Report: SF Giants still eyeing additional catching depth

After claiming a pair of catchers off waivers, the SF Giants are still eyeing another addition behind the plate, per a report by Alex Pavlovic of NBCSBA.

Marc Delucchi | Nov 14, 2022

Report: SF Giants still eyeing additional catching depth /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants added a pair of catchers last week when they claimed Dom Núñez and Meibrys Viloria off waivers. However, the front office is not done trying to upgrade their catching depth, according to a report by NBC Sports Bay Area Giants beat writer Alex Pavlovic.

SF Giants catcher Joey Bart hits a single. (2022) — SF Giants catcher Joey Bart watches a fly ball off his bat. (2022) / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

"The Giants have been telling rival teams that they're in search of backup catching help," Pavlovic wrote. "So, even with all the upcoming roster churn, one of Nuñez or Viloria should be in camp to compete with Austin Wynns. Both newcomers are left-handed hitters, something the staff has been trying to add behind Joey Bart."

The Giants have prioritized having two viable catchers in recent years, with Curt Casali proving to be an excellent backup before they traded him to the Mariners at the deadline. While Wynns had his moments in 2022, he remains a career .231/.275/.337 hitter with 12 home runs in 508 plate appearances. Furthermore, Joey Bart has yet to prove he's an above-average catcher.

If the Giants are looking for a veteran left-handed hitting catcher with a strong defensive track record in free agency, Tucker Barnhart and Jason Castro would seem like two top candidates.

Barnhart was the Reds primary catcher from 2015-2021 before inking a one-year deal with the Tigers last offseason. Barnhart struggled in Detroit this season, hitting .221/.287/.267 in 97 games. However, over the course of his career, Barnhart has a .245/.320/.360 triple-slash with a .705 OPS against right-handed pitching.

Castro, a former first-round pick, is a 12-year MLB veteran with an excellent defensive track record. Set to turn 36 next June, Castro struggled mightily with the Astros this season, hitting .115/.205/.179 in 34 games before he underwent season-ending surgery. With that said, he recorded a .225/.333/.427 triple-slash from 2019-2021.

Given both Castro and Barnhart's struggles in 2022, it seems plausible that the Giants could sign either one to a minor-league contract that allows them to compete with Núñez, Viloria, and Wynns in spring training next year.

The Giants have to focus on adding some star power this offseason but improving the team's depth at positions of weakness remains an important priority as well. Indeed, per a report by Alex Pavlovic, the SF Giants front office is looking to keep improving their catching depth after adding a pair of backstops last week.

Published Nov 14, 2022

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).