The Giants have signed veteran catcher Curt Casali to a one-year major league contract worth $1.5MM, Maria Guardado of MLB.com was among those to report. To make room for Casali on its 40-man roster, the team officially sold left-hander Andrew Suarez’s rights to the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization. Casali is a client of Beverly Hills Sports Council.
Casali became a professional when the Tigers used a 10th-round pick on him in 2011, but he has so far divided his major league career between the Rays and Reds. He was a Red for the previous three years, during which he posted a productive .260/.345/.440 line with 18 home runs in 485 plate appearances. As a defender, the 32-year-old Casali has thrown out a respectable 27 percent of would-be base stealers, but the all-around package wasn’t enough for Cincinnati to keep him in the fold. The team non-tendered Casali before the Dec. 2 deadline instead of paying him a projected $1.8MM to $2.4MM in arbitration.
Now that he’s on his way to the Bay Area, Casali seems like the front-runner to back up returning starter Buster Posey, who opted out last season over COVID-19 concerns. Casali will now reunite with right-handers Kevin Gausman and Anthony DeSclafani, whom he played with in Cincinnati.
Along with Casali and Posey, the Giants also have fellow catchers Joey Bart and Chadwick Tromp, but those two have all three minor league options remaining. In the event the Casali pickup works out well for the Giants, they’ll be able to keep him around in 2022, as he’ll be eligible for arbitration through then.
Great signing. He’ll help out the pitchers in SF a ton.
The Giants pitchers are beyond help
2020 World Champions*
Excellent
World Series Bound!
was really, really hoping the Angels would sign him. Argh.
ditto, I wanna cry
I feel like I would’ve remembered somebody with the username harrystyles lol.
what should I say to this
Something memorable I guess lol. Hello.
David Fletcher
David Fletcher
I hope it really is Harry Styles, that’d be a fun fact if he’s an Angels fan that is knowledgeable about baseball/his team.
Well the Angels missing out on a free agent is a sign of the times.
Wait, what do y’all know that I don’t. Is he well-respected behind the dish? I’ve honestly never heard of the guy. And to be clear, I’m talking about Curt Casali, not Harry Styles.
He’s typically a personal catcher for the aces of the Reds’ staff (he was Bauer’s last season). He is very good with pitchers, and knows how to treat them when he’s behind the plate. A below-average hitter, but he will be very valuable for the Giants next season.
It’s a surprising move by SF as I thought Bart was far enough along in his development to be the #2 catcher behind Posey. Maybe they are signing Casali to be Bauer’s personal catcher again? They seemed to have a great rapport in Cincinnati so maybe this is SF’s way to lure Bauer to sign with them? This type of speculation is why this website exists…trade rumors!!!
Rangers29:
Aren’t most catchers, at least the better ones, below average hitters? But BBRef has him with a 95 OPS+ for his career, and with a 183 ISO, it would appear he’s not that far below average. I’m surprised the Giants were able to get him on such a reasonable deal.
Dorothy_Mantooth:
No, Bart is not close. I think the only reason he was brought up last season was because of there being no minor league season.
Catchers traditionally need more time in the minors than other positions, and Bart has played only 22 games at AA, and has yet to play a single game at AAA. It’s not surprising that the Giants want him to get a full minor league at AAA before he gets called up again, probably 2022.
He does well as a back up, but when he gets to much playing time his hitting numbers go down.
Bart needs more development. He needs some AAA at bats as he struggled mightily at the plate last season. So this is a good signing for the Giants as it will allow Buster days off, or some days at 1st. I like the notion of the Bauer lurer tho!
Ok, thanks. I expect it has nothing to do with Bauer, and everything to do with Bart needing lotsa reps in the minors.
@tad2b13 I knew he was below average as a hitter, but like you said, that’s surprisingly good. It was a steal by the Giants, and if this can lure Bauer over there even more now, then it was an ABSOLUTE steal.
