With the regular season winding down, a number of teams (and their fanbases) are already starting to turn their attention towards the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is a big part of that prep work, so it’s worth taking an early look at the players who’ll be available on the open market.
Over the coming weeks, MLBTR will go around the diamond to preview the free agent class. As always, we’ll start behind the plate. It’s a thin group, with no one in the class a threat to approach the five-year, $87.5MM contract that Willson Contreras received a season ago.
Note: only players who have been on an MLB roster in 2023 are included for this exercise.
Potential Regulars/Platoon Options
- Mitch Garver (33*)
Garver could prove a tricky evaluation for teams. He’s having the best season of any impending free agent who can catch. The right-handed hitter is mashing at a .286/.387/.541 clip with 16 home runs over 270 plate appearances for the Rangers. He slugged 31 homers for the Twins back in 2019 and is a career .254/.343/.489 hitter. A fully healthy Garver is one of the best offensive catchers in the sport and easily the best player in this winter’s free agent catching class.
Fully healthy is a notable caveat, however. Not only will Garver turn 33 this winter, he has a lengthy injury history. He has spent some time on the IL in every season since 2019 and required season-ending surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in 2022. That injury affected Garver’s throwing even before he went under the knife, and Texas has eased him back to catching action. He has logged only 230 innings behind the dish this season, seeing more time as a designated hitter. The Rangers have that luxury thanks to the presence of All-Star backstop Jonah Heim, but it raises questions for teams evaluating whether Garver will hold up as a true #1 elsewhere.
- Gary Sánchez (31)
Sánchez has never returned to his early-career Yankees form. He’s nevertheless coming off a decent bounceback showing for the Padres, hitting .218/.292/.500 with 19 homers through 260 plate appearances after landing in San Diego. His much-maligned blocking drew an average grade from Statcast this season, while he threw out baserunners at an acceptable 20.8% clip. The year ended on a sour note when Sánchez sustained a right wrist fracture on a hit-by-pitch last week, but it was a reasonably encouraging effort overall.
While he’s not a star, Sánchez looks like an acceptable #1 catcher. He’s a power-first offensive player with middling on-base marks. One of the younger players in the class, he has a case for a multi-year contract after settling for a minor league pact a season ago.
- Tom Murphy (33)
Murphy has mashed in a small sample this year, hitting .290/.335/.538 over 159 plate appearances. He has shown significant offensive upside in prior seasons — highlighted by a .273/.324/.535 line over 76 games in 2019 — but only has two years in which he has reached 200+ plate appearances. Murphy lost all of 2020 with a foot fracture, a good chunk of last season to a dislocated shoulder, and has been out for the past month with a sprained left thumb.
When healthy, he consistently shows plus power from the right-handed batter’s box. He strikes out a lot but brings more offensive upside than most players at the position. At age 33, he’ll be limited to one or two-year offers, but he should be a target for teams that can pair him with a more stable veteran to compensate for the injury risk.
- Víctor Caratini (30)
Caratini is a switch-hitting backstop with good strike zone awareness and solid contact skills. He hits the ball reasonably hard but makes most of his contact on the ground, muting his power impact. This year’s .247/.327/.368 line over 54 games for the Brewers is in line with his career track record. He rates as a decent pitch framer but has a well below-average throwing arm. While Caratini doesn’t have a standout skill, he’s a reasonably well-rounded player and the youngest option in the catching class.
- Yasmani Grandal (35)
Grandal was still performing at an All-Star level as recently as 2021. The final two years of his $73MM free agent deal with the White Sox didn’t go as planned. He limped to a .202/.301/.269 line last season and is hitting .236/.309/.345 over 388 plate appearances this year. He’s a switch-hitter who still draws a decent number of walks, but he hasn’t shown the same kind of power he had at his peak.
- Austin Hedges (31)
Hedges is an all-glove veteran who has found semi-regular run despite one of the league’s least imposing offensive profiles. He was an everyday catcher for three years in Cleveland and got into 65 games for the Pirates after signing a $5MM free agent deal last winter. The Rangers have pushed him into a depth role since acquiring him at the deadline.
