Catcher Position for 2020

[3and2Fastball]

I would go with Pina, honestly. And spend $$ and trades towards pitching

[Roderick]

I would go with Pina, honestly. And spend $$ and trades towards pitching

 

It comes down to me that I would rather rely on Pina at catcher next year versus Shaw at 3B next year (when compared to those positional MLB averages) - with the added benefit of saving money on costs (Shaw arby vs Pina).

 

So Grandal money goes toward Moose inflation and a SP. But can't assume Moose, so have to keep Grandal option open.

 

Basically have to count on full-year Hiura, a luckier Cain, a better Arcia and hope Braun and Thames can have another good year to keep offense decent.

[TURBO]

I would go with Pina, honestly. And spend $$ and trades towards pitching

 

We tried that before and he wore down at the end of the season.

 

With the small amount he played last year, and 2 years older, I doubt his stamina will be better, probably worse.

 

If we keep Pina as the every day starter, we would have to pair him up with a guy that we can stomach starting 3 games a week. Might be tough to do seeing the FA list at catcher.

 

We need to suck it up, pay Grandal a realistic salary, and mark him in for next season.

 

imo

[pacopete4]

Pina can catch 90-100 games. Can they find someone decent enough to catch the other 60-70? That is the key to this equation.

[adambr2]

What we really need is the equivalent of another Manny Pina. An equally talented offensive and defensive catcher and a 50/50 split of duties would be perfect.

 

Don't see us being able to bring Grandal back. I think it would probably take about 3/60 to keep him from testing the market.

[3and2Fastball]

It's hard to imagine them signing Grandal unless they somehow get rid of Cain's contract... If they do sign Grandal w/o greatly increasing the budget there won't be much improvement with the pitching staff other than hoping the pitchers already on the roster greatly improve

 

Tough spot to be in. All of these decisions would be easier if they could increase the payroll budget during Yelich's prime window...

[JosephC]

Taking into account what has happened in free agency the last two off-season, I'd guess Grandal's offers top out in the 3 year, 48 million area and I think Milwaukee should be a player at that price-tag. I'd go after him really hard. I'm usually pretty conservative with off-season payroll estimates but would expect the Brewers would have about 30 million to spend if Anderson and Thames' options are picked up and Shaw and Nelson are not offered arbitration (that's what I'm guessing will happen). Throwing 16 million at Grandal eats up more than 1/2 the money but his bat is worth it.

 

Alex Avila would be my backup plan. Would definitely prefer Grandal but still would feel pretty comfortable with a Pina/Avila combination behind the plate.

[clancyphile]

Are there any options in Nippon Professional Baseball or KBO that the Crew could look at?

[MrTPlush]

Are there any options in Nippon Professional Baseball or KBO that the Crew could look at?

 

Ha, oddly I was going to ask you in the SS thread why you didn’t mention the catcher in the KBO. The league OPS leader is a catcher.

 

He is signed to a 4 year deal though.

[clancyphile]

Are there any options in Nippon Professional Baseball or KBO that the Crew could look at?

 

Ha, oddly I was going to ask you in the SS thread why you didn’t mention the catcher in the KBO. The league OPS leader is a catcher.

 

Eui-ji Yang? Big bat, but he's 32.

 

Might be worth pursuing, but to pry him from KBO at this point would take a Thames deal at least.

 

EDIT: One big positive, the last two years, he's walked more than he's struck out.

[wntrtxn21]

Taking into account what has happened in free agency the last two off-season, I'd guess Grandal's offers top out in the 3 year, 48 million area and I think Milwaukee should be a player at that price-tag. I'd go after him really hard. I'm usually pretty conservative with off-season payroll estimates but would expect the Brewers would have about 30 million to spend if Anderson and Thames' options are picked up and Shaw and Nelson are not offered arbitration (that's what I'm guessing will happen). Throwing 16 million at Grandal eats up more than 1/2 the money but his bat is worth it.

 

Alex Avila would be my backup plan. Would definitely prefer Grandal but still would feel pretty comfortable with a Pina/Avila combination behind the plate.

 

Catcher to go along with Pina is the problem if Grandal leaves. I just don't see them interested in Avila if he gets anywhere close to the $4.5M he is now making. Avila doesn't hit much, but he walks a lot. He also K's at a 33% rate and is a very avg. defensive catcher. The last thing CC needs is another strikeout artist in the lineup. I think there is a better chance of Stearns keeping Nelson at around $3.7M than Anderson at $8.5M. I too think Shaw is gone and they are going to re-sign Moose (3 for $33M?).

