TODAY: The Giants officially announced Perez’s deal, which is a minor league contract. Perez can earn a $2.5MM guaranteed salary if he makes the big league roster, with another $1.5MM available in incentives.
JANUARY 29: The Giants have reached a deal with catcher Roberto Perez, according to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter links). It seems as though the Red Sox were the other finalist for Perez’s services, as Boston “made an aggressive bid” for the veteran backstop.
The Pirates (Perez’s former team) and Cubs were also reportedly interested in Perez this winter, but the 34-year-old will instead head to the Bay Area to join a catching mix led by Joey Bart. While Bart has yet to hit much over parts of three seasons and 408 career plate appearances, the Giants still have faith in the former top prospect, to the point that president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said a few weeks ago that the Giants would likely stick to minor league signings for any future catching depth.
Perez joins Austin Wynns as the top competitors for the backup catching job, plus the presence of Rule 5 Draft pick Blake Sabol is another notable factor. As per the regulations of the R5 Draft, Sabol has to remain on the Giants’ active roster for the entire season, or else the Giants have to offer him back to the Pirates. (The Reds actually selected Sabol in the Rule 5 Draft but the Giants traded for Sabol’s rights.) Wynns was recently outrighted off the Giants’ 40-man roster, and Sabol can also play the outfield, adding more wrinkles to the team’s possible plans behind the plate.
On paper, Perez adds some certainly to the mix due to his strong defense. Long known for his glovework, game-calling, and his ability to work with pitchers, Perez is a two-time Gold Glover and Fielding Bible Award winner. This defensive play kept Perez in at least a part-time role as Cleveland’s catcher from 2015-21, even if he has only a wRC+ of 77 over 1752 career plate appearances. Perez did surprisingly break out for a 24-homer season in 2019, though that performance seems like an outlier due to the livelier baseball used by the league that year.
Injuries have been Perez’s biggest issue over the last few seasons, as he has played in only 65 games since the start of the 2021 season. (He also played only 32 games out of 60 in the shortened 2020 season.) A fractured finger, shoulder problems, and hamstring surgery have all combined to limit Perez’s playing time, with his hamstring injury ending his Pirates tenure after only 21 games last year.
The presence of Wynns and Sabol gives San Francisco some insurance if the injury bug bites Perez again, but naturally the Giants’ biggest hope is that Bart takes a step forward as a reliable MLB starter, so the other backstops are relegated to pure backup roles. With Perez now on board, the Giants are probably done shopping for catchers, perhaps unless an injury situation emerges in Spring Training.
Clearer path to the big league roster in San Francisco as they don’t have a “true” backup for Bart
Agreed. If he struggled in Boston Wong or Alfaro could just easily replace him. Since the Giants are carrying Bart and a Rule 5 guy, a third catcher might not be a bad idea.
Makes sense. If Perez is a NRI and he beats rule V pick Blake Sabol, there’s his 40 and 26 man spot.
We don’t really have a “true” starter in Bart either
Clearly,Joey Bart is another SF first round draft BUST
After 408 PA, nobody is a bust.
Why is a Yankee fan talking about “busts?” LOL!
Joey Bart is 26 years old and made his MLB debut in 2020. Haha
Dude was the 2nd overall pick in the 2018 . He can’t hit big league pitching . Have you seen how easily fooled this guy is at the plate. His strikeout numbers are beyond frightening. Dude is a flat out BUST
chumpy, It doesn’t matter what age he is, or when he was rushed to MLB ahead of his time. Only a low baseball IQ person believes that a small sample, like 408 PAs, can definitively tell anyone anything.
Because it’s the same Tony Gwynn troll from years past, same tired copypasta comments even…
Oh, god, not him again! Thanks for the heads up.
Yankee fans conveniently forget about Brien Taylor, their #1 pick in 1991 that ended up in prison for cocaine trafficking
They always laugh at other teams failures but never mention their own
Still hoping Sabol can handle the defensive ends of catching. His bat is solid.
It’s the linebackers of catching that give him trouble.
Do they have a “true” starter in Bart?
outinleftfield – This is the season we’ll find out.
#SFGiants World Series Bound!!
You’re too funny 27!!! I can’t describe how clever you are to make a joke that a team is World Series bound when they sign a depth player. Kudos for coming up with a brand new joke that will never get old!