The 31-year-old is hitting .176/.229/.222 through 203 plate appearances. He has had a hard time controlling the running game this season but has been excellent in that regard in prior years. Hedges’ elite receiving skills have not waned. Statcast rates him 11 runs above average as a pitch framer and credits him with eight more blocks than average. That’s in line with his career-long reputation as an elite receiver, and both Cleveland and Pittsburgh trusted him as their top catcher to work with fairly young pitching staffs.
- Martín Maldonado (37)
Maldonado is a beloved clubhouse presence in Houston. The Astros have continued to give him a starting workload on a World Series contender despite dismal offensive numbers, reasoning that his unquantifiable work with the pitching staff compensates for the lack of productivity at the dish. Maldonado has hit only .187/.254/.337 through 366 trips to the plate. He has occasional power but consistently poor on-base marks. Unlike Hedges, Maldonado has a well below-average grade from Statcast for his 2023 pitch framing. It hasn’t dissuaded Dusty Baker from keeping him in the lineup, though — a testament to how the coaching staff feels about his leadership and game-calling acumen.
Backups/Depth
- Jorge Alfaro (31)
A longtime top prospect who was a key piece in multiple blockbuster trades (Cole Hamels, J.T. Realmuto), the now-30-year-old Alfaro (31 next June) has never developed into the slugger that many expected. Alfaro posted a solid .269/.322/.429 batting line from 2017-19, but in 737 plate appearances since that time he’s at .236/.278/.354 with a glaring 33.6% strikeout rate. Alfaro has typically thrown well (28% caught-stealing rate), but he’s at 18% in Triple-A this year. Statcast grades him last among 75 qualified catchers since 2018 when it comes to blocking pitches in the dirt.
- Tucker Barnhart (33)
Barnhart has spent the past week in Triple-A with the Dodgers. He signed a minor league pact with L.A. after being released by the Cubs in the first season of a two-year, $6.5MM free agent deal. The two-time Gold Glove winner managed only a .202/.285/.257 line over 123 plate appearances with Chicago and is a .215/.286/.264 hitter since being traded from the Reds to the Tigers over the 2021-22 offseason. Despite the tepid offense, Barnhart should draw depth interest based on his glove and reputation as a strong clubhouse presence — especially since the Cubs are responsible for all but the league minimum on next year’s salary as well.
- Curt Casali (35)
The Reds are likely to opt for a $750K buyout on their end of a $4MM mutual option. The right-handed hitting Casali has operated as the third catcher in Cincinnati when healthy, batting .175/.290/.200 over 96 plate appearances. He is currently on a rehab stint working back from a July foot contusion.
- Sandy León (35)
León, currently in Triple-A with the Guardians, appeared in 22 games for the Rangers early in the season. The switch-hitting backstop is a classic journeyman depth catcher. He has gotten to the majors in each of the past 12 years. He’s a well-regarded defender who has hit .176/.254/.261 for five teams since the start of 2019.
- Luke Maile (33)
Maile signed a $1.175MM free agent deal with his hometown Reds last winter. He has essentially played at the level they’d expected as their backup, putting up a .234/.305/.392 line through 175 plate appearances. He has roughly average framing and blocking numbers and has cut down a quarter of opposing basestealers. He has probably done enough to secure another major league contract this offseason.
- Roberto Pérez (35)
Pérez won consecutive Gold Glove awards in 2019-20. He has continued to get looks based on his defense, but injuries have kept him off the field for most of the last two seasons. He suffered a season-ending hamstring tear in May 2022. He was capped at five games with the Giants this year before tearing the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder, necessitating another surgery in April. He’ll likely be limited to minor league offers as a result.
- Manny Piña (37)
Piña had a few seasons as a productive depth option with the Brewers. Unfortunately, left wrist issues have essentially robbed him of the last two years. He underwent surgery after just five games in 2022. Piña started this year back on the injured list with continued soreness. He returned for four games this summer but Oakland released him around the trade deadline as they evaluated their younger catching options.
