The Orioles announced this afternoon that catcher Luis Torrens had cleared waivers and elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.
Torrens, 27, was a prospect in the Yankees organization when the Reds selected him in the 2016-17 offseason’s Rule 5 draft before trading him to the Padres. Torrens made his big league debut with San Diego during the 2017 season and stayed on the roster all year, batting .163/.243/.203 in 139 plate appearances as the club’s back up catcher. Torrens would spend the entire 2018 season and most of 2019 in the minors before returning to a regular role with the Padres in 2020. Torrens slashed .273/.333/.364 in 7 games during the shortened 2020 season with San Diego before he was traded to Seattle as part of the deal that brought Austin Nola to the Padres.
Torrens would stay with the Mariners through the end of the 2022 season, ultimately batting .239/.297/.388, good for a wRC+ of 93, over 609 plate appearances for the club before Seattle non-tendered him this past November. Torrens went on to sign a minor league deal with the Cubs, making the club’s Opening Day roster as a third catcher. Torrens stepped to the plate just 22 times in Chicago, however, prior to being designated for assignment and traded to the Orioles. He ultimately did not make it into a game for Baltimore before the club decided to DFA him as well.
Overall, Torrens has been a 92 wRC+ hitter since the end of the 2017 season, a perfectly solid mark for a catcher. As Torrens re-enters free agency, he figures to be an attractive option for multiple teams as catching depth, leaving him likely to latch on with another club in short order. In particular, the Angels are known to have explored catching additions recently as the club relies on Matt Thaiss and Chris Okey behind the plate with each of Max Stassi, Logan O’Hoppe, and Chad Wallach currently on the injured list.