You’re a Yankee fan, you haven’t sniffed the World Series in over a decade. Sit this one out sweetie.
Sniffed a World Series ? How’s that World Series Sniffing going in San Francisco?? Giants have only posted a winning record over .500 ONCE since 2016. In NY we compete. It’s been 31 Years since we fielded a team that finished w/ a losing record
Giants have how many championships since NYY last made the world series?
Competing is great for the financial bottom line with playoffs revenue but wouldn’t you want another City parade? As a Sox fan, I’ve written here how 22 was tough. Looking through a long lens though, I wouldn’t trade Boston’s recent championships for a run in the playoffs that has recently ended up short each season. I’m also guessing Giants fans feel the same way.
Oh, because the Giants have only finished w a winning record over .500 one time since 2016 , you want to compare overall institutional success ?
Ok . The New York Yankees as an organization have 27 rings . How many do the Giants have ?
You said, ‘how’s that world series sniffing going on in San Francisco’. The Giants have won three since the Yankees last made it, so to say that is pretty disingenuous.
But sure, keep being an insufferable Yankees fan.
27 rings is the worst argument to make. None of us likely saw those Ruth through Joe D years. I remember Mantle only from his last years when the team was not good. How about comparing ownership runs for a fair comparison? I don’t know when the Giants were last sold but Boston was purchased in 2002 I think. Thus, the Red Sox have four WS appearances and four trophies. The Yanks have two appearances with one championship. I hate current ownership because of how they’ve prioritized their brand the last three or so years instead of the team (and because they’ve become progressively focused politically speaking).
Compete. YEAH LIKE THAT MEANS ANYTHING. People don’t remember teams that simply compete.
2009 was a long time ago my guy
Roberto Perez and the Mighty Giants will open the season against Gerrit Cole and the Yankees on March 30 at the stadium.
So, we’ll all see how much the Giants World Series wins from a decade ago help them win that game. BAHAHAHAHAA
I can’t imagine how annoyed I’d be having to watch a ball game with 27. Good thing none of us have too.
I love to point out for 40 years after the Black Sox scandal the Yankees American League competition included the Senators, the Browns, the Athletics, the White Sox, and the Red Sox, none of which were even trying to win. So they only had to beat out the Tigers and Indians to get to the W.S.
chumpy, You do realize of course that the majority of those 27 rings came when there was no lux tax, and most importantly no draft. Every potential prospect/player was a FA.
With the financial clout of NY, they had the scouting network, other teams couldn’t afford, but also had the ability to sign any player they wanted. People complain about the competitive unbalance of the game today, but most of those rings came when the competitive unbalance was even greater. Being impressed by 27 WS titles is like being impressed by the yachts and dachas of Russian oligarchs.
The 27 world series rings argument is really really old. How about you count the ones you actually saw in your lifetime? More like 5 world series. Most being won when Babe Ruth was in there line up what a clown you are and what a joke all of NY fanbase is.
The 3rd most World Series wins belongs to the A’s (tied with the red Sox at 9). By 27’s measure the A’s are the third best franchise in all of baseball. Take that for what it’s worth.
27. You bring it all on yourself. And on every other Yankee fan. Start by changing your username. Then change your whole attitude. Try humility.
When the Sox won in 2004 and us fans tasted being a winner for the first time, I told my Yankees friends, I would not become arrogant like many of their brethren and I’m happy to say 99.9% of the time I’m not.
Dunno what it is this year with all the yankee trolls. Same posts over and over.
And yet people continue to feed the trolls.
Ooo to have had a team that made the World Series…. Sigh
1011th pick made good
Solid backup. Only problem is like most of the older C’s has had trouble staying healthy lately. I’m hoping Barnhart can stay healthy for the Cubs also. So fingers crossed.
Fire Kaplernic!
Step in the right direction. Politics aside he still has all the same managerial skills that got him fired in Philadelphia
The FO wanted to keep Kapler. It was the owner, the non-baseball guy in the equation, that wanted to fire him. And, of course, the owner is the one whose desires count the most.
Watch out Diamondbacks, giants are coming third place!
Nice Pickup. Well Needed. Maybe he can play QB for the 49ers ?
Let Pablo QB!
