Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli is open to a long-term contract with the club, reports Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. While the notion of a player being open to locking in millions of guaranteed dollars isn’t always headline news, Cervelli’s willingness to sign long-term is more notable, as he’s one season away from hitting free agency, where he’d join Matt Wieters as one of the top catchers on the open market.
Sawchik reports that Cervelli’s asking price is roughly three years and $39MM — a sum that would’ve seemed considerably more lofty a year ago, prior to Cervelli’s breakout 2015 campaign. Last season marked the first time in his career that Cervelli remained healthy for a whole season and served as a team’s everyday backstop, and the results were excellent. Cervelli’s age-29 season yielded a .295/.370/.401 batting line with a career-high seven home runs. The numbers are particularly impressive when juxtaposed with the mere .238/.302/.376 batting line that Major League catchers averaged in 2015 and with his standout receiving skills. While Cervelli struggled to some extent in limiting the running game (22 percent caught-stealing rate), Cervelli trailed only Yasmani Grandal in terms of pitch-framing value, per Baseball Prospectus. Meanwhile, StatCorner.com ranked him as the game’s top pitch-framer.
The $39MM figure (which would begin in 2017, as Cervelli is already signed at $3.5MM in 2016) would be significant for the Pirates, who have long dealt with payroll constraints, but we’ve seen the catching market place a premium on defense in recent years, as evidenced by Russell Martin’s $82MM contract with the Blue Jays and, conversely, by the fact that Wilin Rosario opted for a deal in the Korea Baseball Organization upon hitting the open market, despite carrying a significantly more powerful bat than the average catcher.
As Sawchik notes, the team is faced with a decision regarding Cervelli. Pittsburgh has two of the game’s top-rated catching prospects in the form of Reese McGuire (the No. 4 catching prospect in baseball, per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com) and Elias Diaz (No. 6 on that same list). Baseball America rated the duo as the Pirates’ No. 6 (McGuire) and No. 10 (Diaz) prospects back in November, and both are nearing Major League readiness. McGuire figures to open the season at the Double-A level, and Diaz received a taste of the Majors last September after slashing .271/.330/.382 as a 24-year-old at the Triple-A level.
The Pirates could conceivably let Cervelli walk after the season — perhaps making him a qualifying offer with a strong enough performance — and then hand the reins over to one of the promising up-and-comers. On the other hand, prospects are no sure thing, and Cervelli looked every bit the part of a high quality starting catcher last season. Were he extended, the club could also utilize Diaz and/or McGuire as highly appealing trade chips in order to address other deficiencies throughout the roster as they arise. Either catcher could also serve as Cervelli’s backup, though the club did just ink fellow defensive standout Chris Stewart to a two-year deal with a third-year option.
Payroll considerations figure to heavily impact the Pirates’ ultimate course of action. While the club will shed a fair bit of payroll next offseason when Mark Melancon reaches free agency, the team will likely need to add to its bullpen to replace Melancon, and beyond that, ace Gerrit Cole will reach arbitration eligibility following the 2016 season. The three years of a theoretical Cervelli extension would coincide with Cole’s three arbitration seasons and with two of the same seasons for right fielder Gregory Polanco, further complicating matters for Pittsburgh. The Pirates will also need to make a call on newcomer Jon Niese’s $10MM and $11MM club options for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. And looking even further down the road, the future of franchise face Andrew McCutchen has to be considered, although McCutchen is controlled through 2018 as it as, at which point he’ll be 32, so that issue isn’t as immediate a concern for the Bucs.
Congratulations
Fix the hair cut and I would go 3/30
He’s really risky on both ends. On the Pirates end, I’d let this season play out and see how he does and if he breaks out with the bat really hard he could be in line for that deal, but if he’s closer to a .700 OPS than .900 then it’s a smarter move for the Pirates to bring up both McGuire and Diaz and let them play as a 50/50 platoon in 2017 to see who’s more ready to take over full time. On his end, It’s a big year for Cervelli with him being potentially the youngest and probably best everyday FA C in 2017 and by asking this much now, he could even be selling himself short if he indeed does breaks out further with the bat. Lets not forget he was the 2nd best C in baseball last year behind Posey via fWAR, and is 6th overall in that stat since Opening Day 2014, in about 300 less games than the 5 players in front of him. He’s really, really underrated but this year could make him very rich to where 3/39 is too little Interesting case study. He’s probably saying this because he knows the Pirates will let him walk and it makes him look like a fantastic team-first guy.