- Mike Zunino (33)
Zunino signed a $6MM contract with the Guardians a year ago on the heels of thoracic outlet surgery. He couldn’t recapture his pre-surgery form on either side of the ball. Zunino hit .177/.271/.306 with a 43.6% strikeout rate in 140 plate appearances. Perhaps even more concerning was that he struggled mightily as a receiver and threw out only 16.7% of baserunners. Cleveland released him in late June and he has remained a free agent since then.
Club Options
- Yan Gomes (36)
The Cubs hold a $6MM option that comes with a $1MM buyout. It’s a $5MM call, which seems reasonable after Gomes’ decent 2023 showing. The 12-year MLB veteran is hitting .269/.311/.414 with nine home runs through 360 trips to the plate. He hasn’t rated highly for his receiving but has thrown out an above-average 26.4% of attempted basestealers. The Cubs may look to turn the top catching job over to rookie Miguel Amaya, but it’s a low enough price point that the team could still retain Gomes as a veteran backup.
Player Options
- Omar Narváez (32)
Narváez is unlikely to hit free agency. His contract with the Mets contains a $7MM player option. The left-handed hitter has slumped to a .192/.272/.253 line in 39 games, missing a chunk of the year with a calf strain. Unsurprisingly, he told Will Sammon of the Athletic last month that he expects to exercise the option rather than retest free agency on the heels of such a tough season.
* Listed ages are the player’s age for the 2024 season.
Martín Maldonado seems ageless. That guy is so sharp and capable.
But he can’t hit..
but his team wins every year with him hitting .185, so there must be something else going on here.
Asterisks Hot Takes
More people die in hospitals than libraries, but that doesn’t mean you are safer after a heart attack if they take you to the library.
Very few die in the ALCS, and that’s where Maldy keeps taking us. So far, so good.
We’re not watching the same games
Diaz does everything better than Maldonado
He frames, blocks pitches in the dirt, throws out runners, better than Maldonado. The pitching staff has a lower ERA when Diaz catches. Diaz can rake, Maldonado is pathetic. And the thing that really gets to me, Maldy is overweight and never runs hard to first base. Diaz is in good shape and always busts his butt down to first. Sure I can see Maldonado has a great personality, but this is a game all about performance. It’s time for Maldy to go.
Tom Murphy is an integral part of Seattle’s clubhouse. I’d be surprised if he isn’t extended.
Almost no teams have a 2nd catcher on a significant contract. And as far as “integral part of the clubhouse” goes, unless you’re Martin Maldonado, who is a completely different category of clubhousery, that and $2.99 get you a latte. He’s gone. Will get a starting gig and a $7-8m AAV deal somewhere, at the very least.
Only the Braves and D’Arnaud….
ODds are against it though.
You haven’t been paying attention.
Jerry himself, along with Scott, already addressed this and stated they will try to get an extension done sooner, rather than later, and for the same reason I stated.
And who said anything about a ‘significant’ contract? His injury history doesn’t exactly scream long-term deal.
Weak C market. If he wants an everyday job and one is presented—might be a little more than Jerry wants to go for a #2. Hard to predict how it’ll shake out if he lets him hit the open market.
Where is seamaholic 2 getting a $2.99 latte???
$2.99 Latte? Not even from the gas station.
Pretty much all are backup catchers. Caratini is probably the best of them. Switch hitter… young… decent hitting ability. mediocre defense… even though he was Yu Darvish’s personal catcher for a while. Maybe reunite in San Diego?
“Maldonado is a beloved clubhouse presence in Houston. The Astros have continued to give him a starting workload on a World Series contender despite dismal offensive numbers, reasoning that his unquantifiable work with the pitching staff compensates for the lack of productivity at the dish.”
this is, perhaps, the most spot-on comment I’ve ever read on this site about Martín. Congratulations for getting it.
If one *COULD* quantify it, it would probably be north of ten full wins every year he’s been here.
I agree with this in a general way about catchers. It’s really difficult to put your finger on every way a catcher could be valuable, such as making the pitcher he works with more effective.
