Free Agent Market: Catchers
This kicks off a position-by-position series that will look at the upcoming free agents. Because there are fans of 26 teams out there already thinking about next year and how their team can get better, that’s why.
Top Shelf
Ramon Hernandez
Not a single free agent catcher qualified for the batting title. Among those that managed 200 PAs, though, Hernandez led the crew in both batting average and wOBA. He actually managed offense that was 11% better than the league average, which is like wow for a catcher. The position managed a .245/.313/.389 line, and Hernandez had a .282/.341/.446 line. That would make him the offensive class of the free agent class. And by Matt Klaasen’s most recent catcher defense rankings, he graded out as top-tier as well. So why might the Reds let him go? Well they have Ryan Hanigan in hand and Devin Mesoraco on the way, so they don’t need to spend that money. Also, Hernandez is 36 years old, has averaged 337 PAs over the past three years, and is as likely to be below-average with the bat as he is to be above-average (or more likely below, given he’s another year older). Even though his defense is at least decent and the Dodgers are a possibility, the best fit for him might be an American league team that can shuttle him between catcher and DH to keep him fresh. Could he return to Baltimore? Replace free-agent-to-be Josh Bard in Seattle? The Mariners are looking for offense at any position they can get it.
Verdict: Mariners.
Jorge Posada
Yes, even with all his faults, Jorge Posada is one of the most eligible bachelors in the sixth grade dance that is the pool of catcher free agents. He’s forty years old, and may not even be a catcher any more. But he managed an 89 wRC+ this past year, even despite a .262 BABIP, and has said he wants to catch next year. He’s still walking at a double-digit rate and has above-average power, too. Given the state of his defense, he’s probably not a fit for a National League team, which shrinks the set of possible suitors drastically. In fact, it’s almost impossible to find a great fit for him. Could he take over the backup role in Boston for fellow free agent (and likely retiree) Jason Varitek in Boston? Ryan Lavarnway and Jarrod Saltalamacchia are probably a good enough duo, and cheap. The White Sox seem to want to ‘let the kids play’ and the Angels value catcher defense too much to make that move. Perhaps the Mariners are desperate enough for offense to slot Posada in behind Miguel Olivo? The Orioles could sigh him as a DH replacement for Vladimir Guerrero, but there are probably better options out there, and Matt Wieters doesn’t need much of a caddy.
Verdict: Orioles or retirement.
Rod Barajas
In Rod the Dodgers trusted, and he didn’t really let them down. When he was in there. Groin, wrist and ankle injuries cut 30 days out of his season. Compare that to fellow 36-year-old Hernandez (four official missed days) and it has to be somewhat of an issue. Barajas also doesn’t have the same offensive upside, except when it comes to power. He’s had an above-average ISO every year since 2003, and since he doesn’t walk much, that’s his offensive skill. Still, he’s been better than your average catcher with the stick and the glove, and beggars can’t be choosers. Barajas was quoted recently as saying he’d like to re-sign with the Dodgers, and even if the team likes A.J. Ellis in the long term, they’d probably want a caddy for him.
Verdict: Dodgers.
The Rest
If you’re looking for a catcher that can actually catch and is under 35, the best option might be Josh Bard. And he’s 34 and hasn’t been a starter since 2009. He still has the potential to put up a year that’s only about 20% worse than league average if given more of an opportunity, with average to below-average defense. How’s that for exciting? He’s six years younger than consummate veteran Henry Blanco, and might be better than the 36-year-old Ramon Castro. Gerald Laird, Jose Molina and Brian Schneider are in the same space, but what really separates these guys? Is anyone going to sign Ivan Rodriguez or Jason Kendall? Maybe? As for who might want this kind of a backup catcher, take your pick. The Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Royals, Cardinals, and Phillies could be looking for a cheap catcher. None these guys would start for any of these teams.
How about Ryan Doumit? His face is in the dictionary next to “injury prone”, and his defense is somewhere between not good and really bad, but he did post an OPS+ of 128 last year. There’s some value there.
It doesn’t look likely that the Pirates will pick up his 2 year / $15.5 million option, so even if he didn’t qualify for your list yet, he will soon.
I was gonna say the same thing. Beat me to it.
Doumit might be the 2nd best option behind Hernandez.
Yeah but! Doumit is the worst defensive catcher in the league by almost any metric. So he’d have to go in that Baltimore/Seattle scrum where he could DH too I think.
But yeah coulda put him in I guess. Wanted to go with definite free agents.
But if Posada’s lack of defensive ability isn’t enough to keep him off the list, it shouldn’t keep Doumit off the list either.
Doumit is likely catch way more than games than Posada next season, right?
Oh no it wasn’t D that kept him off the list, it was his pending option. But I thought his D was worth mentioning.
The Twins should probably be mentioned in, at least, ‘The Rest’. Then again, I hear Drew Butera is really clutch.
Jorge Posada is medically unable to catch at this point, given his concussion history.
His 89 wRC+ is also the result of a deep platoon split; he had a 116 vs. RHP. He would make a great platoon DH/backup 1B for someone, though personally I hope he retires a Yankee.
