Brewers sign catcher Eric Haase

The Milwaukee Brewers have signed catcher Eric Haase to a one-year contract, General Manager Matt Arnold announced Wednesday.

Hasse, 31, has appeared in 323 games across six MLB seasons, spending time with Cleveland and Detroit. He began his career with Cleveland before spending 2020-2023 with Detroit, appearing in 86 games in 2023 prior to being claimed off waivers by the Guardians in August. He then appeared in three games with Cleveland before hitting the open market.

Across 72 starts in 2023, Haase started 55 at catcher, 15 in left field, and two as the designated hitter.

Originally selected in the seventh round of the 2011 MLB Draft by Cleveland, Haase had his best seasons with the Tigers in 2021 and 2022. He hit .231/.286/.459 (103 OPS+) with 22 homers and 61 RBIs across 98 games in 2021 before hitting .254/.305/.443 (112 OPS+) with 14 homers and 44 RBIs across 110 games in 2022. Across 89 games in 2023, Haase hit .201/.247/.281 (45 OPS+) with four homers and 26 RBIs.

With Victor Caratini having signed with the Astros and the Brewers already having young catcher William Contreras in the fold, Haase figures to be the backup catcher to begin 2024, barring any additions or call-ups between now and April.