From Paul Hoynes:
#indians acquire catcher Chris Wallace from Houston for lefty Eric Berger in minor league deal . Wallace assigned to AA Akron
— paul hoynes (@hoynsie) April 15, 2013
Before anyone gets excited, this is a very minor trade. The Indians needed catching depth in the minors, and got it in Wallace, who will report to Akron. Because both Yan Gomes and Omir Santos were called up to Cleveland, that created a chain reaction through the upper levels of the system. Roberto Perez was promoted to Columbus, leaving Akron thin in catching. Wallace fills this gap.
Chris Wallace grew up in the Houston area and attended the University of Houston. His hometown team drafted him in the 16th round of the 2010 draft. Normally when you're drafted that late, you don't have much of a future, but Wallace has turned into perhaps a viable major-league backup catcher. He's never been considered much of a prospect, snagging the 30th place (according to Baseball America) in the organization going into 2012. He has decent power, but has a marginal throwing arm and has holes in his swing.
Right now with both Gomes and Santos in Cleveland, Roberto Perez is the only true catcher in Columbus, while Alex Lavisky and Jeremy Lucas are on Akron's roster. I'm going to guess that Yan Gomes will shortly be optioned down to Columbus, where he'll be the everyday catcher with Roberto Perez as his backup, while Wallace will be the everyday guy in Akron with Lavisky as his backup. Lucas, who was a stopgap at Akron (he finished 2012 in Mahoning Valley), will likely be sent to one of the lower levels, most likely Lake County.
Berger had been getting less and less prominent roles in the organization. He started the year in Akron, not a good sign for a reliever who had spent the previous year in Columbus. Like Wallace, Berger has never been highly rated, getting a #30 rating in the organization before the 2010 season. But as a left-hander with a deceptive delivery, he'll get plenty more opportunities in at least the high minors.