“300 less PA’s”, not games. Its about 100 games.
Additionally, I don’t believe Wieters will be a C for much longer, he’s simply having way too many injuries but his bat is good enough to play elsewhere. I think Davis could end up in RF next season while Wieters learns 1B.
I do think his time as catcher may be running out but I think most likely they would play out the season and then let him walk in free agency unless by some small chance he again accepts the QO. If they signed him to a long term contract it would be to catch. They have Mancini and Walker to play 1st if CD moved to right or was traded. The question with Wieters is his ability to call a game. I always thought he was a good game caller but you can’t deny the pitchers have regressed with him behind the dish opposed to Joseph. Davis has been pretty adamant about staying at 1st. Be great if Davis could move to right and Mancini be ready to play 1st. They just picked up Navarro also and he’s supposed to be a above average 1st baseman.
I think Wieters plays 1B most of this year, Davis in RF, then Wieters walks and Davis goes back to 1B in 2017.
I don’t see Wieters staying w/ O’s after this season….but if he does he will be a back up C/DH/back up 1B and Davis will be DH on Wieters 1B days…
We pretty much saw peak Cervelli in 2015. I’d bet more on regression than improvement. He’s more a .270/.330/.390 hitter. Solid defender. His main question mark was always health. If he’s past that then he is probably worth somewhere around what he’s asking, maybe a little less, 12/36. I suspect the Pirates will let him leave as they did Martin. I half thought John Ryan Murphy on the Yankees was going to be their next catcher as the two organizations share a similar philosophy when it comes to pitch framing, but Murphy has already been traded.
Cervelli needs to develop a little more power to rate a contract like that.
If Biogenesis plays into Pittsburgh’s decision…walk.
I wonder if his reason he’s valuing himself low is for 4 reasons
1) knows if he says too high Bucs will pass
2) tied to PED
3) has had a long list of injuries(missed time)
4) he wants to get a secure guaranteed contract to set himself up rather then break the bank.
What do you value cervelli at? He is overvaluing himself if anything. Be is worth 3 years 39 million. That’s 13 million a year. He is realistically a 9-10 million player.
He’s worth about $3.50 and an open bag of beef jerky, some of which has already been chewed on and spit back into the bag.
I too want the Pirates to give me $39 million over three years. I too won’t get $39 million over three years from the Pirates.
You can’t compare yourself with the guy who had the 2nd highest catcher fWAR last season. No one was more valuable than Cervelli other than Posey, and Posey only played 106 games at C to Cervelli’s 128 (in his first full season as a starter).
Cervelli is actually good, don’t talk like he’s some scrub just because the Yankees buried him by signing McCann.
Small sample size. He’s trying to cash in on his fluke run now before he’s exposed as being not so good.
His numbers last year were pretty much in line with his career numbers. He was just finally healthy and given a starting gig. He’s a solid catcher, a tough out at the plate and a fiery competitor. I guarantee he gets at least 3/39 when he hits the open market but I assume it won’t be with the Bucs.
If he sniffs a ..900 OPS next season he could get 4/80, at least.
He doesn’t play elite defense. More like 14-17mil a season.
Cervelli is a joke, couldn’t throw out me.. 39 million for 3, you must be crazy.. I would give him at the most $15 million for 3. He has 1 decent season and now he wants to get rich..
Exactly – he’s trash.
Did he steal your girlfriend or something? Sheesh.
No, he’s just trying to steal three years and $39 million from the Pirates. I don’t care if he does because I’m not a Pirates fan. Just saying.
The market dictates how much he makes. Not you.
39/3 is a fair price for him.
The market isn’t going to dictate what the Pirates aren’t going to give him, which is 3/$39. Some other sucker might give him that.
13Mil/year is NOT a fair price for him.. now. If he gets through this season with out missing a game because of injury or suspension and performs fairly well he MIGHT be worth 10-15 for a team desperate for a catcher who isn’t good at throwing to second. (but otherwise good game)
The Pirates are not one of those teams and even if they where they would just QO him, he’ll accept and it’ll give McGuire a shot in ’18
Well …. yeah. If I was a player who was going on 30 and just had my first full season and my contract ending soon I’ll be frantically looking for a new contract before I got on the DL again.
