The latest from the Junior Circuit . . .
- The Marlins’ asking price for J.T. Realmuto has put off many a suitor, but the Astros are “still interested,” reports Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Per Morosi, the Fish are still insisting on one of either Forrest Whitley or outfielder Kyle Tucker, each near-consensus top-1o prospects, to headline the deal, so there’s been “no traction” in discussions. To say Whitley, 21, is drawing rave reviews in scouting circles would be to critically undersell the case – the 6’7 Texan is described by some scouts, per Baseball America, as the “best [pitching prospect] they’ve ever seen,” and has done little to discredit that view (aside, perhaps, from a 50-game suspension in early 2018 for a supposed positive banned-stimulant test) in his ascent through the system. Tucker has earned some detractors with his unorthodox swing and supposed nonchalance on the field, but he dominated (.332/.400/.590) the AAA-Pacific Coast League at age 21 and slots even higher than Whitley on some major-publication rankings. GM Jeff Luhnow, in the past, has been reluctant to deal from the cream of his system, though he did splurge in 2015’s deal for Carlos Gomez, departing with top-50 prospect Brett Phillips, top-100 Domingo Santana, and 2018 All-Star Josh Hader in the trade. Still, there is nothing close to precedent in the current Houston regime for a move of this scale.
- In a video segment for MLB Tonight, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart addressed the likelihood of Houston reuniting with free agent lefty Dallas Keuchel, calling the chances “slim.” Houston, apparently, has balked at the desired length of a proposed deal from Keuchel’s camp, but McTaggart believes the club could circle back if it hasn’t acquired a rotation piece by “late January.” As of yesterday, Keuchel was still believed to be seeking a deal of five years in length, and the many teams interested were far less so when broached with those demands. The Astros, with a righty-heavy, thin-back-end rotation, could certainly use their former ace, but with dual rotation-headliners Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole set to hit free agency after next season, the club may be stashing its funds in preparation.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports paints a bleak portrait of Adam Jones’ future with the Orioles, noting in a Friday mailbag that Jones’ likely earning power on the market is “more than the Orioles would give him.” Jones, 33, spent 11 seasons with the club, amassing an excellent 29.4 fWAR over the frame. His production – and in particular, his defense – has steadily waned in recent years, cratering with a dismal -18 DRS in center field last season. Jones’ days at the position are likely finished, though he may yet have value to add in a corner spot – the five-time all-star, after all, still projects around league-average next season, per Steamer, and has kept his strikeout rate low in the dawn of the swing-and-miss age.
Going to be weird to see Adam Jones in any other uniform.
They should bring him back.
Agreed.
No, they shouldn’t. The O’s lost 115 games with him and their best position prospects are outfielders.
This early in the rebuild, there is no need to start the clock on those prospects. Besides, there aren’t four outfield prospects better than Jones.
I’d rather give the keys to Mullins/Hays/Diaz
There’s really no reason to bring Jones back. Doesn’t work as a part-time Oriole and there are too many guys to give playing time to and develop.
Adam Jones will reunite with Baltimore at some point before the end of his career
Quite possibly.
How about Forrest Whitley and Kyle Tucker to the Phillies for Aaron Nola?
Keeping Nola is like the Angels keeping Trout. John “Stupid Money” Middleton stole the Harper/Machado money so the rebuild has no end in sight.
Neither team makes that trade. The Phillies are intent on competing now, a year or two early in my opinion, and need Nola to have a chance. The Astros would never trade that much prospect capital for a single pitcher, no matter how great he is. I don’t believe the Astros would trade Whitley AND Tucker for anyone, not even Trout.
If John Middleton wanted to win the World Series he would sign both Harper and Machado. That doesn’t make the Phillies lineup great, they would be far from a favorite, but it wouldn’t be a scam to say they were trying to win the World Series with Harper and Machado in their lineup.
We see where this is going so Aaron Nola needs to be dealt and the rebuild restarted while the old man McCutchen and Jean Segura do their thing.
I don’t think the Phillies desire to compete. Their talk is only that. We are stuck back in the 90s again with an ownership group that just doesn’t care. Guess what, I don’t care either.
Because he can just make them sign, right?
Except, you obviously do.
Everyone likes to forget the Phil’s had the 2nd best record in the NL entering August. Huge collapse, but they can contend. They got the experience they need and now they just gotta hold on till the end.
