Cleveland Guardians Upgrade at Catcher, Sign All-Star Power Bat

The Cleveland Guardians have found a replacement for Luke Maile at the catcher position, agreeing to terms with free agent Mike Zunino on a contract, Ken Rosenthal reports. Zunino played his first ten big league seasons for the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners. He was named an American League All-Star in 2021. Maile left the club as a free agent, signing a contract with the Cincinnati Reds.

The Cleveland Guardians have found a replacement for Luke Maile at the catcher position, agreeing to terms with free agent Mike Zunino on a contract, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports.

Free-agent catcher Mike Zunino is signing with the Guardians, source tells @TheAthletic.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 13, 2022

Zunino played his first ten big league seasons for the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners. He was named an American League All-Star in 2021.

Maile left the club as a free agent, signing a contract with the Cincinnati Reds.

The addition of Zunino should improve the Guardians offensively. The Guardians hit the second-fewest amount of home runs in 2022. Now, they add one of the best power-hitting catchers in the game.

Zunino clubbed a career-high 33 home runs as a member of the Rays in 2021. He also hit 20 or more home runs in 2017 and 2018, when he was still a member of the Mariners.

The Mariners selected Zunino with the third overall pick in the 2012 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. The club traded him to the Rays in Nov. 2018 along with Guillermo Heredia and Michael Plassmeyer, in exchange for Jake Fraley and Mallex Smith.

Zunino played just 36 games in 2022 before a shoulder surgery sidelined him for the remainder of the season. He is looking to bounce back from a forgettable 2022 in which he slashed .148/.195/.499.

If Zunino returns to form in 2023, he will be an offensive upgrade over Maile, and he would add some power to a lineup that needs it. Maile rates as a better defensive player, however. The Guardians put a premium on defense, so expect the club to add another catcher before the end of the winter.

Terms of the contract have yet to be reported on.

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