Don’t get me wrong. .. he was good for us… good hitting good glove but trouble holding runners… but not to the tune of 10 million a year not with players like Diaz, Mcguire and Stewart in the organization.
I’d offer him 3 but go to 6 a year for 2 additional years and a team option for 3…. at most.
The scrub has no leverage. Just take him to arbitration, then let him walk.
“The DL again”
He was never on the DL, the genius Yankees just decided to throw money at McCann instead of letting him start. He was a backup C because of Yankees being Yankees.
“The Yankees being Yankees.”
Yeah, OK. Try this on for size: McCann > Cervelli
There’s not a team in MLB that wouldn’t start McCann over Cervelli. He’s had one decent year and there’s nothing about the numbers he put up last year that warrants what he’s asking for.
On March 8, 2008, Cervelli fractured his wrist
On March 6, 2010, Cervelli was hit in the head by a pitch. He was removed from the game with a concussion. And another in Winter ball.
Cervelli broke his foot in early March, and missed the beginning of the 2011 season
In 2012 Martin was the starter and Chris Stewart was the backup putting Cervelli back in AAA
2013, In a game against the Blue Jays on April 26, Cervelli suffered a fractured right hand after getting hit by a foul tip by outfielder Rajai Davis, he then underwent surgery the next day and was placed on the 60-day disabled list.
On August 5, 2013, Cervelli was suspended for 50 games after being linked with the Biogenesis scandal.[
In 2014 Cervelli was the backup for the Yankees and injured his hamstring and was put on the 60 day DL. in September of the same season he had about with migraines ( concussion symptoms? ) and missed a good portion of the end of the season.
So you see… he was on the DL much of his Yankee pro career, he was also suspended, couldn’t make the cut one of the seasons and Brian McCann was only with the Yankees one of those years… One of those seasons (2013) he did win the starting job out of spring before being injured
which leads me to the question.. are we talking about the same person?
“Just Another Fan” just got OWNED by “Joe W.”, proving once again that he really is just another fan.
Not really. He was always injury prone going back through the minors. That said, the Yankees were about to give him a shot to catch full time in 2013
2010-04-04 Yankees • Francisco Cervelli hamstring injury (DTD)
2011-03-30 Yankees • Francisco Cervelli placed on 15-day DL with fractured left foot
2011-09-09 Yankees • Francisco Cervelli dizziness (DTD)
2011-09-13 Yankees • Francisco Cervelli placed on 15-day DL with concussion
2013-04-27 Yankees • Francisco Cervelli placed on 15-day DL with fractured right hand
2013-05-01 Yankees • Francisco Cervelli transferred to 60-day DL with fractured right hand
2013-08-05 Yankees • Francisco Cervelli placed on restricted list
2013-09-28 Yankees • Francisco Cervelli activated from restricted list
2013-09-28 Yankees • Francisco Cervelli placed on 60-day DL with sore right elbow / fractured right hand (CBS)
2014-04-14 Yankees • Francisco Cervelli placed on 15-day DL with hamstring injury
2014-04-15 Yankees • Francisco Cervelli transferred to 60-day DL with strained right hamstring
2014-06-18 Yankees • Francisco Cervelli strained right hamstring (DTD)
This list doesn’t even include when Elliot Johnson, a Rays reserve second baseman, barreled over Cervelli at home plate in a Spring Training game, fracturing the catcher’s right wrist in 2008 when Cervelli was trying to make the team.
Cervelli has also suffered at least three concussions during his career.
The door was open for him in 2013 and he went down, which led the Yankees to sign McCann. Even the following year in 2014 he suffered multiple injuries as the back-up, including at least another stay on the 60-day DL.
What the Pirates got from Cervelli in 2015 was the outlier in his career. Good catcher, but the Pirates should be concerned about a long-term deal to someone with his history, especially as he enters his 30s.
Cervelli wants 39/3. He going to make 3.50 million in 2016, which means he’s looking for 35.5 million for’ 17 and’ 18.
The Pirates would be better off playing out this season offering him a QO (16.5 million), playing out 2017, offering him a QO again after ’17 (17.5 million) (can you offer a player a QO twice?)
The Pirates have a close to MLB ready prospect in Diaz, and another one who should start in AA in McGuire.
As a Pirates fan, I try to sign him for 27/3 and then work the QO if he has a good ’16.