The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired catcher Welington Castillo Wednesday, but their GM says they targeted Dioner Navarro of the Toronto Blue Jays before completing a six-player deal with Seattle.
“The first guy on my list of catchers was Navarro up in Toronto,” Dave Stewart told MLB Network Radio. “That was the guy that I had in my sights even in the winter months before the winter meetings.”
The Diamondbacks initially showed interest in Navarro during the off-season after they traded Miguel Montero to the Chicago Cubs. Once the Blue Jays signed Russell Martin to a five-year contract it became apparent that Navarro would be limited to a part-time role in Toronto. However, the sides never appeared to come close to completing a deal.
Navarro recently returned from a hamstring injury that relegated him to the disabled list for more than a month. The 31-year-old is earning $5 million this season and will hit free agency at the end of the season.
In Navarro’s absence, the Blue Jays relied on Josh Thole, who was recently optioned back to triple-A Buffalo.
Stewart, a member of the 1993 Blue Jays team that won the World Series, served as assistant GM in Toronto before becoming a player agent. The Diamondbacks hired him as GM last September.
