1:00pm: The Pirates and Perez have agreed to a one-year contract, tweets ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The MDR Sports Management client will be guaranteed $5MM on the contract, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette further reports (Twitter link).
11:08am: The Pirates are in talks with free-agent catcher Roberto Perez, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Pittsburgh has an obvious need behind the dish after trading Gold Glover Jacob Stallings to the Marlins yesterday. Perez would give them a defensive-minded backup with some power in his bat — albeit one who has struggled mightily while battling injuries in Cleveland over the past two seasons. The Guardians declined their $7MM option on Perez following the season.
Perez, 33 next month, has long rated as one of the game’s premium defenders behind the dish and looked to have turned a corner at the plate in 2019, when he hit .239/.321/.452 with a career-high 24 home runs. However, he’s limped to a .155/.253/.277 slash with eight homers in 276 trips to the plate since.
Perez missed significant time in 2020-21 due to a pair of shoulder injuries and a fractured ring finger. It’s certainly plausible that the shoulder and hand injuries contributed to his decline at the plate, but the 2019 season looks increasingly like an outlier campaign for a defensive-minded backstop.
While Perez may not have stacked up to Stallings’ defense in 2021, he’s a two-time Gold Glove winner himself, taking home the American League award at catcher in both 2019 and 2020. Perez had never posted a season with negative marks in Defensive Runs Saved or FanGraphs’ pitch framing prior to 2021 but did rate ever so slightly below par in both categories. Of course, he was limited to 364 innings and wasn’t at 100% health this past season, and his body of work behind the dish is otherwise stellar.
From 2017-20, Perez’s 55 DRS ranked not only tops among all catchers but fifth among all players in Major League Baseball — regardless of position. He also led the American League with a gaudy 41% caught-stealing rate in 2019 and led all of baseball with a borderline-comical 71% caught-stealing mark in 2020 — nabbing 10 of the 14 runners who tried to take a base against him. Even with a lowly 16% mark in 2021, Perez still has a 39% mark in his career. And, given that the pair of shoulder problems he’s had recently (one in 2020, one in 2021) were in his throwing shoulder, it’s eminently plausible that he could rebound in that regard with better health in 2022.
Photo courtesy of Imagn/USA Today Sports.
Pirates aiming high!
If they sign him or anyone else to a major league deal the sad thing is that the Pirates would be aiming higher in the aggregate for this offseason than in years past. I can’t remember how many years it’s been since the Pirates signed 3 players to majors deals in one offseason if they add one more to Jose Quintana and Yoshi Tsutsugo already. Granted none will be real difference makers but baby steps.
Pass. He doesn’t even approach the Mendoza line.
Well, the only catcher y’all have on roster batted a cool .143 last season so Perez is an improvement.
This would be a classic Pirates move. Trade Stallings who would be set to make about $7m over the next two seasons in arbitration, and then sign Perez, a lesser talent at a better value.
The Pirates also acquired talent by trading Stallings.
Yeah. They aren’t going to compete this year. Why not get some assets for Stallings and downgrade at catcher?
That wasn’t a knock on the Pirates. If anything its a smart move. Just seems like what they do every year. Shed payroll.
They gained a solid member of their starting 5 going forward in Zach Thompson as well as 2 lottery tickets (or better in Nicolas and Scott) and quickly replaced 80-90% of what you traded away in signing Perez. This is a VERY smart move!
They are paying Perez more for this season than they would have paid Stallings. Yes the Pirates have been cheap but this comment doesn’t make sense.
A 32 year old no hit good field catcher for 3.5 million for ,2 years….naw. Pirates rebuild is hitting high… Henry Davis will be up at the end of this year
End of next year? Don’t know about that.
I’m on the side of trading Reynolds based on one thing, by the time they realistically contend, he’ll be gone or have one year left. It’s a waste to have such a talent during years they won’t be competitive.
Things change if he would re-sign but I don’t see it happening, mainly because of him. Don’t blame him either.
disagree….they will sign reynolds long term… once they get labor relations settled. daivis is ahead of the others due to college….he will be up late next year and start in 2023
@3rivers.. I’m hoping Reynolds becomes available but by trading him away doesn’t that also make a case for trading away Hayes?
Hayes isn’t going anywhere…. Not arguing with you or anything… they just have to have someone there to sell tickets… I’m sorry I’m not spending 100 dollars(basing off royals games) plus to go watch Quintana, Yoshi, or perez… it’s the same thing that happened last time they were in this spot, Hayes is to this rebuild what Cutch was to the last one.. they will extend him before they trade him
Perez batted .144. Yeah, big improvement.
