Pittsburgh Pirates: Catcher Kevin Plawecki to a Minor League Deal

The Pittsburgh Pirates only have two catchers on their 40-man roster. Only one of those catches has Big League time. So they signed a veteran.

The catching position has been one of the more interesting positions to follow over the last few years for fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Last offseason the team traded away catcher Jacob Stallings only to see his replacement miss 2/3 of the season. However, it was not all bad, as catching prospect Endy Rodriguez put together a season that turned him into a Top 60 prospect in Baseball.

Add Henry Davis in with Endy Rodriguez and the Pittsburgh Pirates should have a bright future behind the plate. However, that likely will not begin to happen until closer to July. So in the meantime, the Bucs brought in defensive stalwart Austin Hedges. Hedges will be more than capable of handling the duties of a catcher until the prospect with much more upside on offense joins the Club.

The team has now signed another catcher to most likely compete for the backup position. The Bucs brought in former Met and Red Sox Kevin Plawecki. The Pittsburgh Pirates officially announced the move on Sunday Morning:

Plawecki started the 2022 season with the Red Sox, but ended it with the Texas Rangers. On the year, he hit .220 with a .527 OPS. Obviously this leaves a lot to desire with the bat. He will join Tyler Heinemann in competition to backup Hedges to start the year.

The backup catchers may not provide much on defense, but their veteran leadership from behind the plate will be a positive for sure. Keep in mind that neither of these players should spend the whole season on the Pittsburgh Pirates roster. They are simply placeholders until Rodriguez and Davis get the call and hopefully become corner stones to the team's lineup.