Chart of the Day: Free Agent Catcher Overview

by Jesse on Sep 23, 2011 12:55 AM EDT in Quick Hits

There are a lot of questions the front office will need to address this off-season, not just in terms of "Which holes are there to fill?", but also in terms of "Are there holes to fill at first base and catcher?" The first base question may be a bit easier to answer, because while Justin Morneau is hopefully the primary option there's also Joe Mauer, Chris Parmelee, Luke Hughes, and, potentially, Michael Cuddyer available to fill in.

The potential hole at catcher will be a bigger question mark, in the scenario that Joe Mauer's position shift is closer to happening than we'd like to think. By this point it's pretty well established that it's a matter of when, not if, Mauer will make the change. If he needs to begin the transition next season, the Twins will need a catcher who can aid in that transition by catching more often than a typical backup. Not just that, but make a positive contribution on the field in terms of runs and wins.

There are no good in-house options currently. Trades are fun to speculate over, but the best and easiest short-term answer may lie in free agency.

Below is a list of upcoming free agent catchers. I've excluded players with options (Ryan Doumit, Yadier Molina, Kelly Shoppach, Chris Snyder), catchers who haven't played in 2011 (Jason Kendall), and guys who appeared in less than 30 games (Ramon Castro, Josh Bard). Based on what you see here, and what you know, if the Twins were to target a free agent catcher who would you prefer?

Click here to embiggen

Tweet Comment 50 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

pony up for Hernandez

or Russell Martin if the yanks decide to go with the youth movement at catcher. Any of them is an upgrade over butters but I really hope they go after someone with a bat instead of their prototypical oh well he calls a good game backup.

first-worst-first?

by holymackerel on Sep 23, 2011 12:59 AM EDT reply actions

Hernandez would by my choice, too.

I’ve liked him for a few years. Not sure he’s a 90-games-per-year catcher, but if he can start 50-60, and take innings in another 10-15, it would take a lot of pressure off Mauer if he’s unable to catch full time next season.

by Jesse on Sep 23, 2011 1:07 AM EDT up reply actions

+1

for Hernandez

Come see all your favorite EPIC fails @ www.minnesotatwins.com!

by caluofmn on Sep 23, 2011 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions

Martin is the easy #1 choiceq

If he was going to be available.

by amiller92 on Sep 23, 2011 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions

agree but my standards are lower

1) Pulse
2) Right-handed
3) Non-negative WAR
4) OPS+ within a standard deviation below 100

by bl4ckduck on Sep 24, 2011 8:11 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Could you imagine I-Rod as a Twin?

That could be pretty cool.

by Caleb A on Sep 23, 2011 1:19 AM EDT reply actions

I've always wanted a Molina...

Those guys are great. I’ll take any available Molina.

by jimbo55403 on Sep 23, 2011 2:00 AM EDT reply actions

Plus, they call a good game, right??

Please say yes?

by twinscrazy_german on Sep 23, 2011 8:01 AM EDT up reply actions

Absolutely

Check out the recent Baseball Prospectus article on how well certain catchers frame pitches. They had Jose Molina as one of the best at framing pitches and Varitek as one of the worst. Great article.

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15093

by DJL44 on Sep 23, 2011 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions

great story

and it makes me think that if available Jose could be an option. I think I’d still prefer Hernandez but Molina would be my 2nd choice.

Come see all your favorite EPIC fails @ www.minnesotatwins.com!

by caluofmn on Sep 23, 2011 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Catcher

It is clear to anyone that if the top two are not available then I-Rod is the choice. Why? Because he has been an elite defensive catcher AND and elite offensive catcher. And that pure level of greatness can arise again in the right situation (see Jim Thome). It is clear to me that the Twins absolutely need to go after Pudge if the top two are not attainable (Hernanez and Molina). 2 million on that guy is well deserved. Herrmann and later Rams will later be there to alleviate the burden on Mauer.

by shanewahl on Sep 23, 2011 2:08 AM EDT reply actions

Pudge is fading, slowly

I don’t think he could catch 80 games at this point.

by DJL44 on Sep 23, 2011 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions

Get Blanco Back.

He actually had a good year. Better than Butters

by LittleLad on Sep 23, 2011 2:10 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

Dead people had better years than Butters.

Let loose the hogs of war!
Dogs of war..
Whatever farm animal of war, Lana...

by darren004 on Sep 23, 2011 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions

Proven by science!

