The Phillies and catcher Cam Gallagher are in agreement on a minor league deal, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The deal includes an invitation to big league Spring Training, and Gelb indicates that Gallagher is already in camp with the team.
The 31-year-old Gallagher has participated in parts of seven big league seasons, the first six of which were spent in the Royals organization. That included a stretch from 2019-21 where Gallagher served as the primary backup to franchise face Salvador Perez. During that time, Gallagher hit .251/.315/.364 across 118 games, good for an 82 wRC+ that, while below average, was fairly in line with expectations for a glove-first back-up catcher. On defense, Gallagher boasted strong framing numbers with an impressive +11 Defensive Runs Saved during his time with the Royals.
Kansas City dealt Gallagher to the Padres just before the 2022 trade deadline, though he did not appear in a big league game before being designated for assignment and claimed off waivers by the Orioles in September. Gallagher was then outrighted off the club’s 40-man roster after the season without having made an appearance in Baltimore, allowing him to test free agency for the first time in his career. That led him to sign a minor league deal with the Guardians last January, with whom he made the Opening Day roster as one of two back-up options to Mike Zunino on the club’s bench.
Gallagher’s time in Cleveland saw him continue to flash defensive excellence behind the plate, with +5 Framing Runs per Statcast and +7 DRS. That quality work with the glove was unfortunately overshadowed by dismal production at the plate, where Gallagher hit just .126/.154/.168 in 149 trips to the plate with the Guardians last year. That production translated to a -17 wRC+, the worst figure among all hitters with at least 100 plate appearances last year. Those brutal numbers at the plate led the Guardians to designate Gallagher for assignment back in November, returning him to free agency.
Now with the Phillies, Gallagher figures to offer the club a quality, glove-first depth option behind the club’s established duo of J.T. Realmuto and Garrett Stubbs. The only other catcher currently on Phildelphia’s 40-man roster, switch-hitting youngster Rafael Marchan, has been sidelined this spring with a back injury according to Gelb. By adding Gallagher, the Phillies protect themselves from further injuries during camp thinning out their depth behind the plate entering the 2024 campaign as they look to return to the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
has anyone else been reading Rafael Grampa black label Batman story? good stuff and great art
A fan of Chooch and Rafael Grampa??? I thought I was the only one.
As for your question, yes. It’s awesome.
I ordered the Grampa signed statue from Sideshow that should arrive towards the end of the year.
I’m just about finished with that Fourth World omnibus too.
Chooooooooooooooooch!
If this guy can dj, stubbs better look out!
Exciting stuff. That Cody Bellinger contract was totally doable for the Phillies.
He doesn’t really fit. Who would he replace? Yes. He’s obviously an improvement, but not a need.
Any other outfielder the Phillies have.
Try looking them up on BR and get back to me when you have figured it out.
Read what I said though. I’m not talking about talent. As I said, obviously Belli is an improvement, but the Phillies are stuck with Nicky C’s contract. Rojas is an excellent defensive CF on a team that desperately needs defense. He hit well during the regular season as well. Marsh has also been very solid.
Belli comes at a significant price tag and he doesn’t really fill a position of need. He’d improve the lineup for sure, but I don’t think he’s needed.
Why did the Phillies not get past the Diamondbacks? Same reason they failed against the Cardinals in Game 5 in 2011.
If you can’t hit, you can’t win. That outfield the Phillies are going to put out there might not produce a .740 OPS this year. That’s a real possibility.
As usual, there’s no help on the farm.
I mean they got cold. They hit pretty well early in that series. It happens. Also Arizona is just a tough field for an offensive team. Not to mention the Dbacks excellent pitching.
Would a Belli Bomb have made a difference?
Is there any hitter including Ted Williams who did not take an Ofer?
That’s why the whole lineup matters. With the DH every serious team needs NINE. The Phillies outfield stinks out loud.
If we’re talking pure offense, they had one of the better OFs in the league last year. In the playoffs Rojas was overmatched, and Nicky C fell apart after game 2 of the NLCS, but was on fire before that. Marsh did just fine. Belli could have easily been shutdown for 3 games as well. It happens.
“Rojas was overmatched”
The starting CF, never a top prospect, weak bat the reason.
Castellanos can’t hit RH pitching. That’s going to get worse, as will his glove work in RF.
Nothing op the farm as usual.
I like Crawford in the farm. I think he’ll be something special, but not for a while.
Doesn’t mean Bellinger wanted to go there.
My cousin knows this guy that says he does.
In 2024, everybody wants to play for the Phillies. By 2026 it might be the opposite.
Interesting how you were able to tie together the 2011 and 2023 playoff hitting issues. There appears to be a systemic problem the Phillies organization needs to address.
There’s a systemic problem with the Phillies farm system. Every single professional prospect evaluator agrees with me on that. It’s been the number one problem with the Phillies from the very beginning and still has not been solved.
Yeah, the reality of the issue is it’s difficult to develop MLB talent. Few teams consistently get it right.
I found it amusing that you linked playoff appearances twelve years apart in your analysis.
It must be hilarious to the 29 other teams that the Padres could trade the best farm system in MLB to the Nationals for Juan Soto and then three years later have a better farm system than the Phillies.
It’s hilarious how you pick and choose your little snippets of information. Job well done!
Doable? Yeah. Worth doing? No.
Good job bro I wouldn’t sign with the cubs either
since baseball’s inception in 1871, a player has recorded at least 149 PA in a single season 38,037 times
here’s a list of such players with a lower wRC+ than Cam Gallagher’s 2023:
Fun stat.
But with Marchan hurt (again?) the Phils need a C#3 type w/MLB exp, as all of their decent prospects(?) are low level. The shining star kid Tait is 17….
Camp body TBH. I think Aramis Garcia is way better than Gallagher.
You always need lots of catchers for Spring. Usually that translates to your AAA and AA guys if not getting invited than certainly called up and getting in Spring Games innings 5/6-9. Never hurts to have another with some experience in The Show.
“Crash” Gallagher, at your service.
What if he outplays Garret Stubbs. Would anybody be able to find a more annoying song to play after they when the game. Dancing only own is hopefully replaced by Playing with myself
I don’t think anyone is interested in what you do with yourself