No one has forgotten the Phillies record on August 5th 2018.
The problem is you forgot their epic, never before seen collapse that left them behind a Nationals team that sold at the deadline.
The Phillies stink out loud. Their rebuild is an epic failure. Sign both Harper and Machado or restart the rebuild.
The amount of intelligence you lack is astounding
Free, you forgot 1964
@Pot the lack of intelligence on here is sadly never astounding.
Perhaps, idiots like you are the reason they don’t want to play in Philly.
Nobody forget the Phillies record in early August but you seem to have forgotten the stunning choke/collapse. Does that not count?
Us Mets fans still like to brag that the Mets had the best record in the NLEast on Sept 27 of both 2007 & 2008….
What indicators show they desire to compete? What have they done?
Trading for Jean Segura
Making things up to justify the personal dislike of an owner does little for ones credibility
How about you take your two IQ points, rub them together and see if you can start a fire?
Too expensive. Whitley is already better than Nola.
Wow can you believe at one point someone paid that much for Carlos Gomez? How quickly things change in this sport
The marlins are acting like JT has 4+ years of control lol
They can act however they like, they’re the one in the drivers seat.
No they aren’t, teams know he is the only trade asset they have left and the fish are desperate to cash in. The longer they hold him the more value he loses
Yeah, but this is no different than the way Cashman is handling Sonny Gray. Everyone KNOWS the Yankees need to get rid of him, yet he’s asking a sky high price for him. It’s a negotiation.
The huge difference is the Yankees don’t need to trade gray and aren’t desperate to do so.
The real difference is that Sonny Gray sucks and JT is good
And the Fish dont NEED to trade him. The NEED to trade him wont happen until this time next year. They are more than content to have him around for another year.
Nobody is desperate to trade anyone. But I would say Cashman is just as eager to unload Gray as the Marlins are Realmuto. And I’d agree with BenCole that Realmuto has far more value than Gray (though I’d disagree that “Gray sucks”).
Ground breaking stuff here that JTR has more value than gray.
Well, when someone compares him to Gray, it needs pointed out
Nobody is comparing Gray to Realmuto. If anyone inferred that they need to grow a brain. I was comparing the situation of a team trying to unload a player. I used Gray because I was responding to a Yankee fan.
No the difference is the marlins need to trade Realmuto for prospect capital and the Yankees need to trade Sonny Gray bc he’s not productive there
Again– the “why” is irrelevant to my point. The point here was to address YP’s mocking of the Marlins high price. I was pointing out that this is what teams do when they have an asset they want to unload (where both teams have openly stated their intentions)– they start with a high demand (higher than is probably fair) and slowly drop the price until someone gives.
I used Gray as an example because the OP is a Yankee fan.
Christ, this is more exhausting than talking to my 4-year old nephew!
There’s that word again. They dont NEED to trade JT. They would be perfectly content to trade him at the deadline when his value could possibly be higher in the right situation. They could also move him next off season although the return would be less.
The Marlins don’t need to trade JT either
I don’t think you are representing the situation correctly. JTR with 2 years of control is a lot more valuable than one year. Getting one year of production for from JTR for the 2019 season does nothing for the Marlins.
Nobody ever NEEDS to do the smart thing, no.
The Marlins just really should move him and soon. If he gets hurt (and he’s a catcher, so that’s a significant possibility), his value craters.
He’s got no practical value to them any way. Every game he helps them win just hurts their draft position.
Yankee fans would be pretty upset if Gray broke camp with the team in April. He’s despised.
Maybe English isn’t their first language? ”
I’m hoping we can package Kemp, White, or Reddick with a minor league pitching prospect, who’s not Whitaker, for JT. However, push comes to shove, I’d trade Tucker for him. I don’t like Tucker’s long swing right now. (Watch him become the next JD Martinez) and we need a catcher who can hit, right now.
They aren’t in the driver’s seat. The Astros can just go sign Yasmani Grandal if the Marlins price remains high. Or trade for Francisco Cervelli. Or pick up another stopgap.
The Marlins need to realize that Realmuto, while he might be the #1 catcher in the game right now, is not THAT much better than everyone else. This is not a case of Buster Posey in 2010. This is Jonathan Lucroy in 2016.
