The Pirates have made a pair of waiver claims, according to their transactions tracker at MLB.com. Catcher Ali Sánchez was claimed from the Tigers and right-hander Beau Sulser was claimed from the Orioles. Additionally, the Pirates designated catcher José Godoy for assignment.
Sánchez, 26 in January, has a very limited MLB track record, getting into five games with the Mets in 2020 and two games with the Cardinals in 2021. The Cards kept him in the minors this year, before he went to the Tigers on a waiver claim in June. The Tigers also stashed him in Triple-A as depth, before designating him for assignment last week.
He is known as a glove-first catcher but showed some encouraging signs at the plate this year, walking in 12% of his plate appearances. His batting line in 291 trips to the plate this year was .262/.354/.389 for a wRC+ of 101, or 1% above league average.
The Bucs have a fairly wide open catching mix for next year, Jason Delay and Tyler Heineman getting the bulk of the work down the stretch in 2022. Neither of them hit much but they both posted strong defensive numbers. Delay hit .213/.265/.271 while Heineman slashed .217/.276/.268. They also have Zack Collins, though he spent more time at first base than behind the plate for Pittsburgh. Sánchez will be out of options next year and thus won’t be able to be sent to the minors without first being passed through waivers.
He seems to have replaced Godoy, 28, in the club’s catching plans. Godoy got into 10 MLB games this year between the Twins and Pirates, spending the bulk of his time in Triple-A. He only hit .197/.272/.299 down on the farm for the Twins but a much better .333/.357/.590 in Indianapolis. Still, it seems that wasn’t enough to hold onto a roster spot. Since he has been previously outrighted in his career, he would have the right to elect free agency if he passes through waivers again.
Sulser, 29 in May, began the year with the Pirates but went to the Orioles on a waiver claim in May. Between the two clubs, he threw 22 1/3 innings with a 3.63 ERA, 47.1% ground ball rate, 19.2% strikeout rate and 9.1% walk rate. In 56 2/3 Triple-A innings, he had a much stronger strikeout rate of 24.3%. He will still be optionable in 2023, meaning he can shuttled between Triple-A and the majors again next year.
My man Shelton you already got Zach Collins, Godoy, Heinemen, Delay, and Henry Davis, Endy Rodriguez etc… I don’t think you need another catcher, Oh and plus VanMeter.
Oop finally DFA Godoy also they claimed Beau Sulser from the Orioles I think.
AAAAH they put that in the title to.
Some teams believe you can never have enough pitching. The Pirates believe you can never have enough catching.
Well they went through 8 this year…..
Friend- The Pirates simply prefer quantity over quality.
So true
Unconfirmed Friend;
The catcher(s) is/are the most important position on a ML roster/team. Not even close. Works with all the pitchers. One guy is not the same as another behind the plate – hitting is a bonus. MLB is not rotisserie league.
However, Mendoza Line 215 is correct – it’s all about quality, not quantity. So far we haven’t seen a catcher that is superior in handling a staff and calling a game with this administration of the Pirates other than Perez, and he’s injured and probably not coming back in 2023. They’re working with the 2 guys they used last year – the question there is: do they have the coaches on staff to bring them along?
Samuel-Mine was a facetious comment.
Both Delay and Heinamen were placeholders and are no more thanAAA or AAAA players.
They may resign Perez at a lower figure but they need a co catcher also and I would like to see Stallings back for a year or two.
“Samuel-Mine was a facetious comment.”
Mendoza Line 215;
Maybe, but it was accurate.
For the record, I like both Perez and Stallings. I have no idea what happened this year in Miami for the later.
Why would you want Stallings back when endy will be ready this year. They aren’t going to do that. And Davis is coming. I’m thinking Davis will be moved to first base, if Rodriguez fails. I wouldn’t sign Perez. Go with what you have till Davis and Rodriguez are ready
Problem with moving Davis to 1st, he has an 80+ arm, it would be wasted at 1st.
I get it tho, it makes sense. Just a shame to waste such a good arm.
Bruuba-Do you want to lose 100 games for the fourth straight year?Endy and Davis will not be ready to be the main catcher next year.They both need at least half a year in AAA,and promotion only if they are doing well.Do you think both Stallings and Perez will last the whole year?BC or Nutting made that mistake this year.The Pirates need to start ponying up for better players.Heinamen and Delay are not going to cut it.They were stopgaps.We do not even know at this point how well either Endy or Davis will do at catching in the ML’s.
Nutting’s not going to allow Endy to start 2023 with the parent club, once he arrives his arbitration years start
It will be a cache of has beens and never beens behind the plate until August
Can’t wait for the complaining saying it’s nuttings fault
It is Nutting’s fault
Over/under 6.5 on the year?
Unless he regresses badly, Endy Rodriguez should likely take over full-time catching duties at some point next season. My guess is mid-season at the earliest, but with how terrible (offensively) the other guys were in 2022, a good showing at Spring Training could bump up that timeline.
Blake Sabol also had a quietly solid year in AA/AAA, but I think he probably transitions more to OF and only serves as an emergency backstop. He’s in Arizona getting an extended look right now. Either way, a Rodriguez/Sabol 1-2 “punch” couldn’t possibly be much worse than what Pirates fans had to endure this season. They were last in the league with a .531 OPS from the position.
Henry Davis is realistically not up permanently until 2024–and even then, there are still questions about where he remains defensively long term. If both he and Rodriguez are the real deal, the most likely scenario would be Davis as the backup that DH’s or gets some corner IF/OF action. He’s got a rocket for an arm so my guess is RF.
The Pirates are done with their heavy lifting for the off-season. Tapped out. No more room for improvement on this talent laden squad.
Because it is his fault. He has no interest in putting a quality Major League roster out there. Never has.
You should stay retired, in a Senior hospice
Buuba lol.
there was an article in the Athletic last year, once the franchise gets their share of the luxury tax, it’s all profit for Nutting.
He has no interest in either increasing payroll or putting a competitive team on the field
You can claim we’re not real Buc fans but the facts don’t lie
Godoy mate
Ah.. the baseball off season of dropping / adding / dropping players roulette has begun. I would not be shocked if both of these players are not on the Pirates 40 man when the Rule 5 adds are made.
If I were one of those players who change teams about 4-5 times before the 40 mans are set, I would go directly to the teams claiming me and get a lot of gear just for the fun of it.
Buc- I do not understand it either.They have at least three to add because of the Rule 5 draft and they have six coming off the 60 day IL.
Maybe BC thinks that these two guys will be kept but otherwise it is just jerking people around.
These guys are just happy to be in baseball. Likely nobody else claims them. Best AAAA catching depth in baseball.
Pirates keep that gear on lockdown like razor blades at a store. Where they reporting to get gear anyways?
Just AAA depth. Other teams will have better players to protect or want someone in rule 5. Strong chance these guys go unclaimed.
I was confused why the Pirates claimed Ali, but looking over his stats, he has an impressive caught stealing percentage.
Ali ,the greatest of all time, that’s why they want him.
That comment was supposed to be a response to someones comment. Not sure how it ended up being on its own. That name you have……did you spell all your words wrong?