The Rockies made a minor transaction ahead of the deadline on Friday. They shipped left-handed reliever Jerry Vasto to the Royals for catcher and sometimes pitcher Drew Butera. The move doesn’t affect the 40-man roster.
The 35-year-old Butera will be the fourth catcher on the 40-man roster, joining Chris Iannetta, Tony Wolters, and Tom Murphy. In 166 plate appearances for the Royals in 2018, Butera has hit .188/.259/.289. Most of that has come at catcher, but he’s also played a bit of first base. Notably, Butera has also been called upon to pitch in emergency situations in four separate seasons. Earlier this year, he recorded the final out in a 15-4 loss against the Red Sox — he walked three and gave up two hits and two runs in 1⁄3 inning pitched.
Jerry Vasto, who is 26 and definitely exists, leaves the Rockies after pitching just 2⁄3 inning, giving up three runs on three hits and a walk against the Diamondbacks back in June.
Like I said, it’s a minor move. Still, it’s hard to see what Butera adds to the Rockies core of catchers, and he’s most definitely a worse pitcher than Vasto. But the guy who caught the final out of the Royals 2015 World Series championship — a pitch thrown by Wade Davis — is now a member of the Rockies.