The Pirates have announced a three-year extension with catcher Francisco Cervelli that will pay him $31MM, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Cervelli is represented by Beverly Hills Sports Council, which also recently negotiated an extension between the team and Gregory Polanco.
Cervelli had been set to hit the free agent market after the season, but will instead remain in Pittsburgh through 2019 under his new deal. It’s a straight three-year pact without any options, and will cover Cervelli’s age-31 through age-33 campaigns. The structure breaks down as follows, per Stephen Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link): $9MM in 2017, $10.5MM in 2018, and $11.5MM in the final year.
With the move, the Bucs have now locked up their catching duo for the next several seasons. The team already inked a less significant extension with backup Chris Stewart over the offseason.
Cervelli, 30, had just cracked the power rankings of MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes, landing at ninth on the list in a weak upcoming class. As Dierkes explained, Cervelli had played his way into position for a rather significant deal, with four or even five years potentially being achievable — though he has cooled off considerably at the plate in recent weeks.
Instead, the talented receiver will take himself off of the market and remain in the place where he finally established himself as a front-line option. A re-signing after the season seemed unlikely, so this pact allows team and player to continue what has been a fruitful relationship.
Of course, it’s eminently arguable that Cervelli might’ve earned quite a bit more were he open for bidding from all thirty teams. Dierkes suggested a $60MM guarantee as a plausible number, which would have slotted behind recent deals for more-established backstops such as Brian McCann and Russell Martin. As of this winter, Cervelli was said to be interested in a three-year pact to stay with the Pirates. He’ll get just that, but settle for a good bit less than the $39MM he was reportedly seeking.
Like Martin, Cervelli experienced a career renaissance with the Pirates. He had never fully established himself in New York, but has prospered since arriving with the Bucs. All told, Cervelli has provided the Pirates with a .291/.373/.384 batting line over 650 plate appearances. He’s continued to reach base at a prodigious clip this year, boosting his walk rate to an excellent 15.0%, though his power numbers have dipped somewhat in 2016 (he currently owns a .043 ISO).
Of course, Cervelli is valued for much more than his bat. He’s considered a high-quality defender who delivers plenty of value on the defensive side of the spectrum, too. Baseball Prospectus graded him out as the second-best gloveman behind the dish in all of baseball last year, and he’s continued to draw strong reviews in 2016. Cervelli is among the game’s premier pitch framers, with StatCorner crediting him with a league-leading 26.7 framing runs above average last year.
Cervelli’s record is not without its blemishes, though. Most notably, he was slapped with a 50-game PED suspension arising out of the Biogenesis scandal. That occurred prior to his arrival in Pittsburgh, and doesn’t necessarily cast doubt on his recent performance levels, but certainly is far from a feather in his cap. He’s also missed some lengthy stretches due to injury. They have mostly been due to the perils of lining up behind the plate, but Cervelli comes with his share of nicks and bruises and is certainly aware of the dangers he faces every night.
It’s certainly reasonable to acknowledge the risk that Cervelli will avoid by taking this deal. As noted, he has not been able to maintain his pop at the plate, and any erosion of his batting line might have driven down his market value. A qualifying offer might have played a major role, too, and there is a relatively robust list of catchers available next winter. Among the younger backstops who might have challenged Cervelli in free agency are Wilson Ramos, Matt Wieters, and Jason Castro, and organizations looking at shorter-term fixes have several other plausible options to consider as well.
Cervelli joins a long list of core players under long-term control for the Pirates, many of them via extension. Center fielder Andrew McCutchen can be kept through 2018 under his deal, with the two men on his flanks — Polanco and Starling Marte — locked up even further into the future. The contract of infielder Josh Harrison goes through 2020, while that of Jung Ho Kang runs as far as 2019. That’s also the last year the Pirates can hold onto staff ace Gerrit Cole via arbitration, though the hope is that he’ll soon be joined by top prospects Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon as key rotation options.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Yes! This is a good day. Go Buccos
I’m happy for them. Raise the Jolly Roger !
I love how two former Yankees backup catchers are so valuable to the Bucs
To be fair, Cervelli is better than McCann and way cheaper.
I wouldn’t say he’s better, but he’s certainly far and away cheaper and more valuable for the $
So youre saying the Yankees overspent on a guy (McCann) they didn’t even need? Huh, thats a new one!!!
