The 2020 season is already winding down, and while more than half the players in baseball are eyeing postseason bids in this year’s expanded format, free agency looms not far beyond. It’s difficult to forecast just how the market will treat free agents in the wake of the sweeping revenue losses throughout the sport. Mookie Betts still got paid like a superstar on his extension, and there’s a general expectation that top-tier talent will still be paid. Many within the sport expect this to be a frigid winter for mid-tier free agents, however, with what is expected to be an aggressive wave of non-tenders only further saturating the market.
Let’s check in on where things stand on a position-by-position basis right now, beginning with this winter’s available catchers. (Players’ age for the 2021 season is listed in parentheses.)
Top of the Class
- J.T. Realmuto (30): As has long been apparent, Realmuto stands alone atop this year’s crop of catchers. He’s been arguably the best all-around catcher in baseball over the past several seasons, and his stock has been elevated to new heights with a .272/.355/.512 slash and 11 homers in 183 plate appearances. He was hobbled by some hip problems recently but is 4-for-12 since returning this week. Realmuto’s bat has been 32 percent better than that of a league-average hitter, per wRC+. Given that the average catcher is 13 percent worse than a league-average hitter by that same measure, his offense is particularly valuable. Realmuto is also a premier defender and even ranks in the 85th percentile of MLB players in average sprint speed, per Statcast. It’d be a surprise if he didn’t command a deal worth well north of $100MM.
Other Everyday Options (based on 2020 playing time)
- James McCann (31): McCann got out to a blistering start in 2019 before his production cratered, but he’s raking again in this year’s shortened slate. Through 107 plate appearances, McCann has batted .274/.336/.495, which brings his White Sox total to .273/.330/.466 with 24 homers in 583 plate appearances. There’s some pretty good fortune on balls in play to consider (.354 BABIP), and he’s still prone to strikeouts, but McCann has emerged as an above-average offensive backstop. His framing numbers are up this year, and he’s maintained a strong caught-stealing rate.
- Yadier Molina (38): The Cardinals icon opened some eyes earlier this year when he said he planned to continue playing whether in St. Louis or elsewhere — a departure from his previous “Cardinals or bust” mentality — but it’s hard to envision him playing anywhere else. He won’t command another $20MM salary, not with a .272/.310/.375 line through 146 plate appearances, but it sounds as though he plans to continue playing.
- Austin Romine (32): After years as a backup in the Bronx, Romine got a shot as the primary catching option in Detroit. The Tigers likely hoped that last year’s .281/.310/.439 slash was pointing to better days ahead at the plate, but Romine’s .238/.260/.317 line in 2020 fell back toward his lackluster career levels. A return to a backup role seems likelier than another starting gig.
- Mike Zunino (30): Zunino has never hit for average and probably strikes out too often to ever do so. However, he also has as much raw power as any catcher in MLB and is considered a premium defender at his position.
- Jason Castro (34): Castro’s massive strikeout rates are the trade-off for his excellent walk rate and his strong defensive skills. After batting .229/.325/.390 in three seasons with the Twins, he’s hitting .194/.310/.389 in 84 plate appearances between the Halos and Padres. Castro has some pop to go along with the OBP and glove, making his low average more tolerable. He’s been relegated to backup duty since being flipped from Anaheim to San Diego, so you could argue he belongs in the next tier of this breakdown, but he’s been a starter everywhere except his brief run with the Friars.
Backup/Timeshare Candidates
- Alex Avila (34): Avila has been a “three true outcomes” backup for several years, but while the walks and whiffs are still there, he’s lost the most important outcome in 2020. Avila has homered just once in 60 plate appearances with the Twins.
- Drew Butera (37): Butera seems to find his way to the Rockies or Royals every year. The veteran backup has never hit much but has carved out an 11-year MLB career on the strength of his reputation as a receiver.
- Welington Castillo (34): Castillo was looking to rebuild his stock on a minor league deal with the Nats after a dismal two-year White Sox run, but he opted out of the season at the beginning of Summer Camp.