Sorry, .149.
He’s not hitting .149 again. Very similar to Stallings. Bad hit…..good glove. His
shoulder issues no doubt affected his hitting.
There is no catcher currently on the Pirates roster.
Michael Perez is in the organization and is the only catcher with Major League experience, so he is who I referring to.
Perez was outrighted last week.
@chipper
Perez isn’t a better value. They took the value for Stallings and actually spent more to get a replacement catcher. Nothing cheap or stupid about this move. Smart move for a rebuilding squad.
Read my comment above. I never said it was stupid. I like it. Its a classic Pirates move though. Why are people so defensive?
Also to joew, Perez was outrighted to AAA which means he is still in the organization, so I don’t know why you felt the need to correct me. If the season started today he’s be the number 2 catcher.
Because this move doesn’t shed payroll. You’re presenting it as such. Stallings wasn’t gonna make $5MM this year…….
If the season starts today, he still wouldn’t be on the 40man. He’d be lucky if he makes it to spring as anything other than a bull pen catcher based on his performance last year.
don’t expect him to be back in the MLB or even in AAA by the time the season starts.
Top 3 defensive catcher in the league, he has value, just not with the bat
Yeah but for 5mil?
So you’d probably pass on Maldonado too
Should be noted that Perez’ year included him trying to swing a bat with a broken finger for more than a month.
With a broken finger (4/14 until IL):
44 PAs, 3 H, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 19 k
(.159 OBP + .175 SLg = .333 OPS)
Without:
115 PAs, 18 H, 2 2B, 6 HR, 37 K, 13 BB, 1 HBP
(.278 OBP + .346 SLG = .624 OPS)
That “without” stint is roughly in line with his career numbers. He’s roughly a
.200 hitter who can work the count well enough to get himself up to a 300-ish OBP. If his defense is as good as advertised, he’s a solid starter.
If you haven’t noticed which clearly you don’t follow baseball because if you did you would know not a single gm looks at batting average and if they did they certainly don’t care what their catchers batting average is. What’s my proof you ask( great ? By the way) look at what the average is for mlb catchers for I dunno the last 5 years should give you a good enough sample size to learn something about baseball.
I like it for Pittsburgh. Veteran who can help a young pitching staff.
It’s a perfectly fine move. If Roberto can get healthy–which he should–he can help a young staff immensely and, when right, he can put up a surprisingly professional AB. He’s incredibly slow, but doesn’t hit a ton of grounders….listen, he’s no Johnny Bench, but he’s an elite defender and I’m going to miss him in Cleveland. Many won’t, because they never understood the role he played in helping make the Tribe a pitching juggernaut.
All these players are just place holders anyways for Henry Davis who will be ready by September for ML time, maybe earlier if the new CBA actually makes sense with the service time issues.
By September? No way No chance
Quit sucking on the pacifier
A ball to the show in same season as a catcher would be mighty impressive.
As a Tribe fan, I hope he signs with them. Two fold.. I don’t want him back and I hope he does well for the Pirates. He was a good guy and great defensive catcher.
Completely agree. Pirates, sign him today so CLE isn’t tempted to bring him back for like $2.5M or so. Best to just move on.
As a tribe fan, I’m sad to see him go. Just watch how the bucs pitching staff improves next year because of him. I’d much rather have him than Hedges. He may only be good for a dozen hits a year, but they are always in the clutch. He’s a very underrated asset and you just have to watch him play to understand it.
I agree, although Hedges is Perez’s equal defensively these days, and Austin had a surprising number of big ABs for the Tribe this year. The key is getting someone (like Contreras?) so Hedges doesn’t have to play more than two- three days a week.
You mean Guardians?
Need someone behind the dish. Why not get a guy to help young pitchers. Could sign Pedro Severino instead and have no defense.
He is great with staff. I think he be a good addition.
Sometimes a signing is worth more than what the standard numbers show. Perez is one of the best defensive catchers in the game. His 2019 season offensively looks like an outlier, but if he can do anything with the bat this year, it’ll be worth it for his defense alone. Perez worked a lot with the young arms in Cleveland..and as Pittsburgh is lacking veterans in general, he’ll be a voice and a good presence in the clubhouse.
And eventually if he has value on the field, the Bucs can flip him for more prospects.
None of this is sexy stuff, but trading Stallings for an MLB ready pitcher, two prospects, and signing another defensive and game managing catcher to replace him, are all small but important pieces in a rebuild.
