The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t surprise too many people when they threw a whole bunch of money at Ontario native Russell Martin. And as blasphemous as a five-year deal for a catcher heading into his age 32 season may sound, it was probably necessary for them to actually be able to reign him in (even though we all know five years for a catcher heading into his age 32 season is insane). Nonetheless, that left some teams out in the cold that were looking to add some catching help. Where do they go from here?
When you talk about teams looking for help, those are primarily the teams that were in on Martin. The Chicago Cubs seem to head the list, despite the presence of Welington Castillo, while the Los Angeles Dodgers also appear to be involved. Don’t sleep on a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates as well, who claimed to be in on Martin even after acquiring Francisco Cervelli. Throw in clubs like the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox and there is no shortage of teams that are looking for help behind the dish. The question is where do they find such assistance?
Russell Martin represented the end of the catching market in free agency, just as last year it was really just Brian McCann. With names like David Ross and Geovany Soto headlining the list of remaining backstops in free agency, you’re not looking to sign a starter after Martin. You’re looking for depth. A starter, for the teams that wish to acquire one, are going to have to come via trade, and there are a few intriguing options for teams out there.
You have a guy like Miguel Montero, who the Arizona Diamondbacks have been fielding offers for since the season came to its official end. He still has three years and $40 million on his contract, and he may be better suited for a platoon situation, but there is still value, including in regard to the all important pitch framing. He was eighth in extra strikes and eighth in runs added. He does get on base too, even if the majority of his offensive numbers have regressed. The money here, however, makes him less of an attractive candidate.
Others available out on the market not only represent cheaper options, but younger ones as well. A team like the San Diego Padres has a pair of catchers potential available, though they’ll only deal one of Yasmani Grandal and Rene Rivera. Grandal was 13th in the league in both extra strikes and framing runs added, while Rivera actually ranked fifth and fourth in those categories, respectively. Grandal had a poor year from a batting average perspective (also a .277 BABIP), but still gets on base (.327 OBP) and has some pop (15 home runs). He’s also only 26. Rivera is a very similar player, in terms of his ability to get on base (.319) and somewhat decent power (11 home runs), but he’s also 31. Teams will likely prefer Grandal.
The Houston Astros also have some intriguing catching options available. They value the recently acquired Hank Conger, but he’s believed to be available via trade, while Jason Castro has been mentioned multiple times throughout the offseason. Conger is one of the very best in the game from a framing standpoint, and Castro isn’t too far behind. The difference is what Castro can provide from an offensive standpoint. Although each has a limited sample size to work with, Castro has shown big offensive upside, both in terms of OBP and power, while Conger has never been really lauded for his ability to handle the stick. Nonetheless, each is an additional option on the market.
There are names out there for teams to go out and try and acquire if they’re looking for catching help. Perhaps a team like the Red Sox, who may not be ready to give their catching prospects a full-time run behind the plate. Or the Cubs, who appear to covet at least some sort of platoon situation with Welington Castillo, if not replace him entirely with a younger, higher upside option like Grandal. There are options out there, and we’ll likely see at least a couple of these names on the move before the winter comes to an end.