Drew Butera’s 2011 WAR: -1.1
Earl Battey’s 2011 WAR: 0.0

"There are only two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein

by BeefMaster on Sep 23, 2011 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions 5 recs

+1

by MNPundit on Sep 23, 2011 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Not sure if that's scientific

Earl Battey’s rate stats are non-existent. My guess is with increased playing time his numbers would regress to the mean. He also would probably allow more passed balls than Butera.

by DJL44 on Sep 24, 2011 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions

Also, having essentially the BEST catcher ever . . .

might inspire Mauer. But think about the straight up platoon involved here and Mauer then filling in at 1B, RF, and 3B, when needed (10-15 games max).

by shanewahl on Sep 23, 2011 2:11 AM EDT reply actions

No to Pudge

I don’t understand why people would choose Ivan Rodriguez here. Yes, he was a great player who will be in Cooperstown. No, I don’t think he has anything to offer the 2012 Twins. If you want to have the greatest catcher of all time on the Twins next year, then maybe you think Bill Smith should consider signing Yogi Berra to a 1-year deal? It’d be neat to see him play for the Twins!

Pudge is like a kajillion years old. The Twins need to get younger, not older. After the injury-plagued season of 2011, the idea of the Twins going out and signing a declining, aging player to “replace” their young dominant catcher who is just entering his prime makes me want to throw up.

Pudge used to be a dominant offensive and defensive catcher. He would hit .320 regularly and and win a gold glove every year. -But that was TEN YEARS AGO. I understand people liked seeing Thome in a Twins uniform before he waved goodbye on his way into the HOF, but doing the same with Rodriguez does not make the 2012 Twins any better. OK, yes, he would be an upgrade over Butera, but so would everyone else. I’m not keen on the notion of adding a washed-up player just becaue he was once great. The Twins need players who can contribute, not nostalgia.

FIRE DAN EDWARDS!!!

by Flip27 on Sep 23, 2011 7:09 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs

+1

One of the biggest problems with the 2011 team was the bench was filled with completely 1-dimensional players.

Butera could be a defensive replacement only, only at catcher.
Thome could pinch hit or DH, only.
Repko/Tolbert could be OF/IF defensive replacements, only. (I don have a problem with these guys on a normal bench, but the 2011 bench didn’t have the “depth” to allow both of these guys to have no offensive value.)

Molina or Hernandez both give the team a solid backup catcher and a legitimate RH bat off the bench for pinch-hit situations. So by getting one of these guys, we not only get Butera off field, we replace his bat on the bench, which immediately makes the team significantly deeper.

I liked the Thome signing in the off-season, it was a good emotional sign that the Twins often make, but at the same time felt it would limit the team, which it did…let’s not do it again after the 2011 season, maybe in 7 years when an aging Josh Johnson wants to play for his hometown team.

Free Rick. I mean, Chuck James!
No, I didn't spell Maurer wrong. But I do get asked if I'm related to Joe a lot.

by Maurer Power on Sep 23, 2011 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm with you.

Pudge may have been elite on both sides of the ball at one point in his career, but he’s not anymore. Thome has shown certain skills that still make him a valuable player. I-Rod hasn’t been useful since 2006. And he hasn’t been at least a league average hitter since 2004.

There is nothing that he brings to the table that you couldn’t get, and get better, from Blanco, Hernandez, Molina, Treanor, Barajas…hell, maybe even Varitek.

by Jesse on Sep 23, 2011 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Varitek is toast

His defense is really bad

by DJL44 on Sep 23, 2011 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions

I don't know if the "captain" has anything left in the tank

I’d rather see if the Twins could find a way to get someone like Chris Snyder

Come see all your favorite EPIC fails @ www.minnesotatwins.com!

by caluofmn on Sep 23, 2011 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions

I love Pudge - LOVE him

but I agree – he is not the best fit

The beard abides.

by Jason Kubel's Beard on Sep 23, 2011 9:58 AM EDT up reply actions

So, according to that chart

we should be focusing our efforts on Brian Schneider, no?

by Panthers FTW on Sep 23, 2011 8:29 AM EDT reply actions

Yes.

The chart is like golf. If you’re below par, you’re awesomesauce.

by Jesse on Sep 23, 2011 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Jose Molina

Is my understanding of WAR correct if I assert that 1.5 WAR in 51 games is ~40% better than 1.9 WAR in 89 games? If so, it appears that Molina is the best free agent option. And didn’t he just get high marks on the catching study about framing pitches?

I think he would be a great fit to catch ~60 games with Mauer catching the other ~100, plus some actual value as a pinch-hitter.

by markos on Sep 23, 2011 9:46 AM EDT reply actions

But would he continue to produce on that curve if he played 75% more games?

Molina is one of my top two choices, though. Definitely.

Blanco and Barajas are guys I wouldn’t mind, if it came down to it. But if they’re going to go that route I’d almost rather try snagging somebody else’s second or third catcher.

by Jesse on Sep 23, 2011 10:01 AM EDT up reply actions

Platoon advantage

Usually the more PAs, the less often the player gets the platoon advantage and his rate stats go down.

by DJL44 on Sep 23, 2011 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions

Exactly my point.

