Free Agent options for the Philadelphia Phillies at catcher
How aggressive should the Phillies front office be when it comes to their backstop?
The Phillies organization and a majority of the fan base believe that Jorge Alfaro is the catcher of the future. Just 25-years-old, the organization has Alfaro under team control through the 2023 season with two years of a minimum deal and three years of arbitration.
Beyond Alfaro the Phillies don’t have great options at catcher, which led to the acquisition of Wilson Ramos at the trade deadline. Andrew Knapp beat out Cameron Rupp for the backup job in spring training, but Knapp proved to be nothing more than an average backup catcher for a bad team. He’s a player too talented for Triple-A but not talented enough for the major leagues.
I long argued that the Phillies needed a backup with experience behind Alfaro who could mentor him. Ramos became that guy when Klentak swiped him from the Rays for cash considerations.
After hitting .337 for the Phillies Ramos enters free agency as the best catcher on the open market. Assuming the Phillies are directing the majority of their funds and focus on Manny Machado and/or Bryce Harper, Ramos won’t be back.
It’s not a forgone conclusion that Ramos won’t return, but if he’d rather be a club’s everyday catcher than the Phillies could be out of luck.
A veteran is certainly needed behind Alfaro and there are several veteran backups on the open market this offseason. Here are five catchers the Phillies could pursue in free agency this offseason.
AJ Ellis
I advocated for the return of veteran AJ Ellis last offseason and the year before after the Phillies picked him up in the Carlos Ruiz trade with Los Angeles in 2016. While never among the best catchers in the game, Ellis was a steady option at and behind the plate for the Dodgers, and a personal favorite of Clayton Kershaw.
Ellis played in 66 games for the Padres last year hitting .272 with nine extra-base hits. He certainly doesn’t bring the offense Ramos did last year, but he’s a strong voice in the ear of Alfaro.
While money is not object for the Phillies front office and ownership this offseason, Ellis would be a cheap alternative to others available.
Devin Mesoraco
The Punxatawney native started last season in Cincinnati but was traded to the Mets for Matt Harvey. In his eight major league seasons only one has stood out, that being his 2014 All-Star campaign when he hit 25 home runs.
Injuries have plagued Mesoraco’s career and he has never hit for a great average, owning a career slash-line of .232/.309/.406. One thing he can do is walk, highlighted by the on-base percentage being nearly 80 points higher than his batting average. He’s also been fairly reliable behind the plate, averaging just two errors a season.
Mesoraco is coming off a big contract that paid him for than $13 million last year, but given his injury history and lack of production last year he won’t be due for a big pay day.
Jonathan Lucroy
At one point Jonathan Lucroy was considered to be one of the top offensive catchers in baseball. He finished fourth in the MVP voting in 2014 as a member of the Brewers when he hit .301 with a league-best 53 doubles and he hit 24 home runs in 2016 for the Brewers and Rangers.
Lucroy has played for four teams in the last three years and has been traded in two of the last three summers. After failing to sign a major contract during the offseason Lucroy joined the A’s in March on a one-year deal worth $6.5 million.
While Lucroy hasn’t been the star he was since leaving the Brewers and in three of his last four seasons he hasn’t played more than 130 games. He also led baseball with 31 caught stealing last year.
One positive is Lucroy’s production at Citizen’s Bank Park, something you can blame either on the yard or the pitchers. In 17 games Lucroy has hit .486 with four home runs at The Bank.
Nick Hundley
Nick Hundley is someone I pointed to at the trade deadline as a potential upgrade to Knapp should the Giants be willing to trade him. Now the 11-year vet is a free agent and a serviceable option for the Phillies.
Hundley was Buster Posey’s backup last year and hit .241 with 10 home runs in 96 games. At 35-years-old he’s nothing more than a backup, but that’s exactly what the Phillies need. Hundley would give them a veteran voice for Alfaro and someone who can work with a young pitching staff.
The veteran has primarily played on the west coast, spending 95% of his career with a team no further east than Colorado. He played 50 games for Baltimore in 2014 after being traded, but the majority of his career was played for San Diego, Colorado, and San Francisco.
Wilson Ramos
As stated earlier, Ramos will be the top catcher on the market and should be the Phillies number one option if they dip into this group of free agents.
Philadelphia can play Ramos whatever he wants over a two or three year deal. Spotrac projects Ramos’ market value to be around $10.8 million, which would make him the fifth-highest paid catcher in the game. He played for $10.5 million last year, but this deal would likely be the biggest of his career no matter where he signs.
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Would the Phillies devote that much money into someone who might play 60% of the season as the team continues to develop Alfaro as their long-term catcher?
Owner John Middleton simply wants to win, and while the chances of Ramos wanting to return after dealing with last year’s collapse probably aren’t fantastic, money talks.
Ramos would likely start four or five games a week and be a middle of the order bat for the Phillies, depending on who else joins the team. He brought energy and optimism to the plate whenever he played and he delivered some clutch hits along the way.
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That’s the kind of bat the Phillies needed last year and will need this year if they want to compete with the Braves.
Ramos returning is likely predicated more on his desire to win and play everyday, neither of which the Phillies can guarantee. However, if he enjoyed his time in Philadelphia, minus the collapse, and the money is right I think there’s a slight chance he considers returning.