There are now just two weeks remaining in the 2021 regular season, and while the immediate focus is on the playoff races, a potentially eventful offseason is waiting just over the horizon. There are a lot of unknowns at the moment, especially with the elephant in the room: the expiring collective bargaining agreement. The current CBA expires on December 1st, and there are many questions about what will come after that, especially with regard to service time, luxury tax, qualifying offers, and many other issues.
So, which players will be navigating these uncharted waters? Let’s take a look, starting with the catchers. (Players’ age for the 2021 season is listed in parentheses.)
Everyday Options
- Yan Gomes (34): Gomes is probably the top of the class, which should tell you how weak this year’s catching market is as a whole. That’s not to take anything away from Gomes, who is having another solid season. But there won’t be any massive catcher contracts given out this year like there were last year for J.T. Realmuto and James McCann. Gomes was last on the market after helping the Nationals win the World Series in 2019. The Nats re-signed him to a two-year, $10MM deal and then traded him to Oakland at this year’s deadline. On the season as a whole, he’s hitting .252/.295/.425, for a wRC+ of 91 and 1.2 fWAR. Gomes has been fairly reliable health-wise, having only spent about three weeks on the IL over the past five years, missing most of July 2021 with an oblique strain.
- Manny Pina (34): Pina has been playing backup to Omar Narvaez in Milwaukee this season but has done well enough that some club could view him as an everyday option, as he’s having a solid season. In 67 games, he’s hitting .201/.312/.459, for a wRC+ of 106. His walk and strikeout rates have both improved compared to recent seasons as well, suggesting there may be something sustainable there. Combined with his quality glovework, he’s been worth 1.6 fWAR on the year. Since having his contract selected by the Brewers in August of 2016, he is hitting .248/.318/.417, for a wRC+ of 94.
Backup/Timeshare Candidates
- Robinson Chirinos (38): Chirinos had to settle for a minor league deal with the Yankees in the most recent offseason. After being released in July, he was signed to a major league deal by the Cubs. Since then, he’s been a solid backup/bench contributor, slashing .232/.330/.463 over 100 plate appearances. Apart from an awful showing in the shortened 2020 season, Chirinos has a wRC+ over 100 every year from 2015-2021.
- Sandy Leon (33): Leon signed a minor league deal with the Marlins in the offseason and had his contract selected April 21st. Since then, he’s appeared in 77 games, garnering 209 plate appearances with a slash line of .187/.236/.259. His wRC+ of 40 would be his fifth straight year under 70 in that department.
- Jeff Mathis (39): Mathis has long had a reputation as a defensive specialist and has appeared in the majors in each of the past 17 years, despite never providing much with the bat. He got into three games with Atlanta this season before being designated for assignment in May and hasn’t played since.
- Wilson Ramos (34): Ramos was signed by the Tigers in the winter to a one-year, $2MM contract. In 35 games, he put up a tepid line of .200/.238/.392, a wRC+ of 66. He was eventually released and caught on with Cleveland, where he starting hitting a little bit better. But after just nine games, he tore the ACL and sprained the MCL in his right knee, ending his season. Ramos isn’t too far removed from a 2019 season that saw him hit .288/.351/.416 for a wRC+ 105, but his health will be the major concern for him now.
- Austin Romine (33): Romine, alongside the aforementioned Chirinos, has been backing up Willson Contreras for the Cubs. Romine missed a good chunk of the season with a wrist injury and has only gotten into 21 games this year and has barely hit in that small sample, slashing .188/.188/271. However, it hasn’t been too long since he was last productive, as he had solid seasons for the Yankees in both 2018 and 2019. Over those two years, he got into 150 games and hit .262/.302/.428, for a wRC+ of 94. But after a down year in 2020 and an injury-marred 2021, he’ll probably have to settle for a minor league deal in the coming offseason.
- Kurt Suzuki (38): Suzuki had four straight solid years at the plate from 2017 to 2020, having his wRC+ above 100 in each of those seasons. Overall, in that timeframe, he hit .272/.337/.475 for a wRC+ of 111. But after signing a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Angels in January, it’s been a disappointing campaign for him. He’s hitting .221/.285/.337 for a wRC+ of 73 and has largely served as a backup to Max Stassi.