Like I said, I still like Molina, but he’s not the clear leader.

by Jesse on Sep 23, 2011 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions

The problem with Ramon Hernandez

He’s a type A free agent and the Reds might actually offer arbitration. The Twins really shouldn’t be punting a high 2nd round pick on a backup catcher. If the Reds don’t offer arbitration, the Twins should be calling 10 minutes later.

2nd choice is having a Molina. Hell, they probably should have called up Bengie for THIS season. Barajas isn’t bad either. Both of those guys could be signed for $1.5M. Laird or Navarro will be quite cheap. The best thing about all of these guys is they’re all decent platoon matches with Mauer. They all have an OPS above .700 against LHP. Contrast that with Butera’s .500 OPS vs LHP.

by DJL44 on Sep 23, 2011 10:26 AM EDT reply actions

Agreed.

I thought Bengie was a no-brainer. But Rob told me in our discussion last spring, they didn’t really even think about any other free agents.

I bet that changes this year.

by Jesse on Sep 23, 2011 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions

Bill Smith was really wrong on this one

Trade away all other catching options, don’t think about free agents. Just rely on Butera even though Mauer had offseason knee surgery.

by DJL44 on Sep 23, 2011 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Are you sure that Hernandez would be a back up catcher

it’s possible that he would catch more games than Mauer next year. The Twins would be smart to at least keep that consideration in mind when making this decision.

Come see all your favorite EPIC fails @ www.minnesotatwins.com!

by caluofmn on Sep 23, 2011 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions

Not that I disagree

But let’s keep in mind that we might not actually be talking about a back up catcher, and this guy might end up with more starts there than Mauer.

by amiller92 on Sep 23, 2011 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Where would Drew Butera be on that chart?

by DavidRF on Sep 23, 2011 10:33 AM EDT reply actions

Butera would be on the bottom

-1.1 WAR through fangraphs, -1.7 through baseball reference. He’s 3 wins worse than Jose Molina.

by DJL44 on Sep 23, 2011 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions

Dioner Navarro

What the hell happened to this guy. He would be a perfect fit if his hitting didn’t crash to Butera levels. Than again Russell Martin sucked for 2 years in a row and is mashing this year.

by tc_brent on Sep 23, 2011 10:37 AM EDT reply actions

I thought the same thing at first - remembered him being a good guy on that 2008 Rays team.

Look at his numbers here. That was the only year, with any sample size at all, that he put up a 3-digit OPS+ and a WAR over 1.0.

I guess I never really paid any attention to him other than that – is he really just that average-or-below, or has he been hurt or something?

"...and we'll see ya tomorrow night!" - Jack Buck, Game 6, 1991 World Series

by WindyCityTwinsFan on Sep 23, 2011 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions

Mattingly said he didn't work hard enough

The Dodgers just cut him loose.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/26/sports/la-sp-0827-dodgers-fyi-20110827

by DJL44 on Sep 23, 2011 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions

Navarro might be a nice choice to take a flyer on.

He’s young enough where he could rebound, and (depending on what’s between the ears) could realize after being cut that he needs to put more time in to better himself.

by foertsch on Sep 23, 2011 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions

I want an easy choice for Gardy

I don’t want a situation where Gardy can “like” Butera more.

by DJL44 on Sep 23, 2011 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions

There should be no way in the universe...

…Gardy should “like” Butera more than anyone in regards to playing baseball.

by MNPundit on Sep 23, 2011 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Noone wants Treanor and his volleyball wife?

If we are going to suck, may has well have an attractive rooting section.

Let loose the hogs of war!
Dogs of war..
Whatever farm animal of war, Lana...

by darren004 on Sep 23, 2011 10:50 AM EDT reply actions

Sit her with Parm's wife?

I feel dirty for even thinking it.

by Jesse on Sep 23, 2011 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions

Eh? Who's that?

by MNPundit on Sep 23, 2011 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Chris Parmalee's wife was shown during his debut. He has done well for himself.

Let loose the hogs of war!
Dogs of war..
Whatever farm animal of war, Lana...

by darren004 on Sep 23, 2011 5:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Hm

Part of me wants to say Navarro or Laird because they aren’t quite so ancient. But any of these guys has to be a bridge for a year or two to a (currently unknown) future prospect, so maybe 36 isn’t unacceptably ancient?

Can I say Jose Morales or Wilson Ramos?

by amiller92 on Sep 23, 2011 12:24 PM EDT reply actions

In my heart of hearts I want Pierzynski back.

For the entertainment value of it.

by MNPundit on Sep 23, 2011 2:51 PM EDT reply actions

I think that

Ivan Rodriguez could be a good fit. He could provide veteran leadership left by Cuddyer, and he would be better than our current back-up. Or the Twins can go toward Hernandez or Molina looking for more offense. Also, the Twins should’ve signed Bengie Molina to a minor league contract at the beginning of the year to back up Joe.

by jacobglanz on Sep 23, 2011 3:57 PM EDT reply actions