Brewers acquire catchers Victor Caratini, Alex Jackson in pair of trades

The Brewers made a pair of moves Wednesday, acquiring catchers Victor Caratini and Alex Jackson in trades with the Padres and Marlins, respectively.

Caratini, the former Chicago Cub, came over in a deal that sent catcher Brett Sullivan and outfielder Korry Howell back to the Padres. Caratini figures to see playing time as the only Opening Day roster catcher besides starter Omar Narvaez.

Jackson will be sent to AAA Nashville after coming over from the Marlins, who got minor leaguers Hayden Cantrelle and Alexis Ramirez in return.

Caratini finished with a .300/.391/.550 slash line in 23 plate appearances in spring training with the Padres, including one home run and three RBIs. He also struck out just once, a good sign for a Brewers team that has struggled with strikeouts in recent years.

Last season, Caratini played near his career averages in his first and only year with the Padres, slashing .227/.309/.323 with seven home runs and 39 RBIs in 356 plate appearances. He got a lot more playing time with the Padres, appearing in a career-high 116 games after appearing in 246 over four seasons with the Cubs.

Jackson, who has a bit of major league experience over three seasons with the Braves and Marlins, has not seen much success in the big leagues. A career .132/.243/.225 slash line does not bode well for him, but apparently the Brewers are convinced he can make an impact off the bench at some point this season. He’ll start the year at AAA after going 0-for-5 with one walk in six spring training plate appearances.