Players with Contractual Options
- Tucker Barnhart, $7.5MM club option with $500K buyout: Barnhart will be turning 31 in January and is about to finish the guaranteed portion of the extension he signed with the Reds before the 2018 season. Since that time, he has provided fairly consistent production, combining an adequate bat with solid defense. From 2018 to 2020, he hit .237/.324/.376, wRC+ of 85. In 2021, he’s taken his offense up a notch, slashing .263/.336/.397 for a wRC+ of 97, producing 1.9 fWAR. The club will now have to decide if that decent production is worth $7.5MM. (There are escalators that could take the option up to $9MM, though the thresholds aren’t publicly known.) The solid rookie season of Tyler Stephenson could lead the Reds to consider Barnhart expendable, which would add another everyday option to the market.
- Roberto Perez, $7MM club option with $450K buyout: Perez had a $5.5MM option picked up for the 2021 season despite a down year in 2020, though it hasn’t worked out for the soon-to-be Guardians. Due to injuries, Perez has only played 36 games this year and has hit a meager .139/.250/.313. His last full season, 2019, was quite good, however, as he hit .239/.321/.452 for a wRC+ of 99. If Cleveland thinks he can get back into that form, he’d be well worth $7MM, but it’s more likely the always-frugal club just cuts him loose. The 33-year-old could make for an interesting buy-low, bounceback candidate.
- Buster Posey, $22MM club option with $3MM buyout: In 2019, it was certainly starting to seem that this option was a lock to be bought out. Posey was 32 years old and saw his wRC+ drop below 100 for the first time, outside of a cup of coffee as a 22-year-old. However, sitting out the 2020 season seems to have done wonders for him, as he’s bounced back tremendously, hitting .299/.389/.503. His wRC+ of 142 is the highest since mark he’s had since 2014, helping the Giants outpace the most optimistic predictions for 2021, launching them ahead of the consensus favourite Dodgers to the top of the NL West. It now seems a no-brainer for the Giants to pick up the option and keep Buster around for his age-35 season.
- Christian Vazquez (31): Vazquez is within striking distance of increasing the value of his option. Originally valued at $7MM with a buyout of $250K as part of the extension he signed in 2018, the option would increase to $8MM if Vazquez reached 502 plate appearances in each of 2020 and 2021. In the shortened 2020 campaign, Vazquez logged 189 plate appearances. Due to the shortened season, all thresholds were prorated by 2.7, meaning those 189 plate appearances counted for 510. This year, he’s at 468 for the season, meaning he’d need 34 more plate appearances in Boston’s final 11 games to get that extra million onto the option. All that said, it’s a minor difference, and Vazquez seems worth the price, despite a slightly mediocre season. He’s hitting .263/.315/.353 on the year, a wRC+ of 81. But with his solid defense, he’s still been worth 0.7 fWAR so far this year. And over 2019 and 2020, he hit .278/.327/.472, producing a wRC+ of 105 accrued 4.9 fWAR.
- Mike Zunino, $7MM club option with $1MM buyout: When the Rays re-signed Zunino in December, the club option was valued at $4MM, with escalators based on games played. Zunino would have to play 100 games to max out the value at $7MM, something he’s already done. The reason the Rays have played him so much is because he’s been excellent. Zunino strikes out a lot and doesn’t hit for a high batting average, but more than makes up for it with his power. His 31 homers on the year have helped him produce a slash line of .201/.290/.549 for a wRC+ of 127. Combined with his quality defense, that adds up to 3.9 fWAR, which is fourth in the majors among catchers. You can never be certain of these things with a hyper-budget-conscious organization like the Rays, but Zunino’s option seems all but guaranteed to be picked up.
Isn’t Gary Sanchez a FA? Regardless of that what do u guys think he would command on the free market?
3-35
This list is exactly why the Braves just signed Travis d’Arnaud to that 2-year $16M extension with a 3rd year $8M club option (with no buyout). A lot of Braves fans didn’t like it because the Braves have Wilson Contreras’ younger brother Williams knocking on the door in Triple-A. The Braves also have high first round draft pick Shea Langeliers at Double-A. He was the 2nd catcher taken in the Adley Rustchman draft and is considered better defensively than Rustchman and he is a good hitter. Langeliers would be the first catcher taken in almost every draft but Rustchman is such a freak he was an outlier that pushed Shea down to 2nd catcher.
So why would the Braves give a multi-year contract to a catcher with all that minor league catching depth? Well, Shea hasn’t even played at Triple-A yet. Contreras came up this season and looked good at first but his bat eventually declined and it looked like he wasn’t ready for major league pitching. Contreras also doesn’t have the glove Shea has. I wouldn’t consider Contreras a top tier defender at the catcher position.
The Braves made the smart move by signing d’Arnaud. The man is the defending NL Catcher Silver Slugger. He also seems to be underrated because of all the injuries he had when he first came up as a Met. “Lil d” isn’t spectacular at throwing out would be base stealers but his pitch framing and game calling are very much appreciated by Braves pitchers. Travis would have easily been the top free agent catcher on this list if the Braves didn’t keep him.