The Astros signing Grandal would be a statement that they aren’t interested in winning the World Series again. Maybe you didn’t see Grandal in the playoffs in 2018 but the rest of us did.
This is an absurd statement. A couple playoff series don’t define your ability. Grandal is a very good all around catcher. If the drop-off from realmuto to grandal costs you the chance at contending the rest of the team must really suck.
Grandall turned down 80/4
From the Mets
What’s he smoking?
@Rolen, you make some ludicrous statements. Using the name ScottRolen, who hated Philly btw, is a slap in the face to one of the best recent 3b in the game.
60/4 not 80
He is far and away better than those two.
I saw Grandal in the playoffs. The guy I didn’t see was Realmuto. So how do you know he will be better?
We (Astros) can win the WS (again) with Grandal. We just have to sign a DH who can actually hit to make up for the 35 points we lose by not signing Realmuto. Yes, I’d much rather have JT, but if we can get Grandal and ‘not’ give up Tucker, I’d take it.
Still think he should have taken it.
Four (4) years? I don’t think the Astros will give him 4 years at 15 mil per. (Not to mention we’d lose our second highest draft pick and $500,k in the international signing bonus pool because of his QO)
Unfortunately the Marlins are not the ones who ultimately decide whether or not a trade happens, it still has to be a mutual decision
So no, they are decidedly not in the driver’s seat, and the more teams the find other catchers, the less options they have
Marlins are on the clock more than anything, and if they don’t realize it this is going to be a disaster for them.
“…the more teams the find other catchers, the less options they have”
And conversely, the fewer catchers available to teams needing one, or looking for an upgrade.
If the Marlins wanna bet on the demand outstripping the supply, they’re free to try
Personally I don’t see a lot of teams that desperate for a catcher. With the Mets off the board and the Astros seemingly unwilling to pay through the nose, not sure who else they expect to step up.
Any guesses on the the next Verlander contract? He will be 37, but if he has another dominate season, I see him asking for a 3yr 100m deal. Thoughts?
No way he gets that. More likely around the Arrieta deal with the Phillies (3 for $75M).
JV and Arrieta are not in the same class of pitcher. JV is older, sure, but that’s a terrible comp.
I fail to see how it’s a terrible comp. they are both aging stars and like you said, JV is older. With home being a few years older, but a bit better than Arrieta, I don’t think that the contracts would differ that greatly.
Honestly I wouldn’t see more than a 2 year deal.
JV is established, has been practically his whole career. Where do you find the comp between the two? Arrieta was never an ace in Baltimore, took a stop in Chicago where his numbers, thanks in large to a change in mechanics, put him back on track. JV had it, fell, and had to reestablish himself but he was always projected to be an ace so please elaborate. (:
Granted, Arrieta has amazing stuff when on, and maybe his season in Philly will convince many that he indeed will age well. But Verlander has been through adversity, and knows himself well, what hes capable of, that I believe Arrieta himself is NOT a comp to JV if we’re trying to discuss a potential contract.
If anything, I would think his season in Philly would make one think he wouldn’t age well. What was his era after the break? 5 something? Arrieta’s post all-star break collapse was a big reason for the Phillies falling out of contention.
And that’s only if he dominates. If he shows weakness or has any sort of injury other than a freak accident, he won’t even get 3 years.
3 years is a stretch, but likely what he asks for. Realistically, if he can hold form, I can see a team giving him 2 years with a 35m+ annual salary. Braves. Dodgers. Cubs. Cards. Finishing touch on an excellent team kind of signing.
No way he gets $35M annually. I agree on the 2 years and he asks for a third, but there is no way he gets more than $28M annually at almost age 37.
After some thought, I can agree with your comp, lol I was under the impression we were discussing who was better and failed to realize you were trying to establish parameters for a possible Verlander contract. Whoops..
It will be interesting to see how it plays outs. Verlander is perhaps the best pitcher of his generation, still putting up monster seasons, and doesn’t seem like he’s interested in any hometown discounts.
Easy to see Verlander calling it quits at seasons end especially if the stros Win it all
Verlander has said on multiple occasions that he wants to pitch until he can’t pitch any more. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him pitching out of the bullpen at 45.
He will pitch until Kate tells him to stop.
Three years is a stretch. I don’t see him getting more than 2, that is if he doesn’t retire. Maybe he’ll latch on with the Tigers on a one year, farewell contract.