Yeah maybe I shouldn’t have put him here. But do think the potential destinations are the same.
Is that really so? Posada caught several innings as recently as September 10, when the Russell Martin got injured and the only other available backup Jesus Montero was in the game as DH.
Extreme emergency.
Jorge had some neurological tests done after the 2010 season, and the results were sufficiently horrifying to the FO that there was no way he was going to catch except in that emergency.
Notice that they preferred to call Romine up rather than let EITHER Jorge or Jesus catch (scared to let them catch, but for different reasons).
Cervelli is the one with the concussion problems, not Posada. Get your facts straight. The Yanks didn’t want Posada behind the plate because he can’t throw anymore after the shoulder injury of 2008, that and he has never been a good staff handler.
fwiw, I expect the Phillies to go with career minor leaguer Erik Kratz. He’s entering his age 32 season and has posted an OPS over .800 for four straight seasons – almost entirely in the International League. He ranks out as above average defensively too. You could see a couple other career minor leaguers get their shot in this laughable free agent class.
The Nats are awash in catchers. Ramos isn’t going anywhere, Jesus Flores is still arb-eligible, and the human walk Mr. Derrick Norris is alive and well in the minors. They’ve already told Ivan Rodriguez that he’s welcome back as a coach :) so I can’t see why they’d sign an equally tepid retread to take his spot on the roster.
Wasn’t sure of Flores’ health but agree and edited.
Norris derives most of his value from a walk rate that hovers around 20%. He’s not going to walk at that clip in the majors. Meanwhile, he strikes out a lot and doesn’t feature elite BABIPs. In the minors, a low BABIP can indicate that the player’s skills might not translate well to higher levels. He also receives poor grades on his fielding.
He has an interesting mix of plate discipline and power, but all signs point to another full season in the minors.
Flores looked bad last season. The Nationals have an eye on contention in 2012 so they might want a more stable asset as the back up. Flores probably fits better with a second division team hoping the catch lightning in a bottle.
These are the type of articles I come here for.
I don’t see why Hernandez is fit to be a DH in the AL. He’d be a pretty bad one. He’s a good enough hitter to be an NL PH though.
That’s because you don’t realize how bad the DH position is at hitting.
Outside of David Ortiz, the .282/.341/.446 line he put up last year would probably rank what.. 2nd best? among AL DH’s
Without league adjusting his line, his slash would have ranked 4th between Butler and Damon.
You could also include Michael Young, Paul Konerko, and Josh Willingham ahead of him since they all got a pretty substantial number of DH ab’s.
And then there’s the other guys who do DH duties like Kubel, Thome, Hafner, and Dunn. If you forced me to choose a DH between Dunn and Hernandez for 2012, I would answer Dunn without hesitating.
DBacks likely aren’t looking for a catcher. Both the team and Henry Blanco appear to be picking up his mutual option.
As far as trade markets go, do you think the Cubs will make Soto available, and if so, does that change the FA market at all?
I’ll make the case that Jose Molina should be more than a backup. Over the last two years, he has put up 2.2 WAR in under 400 PA; he’s regarded as good with pitchers and a capable defensive catcher. He was recently identified by Mike Fast as the best pitch framer in the Majors. Put all that together, and someone should give him as much playing time as he can handle. The Angels would be far better off, as would the Astros and the Mets.
He does have some good supporting arguments, especially on the defensive side. The reason I left the Angels off, for the most part, was because I wonder if Scioscia is just unreasonably hard on all catchers and if he’d even agree to sign a free agent. The Astros and Mets both seem like rebuilders with cheap catchers in place. But Molina might actually be the best of the rest.
Well, if Scioscia can’t deal with a catcher with Molina’s defensive cachet, he’s completely hopeless, but you may be right. One sort of suspects that Jeff Mathis has proof positive of some horrible crime committed by Scioscia: it’s the only logical explanation for his continued career.
You’re right about the Mets, but the Astros don’t have a major-league caliber catcher, nor even a particularly young one, and even rebuilding teams would be advised to win a few games. It’s not as if it would break the bank to sign Molina.
I’m not sure I wouldn’t prefer Jose Molina over Barajas: there isn’t a huge difference offensively, and Molina is definitely the better defensive catcher.
Great article. I love Henry Blanco.
I also love that AJ Ellis, entering his age 31 season, is a “catcher of the future.”
The most important thing to notice is how similar all these guys are. I’d rather pull a 2010 Mets and sign 2-3 of them to minor league contracts.
Where art thou Jeff Mathis?
angles’ fans have been asking that for years
what is Chris Snyder’s health status? Could be on the Mets radar if expected to be healthy. Would fit well as Thole platoon-mate.
The Royals ought to keep Brayan Peña, since he’s a switch-hitter who is better from the left side of the plate, and use Sal Pérez as the starter for 110-120 games while substituting Peña against weaker right-handers. Don’t want to wear Sal out by age 24.
If they do release Peña, your team might want him. He’s not an awful hitter and his defense is slightly above average. You also might ask Dayton about Manny Piña, who ought to be a pretty decent backup catcher. Neither of these guys has upside, but they’re not clowns and get the job done.