Rangers29:
Well, I don’t want to read too much into his batting numbers. He really has been up and down over his career, and apparently lost some time to injury. But I’m one of those that think what a good catcher does behind the plate is worth more than what he does with the bat. So even if the 95 OPS+ is somewhat illusory, I still really like this signing for the Giants. Not sure how significant the Bauer connection is though.
Casali has had some good sabermetrics over the past few seasons, especially on defense. It doesn’t matter if he LOOKS good or not, because he’s very popular with the algorithms.
Bart had a hard time as the primary backstop last year, he was pretty rushed in that he didn’t have a lot of experience beyond a advanced and was suddenly thrust into a primary role with no guidance since tromp and Heineman were young too. He will probably be up this year but I would expect him to split some time in AAA to get some coaching and development time.
@big, I agree it has zilch to do with Bauer. Was referencing an above post. Would be a waste for the Giants to sign Bauer now. Not sure whoever ends with Bauer will be happy in the long run either……IMO
Perrrrrry! *shakes fist at the sky
The Giants have made a few good minor signings so far this offseason. Casali is underrated and could have helped a great number of teams.
Solid Backup but his splits indicate he is only to be started against LHP. Which with Posey kinda makes it a head scratcher.
The thinking could be that Posey would start at 1B vs lefties. Belt was great last year, but pretty awful (in a very small sample size, albeit) against lefties.
Giants now have Tromp, Casali, and Posey signed to major league deals. Three catchers on the big league roster? Or does tromp get cut after ST?
The Giants have a split contact with Tromp. $600k in majors, $150k in minors. If they put him on waivers and no one claims him (and adds him to their 40 man roster) the Giants get to keep him, clear a roster spot and only have to pay him $150k.
Just read up on that, now I’m even more glad that they signed Casali.
Better yet, he has minor league options so they don’t even need to expose him to waivers. Basically all his major league deal does is guarantee him a 40-man spot and a higher salary in the minors if he doesn’t break camp with the team
Tromp has options remaining. Posey and Casali on the ML roster, Tromp and Bart to the minors, at least to start the year
I think posey will see a lot of time at 1B. He platoons with Belt and catches 70 games, that means the other 92 are caught by other catchers. Tromp is not good enough for such a big role and Bart needs 1 more year in AAA.
I know it was a small sample, but if Belt can keep hitting like he did last year you aren’t sitting him for the current version of Posey.
I think that will depend on how posey is hitting, he looked good before he opted out last year, if that is the same especially with positive splits vs lefties he’ll get time at first.
Belt will sit against a lot of LH’s and Flores will play 1b, Posey will be resting his 34 yr old legs when he’s not catching.
Rbase:
I think Posey will play more than 70 games at catcher. He typically plays at least 100 games there. Plus, he has been adamant about wanting to play catcher and not move to 1B. His health will be the determinant though. If his hip is healed and he’s healthy he plays the majority of games behind the dish.
Posey at 1st isn’t great. Maybe 3-4 years ago. He doesn’t hit well enough anymore.
2020WorldChampions:
Congratulations on the WS title. Revel in the enjoyment, but please don’t be insufferable about it.
There is a lot of hope for a bounce back from Posey. He had surgery to repair his hip at the end of the 2018 season. He didn’t get enough rehab time in the offseason, and his one bad year, 2019, was generally attributed to not entirely recovering.
Admittedly, at 34, it’s no guarantee, but having taken 2020 off there is certainly a possibility that he is healthy and can be very productive once again. I know you hope he doesn’t hit well anymore, but I would not write him off
There is intention by giants to play posey at first. Belt Ruf Slater Flores will share time there. If DH is approved and Posey has a Belt/Crawford turnaround then Posey will see DH time
Oops, NO intention
Buster and Curt, not a bad catching team.
Joey and Chadwick doesn’t sound like a bad duo too
Bart isn’t the catcher of the future, Bailey is. I’m calling it now, Joey Bart will be traded in the next couple of seasons for pitching.
Tromp and Bart will be the catchers for The River Cats.
champion1701:
Calling it now suggests you’re a neophyte baseball fan. I don’t think Zaidi, or anyone else with the Giants, Bart, or Bailey, know who, or how things will work out a couple years from now.