Verlander will be a Cub in 2020.
I think Kyle Tucker, Bryan Abreu and Jonathan Aruaz for Realmuto will work for both sides. If Astros won’t budge on Tucker, maybe a Josh James, Seth Beer and Aruaz package would get a deal done.
James isn’t going anywhere. Neither is Tucker. Keeping fishing, Marlins fans.
Not a Marlins fan but if the Astros are going to make Tucker and James not available there is zero chance he is going to Houston. The Astros should just suck it up and trade Tucker. I see no way in hell the Astros trade Whitley at all. So they either trade Tucker plus or James plus. I highly doubt the Astros will pay the freight on Grandal.
Throw a tomahawk on Adam Jones’ jersey and put him out in the corner for a year with another year option based on incentives and call it good since that seems to be AA’s thing so far..(Before he makes his big splash or 2!)
I could see them offering him a 1 yr deal with a mutual or team option for the second year. It would be a solid move and pacify Atl’s cranky fans.
Jones is done and would probably even be worse than resigning Markakis.
And would give the Braves’ beat writers a break from sitting on their thumbs and the sounds of crickets in their heads..(Not hating on you AA, just not used to the dead silence during the off season, winter meetings, hot stove, etc..)
You definitely get slack cut because your still in your toddler tenure with this organization, but you only have 3 prioritizations of focus.
Guess I/we maybe just gotta get used to not getting our daily/weekly updates like we’re used to..
they were after him a couple yrs ago, maybe nows the time
They did fairly well with another former O’s outfielder.
Adam Jones would be loved in Oakland. The best fans in baseball would appreciate a player who’s chasing a ring. He knows the A’s are his best chance at getting one.
The Athletics haven’t had the best fans in baseball since 1954
Adam Jones would be irrelevant in Oakland. CF? Ramon Laureano. RF? Steven Piscotty. LF is Canha/Martini/Pinder, all of whom had better wRC+ than Jones last year and provided average+ defense in LF (Jones had negative DRS at *all* OF positions).
The only ring he will get in Oakland is if they bring back Maxwell and he proposes.
Frazier and Florial for Realmuto– get it done, Cashman!
Not nearly enough. Plus anyone who says “get it done Cashman” is worthy of a downvote
Frazier, Florial, and Michael’s tiny jock strap– get it done, Cashman!
Florial is a good start but Frazier really wouldn’t have much appeal to a team trying to get younger.
Kyle Tucker, Tyler White, and a lower level prospect outside of top 15 for Realmuto.
If Astros get a DH, White is blocked and the dude can hit. He would be Miami’s 1b of the future.
They wouldn’t be interested in this package. They’ll want a top 15 pitching prospect at the very least in addition to Tucker. More of chance Stassi is in the package than White.
The whole world knows that Realmuto wants out of Miami, which means the Marlins should lower their asking price.
The Astros are ridiculous for not parting with Tucker. He has no where to play next year with the signing of Brantley.
Tucker, Abreu, Stassi, and Freudis Nova for Realmuto is more likely. I wouldn’t give up Nova though, he has a very high ceiling.
What is the Astros outlook on Tyler White? The guy can flat out hit but is blocked in the infield and will be blocked at DH if the Astros get someone like Encarnacion.
I like the great white a lot. The stros should keep him
I concur.
No. Just no.
For the love of all things good Houston, offer up Josh James, Garrett Stubbs, JB Bukauskas, JD Davis, & Myles Straw!
So in other words, if a top100 pitching prospect, MLBready catcher to replace JTR, another MLBready arm, a 3B who raked in the minors & who’s blocked by Bregman, and a quality reserve OF who might be a starter in MIA, well, if that doesn’t appeal to the Marlins then move on & focus on pitching which is just as imperative to fill as the catching position if not more for that you already acquired R.Chirinos!
I actually think this is a good trade, as it hurts for both teams to agree. James and Bukaukas are big losses, and the others are solid pieces with no spot on the Astros current roster.
That looks like a pretty solid offer for JTR…. rare to see one of those in the comments section. I don’t think a deal gets done without Tucker in it though. The inclusion of Straw, for some reason, makes me uneasy. If he can keep his OBP high in the MLB, then he can be a solid major leaguer for many years.