- Francisco Cervelli (35): In a concerning trend, Cervelli missed much of the 2020 season with yet another concussion. It’s the seventh career IL trip due to concussion symptoms for Cervelli and his sixth since 2017. When healthy, Cervelli can hit, frame and throw well, but he’s been on the IL in each of the past five seasons.
- Tyler Flowers (35): Long a premium framer who has mashed lefty pitching, the right-handed-hitting Flowers has seen his production against southpaws evaporate over the past two seasons.
- Bryan Holaday (33): Holaday boasts a career 30.7 percent caught-stealing rate, but his overall track record at the plate is poor. He’s still found his way onto a big league roster each year since 2012, so clubs clearly respect the veteran as a depth/backup option.
- Erik Kratz (41): Kratz keeps landing with the Yankees — three minor league deals in four years — which makes sense as an Eastern Pennsylvania native who still resides near the club’s Scranton affiliate. He’ll be 41 next year, but Kratz is as respected as they come in clubhouses and could get another minors pact if he wants to keep playing.
- Sandy Leon (32): Leon’s huge 2016 season with the Red Sox looks like a clear outlier, as he’s hit .194/.261/.307 in four subsequent campaigns. He’s a quality defender with great caught-stealing and framing marks.
- Jeff Mathis (38): Speaking of great defenders, Mathis has as strong a reputation with the glove as any catcher in MLB. His bat has wilted to near-historic levels over the past couple seasons, but he wants to play in ’21 and is open to a limited role as a backup/mentor with the Rangers.
- Josh Phegley (33): Phegley has nabbed nearly a third of runners who have tried to run against him in his big league career. He struggles to get on base but does have good pop against lefties.
- Rene Rivera (37): Another quality defender with a limited offensive track record, Rivera hasn’t topped 100 plate appearances since the 2017 season. His defensive reputation should land him minor league offers this winter if he wants to keep going.
- Kurt Suzuki (37): Suzuki can still swing it better than your average catcher, slashing .257/.333/.385 in 116 plate appearances. He’s not regarded as a strong defender, and his longstanding issue controlling the running game has persisted in 2020 (5-for-32).
- Matt Wieters (35): Wieters has spent two seasons as a seldom-used backup to iron man Yadier Molina in St. Louis. He’s batted .209/.268/.398 with 11 dingers in 221 plate appearances for the Cards.
Players with Contractual Options
- Robinson Chirinos, $6.5MM club option with $1MM buyout: It’s all but a formality that this will be bought out. Chirinos has received just 30 plate appearances since being traded from the Rangers to the Mets and is sitting on a woeful .169/.241/.251 slash in 2020. He’ll turn 37 next June.
- Roberto Perez, $5.5MM club option with $450K buyout: Perez will be 32 next season and is having a miserable year with the bat, but he’s an all-world defender who ripped 24 home runs in 2019. Perez leads all catchers in Defensive Runs Saved over the past three seasons — it’s not close — and his glove alone arguably makes him worth this sum even if his 2019 offense was a fluke. That’s especially true considering his deal also carries a 2022 option.
- Wilson Ramos, $10MM club option with $1.5MM buyout: Ramos’ second season in Queens has been pedestrian, at best (.241/.301/.376). The Buffalo no longer resembles the force at the plate he once was, and he’s always been more of a bat-first option behind the dish.
- Stephen Vogt: The 35-year-old is actually close to seeing this vesting option kick in — he’d need to appear in each of the team’s final three games — but that seems unlikely. The D-backs have sat Vogt in all but four games this month, and while there’s probably a direct correlation between the drop in playing time and that vesting clause, the team can point to Vogt’s .147/.234/.265 slash as clear justification for sitting him.
Is Kevin Plawecki a FA?
Not until after the 2022 season.
Off subject. Not a fan of the shortened season. If they are going to give awards out I think Freddie Freeman should get a hard look for NL MVP.
Thank you for your fair and balanced perspective on Braves first basemen, “FredMcGriff for the HOF.”
