The Brewers announced today that they have avoided arbitration with catcher Erik Kratz. The deal promises him $300K and provides a $1.2MM salary in the majors, per Jon Heyman of Fancred (via Twitter).
Kratz had been projected by MLBTR and contributor Matt Swartz to earn $1.7MM through the arbitration process. The team understandably wasn’t interested in paying quite that amount, so instead worked out an agreement that will provide Kratz more certainty than the standard arb contract (which promises only thirty days of salary as a starting point) but will limit what he can earn if he sticks on the MLB roster.
The 38-year-old Kratz did not even touch the majors until he was already in his age-30 season. He has now appeared in nine-consecutive MLB campaigns, though he also hasn’t generally commanded much of an opportunity to play.
It came somewhat out of the blue, then, when the Brewers acquired Kratz in the middle of the 2018 campaign and installed him as a not-infrequently-used backup. He ended up striding to the plate 219 times, one more than his previous season high (2013, with the Phillies).
Certainly, the results on offense weren’t much different than might have been expected. Kratz produced a meager .236/.280/.355 slash, which maps to a 70 wRC+ — only marginally better than his career 65 wRC+.
Of course, there’s quite a bit more than hitting to the job of a reserve catcher. Kratz excelled at framing pitches and smothering balls in the dirt, while also drawing plaudits from the Milwaukee organization for his game calling, work ethic, and clubhouse presence.
Clearly, the club valued what he brought to the table. After seeing MLB action with seven teams, then, it seems Kratz has found something of a home. Whether he’ll open the season on the active roster, and if so whether he’ll last, remains to be seen. But it’s still a continuation of a great story for a respected veteran grinder.
Now this is true determination. I’m happy for him and hope he can stick in the majors next year.
This is the kind of story that makes you root for the guy. Modest money in the sports world but real money that every day fans can more readily relate to. Why? Because he worked his butt off and took nothing for granted.
Not-infrequently-used huh? So frequently used?
No. Moderately used.
He was fun to watch down the stretch last year. He’s the kind of guy I could see sitting next to Bob, drinking beer and talking to all the fans on the radio about planting his vegetables already in the can so the jobs already done in the fall or talking about when he was a scout and the owner told the gm his scouting reports were full of mashed potatoes.
The pay for a guy on the 40 man is 67K today if they never get called up. More for the days spent on the active roster obviously. Not a ton of money but likely more than a guy who has done nothing but baseball his whole life would make just entering the workforce. Kratz career earnings are north of 3 Mil before this contract. That’s significantly more money than your typical guy makes in 15 years…. Not trying to diminish the guys hard work and dedication or anything. And he made little nothing for 8 years when he was trying to crack that 40 man. It’s definitely admirable. He’s made quite a bit more than most of us.
Definitely earned the chance to come back and fight for a job classy move
He’s certainly earned a lot more than your average 38 year old, but is it worth it to be constantly fired or replaced and being rejected, moving from one city to the next on an almost 6 month schedule with a wife and three kids in tow? (The article even mentions how his wife worked two jobs to keep them afloat). While making 3 mill over almost 20 years and being able to say you made it to the MLB are certainly outstanding accolades, there is a level where it almost doesn’t even seem worth it.
I am happy for him, I watched when he finally burst through with the Phils a few years ago. Steady backup, some pop, and one of the bigger dudes I have ever seen