Perfectly said
Yep.. if you are trying to value a guy like Perez by his slash line, you got it all wrong. His game is run prevention.. great fielder, framer, game caller and he just knows how to handle a pitching staff. If he can stay healthy, I think Pirates fans will really like this move.
Would not be a bad get for a good defensive guy to fill the spot until Davis and Rodriguez make it to the bigs.
Obviously they would still need to find someone to pair with Perez, but I’m not getting the dislike some of you seem to have for this potential move. They got some value in return for Stallings, and now they’re looking to add one of the only options out there who has similar defensive credentials to Stallings. At least it looks like the Pirates have a working plan in place.
Perez and Perez as the catching tandem! With the first guy to .180 getting 60% of the starts!
Since the Pirates are trading controllable guys how bout Reynolds for Contreras, Waters & Muller maybe through in another lower prospect to sweeten the deal
Reynolds for Contreras? What?
William, not Willson…
you are kidding… right?
All Star, MVP and Gold Glove candidate coming off a 5.5fWAR season that happens to have long term cost controlled, control…. (the gold glove thing… i think that was because of the crazy plays he made not overall)
Q: What is that worth?
A: much more than that.
Worth more than a Top 100 prospect
A starting caliber catcher with what 5 yrs of control
And a SP in the Braves Top 5 prospects who is also ML ready ????
Like I said you want to throw in a Vodnik or a Tarnok ok wouldn’t be opposed
You are delusional if you don’t think that is a weak package
It was reported when the Mariners inquired about Reynolds the Pirates asked for one of the top prospects in all of baseball, sooooo I’m going to guess it’s going to take a bit more than a single top 100 prospect.
You’re delusional for thinking the Pirates would accept that
@steelerbravenation
sorry wrong Contreras…. had my mind set on the Cubs for some reason. (huge difference) Yeah not a weak offer, but it also makes no sense for them. But it could push the pirates window up a year.
still, i wouldn’t want Contreras in the deal unless everyone felt he would do well at first. we already have a catcher coming up who has iffy defense (but still young enough to figure it out)
Are you on drugs …. Reynolds isnt going anywhere….
Not even close. Pirates would have little interest in any of those guys for Reynolds. They just signed a catcher for this year and they have 2 in their top dozen prospects including their #1 prospect. Muller isn’t much better than what they have already. They have plenty of waters types in their system already. Need to trade difference makers for Reynolds.
give him a 2y 4m/4m third/fourth year option at 7m with a 1m buyout each year give up to 2m in bonuses based on games played triggered at 70/90/110 games. maybe a bit more guaranteed.
Perez has only played over 75 games once and when he did he did well and should be rewarded if he does
More less, the extra power potential over Stallings with a good glove. Fills the gap between now and Davis and if Davis comes up quickly the options are more attractive on trade or at very least allow the team to buy out.
I doubt he’d get a better offer based on his history. Also not all that different than what he made last year IF his bonuses kick in.
i’m not overly happy with the Stallings trade, partially because i thought the return could be a bit better but this would soften the blow and makes me more optimistic for ’23.
Roberto Perez aka Russell Martins Doppelganger.
Nutting’s goal is to bring the payroll under last year’s $54 million. He also knows there will never be a salary floor in MLB.
This coming from the guy who sold the penguins…Mario Crosby. .they are rebuilding…do you want a 100 million payroll…assinine
I agree with everything the Pirates are doing.
MISSED IT BY THAT [ = ] MUCH !!
According to informed sources, The Marlins were in on Roberto Perez right up until he signed the deal to join the Pirates.. The Marlins made a “strong” offer, but not one that matched the Pirates’ financial commitment. The Marlins weren’t the only team to be outbid.
The Minnesota Twins had also been linked to Perez.
If the Marlins liked Perez enough to pay him 4 million then they shouldn’t have traded for Stallings.
Totally called this yesterday after PIT dealt Stallings
Good for Roberto who seems like a good guy. The pirates have a top tier catching prospect and Perez will be a terrific mentor. He will also be a great influence on the young pitchers. A forward thinking sign. Good all around.
Nutting will again spend far less on payroll than he receives in revenue sharing. Literally pocketing other teams money while screwing over a great sports city.
There needs to be a floor tied to revenue sharing. Nutting would probably sell the team then, which would also be fine.
You’re an Angels fan, your team is the poster boy of why indiscriminate spending doesn’t equal success. I normally wouldn’t say anything but this was actually a good move by the Pirates and doesn’t need the typical “Pirates are cheap” narrative.