I think Joey and Patrick is the future plan
Tad, champion is just predicting. He’s not being obnoxious like some others.
So here’s my prediction and its similar: Bart catches next year but also gets first base time. Posey catches this year and sticks around the next couple years. Posey catches 100+ games this year(assuming 162 game season but maybe 80 if 120 game season) and does not play first (there are too many first basemen on the team). Bart gets late season call up…maybe.
Next year with belt likely gone, Bart shares catching with Posey but primarily plays first. Bailey shares catching late in 2022 after call-up.
In 2023 Bailey is primary catcher, Bart is regular firstbaseman. And they sign a backup catcher (I like Casali so maybe he stays).
There really is no firstbaseman in the system and that leads me to believe Bart will be the guy.
And he also is a trade candidate. IMO this has nothing to do with an Evans/Zaidi difference of opinion, I just think that Bailey is superior to Bart in the catching realm and I believe he will develope as a great power hitter.
Wouldnt it be cool to have all 3 on the team at the same time with Posey guiding them.. Of course if Posey has an awesome bounce back year that could affect my scenario (I hope he does).
This is just a prediction that obviously is an opinion–something i want to happen as well. Feel free to argue
Tad, champion is just predicting. He’s not being obnoxious like some others.
So here’s my prediction and its similar: Bart catches next year but also gets first base time. Posey catches this year and sticks around the next couple years. Posey catches 100+ games this year(assuming 162 game season but maybe 80 if 120 game season) and does not play first (there are too many first basemen on the team). Bart gets late season call up…maybe.
Next year with belt likely gone, Bart shares catching with Posey but primarily plays first. Bailey shares catching late in 2022 after call-up.
In 2023 Bailey is primary catcher, Bart is regular firstbaseman. And they sign a backup catcher (I like Casali so maybe he stays).
There really is no firstbaseman in the system and that leads me to believe Bart will be the guy.
And he also is a trade candidate. IMO this has nothing to do with an Evans/Zaidi difference of opinion, I just think that Bailey is superior to Bart in the catching realm and I believe Bart will develope as a great power hitter.
Wouldnt it be cool to have all 3 on the team at the same time with Posey guiding them.. Of course if Posey has an awesome bounce back year that could affect my scenario (I hope he does).
This is just a prediction that obviously is an opinion–something i want to happen as well. Feel free to argue
Sorry for the double post.
claude raymond:
I didn’t think he was being obnoxious, just very foolish. As I have been watching baseball longer than most people here, I’ve learned to not make predictions about prospects. My stance is every prospect is a question mark until they actually show something at the major league level.
Maybe I was a little harsh saying he appeared to be a neophyte, but making predictions like that is what those without a lot experience do.
All you need to do is look at the draft from every year, and you’ll see players that failed picked ahead of future all-star players. My point was that even Zaidi and the Giants FO have no idea who will be catching, or playing 1B, 2-3 years from now. Too much is being read into Zaidi drafting another catcher after drafting Bart. He was the best player available at #13 by their estimation. There are no advance plans for either of these guys.
Guys develop differently. Bart might progress way beyond where he is now, and Bailey might not. The possibility of injury plays a huge role. No one knows.
Thx for the solid response. I too have followed baseball, specifically the giants, for many years. BOBBY Bonds debuted in 68 and I was 10. He was my favorite and I was angry when the traded him but stayed a sf fan.
I follow the stories a lot. And the impression I get is that Bailey is the expected future catcher. That Posey is not playing first and that Bart will MAYBE be called up late in the season. AND that there is thee intent for him to become the future firstbaseman. Again, these thoughts are based on sports expert stories.
The fact that furstbase is not a prospect position leads me to PREDICT that Bart will play there.
Maybe Champion has heard the same stuff I’ve heard.
I disagree that the front office doesn’t have a plan. I disagree that Bailey was the best player so they’d rated him even tho they’ve said that. Lets say they had a catcher,like Posey for example, win ROY in 2019. They wouldn’t draft a Bailey cuz he was best player available.