There’s always going to be fan fools who assume the Astros front office are idiots because they keep him at his position but I would say it’s more reasonable to assume there isn’t a statistic that can sufficiently represent his value that the Astros can see directly. The fact that the Astros keep him is actually proof of that. Whatever anyone thinks of the Astros FO, it is one of the smartest in baseball.
100% nailed it SalaryCap – if smartest FO and most successful team trot him out there year after year, that’s pretty evidential that dude is worth his weight in golden trophies
Even if you think he’s the greatest catcher that could ever exist, there’s no chance he’s finding 10 wins worth of unquantifiable value every single year. That’s a ludicrous exaggeration.
Tell that to Framber Valdez & Christian Javier & Urquidy & Luis Garcia – Framber ESPECIALLY! I’m suggesting that, without Maldy, we might well have lost ten more games than we did, each year for the last several years. Maldy is a combo catcher, psychologist, coach, and, with the amount of time he spends on game prep, a small analytics department unto himself, besides being the main conduit between analytics dept recommendations and the pitchers. 10 wins, easily.
I think it’s a fair comment to make that Maldy should receive fewer starts. I’d like Diaz to play more. If Maldy comes back, I hope it’s as the back up making 40-50 starts.
Jon Lester had a record of 47-27 AFTER David Ross left the Cubs. Framber and squad can do just fine with someone other than Maldonado.
Good. Give him a job as a coach and put somebody who can play on the field
I’ve read comments on here for years wondering why their favourite team employs a backup catcher hitting .150, .125, .143? Years what seems like a decade.
If there’s one skill fans are the absolute worst at identifying is how valuable defence is. They just expect big leaguers to make all the plays. And it’s only when one doesn’t make plays then the guy sucks and he’s the worst fielder in the league.
Catcher is the one position teams have shown for years now they don’t really care about hitting. When it comes to skill sets the bat lags far behind, how a guy calls a game, handles pitching staff, framing, blocking, throwing out base runners are all way more important than batting average.
Not sure why fans always seem to pick out the guy with the worst batting average on the team and points to him as the reason they lost.
I think most baseball fans understand the importance of defense and the reality that teams will make concessions at C, SS, and CF to get in an elite glove. Having said, I do not view Maldy as an elite defensive catcher.
I heard earlier in the season that the Astros have a better winning record with Diaz at catcher than they do with Maldonado. Considering that Maldy catches the top of the order guys, that’s pretty damning.
Could’ve named the article “ list of worst hitters available “
Edp007: The article covered the offensive capabilities of all of these catchers. However, their defensive work was left out of some of the catchers assessments. The catcher is the quarterback of a team. He has to know the pitchers, know opposing hitters and much more. That’s why Maldonado is the no. 1 catcher in bb, imo. His offense is not what defines him. On another note, anyone who signs Grandal is a total sucker. Unfortunately, I’m afraid that team will be the White Sox.
Sorry , didn’t mean to offend catchers. They are indeed extremely important and underrated in terms of value.
Wish some could hit though 🙂
All the people complaining about pitchers not hitting want a DH for catchers now too right? The average on a mlb catcher isn’t getting any better and is slowly approaching pitcher levels.
Would love to see Murphy in Pinstripes
I’d hate to be a team that needs a catcher this off-season
The moral of this article is “if you are a team in need of a starting Catcher you are pretty much SOL”. It’s amazing how poor Catcher and Center Field has become in MLB.
I think if Maldonado chooses to play next season it will probably be back in Houston. Yainer Diaz may take over the bulk of Catching duties but Matt would still be a valuable backup.
The rest of this group are different levels of bad and the top two are a guy who has spent much of the season as a DH and a guy that probably should be a DH
I think Dusty leaving means Maldy is gone. No other manager in baseball would’ve kept him as their starter
Hopefully, someone like the Marlins or White Sox will be desperate enough to take Salvy and his salary off the Royals books. Not sure if he’d waive his no trade for anyone besides Miami or Tampa though.
Salvy is nearing the end of his catching days. He’ll be a full time DH/1B in 2 years.