[Eye Black]

One team that has four young catchers that all have major league experience is the Padres. Each of them has struggled to some extent with at least part of their game in the majors, but all of them have shown some offensive prowess in the minors...

 

Francisco Mejia: Probably the Padres starter in 2020. He started the majority of the games from late June through the end of the season.

 

Austin Hedges: Probably the Padres backup in 2020 due to his outstanding defense.

 

Austin Allen: Entering age 26 season next year. Struggled in 71 MLB plate appearances last year, but has a career .844 OPS in the minors.

 

Luis Torrens: Played for the Padres as a 21 year old in 2017 (due to being a Rule 5 acquisition), is now entering age 24 season likely without a spot on the major league roster. Had a good offensive season at Double-A last year.

 

 

Of the list, Austin Allen and Luis Torrens are probably the only two that are actually attainable. Either would likely start the season in Triple-A, but could be capable of serving in a backup role to Piña by the end of 2020 if the Brewers go that route. Torrens would probably be my preferred target of the two, and wouldn’t likely cost much in trade capital.

 

Like others, I am hoping the Brewers resign Grandal above all else. If not, I would like the Brewers to take a chance at finding a young catcher they believe can develop into a solid starter over the next couple of years. I personally don’t think the Brewers currently have a future major league regular at catcher in their upper minors.

[clancyphile]

One team that has four young catchers that all have major league experience is the Padres. Each of them has struggled to some extent with at least part of their game in the majors, but all of them have shown some offensive prowess in the minors...

 

Francisco Mejia: Probably the Padres starter in 2020. He started the majority of the games from late June through the end of the season.

 

Austin Hedges: Probably the Padres backup in 2020 due to his outstanding defense.

 

Austin Allen: Entering age 26 season next year. Struggled in 71 MLB plate appearances last year, but has a career .844 OPS in the minors.

 

Luis Torrens: Played for the Padres as a 21 year old in 2017 (due to being a Rule 5 acquisition), is now entering age 24 season likely without a spot on the major league roster. Had a good offensive season at Double-A last year.

 

 

Of the list, Austin Allen and Luis Torrens are probably the only two that are actually attainable. Either would likely start the season in Triple-A, but could be capable of serving in a backup role to Piña by the end of 2020 if the Brewers go that route. Torrens would probably be my preferred target of the two, and wouldn’t likely cost much in trade capital.

 

Like others, I am hoping the Brewers resign Grandal above all else. If not, I would like the Brewers to take a chance at finding a young catcher they believe can develop into a solid starter over the next couple of years. I personally don’t think the Brewers currently have a future major league regular at catcher in their upper minors.

 

Torrens might be the most attainable. Still has an option, and could start out at AAA. Get him (price might be steep prospects-wise), sign Eui-ji Yang from KBO, and it's not Grandal, but it might be enough to avoid a black hole.

[PeaveyFury]

Torrens might be the most attainable. Still has an option, and could start out at AAA. Get him (price might be steep prospects-wise), sign Eui-ji Yang from KBO, and it's not Grandal, but it might be enough to avoid a black hole.

 

Torrens is the type of guy you go after in 2022 after Yelich and maybe Hader are heading out the door and you're looking at a step back, not the type of guy you rely on as a potential contender in 2020.

[pacopete4]

Austin Allen would be a fun get.

[wntrtxn21]

Austin Allen would be a fun get.

 

Allen had great minor lg numbers and struggled (small sample) in the big leagues. The Padres would want some good prospects for him. I don't know if he would be the kind of guy Stearns would want to be the backup or even starter until he proves he can hit at the big lg level.

[balsamlaker]

I really hope Grandal comes back on a one or two year deal. He is a great fit as a catcher and can do some platooning with Thames at first. If not, I wouldn't be surprised if the team simply goes forward with a Pina/Nottingham combination.

[Madhawk23]

I'd be shocked if Grandal accepts a 1 year deal with anyone this winter. Some team is going to give him a 3-4 year offer for much more than what the Brewers can afford to lay out for a 30+ year old catcher.