Meanwhile Robbie Cano is on pace for 50+ homers this year, and the Yankees still haven’t had a 2B since he left..
2nd highest fWAR for a catcher since the begining of last year. Only Posey has been better.
First of all Seattle can have that insane contract for Cano… Second no pun interned I personally love the trade for Castro. He is our second baseman. Third I am also happy with the Mcann signing. Cervelli always had trouble staying healthy when he played in New York and I love the leadership Mcann brings to the club.
“Leadership” – they made 1 WC game in his 3 years there, he hasn’t led them to anything. They could have spent the money much more wisely by keeping and playing Cervelli everyday.
They tried that once Martin left, but Cervelli was always injured (and suspended 50 games too) in NY. There’s no way they would know he would turn out to be this good
@bucsox, and if we go back another year (2014-2016) or if we just look at 2016 only, McCann is ahead.
Leadership IMO doesn’t just have to do with making the playoffs- it’s leading by example and being a good role model. I for one am happy with Mcann on the team. Cervelli was hurt every year- there was always something.
Yes, they were backups in NYY….and now Cervelli has turned into a solid backstop who would have gotten quite a bit more on the open market. The Bucs got a very solid value w. this deal.
I wonder if Cervelli would have helped Severino out of his slump this year…probably not, but he is still a pretty good catcher.
Three now
2 thoughts:
– this is great for the Pirates.
– this years FA class just got weaker (if that’s even possible…)
There goes 1 free agent option for the Braves off the board. Who is left Wieters ????
Oh no there goes there chance at 70 wins next year.
Wilson Ramos, if he’s not extended.
Steelerbrave will be upset.
Probably not all that upset today since Fredi Gonzalez got fired
Doesn’t the pirates have like 2 catchers of the future in the minors
You can never have enough catching prospects. They take longer to develop and there is always a team looking for a young catcher.
Mcguire has 3 xbh this year, he has to develop some power before he can be a true starter, Diaz has always been thought of as a backup.
The Catcher the Pirates were counting in the minors, Elias Diaz, is injured; his career is now in jeopardy. That is what brought about this signing.
Yeah a little but maybe this opens the door to bring back McCann in a trade in the offseason. Maybe Wieters I don’t know. But this offseason catcher will need to be addressed.
If that is what you think, you will be disappointed.
Not gonna lie your comments annoy me
And I care why ????
Loool
I don’t think they are really going to be worrying about addressing specific holes in fa until 2018 or later. They are still quite a few years away from really contending.
Teams have the ability to turn things around quickly. That’s what I am pulling for worst to first next year. Couple free agent signings ( Bream, Pena, Berenguer, Pendleton, Belliard) couple young guys developing (Glavine, Smoltz, Lemke, Blauser, Justice) couple trades for some veterans (Nixon Liebrandt) and bringing up a couple young guys (Gant & Avery) why can’t some moves be made with that in mind. Nobody expected the Braves of 1990 to turn into what 1991 was. With the money coming off the books I don’t see why they can’t make a few moves to make an effort into competing and succeeding. But I forgot all the stat nerds on here no better than me.
Actual site question: Who has opt-out years at the end of 2016? MLBTR, could you please list those guys on your 2016-17 list, maybe at the end? Might be worthwhile as this years crop of FA’s dwindles even further down the toilet.
Its a great year to be Josh Reddick though.
They are on the list that is linked here, just like players who have club options.
One of the most valuable catchers in the league, traded for middling reliever who was then traded for Chad no3rdpitch Green and Luis AAAA Cessa.
And they say Cashman wins every trade.
He did lose that trade, but Wilson is a very good and underrated reliever.
Wilson? Good? Not according to any Yankee fans.
Name a Yankee fan that said Wilson isn’t good.
Guy named Scott. Works in Mlb advanced media.
So he represents an entire fan base? I used to work with them myself as a matter of fact.
I predict the biggest FA contract signed this offseason is going to have a May 1 opt out.
Good move by the Bucks.
Giving this guy an extension was actually on there bucket list
Brilliant move by pirates. Not really sure why cervelli would sign for under market value when ‘this was his 1 shot’ at FA.
I’d look on the positive of value. The Bucs have signed a very positive influence on the team in Cervelli. Analyzing the value in terms of price makes the deal look and sound cheap. Cervelli is apparently satisfied with the deal; let’s praise him for his loyalty to the team and the city.