What is wrong with thinking Freeman deserves a hard look? Though I’m a Dodger fan and appreciate what Betts brings to the table, I would go with Freeman if I had a vote. The guy is underappreciated by casual fans. He’s the best first baseman of his generation. Pete Alonso got more attention last year than Freeman has gotten in his entire career.
That’s not actually true. Alonso just got a huge amount of attention last year, which makes sense when a guy leads the league in homers and wins rookie of the year in the same season. Freeman has made the all-star team in a full half of his seasons. Yeah, a guy who’s well rounded in his game instead of flashy will generally get a little less attention, but he’s doing just fine.
And he has literally nothing to do with this post.
The guy leads the NL is WAR. What makes you think he WONT get a fair look?
Checked BB Reference. He is Arb eligible FA in 2023
Kratz also has a decent (as such things go) knuckleball.
Realmuto’s great, but given the history of top flight catchers having either their bat or their health drop off precipitously in their early 30s, would you really want to sign him to a top of the market deal just in time for his 30s to start?
Then again, if he turns out to be more like Yadier Molina than Joe Mauer, it could be a bargain.
Just out of laziness for not looking myself, who were better those other years in your opinion?
DC has got to sign JT. catcher has been a hole since Ramos left.
Did you just call Matt Wieters an a hole?
Resign Ramos Then LOL
The word is re-sign, not resign.
Did that really impair your ability to understand his point?
Ramos resigned from the Nats when he chose to not re-sign.
Nats had a very solid performance behind the plate in 2020 from the Suzuki /Gomes combination.
Gomes .284 avg .787 ops 4 HR
Suzuki ..270 avg. .745 ops 2 HR
i’ll take that but they are getting older and we do need a youth infusion.
that list is very bad. One very good catcher and a bunch of platoon or back up catchers.
Spot-on. Realmuto has a ton of leverage.
Hopefully the Yankees can find some team who wants Sanchez. The Mets probably going to overpay for Realmuto
I think McCann has done enough to convince teams that he’s more than a pure platoon option, but yeah, it’s not an impressive list on the whole.
I say the Sox will keep McCann!
I hope the White Sox make re-signing James McCann a priority as well. There will be plenty of opportunity for him and veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal to share the load going forward, something that would be wise considering their age and the benefits each provide with their all-around ability at the most important defensive position in MLB. Each has also built up a solid rapport with the team’s pitchers, many of whom are still very young and need a veteran presence to help boost their production.
I’m also not sold on their young catching prospects, especially when it comes to their defensive acumen. Zack Collins has more athletic ability to potentially become an average backstop and also has a positive history with Grandal. Yermin Mercedes can rake at the dish and looks to be a viable option to replace Edwin Encarnacion as the White Sox DH going forward but that role could also fall to 1B Jose Abreu with Andrew Vaughn ready for prime time soon, not to mention Eloy Jimenez who continues to have issues defensively in LF.
The White Sox don’t figure to be among the biggest free agent spenders this offseason like they were last winter. Aside from a potential new RF (George Springer?) and bringing back McCann they appear mostly set with their lineup and on their pitching staff with their depth of young power arms. I’d just assume the front office continues to lock up their young core over adding FA’s with Lucas Giolito, Nick Madrigal and Vaughn as the 3 players they ought to consider extending this winter.
I’m not 100% convinced on McCann’s bat on a consistent basis, but the numbers have been there enough of the time.
I’ve been at least as impressed with the strides McCann has taken defensively, especially with respect to pitch framing. And he seems to be a good game caller. And a good teammate.
You just basically described the catcher position league-wide, which is why elite catchers are so valuable when they do come along.
Despite his age, Molina is not a platoon guy nor a backup.
Molina to the Angels. All three brothers would have played for the Angels then. Jose is a coach and with Pujols, that would give him some incentive to sign with them. That and Stassi, even though he is having a career year, is not a starting catcher. The Angels could probably get him on a 2 year deal for around 12 over the two years.
Its just not in the Cards for him to leave St.Louis especially if the NL keeps the DH and Pujols has a chance to come back and get 700 as a Cardinal.
Might as well try and get Ozzie Smith, Bob Gibson and Red Schoendienst’s corpse out of retirement to keep up Arte’s plan to sign Cardinals HOFers who are past their prime.
