Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Catchers to Target

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 03: Yan Gomes #23 of the Oakland Athletics throws the ball during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 3, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 03: Yan Gomes #23 of the Oakland Athletics throws the ball during a MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 3, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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ANAHEIM, CA – SEPTEMBER 19: Yan Gomes #23 of the Oakland Athletics rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the third inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 19, 2021 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – SEPTEMBER 19: Yan Gomes #23 of the Oakland Athletics rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the third inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on September 19, 2021 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Yan Gomes

In his now 10-year MLB career Yan Gomes has caught for Toronto, Cleveland, Washington and Oakland, having split the 2021 season between the Nationals and A’s. At 34-years-old Gomes could be a strong candidate to come to the Pittsburgh Pirates on a one or two year contract to help bridge the gap to Endy Rodriguez and/or Henry Davis.

Gomes hit for a .252/.301/.427 slash line in 375 PAs across 103 games played for the Nationals and A’s last season. He had a 93 wRC+, walked in just 5.1% of his trips to the plate, struck out 20.8%, and posted an isolated slugging (ISO) of .169.

Lifetime, Gomes is a .247/.299/.421 hitter with a 91 wRC+ and a .175 ISO. So while Gomes is not a great hitter he would be a better offensive option than Perez. He would also bring better pop to the Pirate lineup than Stallings did.

Gomes is also a strong defender behind the plate. His lifetime DRS as a catcher is +41. FanGraphs gives puts his career pitch framing at being worth +16.6. So, Gomes is also a strong pitch framer behind the dish. His experience would also be beneficial for young pitchers such as Bryse Wilson and Miguel Yajure, as well as prospects such as Roansy Contreras, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Max Kranick who could begin to play big roles for the Pirates in 2022.