over for Jacob Stallings, who had been non-tendered after two seasons with the club.

The 32-year-old never got going with his new club. He opened the season hitless in his first 29 at-bats and overall this year has compiled a .159/.198/.268 slash line with five extra-base hits and a 29 OPS+ in 38 games.

"Christian is a really good dude," manager Skip Schumaker said. "He was a good fit here as far as talking to the guys. In those pitchers' meetings, he was fantastic. It just sometimes doesn't work out in different organizations. It wasn't a lack of effort. He's been trying. He was doing everything he could to figure out the offensive stuff. He was doing better on the catching side as well. We all know that he had an unbelievable arm. But as far as a person, man, that's the kind of guy you want around all the time. He's a fantastic teammate. It's just too bad it didn't work out here."

In a corresponding move, the Marlins recalled catcher Ali Sánchez from Triple-A.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite being raised in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer for the LA Sports Report Network.

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