With such a weak class, you’d have to wonder if a team would have Kyle Farmer put the catching gear back on to check him out.
Glad the Braves have catcher locked up.
Gomes is going nowhere. He’s been a valuable piece of the Cubs run this season and at that price is a steal. His knowledge of the pitching staff now is invaluable. The Cubs got rid of Contreras and kept Gomes, Which should tell you all you need to know. If anything he deserves a raise.
Totally agree, Yan Gomes has been one of team mvp’s this year. Many big hits. Your comment that he’s been decent is an insult.
And—for a change—and thankfully for the Cubs—it’s a club option not a player or mutual option. Gomes is far and away the most attractive name on this list.
Baseball needs to another D.H, this time for the catching position. If you have one that can hit your solid gold, but most teams do not have one. That’s not to say one that hits couldn’t hit, but that teams would have the option to have a person hit in that position. The catcher has a big job, and recently one of Detroit’s catchers was given a hard time because the inning ended on his at bat.
The catcher has a lot of responsibility with the electronic signals base stealing and tine clock management. Let’s give the team, and other players who major in hitting a chance to be successful as well. It will improve the game, and not cost anything because they have 3 other positional hitters on the bench. Or add one more hitter and pitcher. It needs to be looked into at the very least.
The Yankees better hope that Wells is the answer. Definitely no help in free agency to upgrade at Catcher
I love fan’s suggestions. Always about more specialization in the game. Why look for great athletes, just change rules. How a defensive team and an offensive team like football. 5 tool player? Nah we want the one tools. Just be good at one thing.
How is Sandy Leon only 35. He’s been near 40 for the past 15 years it seems like!
Víctor Caratini will be the White Sox starting catcher
If you thought the 1B free agent class for this winter was thin, welcome to the rag & bone buffet.
I think Gomes stays with CHC and Maldonado stays with HOU leaving Victor Caratini the best of a bad lot. I think this phenomenon can be attributed to two factors: 1) Most organizations strive to develop catching skills first without much concern for hitting. 2) The most valuable catchers who can do both are either on extended contracts or haven’t reached FA yet.
The remaining motley bunch are slightly different versions of the same thing: solid defensive catchers for the most part who hit .200 or less. The key factor ends up being injury history. Gary Sanchez is a different animal. He’s fair defensively with some pop at the plate. He profiles like a Jurickson Profar of backstops, and so I see SD bringing him back.
One of the top catching free agents could have been Travis d’Arnaud but the braves once again came through clutch by extending him another year, plus an option for 2025. Catchers are always at a premium even with the braves having Sean Murphy. He is a terrific catcher both offensively and defensively. He can back up Sean Murphy or DH and even be a top tier starting catcher. The braves are definitely blessed to have such a great catching duo and it’ll definitely help just for the fact of keeping each other fresh for the stretch run. And Travis is also beloved in the clubhouse. This move is another reason the braves front office is a touch above all the other front offices. Gotta love it!
I don’t think Chicago should be on the hook for all of Tuck’s 2024 salary, less the minimum MLB salary. While he is entitled to receive all of that compensation, Chicago should only be obligated to pay any difference between what he was guaranteed and what he signs for.
Right, and what he signs for will be the league minimum salary.
How many catchers are even calling games anymore? I see a lot of pitchers pushing buttons on their pitchcom device to tell the catcher what’s coming, not the other way around…
Ivan Herrera has looked excellent in Memphis this year. He may be a valuable trade chip this offseason.
Miami is interested and they have a pitcher to offer.
I find Gary Sanchez an interesting option. He’s had a good season and had a pretty terrible .212 BABIP so he could have even better numbers next year if it carries over to 2024.
Not that it is a splash, but add Tomas Nido to this list. He was outrighted off the major league roster after falling flat at the bat this year with the Mets, and continued floundering at Syracuse the first month, but he has turned that around and learned how to hit again. He was a capable receiver and some Mets pitchers preferred to lit h to him, but he is ending the year on the IL at AAA.
Certainly worth a minor league depth deal.