The Rays currently have four catchers on their 40-man roster, but apparently they're seeking even more depth. Jon Heyman and Scott Miller of CBSSports.com hear from those within the industry that Tampa is believed to be seeking an extra catcher (Twitter links). One executive predicted that Jose Molina won't catch more than 80 games.
Molina, 36, was brought in on a one-year, $1.8MM deal this offseason because of his stellar defense and not his .263/.323/.396 batting line with the Blue Jays over the last two years. The veteran backstop has started 81 games behind the plate just once in his 12-year career (2008), and only twice has he started more than 60 games at catcher. The other 40-man roster catchers – Robinson Chirinos, Jose Lobaton, and Stephen Vogt – have 116 plate appearances at the MLB level combined.
As our Free Agent Tracker shows, there isn't much out there in terms of catching help. It's basically Ivan Rodriguez and Ramon Castro. The Rays have pitching to spare if they want to seek another backstop via trade.
A trade certainly seems more likely. Abundance of pitching and besides, we don’t need two veterans who are likely gone after 1 year
I still don’t understand what was wrong with Jaso…
He was absolutely horrible defensively, and when his offense from the 2010 season disappeared in 2011, then there was really no reason to keep him. Negative defense with average offense at best does not make a major league catcher.
I wonder if the jays and rays could match up for a trade.
For Mathis? The Jays don’t have catching depth at the MLB level.
Arencibia and Cecil for Price! 🙂
Are you crazy? No way would we give up Arencibia AND Cecil for Price! Cecil straight up or Tampa’s loss!
You could always just lure Frank Thomas out of retirement and send him for Price straight up.
Wow if I were the Jays, I’d do that in a heartbeat. But does Tampa do it? HELL NO
Wooooosh!
Wow, what are you smoking? Seriously, let the rest of us know. Cecil for Price. I think Friedman would laugh for hours on end once he hung up.
lol pretty sad that you cant recognize blatant sarcasm
You are out of your mind. Arenciba is about to lose his job to Travis D’Arnaud with that measly .219 batting average. He has one season at best left before he goes somewhere else, so they might as well send him now. I would be okay with Wade Davis for Arenciba straight up. Cecil is pitiful and isn’t even worth a prospect from the Rays farm system. And its not like we need pitching anyways.
a) he was joking
b) you quote batting average of a rookie catcher as your stat to exert knowledge?
c) Arencibia for davis straight up is laughable. Davis is a 1 WAR starting pitcher with 3 years left of control. Arencibia is a starting catcher with 5 years of control left, his basement potential is 1 WAR which he’s already achieved in his rookie season.
please try to do better
oh sorry, i didn’t realize i needed permission from the advanced metric police to post an opinion on here. maybe you can proofread my next post ahead of time.
oh just stating your opinion you say.?
yet you start your post with ” are you out of your mind”
so if you feel you can challenge peoples opinions why cant yours be challenged?
probably because you have no rebuttal because your opinion is based on bull.
What’s troubling is everybody thinks my blatantly obvious sarcasm is ridiculous…yet nobody was surprised at Lunchbox saying Arenbicia and Cecil for Price…
I was thinking d’Arnaud.
I was thinking d’Arnaud.
Jesus Flores?
I agree. He’s never really been given a shot, why not?
How about Geo from the Cubs?
Or maybe Kurt Suzuki
actually, now that the a’s lost scott sizemore, moving donaldson over to third, and released powell, that’s not a very good matchup, since recker would be our only catcher, unless we got chirinos or someone like that back
I’d be fine with a Davis and Chirinos for Suzuki and ____ trade
at this point, i just don’t see it happening because the lack of depth the a’s have.
man things can really change in a couple months. in january i was so strongly advocating a kurt suzuki trade, maybe in july it could happen, depending on how derek norris or ryan ortiz do in AA/AAA
Don’ forget Anthony Recker!
or Welington Castillo?
TRADE FOR BRYCE HARPER AND PUT HIM BACK AS CATCHER!!! DO IT! ; )
I’m not sure Tropicana Field is big enough to contain Harper’s ego.
Not unless they plan on trading every player on the entire roster.
every player?
You do know matt moore, david price, james shield and Evan freaking Longoria are on the rays right?
A) it’s James shields
yah i forgot an s, big whoop
David Ross.
Who would the Rays give up for David Ross?
I say Miguel Olivo. Free Jesus!
Dear Rays, please take Miguel Olivo, he is awful <3 Mariners fans everywhere.
Paulino will be released, assuming Teagarden isn’t seriously hurt(and will be back in a week or so.
Sign Veritek!
Retired.
I still see Pudge as the right fit for Rays.
What do you guys think about Kurt Suzuki? As an A’s fan personally, I wish we could trade him, but we don’t really have a replacement catcher for the big leagues yet.
I wish the A’s or the Rays could make a trade for Wilson Ramos.
somehow a three team trade with the nats where upton goes to the nats and suzuki goes to the rays, and maybe jesus flores goes to the a’s, along with prospects. of course, AA would find a way to join this trade as well.
of course there would be other pieces moving around as well, but that would be the basic structure. that’s the only thing i can think of, and yes, i realize it’s 99% improbabl.