If the Braves had decided to just let him walk there would be no guarantee the catcher position in their lineup would be anything more than a hole next season. They are trying to contend and to fall apart just because rookies they hoped would be ready aren’t would be a shame.
Once you consider the MLB catching market, the d’Arnaud extension becomes a steal. People are saying far inferior catchers to him are going to make $7-8 million a year. That’s what d’Arnaud is making right now. If the Braves catching prospects fall apart d’Arnaud is a perfect safety net. In this market, if the Braves catching prospects excel, the Braves can just trade all of d’Arnaud’s contract and get real value in return. Any catching needy team would love to have d’Arnaud at that price. Especially when you consider far inferior catchers like James McCann just got paid $40 million contracts. That makes d’Arnaud at $16 million with a club option look like an absolute steal. Almost any team would love to have him at that price. Even if the Braves end up not needing him, the contract has real market value.
Trade Langeliers to the Tigers.
2023. He has one more Arb year if the Yankees choose to keep him.
They’re going to keep him with one look on that list.
I’m not totally sure. If Barnhart does make it to the free market they’ll give him a serious look. He’s got great defense, calls a good game, and is a lefty bat. Plus his offensive numbers have improved. And all these things Gary is lacking. I cannot wait to be rid of him
Not sure he should make a list of catchers anyways.
He’s not a FA but if he was… 3/$33M with a 4th year club/vesting option would be my guess if the NL has the DH spot next season. He’s got age and power on his side and poor defense and lack of leadership hurting his value.
Well said YBC. I could tolerate Zunino, but outside of that, yikes. I believe club options will be exercised on most of those guys, except Zunino because of money and the Mejia acquisition.
I would love a trade for Willson Contreras. I think he would excel in NY and it wouldn’t take a huge hit to our farm. Two top 10-15 pitchers, an OFer, and maybe Sanchez? Prospects with MLB-level bat. It may also depend on what they agree to with the DH for Sancho’s value to be better than zero.
You’re probably not getting Willson for back end top 10, top 15 guys from the Yankees’ system. The Cubs would just QO him.
Yankees fans always think their prospects (or lack there of) are gonna fetch the best players available.
Your dreaming clipper, if you think the Cubs would let Contreras go for that little. Top catchers are at a premium.
Yankees ‘might be able’ to get Miguel Amaya from the Cubs for one or two of the Yankees top pitching prospects.
Not just yankee fans, have you read the chats?
And Yankees haters always think they don’t have the prospects to get anyone. But every year Cashman makes deals that rarely include their top prospects.
SpendNuttinWinNuttin: I don’t believe that. In fact I tend to undervalue prospect return. My proposal was based on several articles written by sports writers and former GMs. I’m addition, I based it on returns from this past year in conjunction with their prior discussions of what return the Cubs were looking for before Willson’s walk year.
So, in a lazy attempt to label, you’ve ignored all evidence to the contrary. Your opinion is based on nothing, however, but your distaste for Yankees?
Great work.
Dogbone: Did you happen to see the returns for players in their walk years recently? It has been much less than what nearly all commenters have posted. Just like the Gallo, Rizzo, Baez, and various other trades.
Yes I do follow the returns on the recent trades. Most of those returns were based on 2 month rentals – and how has that worked out in most cases. Amaya is the closest thing the Cubs have to replace Willson. And he’s got a lot to prove yet. Cubs aren’t letting Willson go at this point, certainly not for lotto tickets.
I never thought I’d say this with the collection of ‘no names’ that Hoyer has assembled, but offensively the Cubs only need to add one, maybe two bats (if DH comes to NL) and the offense is set for next year. It is starting pitching they lack.
Contreras is one of the best catchers in baseball right now. What makes you think “two top 10-15 prospects” would get this done?
Tesseract: First, I never said two top prospects only. Second, I answered why my proposal of 2 top 10 pitchers, plus an OFer, plus a major-league-ready bat, plus (possibly) Sanchez, if they desired. Like all the other trades that DID happen for much less than commenters like you “feel” should’ve been for more, it’s enough for the reasons I stated in my post. Read it please if you’re going to comment on it, it’s sage advice.
Dogbone: See paragraph above to Tesseract for the added pieces. The two-month trades were for less time, therefore less assets. This is actually more than what certain writers and former GMs have proposed. For example Bowden of the athletic proposed that less than this would get it done last year. No offense, but I think he has a better handle on which trades would work than, say, anonymous poster, Tesseract.