Bob Gibson retired in 1975 and was not inducted into the HOF until 2014….. that would have to mean he fell off the ballot and was inducted by the veterans committee.??.
There should be no way he goes 15 ballots without getting inducted. I am not a St. Louis fan, but he is better than a lot of other players who the sport writers voted in!
I think people in the media industry have to take an IQ test and score in the bottom 25 percent to get hired….
You mean the Cardinals Hall of Fame? Because Gibson was inducted into Cooperstown on Ballot #1 in 1981.
I was just thinking that. Molina to Halos. He can be united with brother Jose who is on Maddon’s staff. This would be a great fit as Angels need a catcher to pair with Stassi next year. Angels are dereft any catching prospects so they have to be thinking the free agent route if the price is right.
I gotta believe Molina will end up a Brewer lol
Well, that at least makes more sense than him signing with the Reds…or catching Cueto as a Giant (or wherever he might be traded).
Realmuto or bust
JT to the Bronx for sure.. am Sanchez and Andujar traded for anyone! Sign Tanaka back and maybe take a chance on Cole Hamels with Cole Cole Tanaka sevy Happ and Garcia we have a good 5
As well we’ll have Domingo German back too
To all you Yankees fans as a Pirates fan I will gladly take him off your hands. We have enjoyed success from the 2 Catchers we got from you.
The Pirates and a couple dozen other teams in MLB.
I get it. His batting average sucks. Good thing his offensive production isn’t BA reliant – uh?
& the past [sic] ball thing is so overblown.
Check out Sanchez’s page at fangraphs. He’s *always* an above average defensive catcher.
Cashman – obviously – knows all this. Don’t see El Gary getting traded.
Anyone with inside info on whether or not Roberto Perez will be bought out? I’d think not, but he’s an intriguing option for the Mets (or anyone who needs a catcher and doesn’t want to pony up for JT.)
The Mets have so many other needs. It would be smart to pass on Realmuto and use the savings to reel in a CF. If I’m going to overpay for a FA, I would take Springer over Realmuto. Especially if they can put someone like Perez or Springer behind the plate. Watching Chirinos these last couple of weeks should remind Mets fans how important it is to have a skilled defensive catcher. He’s made so many plays that Ramos wouldn’t make. Those are like RBIs in my book.
I’d say no on Springer, you’ll just end up overpaying for his decline years and he’ll soon age off CF as well… the whole CF thing is a non issue to me. Any “real” CFr the Mets get will surely be a downgrade from whomever he displaces in the lineup. They need pitching, and, yes, a skilled defensive catcher. I’d love Perez but doubt he’ll actually be available.
I agree regarding Springer, but they desperately need a CF. Nimmo is as bad as it gets. The Mets are a terrible defensive team, though it’s nice to see they’ve found a real SS in Gimenez. Smith is an upgrade on Alonso on both defense and offense. Davis is not a starting big leaguer. He’s near the bottom among NL 3B, and that doesn’t account for his defensive issues. He and Rosario have poor reactions to their positions. The main thing is fixing themselves up-the-middle. Nimmo would be more valuable as a fourth OF/DH.
We definitely disagree on Nimmo. He’s not an ideal CFr but there are certainly worse. Bryce Harper of a couple years ago comes to mind. Sure, Nimmo should be a corner guy but he’s certainly not a 4th OFr unless we judge him solely by batting average (outdated standards of a bygone era) he’s a plus plus hitter with that OBP (getting on base being the most important offensive quality). In terms of CF defense, there’s just not much out there. Any defensive upgrade will likely be offset by the subtraction of offense.
Springer is a bad idea. Sure, I’d take him on a short 3 year Delray, but he’s not signing that short of a deal. Anything beyond 3 years and you’re paying premium money for what will be an average corner OF bat.
Looking at the catching situation across baseball makes me elated to be a Dodgers fan. I’ll take Will Smith over anyone on this list, Realmuto included.
Yea, Smith will likely be known as the best catcher in baseball sooner rather than later
I think he’ll be the first young guy the Dodgers try to extend.