So yeah,I believe there’s a plan. But to agree with you,everything is possible
And sorry for the errors,part of my post is obscured. Do you have that issue ?
Claude:
I hope you see this, should have looped back soon to this thread.
I have to respectfully disagree with your take re Bailey, and him not being the best player available. It’s pretty much general knowledge that almost all teams, not the just the Giants, always draft the best player available. The only reason that teams may choose not to is for financial reasons. If the cost is too high to sign a player, a team like the Pirates might opt for a lesser player they can afford. That does not fit with the Giant’s capabilities to sign any player they draft no matter how expensive.
Also, teams just don’t ever draft a player for need. The development time is too long, projections too uncertain, possibility of injury a factor, and not knowing what the situation will be years down the road, makes drafting for need useless. That’s the proverbial best laid plan that often falls short of realization.
I’ve also seen sports writers project Posey for 1B as well, and I don’t believe they know what they’re talking about. Like I said, Posey has long been adamant about wanting to catch. I can’t see the Giants letting the face of the franchise walk, and I think he’ll be catching, and mentoring, either Bart or Bailey, after his current contract is up.
And maybe they’re disappointed with Bart so far. but that’s contrary to what the team says. And again, it would be silly for them to plan for Bart at 1B, and Bailey at catcher, at this point, when no one knows what the situation will be a couple years from now. They will stay open-minded and play these guys, or trade one or the other, as the situation determines, when the picture becomes clearer. It is far from clear now.
Where does Bart fit into the equation here?
Bart was a Bobby Evans product, and the Zaidi admin seems to want to do their own thing at catcher, using their first round pick on Patrick Bailey. My guess is, either Bart changes positions, or gets traded for an SP at the end of 2021.
Thanks for the excellent analysis!
Bart has no ABs at AAA (very few even at A & AA), and was clearly over matched in the Bigs last year. It’s not like the Giants have given up on him, He needs more seasoning, that’s all.
I thought Farhan was known for developing talent or does he just know how to polish turds?
Bart had no development, with the minor league season cancelled in order for him to get competitive at bats he had to come up, it wasn’t ideal
Bart had no development, with the minor league season cancelled in order for him to get competitive at bats he had to come up, it wasn’t ideal
Baseball 1600:
You’re reading way too much into the situation. Their drafting of Bailey had nothing to do with Bart. In the Giants estimation, Bailey was the best player available at the 13th pick. No draft pick is a sure thing. Zaidi himself doesn’t know for sure if either, or neither, one will develop into a major league catcher. If the Giants wind up with two good catchers they’re in a good place. And if only one of them develops, no one, including all the parties involved, knows at this point which one it would be.
Needs a few months in AAA.
Bart needs to play every day, which he will not do with Posey on the roster. Keep in mind this is the last year of Posey’s contract. Also, Bart did not look ready last season. He’ll spend the season in Sacramento unless he forces the issue or if Posey goes on the IL.
Bart needs more minors experience
Excellent value signing.
He could bounce back with a very nice season and is the type of catcher who could hit 10 or more homeruns even in the back-up role.
Surprised he wound up with a Giants
Kersey, we want you to get out of New York… Permanently.
By sundown? 😉
Casali’s a good player, but I’m surprised the Giants signed him considering that they already have Posey and Bart on the roster. I was hoping Casali would go the Angels.
And Tromp
dan55:
Bart is not a factor for the ML roster in 2021.
good pickup
At that price, Casselli’s a pretty good get. And please, folks, don’t worry about where he fits with the Giants. As DD once said, “I never went to bed at night worrying that I had too many good players”.
1..5M is pretty cheap for a guy with at least average defensive chops, and some pop in his bat.
DD? Dan Duquette? Dave Dombrowski? Daisy Duke?
Donald Duck. (or Dave Dombrowski)
Disappointed that Tiger GM Al Avila didn’t outbid the $1.5 mill. for Casali. Casali might outhit the Tiger catching corps by 100 pts.!
Avila can sign his son.
Avila can fire himself.