Dogbone: although I answered you under my response to Tesseract, I have a question for you, assuming you’re a Cubs fan, or at least follow them somewhat closely. Do you feel the recent success of “Frank the Tank” has taken the Cubs out of the bidding for Rizzo in the offseason? Or, do you believe they will circle back to him. Many pundits have Rizzo going to the RSox next year.
There is nothing wrong with being a Yankee hater. It is the one thing I excel at. Along with Dallas the NBA in general Hockey to be decided at a later date and the NY Red Bullies. To be fair we see them so little I don’t really care.
I say if you are going to do something go all out. So spend get a shorter name you be you and hate the Spankees all you want. Please Yankee fans don’t come back with we have 7455 rings and you have zero. Some of those came when their were 4 teams in the league. Nobody cares about. What you won before mitts bent.
The way you worded your original post doesn’t come off as, “plus an MLB ready bat”.
10-15 guys in the Yankees’ system are 40-45 fv guys. Gary Sanchez is a non-tender candidate.
They traded a 50 and 45 for 2 months of Rizzo +$5m. So I’m not sure how you’re trying to use that return to support your argument that 3 40-45 fv guys + a worthless Sanchez and “an MLB ready bat”(what do you even mean by this?) Is going to get a full season of Contreras. Especially when there are so many other MLB teams that can also use a catcher.
Well, first it was a question directed at a specific person. Second, your interpretation does not make his statement any more valid. Third, you’re solely focused on the Rizzo trade and conveniently ignore all the others. As an example, Reds offered Castillo for Torres and Yankees turned it down. Most said it would take him plus all the top prospects, etc.
Your opinion may differ, but that doesn’t matter to me. I’m basing my opinion off of actual proposed trade articles and objective GM statements of what a fair trade would look like.
Furthermore, you’ve also conveniently ignored the OFer I’ve mentioned twice to further your point. Last, you’re literally responding to my question to someone else, which is why I tend not to engage random people that merely state their opinion, with no basis, while simultaneously criticizing mine that’s based on BTV, past GM proposals, and writers in the industry – not to mention the multifarious trades that took place that were far below what writers like you say would never happen.
1 year 5 mil maybe. He’s a flat out bum
I kind of hope Boston buys out Vaz and moves on.
I wouldn’t mind if they moved on from Vazquez either. But at 6mil, he’s good enough for one year,. Especially given that FA depth at catcher. Also they have bigger needs this offseason (SP).
Solid catcher, making not to significant amount of cash, yet several Sox fans complain about Cvaz, mostly because his bat slipped a little this year. Get real, he’s still as good as most and better to have him behind the plate than a guy like Sanchez, who looks like could care less about blocking balls quite often.
Unless they trade for someone, Vazquez is probably their best option. Competent option behind the dish and if he can rebound to a league average with the bat in 2022, he’s more than worth the $7 million option.
Terrible options in free agency and not much better trade options. Conner Wong and Kevin Plawecki are not everyday options and their top two Catching prospects (Ronaldo Hernandez, Nathan Hickey) have never played above AA. Unlikely Vazquez goes anywhere for at least another year
Vasquez is very good. Trust me, one year trying to win with one of the dregs available and you’ll be begging for him back. Great on D, which is all most teams can hope for out of the position.
Cosmo2: I agree with you. I don’t understand why the Sox fans don’t like Vaz. He’s performed very well for them and is rating fairly high in many of the statistical metrics.
Probably because he has a low batting average. It’s popular to bash catchers batting average now to out yourself a complete noob to baseball in 2021.
Very good point. This year I think .250 is high for catchers. To further your point, I heard an interesting fact that supports how the industry as a whole has moved into the deeper analytics: in 2011 or so there were 42 players with a batting average of over .300; this year there are 17, and by the time it’s done, will likely be less.
Read this list and it’s very clear why the Nationals valued Keibert Ruiz so highly
Manny Pina is pretty underrated imo. Very good defender and consistently puts up a wRC+ in the 85-90 range, which is passable for a catcher. Averages about 3.7 fWAR/600 plate appearances since 2018.
Mlb1225: Is he good in the three main categories of blocking, defense/fielding, and framing? I’ve looked at metrics, but depending upon which website, the defensive metrics are incongruent to say the least. He seems as though he’s strong all-around.
Agree with the Nats/Ruiz comment. But worth digging a bit deeper–of the 8 catchers potentially availably, four of them have played for the Nats at one point or another. The Nats desperately want some long-term stability at the position.
