Giants Continue Eyeing Catchers
Exactly two weeks have passed since Buster Posey’s season ended with a gruesome home plate collision. Faced with the reality that Eli Whiteside is struggling as an everyday player, the Giants appear to be “ramping up their pursuit of another catcher,” according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. It’s even possible that they’ll look to add two catchers.
Whiteside will continue to get most of the starts for now, but his .164/.266/.255 batting line doesn't inspire much confidence and he has thrown out just 15% of would-be base stealers. Whiteside has four singles and five walks in 37 plate appearances since the day Posey went down, so it's not surprising that the 34-27 Giants are considering ways of adding to a catching corps that includes Whiteside and Chris Stewart.
Giants Haven’t Contacted Other Teams About Catchers
Giants GM Brian Sabean said he hasn't contacted any other clubs about finding a replacement behind the plate for Buster Posey, though several teams have made contact with him, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. For now, Sabean said the Giants are content to give backup catcher Eli Whiteside a chance to prove himself as an everyday player.
"[Whiteside has] been around the block," Sabean said. "And quite frankly, I don’t think anyone will trade us a catcher who’s any better than Whiteside. If someone is an all-around catcher, you’re not going to get that player in a trade."
Whiteside, 31, has been the backup in San Francisco for the last three seasons and has a career slash line of .229/.281/.363 in 316 plate appearances. While Whiteside's numbers aren't impressive, Sabean has a point about the shallow catching market and the lack of clear upgrades available. Washington is one of the few teams with catching depth, and the Giants reportedly contacted the Nationals about Ivan Rodriguez. As Baggarly notes, it may have been the Nats who made first contact if Sabean indeed hasn't made any calls.