The Philadelphia Phillies reached a minor league agreement with 31-year-old catcher Brian Navarreto during the opening days of the 2026 Major League Baseball General Manager Meetings.
The gatherings began Monday and continue through Thursday. According to a report from Ari Alexander of 7 News, Navarreto will join the organization on a non-roster deal that includes an invitation to major league spring training.
“Source: Catcher Brian Navarreto has agreed to a minor league deal, with a spring training invite with the #Phillies. He has 42 games of MLB experience with the Marlins in 2020, and 2025-26.”
Navarreto spent the bulk of his major league time with Miami in 2026. He appeared in 32 games that season and batted .135 with one home run and three RBI in 52 at-bats.
His only previous big-league action came in limited roles. He debuted with the Marlins in 2020, playing two games, then returned for eight games in 2025.
Across those 42 career contests, Navarreto has hit .183/.221/.338. He has two home runs, five doubles, eight RBI and 25 strikeouts in 81 plate appearances.
The Minnesota Twins selected him in the sixth round of the 2013 draft out of Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, Florida. He was born in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
Minnesota traded him to the New York Yankees during the 2019 season. After that year he became a free agent and signed with the Marlins organization.
He later spent time in the Milwaukee system before returning to Miami on minor league deals in recent seasons. Navarreto elected free agency last week after the Marlins outrighted him.
In the minors, he has batted .220/.276/.330 with 52 home runs and 301 RBI over 765 games.
The Phillies open the offseason after an 88-74 regular-season finish. They placed second in the National League East, six games behind the Atlanta Braves.
Philadelphia started the year 9-19 under Rob Thomson. The club fired him in late April and elevated Don Mattingly from bench coach to interim manager.
Mattingly guided the team the rest of the way and it finished strong enough to claim a wild-card berth. The Braves then eliminated the Phillies in the National League Wild Card Series, taking two of three games at Truist Park.
After the season, the front office removed Mattingly’s interim tag and signed him to a two-year contract. The addition of Navarreto gives the organization another experienced catcher for spring training depth.
