The Twins and free-agent catcher Tony Wolters are in agreement on a minor league contract, tweets Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Wolters, a client of the VC Sports Group, will presumably receive an invitation to Major League Spring Training.
Wolters, 30, was the Rockies’ primary catcher for several years, logging 320 games behind the dish in Colorado from 2017-20 and appearing in 77% of the team’s games between the 2019 season and shortened 2020 campaign. The former third-round pick was long touted for his plus defense, which helped him to offset a lack of offensive prowess. Wolters hit .259/.327/.395 as a rookie in 2016 (although that was just a 77 wRC+ after accounting for Coors Field), but he’s mustered only a .229/.320/.295 output in 1036 plate appearances since that time.
Wolters has spent the past two seasons with the Cubs and Dodgers, respectively, but only appeared in 14 games with the Cubs in ’21 and two games with the Dodgers in ’22. He posted decent Triple-A numbers between the two teams in 2021 (.240/.348/.385 in 260 plate appearances) but limped to a .230/.321/.284 line in 234 trips to the plate with the Dodgers’ top minor league affiliate in 2022.
As noted, however, Wolters has long been a glove-first option behind the plate. He’s thrown out 31% of runners who’ve attempted to steal against him in his career, comfortably better than the league average, has plus framing marks on the whole, and has amassed 24 Defensive Runs Saved in 2827 innings behind the plate.
The Twins signed Christian Vazquez to a three-year, $30MM contract earlier in the offseason, and he’s expected to split time with incumbent Ryan Jeffers behind the dish, comprising Minnesota’s top catching tandem. However, the Twins are thin on catching depth in the upper minors, so Wolters will provide some defensive-minded insurance in the event of an injury at the MLB level.
BUCs can almost always find work, but it may be with five different teams a year.
Austin Romine last year
More importantly is a Max Kepler trade in the works? Let us know Twinkie fans?
I sure hope not. Why sell low on a young hitter!
too many left handed outfielders.. with less cost and more years of control..
Stop saying Twinkie
@phantomofdb-what’s wrong with your Twinkie?
Nothings wrong with saying it if you want to sound like a crotchety 75 year old. No self respecting person under 50 calls them “twinkies” partly because it’s just silly and partly because that term has taken a new meaning
Anyone else remember the death and resurrection of Twinkies about a decade ago?
@phantomofdb-Glad to hear all is well down dere. Lol. Well I’m banging on the door at 50. So I guess I’m in the clear then. Ones on here call the Yankees, Spankys and I don’t get all crazy about it. Maybe these 2 teams can help each other out a little? You tell me. I hear Minny needs pitching? Are you happy now? It’s for all good fun. Not insulting the Twins at all. I hope they win the AL Central this season. Truthfully
@Phantom, tell that to Twins fans who call the Yankees the Spankees.
I might have a 10-year-old Twinkie next to the box of Little Debbies.
That Twinkie has another 200 years of being edible!
Captain, I’ll embrace Ortega as our LFer before Kepler. Ignore he was signed to a minor league deal. That’s simply allowing them to clear space on the MLB roster by Opening Day. He’s actually a nice, under-the-radar pickup. He’s a lefty who pulls the ball in the air to right. Wrigley punishes that type of hitter, Yankee Stadium loves that type of hitter. Hits righties, good defensive player who can also can back up CF. I’d like something more sexy, but Ortega is the type of player who in May Yankee fans are wondering how’d we get this guy so cheaply? Ortega will now allow Cabrera to take the Gonzalez role of rotating through many positions without the pressure of being a full-time player. I don’t love we are put in this situation of having to like Ortega, but he’s a good pickup. No need for Kepler.
I agree, Rob. Kepler seems like a move wherein the Yankees may just be wasting prospects to duplicate the type of player they are picking up by the dozen and signing to minor league deals (in terms of overall performance).
To be clear, I don’t love Ortega, but I don’t hate him either. I felt his signing got lumped in with a few other players the Yankees signed recently as potential options in LF, but Ortega was the first one that I looked at and thought he was a possibility. No need to trade prospects for Kepler when Ortega might be as good, if not a better option.
@RobM- I still have my heart set on Bryan Reynolds. I still have hope, but not much. Ian Happ as you guys have discussed would be fine, and would be a lot cheaper. Ortega is pretty good. I remember him on the Cubs. Let’s see what happens.
I feel like the Cubs are trying to compete, that’s why I’m not sure they’ll trade Happ, I’d like to add him though if he’s available.
31% of runners? That’s awesome. That could be incredibly important if they move to an auto strike zone (called Autozone hereafter – cue song, “Get in the zone…Autozone).
His last full season behind the plate left a lot to be desired in terms of his overall defense though. 2017 & 2018 he was a strong defender, but 2019 he wasn’t, which is likely why his playing time dropped off substantially.
about that ACE level starting pitching that seems to win championships….. WHERE IS IT?