James isn’t going anywhere.
If the phillies miss on Harper & Machado , maybe they should sign a strong bullpen arm. Don’t sign Keuchel , and maybe trade for Kluber or Bumgarner.
@ angelsfan4life412;
Who do the Philllies have to trade that another front office will send back a player with value?
Roman Quinn
Aaron Altherr
Nick Williams
Odubel Herrera
Jorge Alfaro
Cesar Hernandez
just to name a few
Herrera and Hwrnandez won’t get much of any thi g. They’ve tried
The Phillies don’t need to bebuld. They need to tweak their rotation and bullpen. Because bullpen is what killed them last season. Harper or Machado will not go to the Phillies. Manny wants to be a Yankee more then anything and Harper wants to be a cubs, dodgers, or the Yankees before phille. The Marlins should just keep j.t., Houston will probably balk soon to. Also no one should have a 10 or more contract no one is worth 10 years.
The astros rotation will be a weak link next year if they don’t sign an arm or make a trade.
Dave Winfield was an excellent bargain for the Yankees. 10 YEARS for 23 million.
It is a business and a player is worth whatever the market will bear. Up to this point no player has fulfilled a long term contract to match their abilities in the beginning. What about Acuna, Soto and Ohtani who played for the league mimimum. Don’t they deserve to be paid like a star? Unfortunately for them they will be working for well under market value for five more years. Foe every Pujols and Cano there are way more players being underpaid.
trout, agree
And it equals out in the future.
I don’t be grudge them ons bit, but I don’t feel sorry foe them, either.
Alex Bergman also!
Don’t think it’s likely at all that Whitley or Josh James are moved with the contract uncertainty of Cole and Verlander… and to a lesser extent McHugh as well. I think they are 2 key controllable pieces to a rotation already in transition with Morton gone, Keuchel certain to depart and McCullers on the shelf. IMO that’s more important for the franchise than 2 years of Realmuto, if in fact the Marlins insist on one of them in return.
Realmuto is going to Tampa Bay for B. Lowe, R. Hernandez, McClanahan and Solak.
Marlins are getting Yordan Alvarez, Clionel Perez and Bryan Abreu, seems good overall trade and marlins dont have a legit future 1st baseman so getting in on Alvarez would solve that problem.
This is another very good proposal, but I’d rather include Tucker than Alvarez. I just have a feeling he’s going to be an elite power bat and it’d be nice to see him solify 1B in Houston.
Whitley, Tucker, Alvarez and James all off limits for Realmuto.
I would love to hear how that conversation goes. Miami we really want Realmuto to catch for us this year but Whitley, Tucker, Alvarez and James are off limits so let’s make a deal. Hello, Hello, Hello, all that Houston can hear is historical laughing in the background finally Jetes still historically laughing hangs up the phone. That’s pretty much how it would go.
Historical laughter? Don’t you mean hysterical?
If Margot, Reyes, Morejon plus go to CLE for Kluber I would like the Padres to inquire on hometown kid Adam Jones. Grew up in La Mesa, CA in San Diego. He would do wonders with the young guys in the clubhouse and around the community. He can be the outfield version of Hosmer/Kinsler. I could see him on a friendly deal like Kinsler’s 2 years with a cheap option. He could split tome in RF with Jankowski and some time in CF spelling tome with Cordero and Jankowski.
An outfield of LF- Myers, Jankowski
CF- Cordero, Jankowski
RF- A. Jones, Jankowski
With Gettys and Olivares looming soon.
It’s worth a shot in my option. Jones would be a fantastic leader on this Padres club.
Add another arm to Kluber, a cheaper option like Bundy, Lugo, Pomeranz, Marco Estrada or Pivetta from the Phillies if they get Kuechel. That would give the Padres two vets atop the rotation to lead the kids in 19’. Add those two arms to Lamet and Richards in the back end of the season coupled with Lucchesi, Paddack, Lauer, L. Allen, Quantrill, etc. and that’s the makings of a really good rotation.
Gotta get busy Preller, but Adam Jones in my option would be a great sneaky addition. The guys that played on the WBC team a few season ago all share that same bond on how cool it was to play at Petco especially the game where Jones made that unreal robbing catch of Machado in that game. The crowd was unreal- Kinsler mentioned that is one of the reasons he signed because of how electric the stadium got and how he wants to feel that again for a Padres winning club. Add Jones to Kinsler, Hosmer and you have a few of those guys.