I think the Mets will get Realmuto.
Cohen is gonna go hard to get him to show the Yankees he means business & the day of Fred & Jeff Coupon is over.
They have a lot of holes, though. Rotation, CF, 3B all need to be addressed along with C. Maybe a trade? With Smith winning the 1B job, what do they do with Alonso? Fulltime DH would mean fewer ABs for Nimmo and Cano, and he can’t play anywhere else but 1B where he is atrocious. The defense needs to become a priority.
Don’t even factor Cano into the equation. He’ll be hurt more often than not.
Yea okay whatever signing Realmuto is going to show the Yankees that he means business. Cohen just needs to show Mets fans he means business. Go sign Realmuto, Bauer, Didi, Springer. Too Bad Betts stayed with the Dodgers. I bet Cohen would of given Mookie a blank check for any dollar amount
You’d better be really sure you’ve got a win-now team if you’re giving huge money to a 30 year old catcher, and the Mets have made a lot of mistakes based on the misguided belief that they’re a win-now team.
Yep. Preach.
Would love to see Detroit add him as the new “Ivan Rodriguez” free agent signing. Give him a big money 3 year contract. The Tabbies need more power in the lineup!
The Pirates and a couple dozen other teams in MLB, @bigkev!
I get it. His batting average sucks. Good thing his offensive production isn’t BA reliant – uh?
& the past [sic] ball thing is so overblown.
Check out Sanchez’s page at fangraphs. He’s *always* an above average defensive catcher.
Cashman – obviously – knows all this. Don’t see El Gary getting traded.
This list should help fans better understand why San Diego gave up a significant package to land Austin Nola at the deadline.
Perhaps Ranger should be interested in Perez or Castro. Need for back-up/co-catcher with Trevino or Huff might push some form of salary swap with Lynn, Odor, and Leclerc heading to NYY for Andujar and Sanchez..
Bunch of former top prospects who’ve accomplished little. That’s the catcher position for ya !
If realmuto is the top catcher in baseball, then the catching dept sucks now
Then you might have unrealistic expectations for how good the best catchers tend to be.
There was a time when guys like Bench, Carter, Simmons, Porter etc all played at once…. everyone of them better than JT… it wasn’t always the way it is now
There was a time. Exactly one time. It’s more often been like it is now. And I think it’s unfair to call Porter definitively better than Realmuto at least at peak levels.
Porter was way better than JT…. Darrel’s peak: 7.6 bWAR, 142 OPS+. JT has never come close. Granted, that’s only one season, but you did say “peak”.
One wildly outlying season. You can’t fully judge his peak by that. Realmuto has two seasons better than Porter’s second best season and another one exactly as good, if we’re going by WAR. And more importantly, Realmuto isn’t a schlubby best catcher in baseball just because of that one bonkers great era.
Well, getting back to the original point, Gene Tennace, Thurman Munson, Yogi, Elston, Ivan Rodriguez ,… then you can even drop down a couple tiers: Tony Pena, John Stearns, Lance Parrish, Todd Hundley, Ron Hassey; these are just off the top of my head, almost all from my lifetime of 48 years, not all Jt’s level, but very good… the true outlier, if anything, is the extreme lack of catching talent in this era. (And calling Porter “schlubby”? Ouch.)
I didn’t call Porter schlubby. Try reading that again. And Realmuto is better than several of those guys, so I’m not really sure what point you’re trying to make here, other than this being a down moment for catching talent.
I was joking with the shlubby thing. My point is not that JT isn’t great. (I mentioned that some of those guys aren’t as good as him). My point is that the lack of catching talent in the game right now is unusual compared to much of baseball history. That takes nothing away from JT, but is a comment on much of the rest of the league at the moment. The best catchers have tended to be very good throughout history, just not now.
That point is valid but not when using Realmuto as the sole piece of evidence. Realmuto compares nicely as the best catcher in baseball compared to many other seasons in baseball history. It’s just the relative lack of talent behind him that makes the current crop so poor.
I wouldn’t pay a 30 year old catcher $100 million.