Damn, that is rough. Subconsciously I knew there were multiple Ex Nats there but didn’t realize it was half the list. You’re absolutely right, they’re hoping for 7 years of stability from Ruiz (assuming they hold him back at start of year for ~1 month)
Nothing but backups and platoon players on this list. I imagine many teams will be going with in-house tandems next year
Look at the state of catching in today’s game and re-assess. Whose in house tandems are much better?
Vazquez/Plawecki. Sanchez/Higashioka. Salvador Perez/Gallagher. Barnhart/Stephenson. Smith/Barnes. Posey/Casali. Maldonado/Castro. Realmuto/Knapp. And probably a few others
most of those backups are horrid…
You just cherry picked the few teams with good starting catchers and that entirely misses the point. Or I guess I’m the one who missed your original point. I would say SOME teams will go with their tandem but most are in a bad spot and will be looking to mix and match from the dregs available.
@Rsox
I think Detroit is quite happy with Haase and Rogers. Even Garneau has been playing great and hitting dingers.
Definitely Smith and Barnes, Posey and Casali.
you could take any two of the three Bluejays catchers and do better
No massive catcher contracts are expected similar to last year, but Yan Gomes is better than James McCann. He’s probably limited to a two- year deal.
Suzuki rarely gets playing time & AB’s, and therefore of course all of his stats have gone down, 65 games and 199 AB’s, In 2017, 18, 19 he had over 270 AB’s or more in all of those seasons. You’re not going to hit well with low amount of games played and intermittent AB’s.
He’s also 37 years old
No mention of Blake Swihart???????
wasn’t he DFA’d?
Not sure. He might have undergone gender reassignment surgery and ran for governor of California.
Why did you spell it “favourite”? This isn’t Britain…
Well in defence, the writer was out late at the theatre with his neighbour. Quit trying to overanalyse everything he jots down and have a sense of humour!!
Honestly this makes Salvador Perez’s extension look even better. It seemed like a huge overpay at the time, but no way KC have been able to keep him after the season he’s having.
If you think Manny Pina is the answer, it’s a bad question. He’s done nice work for the Brewers but I would be real nervous counting on him for 300+ plate appearances. I could see him hitting .160 some season.
In many cases hitting .160 might not be that bad. How’s his d? What’s his obp? Need more info. It’s 2021 and you people are still acting like bad offensive catchers hit above .250.
Roberto Perez would be a nice defensive backup catcher for the WSox assuming Cleveland declines his too pricey option. Keep Grandal fresh (and Perez for that matter).
I can see Cleveland picking up Perez’ option because if not it means Austin Hedges is your everyday Catcher. Bo Naylor is hitting .188 at AA is no way close to facing Major League pitching
There are actually 13 catchers (minimum 300 PA’s) with a wRC+ over 100, which means above average. And 18 above 90, which doesn’t include a likely Hall of Famer, Yadi Molina. So 2/3 of major league teams have a catcher who’s hitting at the level of (or better than) say Joc Pederson or Charlie Blackmon. Or is Yadi Molina.
I think you all are getting confused by looking mostly at counting stats, which catchers never accumulate because they don’t play as much (there are currently only two in baseball who are statistically “qualified” for rate titles, Realmuto and Perez). The catching situation in baseball is pretty normal.
Catching is such a funny position. Sure it’s hard to find someone that can catch well AND swing the lumber, but it’s also such a taxing position physically that it’s kind of the last place you want to put someone who can really hit, You wonder what Joe Mauer could have done offensively if he were a 1B/DH his entire career.
Tucker Barnhart is a lock for $7M. The team can still trade him after exercising the option. No chance they let him walk
Wonder if Giants will just restructure Posey’s contract and add 2 more years (‘22-‘23) to give Bart some time with him as a backup.
Hopefully that means the Pirates can flip Stallings for young pitchers
He’s been a great catcher so I’m sure that’ll come to fruition, IF Pitt will let him go.
Pirates have controll over Stallings for a few more years. By the time he is a free agent Henry Davis should be ready to take over
If NYY want to improve the pitching staff, they will non tender Sanchez. Even with this group of free agents, I would not expect any other team adding Sanchez as their starting C. As the Yanks are showing, its difficult to reach the playoffs with him, and he’s definitely not someone a rebuilding team wants receiving their young pitchers. Time to move on.
“How weak this years market is” …. No, how about “how terrible catchers are as a whole in modern baseball both offensively and defensively.” It’s a real problem in the game that needs to be address. The art is being lost and there is only a select few that are any good any more. Maybe 5 total guys in the league are good? Maybe…. Then a handful are decent… but after that there aren’t remotely enough guys in the league to give every team a decent catcher and without question the backups are some of the worst catchers in history