Stroman was another they had interest in and so was Archer up until the deadline. The guys who played in that game are the ones who GM’s salivate over. Yelich was shown to the world in that game due to Leyland batting him 3rd and letting him go-off in that tournament.
If the Padres think Adam Jones can still play CF then Renfroe stays in RF with Myers in LF and Cordero + Jankowski are the 4th and 5th outfielders to start the season. Cordero would play against tough RH pitching to give Jones days off. Just like Greg Garcia will do from time to time with Kinsler to keep him fresh.
If the Padres think Adam Jones can still play CF, and they sign him and play him there, they will regret the error of their thinking.
I don’t get to watch to much Orioles baseball. Is Jones a disaster in CF now? Un-playable there?
I mean Jankowski and Cordero could hold down CF for the most part. I was thinking Jones could start there against a tough LHP and when he is pulled from the game you can insert Jankowski for defensive and base-running purposes.
Didn’t know that Jones’s CF have completely eroded. It could work though. I don’t think he is toast just yet.
Well, as the article mentioned he had a -18 DRS last season, and that doesn’t look like an outlier, since it’s become a trend. He had a -10 DRS in 2016, and a -12 in 2017. His UZR/150 numbers are trending badly as well; -5.6, -14.4, and -14.8 over the past 3 seasons.
The guy is going to be 33 next season, and it’s not assuming too much to believe he’s lost a step or 2, or even more. And the outfield at Petco is bigger than at Camden Yards. I could see him in a corner spot, but putting him in CF is a mistake IMO.
Good take, thanks. Makes sense
Yes… -18 DRS in a small park like Camden… put him in Petco? Might as well have Cal Ripken play CF
He wasn’t a good defender even when he won his gold gloves.
Not one commenter here knows what either Manny Machado or Bryce Harper REALLY thinks..Unless you are related to them, or are their BFFs, then you have no idea what goes on in their minds..
Stop saying they won’t play in ______ city..whoever gives them the most Benjamins is where they’ll play…
They both want to win which is why they want no part of Philadelphia Dads. It’s sad but true until they build a competitive team that won’t change.last year’s collapse hurt them as a destination. Nobody wants to waste their career playing for a loser
Adam Jones iz nothing more than a 4th OF.
He is average offensively and below average in the field.
He had a good five or so year eun, but was never as great as people claimed.
Right now Jones is an aging outfielder that has been in decline both offensively and defensively. He doesn’t walk much and his speed has declined. He also hits right handed which further lowers his appeal to many teams. To be honest I’d be shocked if a team pays him more than $8 million per season. I can’t see him having much value.
For $8 million I wouldn’t mind him playin a corner OF spot for the Braves. With Camargo getting time out there a couple days a week.
Sign Jones
Sign Granderson
Trade for Wil Smith
Trade for Leclerc
Sign Britton
Buhaukas, Tucker, Kemp, and Stassi for Realmuto would be my deal. I think they would go for it and we would not lose anything we need immediately.
Tucker isn’t gong anywhere for JT.
Yeah this is the problem… Astros aren’t trading Tucker for JT. And they shouldn’t, not for 2 years. The Marlins don’t have to trade him, but they do need to… he’s just going to lose value from here and no one is going to offer more later
The Marlins are insisting on top tier talent they know they’ll just auction off again to the highest bidder in 2-3 years time..
Contract this p.o.s. franchise right f*king now!
Realmuto’s best fit is with the Braves. They have the prospect depth to be able to add high end quality to a package.
Austin Riley, Bryce Wilson & Tyler Flowers is a deal I could see Miami making.
Flowers can provide a veteran behind the plate for a young staff and has the ability to be flipped at the deadline if needed.
Flowers just signed a new contract. He can’t be traded until June without his approval.
I think the window may have already closed for the Marlins to get max value this off-season. Too many teams have already gone to plan B. At this point, they may be best served to wait until this summer to try to trade JT.
If the Astros want JT it’s going to take one of James or Tucker as the headliner if the Astros are uncomfortable with that then they need to sign Grandal.
The Marlins can hold on to JT and see if one of the contending teams loses a catcher if no one steps up during this offseason. Roll the dice and hope for an injury during the season.