What About Diamondbacks Catching Depth?
The Diamondbacks catching depth has not received as much attention as some other areas of the roster, but it is an important area the team will be looking to bolster in the coming weeks of the offseason.
When Mike Hazen addressed the media on October 6th he did not seem to think that catching was an area of priority. Asked to detail his priorities other than fixing the bullpen, he mentioned starting pitching, a right handed bat, and some veteran presence for the locker room. Only after he was pressed on the lack of catching depth did he acknowledge that he was hoping for more consistency from Carson Kelly, but if they make a move on catching it would likely be for a backup. You can listen to his comments on this subject from that day in the sound cloud link contained at the bottom of THIS PAGE, starting from the 22:05 mark.
Three days ago he was asked if Cooper Hummel was still an option to be Kelly's backup, he said "yes, that's still on the table" After yesterday's trade of Hummel to Seattle however he was asked what changed. Hazen said while he felt Hummel still had a chance to do some catching, he was probably viewed more as a depth option. On follow up Hazen was asked if he were searching for a backup catcher or a starter. While it seemed he was sticking with only looking for a back up option, his answer was sufficiently opaque as to make one wonder if he might look to do more than that. Listen to the video below for yourself and see what you think.
We reviewed Kelly's 2022 season back on October 17th. After having a very solid maiden season with the Diamondbacks in 2019, he's had three straight disappointing seasons, two of them marred by injury. He has just two years left of control prior to reaching free agency after the 2024 season and is slated to make approximately $4 million in arbitration this year and at least $5 million next. Considering the dwindling control, under performance, and increasing salary it's reasonable to wonder if the D-backs may be looking to do something more than just find a backup. Could they be in search of a longer term solution?
It's important to note that the Diamondbacks do not have a catcher anywhere in their top 30 prospects list. Jose Herrera spent time on the major league roster last season as Kelly's backup. But in 124 plate appearances he hit just .189/.250/.207 with two doubles and a 33 OPS+. His defense was adequate most of the time, but not good enough to carry that low of an on base percentage into two or three games per week. The measure of the team's disappointment with him can be seen in the simple fact that they converted Hummel back to catching rather than continue to run Herrera out there.
Dominic Miroglio, who caught the most innings in Triple-A Reno last year, has been in the Diamondbacks system since 2017. He's entering his age 28 season next year and if the team viewed him as a viable major league option, he'd have been given a chance already.
The only draftee in recent years that's performed decently is Caleb Roberts, who made it to AA last year. He posted a 110 wRC+, which is about 10% better than league average hitting, but played just 9 games at AA and is at least two years away.
Should the Diamondbacks turn to the trade market the two teams that have the most attractive targets would be the Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland A's
The Blue Jays have three catchers of note and are looking for outfield help. Alejandro Kirk just made an all star game, won a silver slugger, is only 24 years old and has four years of control left. He's not going anywhere. Behind him however are two good catchers, Danny Jansen and Gabriel Moreno.
Jansen will be 28 next year and has two years of control . He posted a whopping 141 OPS+ thanks to 15 homers in just 72 games.
Moreno is only 22 and appeared in 25 games as a rookie last year, batting .319 with a 111 OPS+. He's always hit for average and has shown decent pop at the lower levels of the minors. His minor league slash line is .310/.365/.479, .844 OPS. Moreno would be a perfect fit behind Kelly for a year before taking over full time. But he wouldn't be cheap, probably costing Daulton Varsho plus another player. Neither Alek Thomas or Jake McCarthy are enough to get such a deal done. Mike Hazen would probably have a tough time pulling the trigger on such a deal, but that's what it would likely take.
Another popular name mentioned in trade talks is Sean Murphy of the Oakland A's. The 28 year old won a Gold Glove in 2021, and last year posted a 120 OPS+ playing 148 games. He has three years of control remaining before becoming a free agent in 2026. The A's will surely extract a steep price for him, again one that Hazen would likely hesitate to pay.
On the free agent market there are plenty of backup options for Hazen to choose from if he goes that route. If he's looking for a longer term option however the dollar cost is likely prohibitive for a lower tier payroll team like the D-backs. Players such as Wilson Contreras are out of reach.
Omar Narvaez might be an affordable option. He'll be 31 next season, and has a 100 career OPS+, but is coming off a down year with the Brewers, batting just .206 with a 71 OPS+. More importantly, he's never rated well on defense.
Similarly Gary Sanchez is a decent hitter most years, but his defense is considered sub par.
There are many more names and options for both trades and signings. Above are just a few for conversation starters. As is usually the case, Mike Hazen's baseball operations team will surprise us with who they ultimately land on and how they acquire that player. Stay tuned.