I’ll take Casali for $3.25m, over Urena any day. Absolutely ridiculous.. another fun season watching Greiner take the dish, Tiger fans!
i don’t get why Tigers fans are so angry about not signing early to mid 30s guys when they arent ready to compete yet
I don’t understand how fans don’t expect Tiger fans to prefer competency.
Some fans like their teams to purposely tank.. I like to watch competitive baseball. Rooting for draft picks, farm system ranking, salaries, and R5 drafts is less significant to me.
Don’t confuse BobSac with Tiger fans. The Tigers do need a couple low cost Vets to help out until certain youngsters are ready. They don’t have a C ready to take the full time role. Casali would have been a cheap fit.
Ohh, I don’t mean to confuse you Stymeedone.. I am a Tiger’s fan.
Is it hard for you to believe people don’t always see eye to eye?
I watched every Giants game in 2020. Bart was pretty bad although his exit velo was very good (despite no home runs). He needs a full season at Richmond and/or Sacramento. Bart needs to learn to call games at the major league level by getting on the same page as the pitchers, cut his strikeouts down and show a little humility. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a rookie with such an air of arrogance that later turned into leaving the batters box hith his head down and his shoulders slumped during one of his slumps. Posey was and is the ultimate in keeping a sense of humility even at his MVP prime. I hope Bart turns into a great player but he’s got to get over the Reggie Jackson routine (Reggie could pull it off but he was not a popular player).
Casali is solid. Last year his OBP was .366 despite a .224 batting average and his 3 seasons before that were very solid offensively plus he’s been very good in the squat throughout his career.
Reggie was of course popular amongst fans but not so much with fellow players.
Bart never saw a day in AAA! He played about 20 games in AA, then was rushed to San Francisco. It makes sense that he struggled. I guarantee you would walk back with your head down after a K, even if you were playing high school ball
It was easy my dear. You forget, I spent two years as a building contractor.
How does any of that relate to my comment?
Arrogance? Hahaha, what were you watching bro? Bart was exposed to the best pitching the world has to offer and struggled in his first go around. It had nothing to do with arrogance.
Rather than keep him around in 2022, he’ll be traded at the deadline when Bart is ready.
Probably
Leave the gun. Take the Casali.
Absolutely loved Casali in Cincinnati. He is a starting caliber catcher for sure, but understandable to let him go with Tyler Stephenson ready to go. Wish him luck with the other ex-Reds in the bay area. Also, 1.5M is a steal, this offseason is pretty sad so far.
Not starting caliber catcher sorry….Reds fan here as well. Just look at his career splits and you will see the massive disparity. Career .212BA and .682OPS vs RHP. Quality backup against LHP for sure.
Don’t be sorry DocBB, be confident in ignoring his offensive and defensive performance over the past 4 years compared to league averages and his WAR.
DocBB:
For a good receiver, and game caller who can also help control the running game, batting stats are secondary. Depending on the team, Casali could be a starting catcher. The better teams are the ones that do not need offense out of the catcher position.
What a incredible steal
Solid signing for a quality backup catcher. As A Reds fan I’m glad for him but unfortunately with TySteph emergence it made no sense to tender him.
Bauer and Curt were good friends in Cincinnati.
Yup, you caught on to something there that may be missed.
Really a nicer pickup for the Giants. I think Tromp will not be on the roster after ST.
More “lightweight signing by Zaidi. When is Zaidi bottom make a major signing or blockbuster trade?”
@Red, the answer to your question is this upcoming off-season, or when the pickings are so good/cheap very late this off-season. He knows the Giants won’t be competitive this year,
so, he’d rather wait til next season when he’s got roster holes to fill.
yeah I think you’ll see more of what happens as the young guys – ramos, luciano, hjelle, correy, canario, bailey, bishop etc all start moving closer to debuting and debuting – once the younger players take shape you can see where you need to spend and where your holes are
Tromp just needs 11,780 at bats to prove himself.
This dude rakes and hits bombs.
Finally got rid of Suarez. What a waste of time. So far this offseason has been a dud too.
Wake up Farhan.
Giants have been one of the most active teams this offseason.