Who Backs Up The Back Stop? The Brewers Need A Backup Catcher, Here Are Some Options

[Michael Trzinski]

The big names available in MLB free agency this hot stove season--Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery, Josh Hader, and so on--are not necessarily good fits for the Milwaukee Brewers. That doesn't mean the team won't be active on that market, though. The Crew needs a backup catcher. Let's look at some names.

Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

How about Chadwick Tromp, Curt Casali, or Roberto Perez? No? These are among the scores of players listed for the free-agent catcher position. They are not exactly household names. Only Mitch Garver is listed on The Athletic’s MLB Top 40 Free Agent Big Board. Garver might be a little out of the Brewers’ price range, as he earned $3.9 million last year and will be looking for a multi-year contract with a total value in the $20-30 million range.

The Brewers will factor in that they have MLB.com’s 32nd-ranked overall prospect, in catcher Jeferson Quero, who is expected to make his big-league debut next year and could be installed as a starter as soon as 2025.

Here is a list of the six receivers whom the Brewers might consider to fill the backup backstop position (age in parentheses):

Victor Caratini (30)
Caratini spent the last two years in Milwaukee, doing a great job as a platoon partner with Omar Narvaez in 2022 and as a backup to William Contreras last season. The switch-hitter rates well on several defensive metrics and is also a decent hitter, as evidenced by last year’s slash line of .259/.327/.383.

Estimated Contract: 2 years, $7 million

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Gary Sanchez (30)
The only worry about the righty swinger is a fractured right wrist suffered last September. By all accounts, he will be ready to go in Spring Training. Sanchez was cast as a 'bat-first' catcher early in his career, but has worked hard and is now roughly an average defensive catcher. He has slugged 173 career HRs and has hit 30 or more in one campaign twice. Last year’s slash line of .217/.288/.492 aligns with his career numbers. Due to his injury, a one-year contract might be wise if he would be amenable.

Estimated Contract: 1 year, $4.5 million

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Tom Murphy (32)
Murphy is another injury worry, having suffered both a sprain and fracture of his left thumb last August. The right-handed hitter is also a power guy, averaging one homer every 19 at-bats in his career. In three of his last four years, Murphy hit at least .273 and had an OPS of .859 or better. Although he ranks below-average on defensive metrics, he could benefit from the kind of ‘defensive renovation’ for which the Milwaukee coaching staff is famous.

Estimated Contract: 1 year, $2.5 million

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Tucker Barnhart (32)
The switch-hitting Barnhart has slipped offensively the last couple of years, but he rates in the top five defensively in the free-agent catching pool. His career numbers of .243/.319/.356 show little power, but his ability to hit from both sides and perform well behind the plate makes him a good guy to sign for a year or two.

Estimated Contract: 1 year, $3 million

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Andrew Knizner (28)
The youngest catcher in the free-agent pool (other than the aforementioned Tromp), the righty hitter showed some improvement at the plate in 2023, slashing .241/.288/.424, the best overall numbers in his five years in the bigs. Knizner would be another ‘project’ for the Brewers Backstop Reno Crew, but they have worked wonders with others.

Estimated Contract: 1 year, $2 million

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Jacob Stallings (33)
Stallings, a right-handed bat, is solid defensively. Last season, he struggled, slashing only .191/.278/.286 in 241 ABs for Miami. He walks a bit, doesn’t strike out a ton, and is likely to hit closer to his career numbers (.235/.312/.335) than what he did in 2023. 

Estimated Contract: 1 year, $3 million

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Austin Hedges (31)
Coming off a season in which he was traded to the eventual World Series champion Rangers, Hedges hits free agency looking for the next team he can make better with his extraordinary combination of defensive and intangible skills. He's an elite blocker of pitches in the dirt, and an elite pitch framer. Pitchers adore him, and sing his praises as a manager of difficult moments. There's no greater testament to the realness of that impact than his batting statistics. Since the start of 2021, he's batted .174/.231/.265. Only a player having a massive effect on the clubhouse and when crouched behind the plate could hang around in the majors and collect 862 plate appearances with such anemic production in a three-year period. 

There's one more reason to love the idea of Hedges, though: he'd also love to be a Brewer. How do we know? Take a listen to his reaction to the hiring of Pat Murphy:

"Murph has an intense way of coaching and leading. And if you buy in, it's really special."

Austin Hedges, coached by Pat Murphy at three different levels, sheds light on what to expect from the reported new #Brewers manager. @Brewers | #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/DPab6JrBTR

— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) November 14, 2023

In this scribe’s humble opinion, the Brewers would be best suited to signing a player who will take a one or two-year deal and not expect a ton of money. After all, Contreras was one of the league's best at the position in 2023, and Quero is right around the corner.

What player would you like Milwaukee to ink to a contract? Are you looking for a backup or someone who might challenge William Contreras for serious playing time?

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[jay87shot]

I think the Pads nontendered Austin Nola, he has been solid until last year. He can play a hint of 1st or even 2nd. 

I kind of like Francisco Mejia as a backup as well. As a switch hitter, who we could help on defense and maybe re-find his bat. Probably just living in the past on him however.

To be honest, I would be ok just letting Payton Henry be the backup and maybe signing an old friend like Manny Pina as AAA depth or to compete with Henry. If anything awful happens Quero isn't to far away.

[Playing Catch]

In all of sports, perhaps my favorite guy to root for is the backup catcher. This is a really important decision!

I think, like so many of the other decisions the team makes, it depends if they are going for it or not. If they are going for it, then they are keeping their pitchers, and probably integrating Gasser and Misiorowski into the team as the season progresses, in which case I want a top-notch receiver/coach/grizzled guy that Burnes will like throwing to, and that Gasser can learn from.

If they decide they aren't going for it, then I want any old guy who is a good influence on the younger players.

[Michael Trzinski]

Scott Boras is Hedges' agent...which means the asking price is gonna be 20% higher than it should be. Hedges made $5M last year...what's he gonna want this year? $7M is TOO much for a back-up catcher.

But if there is some connection with Murphy, that could change things.

[monty57]

Thanks for compiling the list. I think most of these guys will hold out to see if they can land a starting gig, as they'll know that with the Brewers they'll see a lot of bench time. But, it's nice to know that there should be a decent, not-too-expensive option available to fill this spot on the roster.

[Jim French Stepstool]

7 hours ago, Playing Catch said:

 in which case I want a top-notch receiver/coach/grizzled guy that Burnes will like throwing to, and that Gasser can learn from.

If they decide they aren't going for it, then I want any old guy who is a good influence on the younger players.

Erik Kratz.😃

[Jim French Stepstool]

Seriously, I think the thing to do is peruse through the above list & see who would be the most amenable to a one-year contract since Quero is a waitin'. Maybe Barnhart & Stallings are the best combination of fit & willingness to sign a 1-year deal?

Henry? Maybe, if his defense has been trending upward. 

Is Navaretto still in the organization?

[Sixtolezcano]

My choice would be Caratini for 1 or possibly 2 years. Bring up Quero if he’s ready at the end of May or in June. Ease him into the starting lineup with Contreras and Yelich sharing DH among others. The only question at this point is if Quero can hit major league pitching, as defensely he is already being talked about as a future gold-glover.

[elwoodzion]

Hedges is the clear best option here, Contreras will do all the heavy lifting with the bat and Hedges can just do his thing. This is also probably a cost-effective option and if the team does decide to bring up Quero at some point, just DFA Hedges.