Keep the faith. The Tribe, A’s, and Rays have proven small market, low payroll teams can win if they run bright organizations. Run lean and mean, and depend on wealthy markets to do insane things because expectations run rampant. in those cities. Most big markets behave like the Angels; very few can consistently be both smart and rich…they get sloppy (even the Dodgers signed Bauer) so there will always be opportunities that fall through the cracks. It’s sometimes frustrating as a fan, but so satisfying when you get it right and knock off teams with three or four times your payroll. You’ll never convince me guys like Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein are geniuses. Come to Pittsburgh and Cleveland and Tampa and win…that actually signifies something.
Bauer was a fine signing. A good pitcher. Hard to know he plays rough in the bedroom.
Did nothing wrong on the field. Earned his salary.
If I wanted to pocket money I would have kept Stallings, or went with a much cheaper option then Perez, passed on Yoshi and went with Martin.
Pirates finally figuring out how to rebuild? Guarantee he is moved by the deadline for prospects
Yes because teams love to aquire no bat catchers and give them a crash course to learn a new pitching staff.
He will be DFA at the end of august once cheapskate is willing to part with the last 1/6 of his contract.
The Pirates off-season seems to make absolutely no sense at this point
Yes and your muted..idiot post
Second that.
It actually has been smart aside from this catching situation which they have botched, for no real reason either. Tsutugo and quintana will be flipped at the deadline and this guy will be a DFA bust. I’m 100 percent sure about quintana and 90 percent about the other 2
So they traded a gold-glove, below average hitter for a starting pitcher and 2 prospects (former 13th overall pick and a 2nd rounder), then signed a gold-glove, below average hitter? For less money? Sounds brilliant to me. Did anyone look at Perez’s 2019? It’s better than any year Stallings every had. Not saying he will outhit him in 2022, but seems like an odd thing to rip on the Pirates for.
Twice as much money this year but maybe less in long run. Stallings is about average as a bat. Perez seems below besides that 1 year but maybe he could do something similar again. I love the move though. They aren’t trying too hard to win now so a not huge drop off in exchange for 3 young players is excellent.
Anyone else checking MLB rumors every 30-45 minutes to see who signs who, or if my team signs a big FA??????
Clint Frazier to the cubs
No. I check it every 5 minutes. Retired and no life.
Getting late. Monday was the day to realistically get something done.
His 2 home runs he hit for the Indians in the 2016 WS will forever be etched in my mind. I believe he’ll be a solid addition to the Pirates (just wait, they’ll have to change their name too. Don’t believe me? There’s an article about Tampa Bay in the Big Game being “problematic”) and their pitchers will get better with him behind the dish. Being a catcher is a thankless position, and I, for one, will thank Bebo for many years!
I couldn’t be a fan if they changed their name to something lame like the guardians. Pirates should be safe. They were equal opportunity employers centuries before it was mainstream. They didn’t care about race or gender. An extremely woke industry.
Someone complained about the name change! Everyone drink!
Pirates weren’t a race, you doorknob
Would prefer Stallings, but given that the Bucs had no catchers on the 40 man roster, I’m just happy to have a big league catcher now. I do have high hopes for the return the Bucs got for Stallings. Thompson should be in the rotation in April.
You shouldn’t.
It was very mediocre. This signing makes it look even worse. Catcher is by far the most important defensive position and they had it lined up IMO and they burned it down for fringish type prospects. Thompson being a rich mans will Crowe and your 4 starter is the best case scenario.
And you know the return was mediocre…..your a scout…your a baseball anyalist…no your an idiot
Pirates saving money on jerseys by replacing Michael Perez with Roberto (though Roberto is about 25lbs heavier)
Feels like an overpay for a bad hitting catcher. Should be a backup for a good team IMO.
Horrendous
Guy is terrible and pay him almost double what you would have paid stallings
THE SUCCOS ARE BACK
Again a troll idiot posts stupidity
Thompson would likely be the Pirates #2 starter behind Brubaker. So it’s not such a bad move for the long term
Take heart Buc fans you’ve made a good move in getting Roberto Perez. Not only is he a good guy,but he’ll handle a pitching staff like no one you’ve seen in Pittsburgh since the days of Manny Sanguillen. He was very instrumental in the development of the Cleveland staff these many years and the pitchers loved throwing to him. His hitting will improve if he can stay healthy. Good clubhouse man too. Just what the franchise needs right now. Good move.
Hit it right on the head Vince. Buccos continue to move forward.
Good signing