[CrewFanBrewMan69]

Jason Castro would be a nice platoon partner with Pina if we go the “cheap” route. He’s an excellent framer and handles RHP decently. OBP in the 330s vs them and wRC+ in the 110s. I doubt he’d cost more than 2 years and $4-7 mil a year.

[wntrtxn21]

Jason Castro would be a nice platoon partner with Pina if we go the “cheap” route. He’s an excellent framer and handles RHP decently. OBP in the 330s vs them and wRC+ in the 110s. I doubt he’d cost more than 2 years and $4-7 mil a year.

 

Castro Ks 1/3 of his ABs and has made $8M the last two years. If he takes a cut it will be in the $6M - $7M range. Either is too much to pay for a backup catcher when pitching is desperately needed. Imo d'Arnaud would be a much better and much cheaper option IF Grandal leaves.

[Jopal78]

Jason Castro would be a nice platoon partner with Pina if we go the “cheap” route. He’s an excellent framer and handles RHP decently. OBP in the 330s vs them and wRC+ in the 110s. I doubt he’d cost more than 2 years and $4-7 mil a year.

 

Castro Ks 1/3 of his ABs and has made $8M the last two years. If he takes a cut it will be in the $6M - $7M range. Either is too much to pay for a backup catcher when pitching is desperately needed. Imo d'Arnaud would be a much better and much cheaper option IF Grandal leaves.

 

d'Arnaud was designated for assignment by the Mets on April 28th, the Brewers had a crack at him then as a potential upgrade over Pina and passed. The Mets released d'Arnaud in May which allowed any team to sign him to a contract for a prorated veterans minimum, he ended up signing with the Dodgers and going to the minor league club before being called up. Certainly a player is going to accept a major league job before going to the minors, meaning the Brewers could have replaced Pina with d'Arnaud in May of 2019 and chose not too.

 

After Pina went down with an injury, the Dodgers sold 'Arnaud to the Rays, where he played in their minor leagues beore being called up. With Tampa he put up decent numbers across 350 at bats.

 

The guy has been around the league for 7 years and was readily available three times since the start of the 2019 season. The fact the Brewers passed on him three times when they had a chance to improve their catching depth at little to no cost suggests its very unlikely they view him as an improvement over the catchers on their roster. Furthermore, d'Arnaud is always hurt. He has missed games with injuries in 2014 (concussion and bone chips) 2015 (broken hand) 2016 (hyper-extended elbow and shoulder strain) 2017 (wrist injury) 2018 (torn UCL).

 

He might be ok as NRI player but to suggest anything more is a substantial overpay on a player with a lot to prove.

[TURBO]

Yasmani Grandal will decline his $16 million option to return to the Brewers, says Jon Heyman.

 

There was never any doubt about this. Grandal will get to walk away with a $2.25 million buyout. The Brewers should be willing to go higher than $16 million to bring him back next year, but it'd probably take at least a three-year deal to get him to commit anytime soon.

 

Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter

Oct 31, 2019, 4:26 PM ET

[Eye Black]

Yasmani Grandal will decline his $16 million option to return to the Brewers, says Jon Heyman.

 

There was never any doubt about this. Grandal will get to walk away with a $2.25 million buyout. The Brewers should be willing to go higher than $16 million to bring him back next year, but it'd probably take at least a three-year deal to get him to commit anytime soon.

 

Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter

Oct 31, 2019, 4:26 PM ET

 

Also from Jon Heyman...

 

Yasmani Grandal will decline $16M option, take $2.25M option and become free agent. He won gamble to take 1 year deal in Milwaukee for $18.25M total rather than sign longterm w/Mets ($60M, 4 year reported offer). He can’t receive another qualifying offer and should get huge deal.

[MadThinker88]

Yan Gomes had his contract bought out by the Nats & is a free agent..

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/11/nationals-to-decline-options-on-ryan-zimmerman-yan-gomes.html

 

While I understand the preference of Grandal, Gomes would make sense as a much cheaper fall back option & allow funds to be reallocated to other positions of need..

[82brewcrew82]

Yan Gomes had his contract bought out by the Nats & is a free agent..

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/11/nationals-to-decline-options-on-ryan-zimmerman-yan-gomes.html

 

While I understand the preference of Grandal, Gomes would make sense as a much cheaper fall back option & allow funds to be reallocated to other positions of need..

Is Gomes really any different than Pina?