Certainly nice to add some certainly to the mix.
Wish he stayed with the Pirates, he was ok.
Sabol bats left which at least gives Gabe some interesting platooning possibility. A small edge on job security…
Been awhile since Farhan went dumpster diving. I guess it will really pick up during the season
Is this a minor league deal?
My question as well! I couldn’t tell from the article.
Can’t wait to see the final agreement, and then wonder what Boston being aggressive consisted of.
Not that they’re stars, but the fact that Perez and Josh Harrison were both just signed and they were of “interest” to Chaim Bloom just personifies the boobery of Bloomers. Next, you’ll hear he’s “interested” in Mike Trout.
He’s like that girl in highschool who says she might be interested in going to the prom with you because she doesn’t want to be alone but she has a list of 3 or 4 guys she would rather go with.
What’s the over/under in HR’s in SF – 0.5?
Red Sox have to stop jerking around with the catchers. How will they have a happy ending with the catching position is so thin. The way things are going they wont be beating off tickets sales. Whatever happened to catchers who could really whack it at the plate? We know McGuire can handle his wood but only in low pressure situations
Lol Stan Papi! Happy ending? Jerking around? Beating off? Whack it? Handle his wood? I can’t quite understand what you are talking about! Lolol
Be careful at bobble head night…
Clearly a plus defender and while not a juggernaut at the plate I like the 2 Gold Gloves and the 24 home runs in 2019. A good depth signing without any risk if this is a minor league signing.
How is Patrick Bailey progressing? 13th overall selection of the 2020 draft.
How is Patrick Bailey progressing? SF 13th overall selection of the 2020 draft.
A minor league Gold Glove in 2022 and his cumulative stats after 2 pro seasons in 694 plate appearances are 584 at bats, 39 doubles, 21 home runs, a .355 OBP and .779 OPS. He will likely start the season in Eugene and progress to Richmond at some point. Probably not MLB ready until late 2024.
He hasn’t lived up to his first round draft pick status as of yet.
This will be a big year for him. If he can stay healthy and progress up the minors ladder then there’s still hope. But for now, the jury is out.
Assuming Perez is a getting a ML contract, who gets ousted from the 40-man? Villar would seem to be the odd man, out with options left.
Full, I’m pretty sure it won’t be Villar. He’ll likely be regular 3rd baseman, unless he really struggles in preseason.
Yeah, certain parts of this roster are a bit of a mystery. 1B/3B – seemingly could be any number of guys on any given day
Maybe one of the 17 pitchers is out – I’ll be watching the wire to see what the next move is when they formally book the signing
I mean, we’ve been watching the merry-go-round of platoons for a couple seasons but the current roster seems to suggest a new level of rotations. Honestly, I find it tiresome to watch and it must even more frustrating for the players that find themselves in and out of the lineup each day.
For some reason fans don’t like platoons. Maybe it’s just that you like to see the same lineup most days. But platoons work, and work exceptionally well with the right guys
If you have 2 guys, that hit from opposite sides, and do poorly against same side pitchers, it doesn’t make sense to pick one as the everyday guy. If both are around league average overall, but, say, 20% better with the platoon advantage, you can get 20% more out of the position. Why wouldn’t you platoon if the situation makes sense?
Luke goes to the 60 day at the start of spring training and will open a spot.
Boston keeps making “aggressive bids” for catchers. If they really want a guy they should just pay him. What’s it gonna take an extra $1m. That’s nothing considering revenue/payrolls.
Hoping for a good season for Roberto. Really enjoyed him in Cleveland. Still amazes me he had zero passed balls in either of his Gold Glove seasons (even though 2020 was a short one).
Bart and Perez guarantee low batting average types, almost an auto out
Seems that Sabol can show signs of higher batting average possibility – seeing his minors numbers
If he doesn’t make the opening day roster (only a small chance of that, I’m guessing, but who knows..?) I’d like to know if/when he can opt out of his MiLB contract.
It seems like that info isn’t usually reported in this kind of signing.
I’m very curious to see how Sabol is utilized. I was assuming 4th/5th OFer + C maybe once a week at most.
Still looking like last in the west.
Some poor deluded soul thinks the Rockies will finish better than the Giants. There’s certainly no lack of cluelessness on this site.
Thank you as always tad2b13 :)))