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Pittsburgh Pirates: Backup Catcher Options for 2022
With Roberto Pérez slated to be the primary catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022, who are the team’s options to backup for former two-time Gold Glove Award winner?
Prior to the start of Major League Baseball work stoppage the Pittsburgh Pirates were busy making roster moves. One of these moves saw the Pirates trade starting catcher, and 2021 Gold Glove Award winner, Jacob Stallings to the Miami Marlins in exchange for strong three-player package.
After Stallings was traded the Pittsburgh Pirates found themselves looking for help at the catcher position. This led to the team signing veteran catcher Roberto Pérez to a one-year contract worth $5 million. In fact, this contract is worth more than what Stallings will make in 2022.
With a two-time American League Gold Glove Award winner in Pérez slated to be the primary backstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022, they will now need to find another catcher to pair with him. What options do the Pirates have for pairing a catcher with Pérez in 2022? Today, we will delve into backup catcher options for the Pirates in the upcoming 2022 season.
Targeting catching help in the Rule 5 Draft
One way the Pittsburgh Pirates could address their need for a backup catcher is through the Rule 5 Draft. The organization holds the 4th overall pick in the rule 5 Draft, which is still slated to take place after the work stoppage ends, and they could find a backup catcher at this spot.
Landing a catcher in the Rule 5 Draft and keeping them on a MLB roster for the entirety of a season as is required could be difficult. However, due to the Pirates have a veteran like Pérez who is capable of starting 100+ games in a season makes that easier to do.
One potential fit in the Rule 5 Draft could be Blake Hunt. According to FanGraphs, Hunt has a future value of 50 and ended the 2021 season as a top 10 prospect in the Tampa Bay farm system. Hunt was one of the key pieces who came to the Rays from the San Diego Padres as part of the Black Snell trade.
New York Yankee prospect Josh Breaux is another potential Rule 5 Draft selection to watch when ti comes to catchers. Houston Astro catching prospect Yainer Diaz is one Noah discussed last week is another potential option.
This is an abnormally strong catching class for the Rule 5 Draft. Due to this the Pirates could find a backup catcher for the 2022 season in the Rule 5 Draft. As off the wall an option this may sound to find a catcher to pair with Pérez in 2022 it should not rule out.
Michael Pérez
This is not an exciting option, nor is it one that would make Pirate fans happy. That said, do not overlook Michael Pérez returning to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022 for a second consecutive season as the team’s backup catcher.
Back in November the Pittsburgh Pirates outright Pérez off of their 40-man roster. This was done in order to create room on the 40-man roster for players who needed to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft.
That said, Pérez was not claimed by any time after being placed on waivers and outright. Due to this, Pérez remains under the control of the Pirates. This puts him in position to be able to crack the Opening Day roster with the team.
While Pérez struggled in 2021, it was the worst season of his MLB career. After being a quality backup catcher for the Rays in 2018-2020, he posted the worst season of his career in 2021. While Pérez has never been an above average hitter in the Majors, he has ah higher ceiling than he played to in 2021. Do not be surprised if he surfaces as the team’s backup catcher once again in 2022.
Potential free agent options
When the work stoppage ends and the roster freeze is lifted, the Pittsburgh Pirates could turn to the free agent market in an effort to find a backup to be paired with Pérez. So, which free agents could be options for the Pirates?
Robinson Chirinos could be a name to watch. Chirinos has been tied to the Pirates in the past, including earlier this offseason. This could lead to the Pirates being interested in pursuing Chirnos, who is coming off a 0.5 FWAR season with a .227/.324/.454 slash line in 45 games plated with the Chicago Cubs, once again.
Veterans Austin Romine and Chance Sisco could be options as well. Both would provide strong defensive catchers for the Pirates, which is what is typically the most important trait for a backup catcher.
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It remains to be seen who the backup catcher will be for the Pirates in 2022. There are variety of ways the team could go about addressing the position, and fans of the team will have to wait and see how things shake out at the position.