The Atlanta Braves have acquired catcher Ryan Doumit from the Minnesota Twins for left-handed pitcher Sean Gilmartin, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports first reported that a deal was close.
The move comes as a bit of a surprise for the Twins, who are known to be looking to add a catcher this winter after shifting Joe Mauer to first base. Rosenthal notes that they are looking at free agent catchers John Buck and Kurt Suzuki, and that internal options Eric Fryer, Josmil Pinto and Chris Herrmann are still on the 40-man roster.
Doumit, who turns 33 at the beginning of the season, will add depth off the bench for the Braves and give Evan Gattis and Gerald Laird the ability to pinch-hit when they are not catching, according to Rosenthal. He has the ability to play catcher, first base or right fielder, so his versatility will likely be useful to the Braves. In 135 games with Minnesota last season, Doumit hit .247 with 14 HR and 55 RBI, and is a lifetime .268 hitter with 99 HR and 396 RBI.
Gilmartin, 23, was Atlanta's first round pick in the 2011 draft, but has struggled in his time at Triple-A Gwinnett. Last season, he started seventeen games at Triple-A, posting a 3-8 record and 5.74 ERA in 91 innings of work. He was ranked as the Braves' fourth best prospect a year ago, but fell to tenth on the list this offseason.