Pittsburgh Pirates would do well to extend Francisco Cervelli

While one NL Central catcher might finally be approaching the downside of his career, another is looking to stay in the division long-term. According to Travis Sawchik of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Pirates backstop Francisco Cervelli is interested in signing a contract extension with the club.

The 29-year-old is supposedly seeking a three-year deal worth a total of $39 million. At those terms, the Bucs should get serious about locking Cervelli down.

In 2015, Cervelli enjoyed a career year in his first season as Pittsburgh’s starting catcher. He slashed .295/.370/.401 with seven home runs and 43 RBIs over 130 games.

His 3.1 WAR was good for fourth among all MLB catchers, trailing only Buster Posey (6.1), Stephen Vogt (3.5) and Russell Martin (3.3).

As Sawchik notes, Cervelli also flashed considerable defensive skill last season, enhancing his overall value. Praised for his pitch-framing ability, Cervelli led all backstops with 26.7 runs saved above average.

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Cervelli was acquired by the Pirates from the Yankees last winter in exchange for reliever Justin Wilson, a trade with which Pittsburgh must feel quite satisfied at this point. He is presently due to become a free agent at the end of the 2016 campaign, however, meaning the Bucs will need to decide about their future with Cervelli sooner or later.

Now is probably as good a time as any. If Cervelli hits the market next offseason, he will be one of the most prominent catchers available, rivaled only by the Orioles’ Matt Wieters. And depending on what kind of season Wieters has both in terms of performance and health, Cervelli could very well emerge as the more attractive option for teams in need of a catcher.

That’s not to say Cervelli doesn’t come without concerns, though. He has dealt with his own injury problems throughout his eight years in the big leagues. He also received a suspension in 2013 for use of a banned substance in connection to the Biogenesis scandal.

2015 was the first time he ever played in more than 100 games in an individual season (he played in just 250 total from 2008-2014). The Pirates may want to see him put in another full season a high level before making a multi-year commitment.

The kind of extension Cervelli is apparently talking about, however, is not one that should scare the Pirates away. $13 million per year would be a major increase from the $3.5 million he secured this year in avoiding arbitration, but it would represent a bargain by most metrics if he keeps up the kind of production he maintained last year.

A $13 million salary would currently make Cervelli the eighth highest-paid backstop in baseball, sandwiched between the Cubs’ Miguel Montero ($14 million, 1.8 WAR) and the Phillies’ Carlos Ruiz ($8.5 million, -0.8 WAR). That seems more than reasonable, especially if you subscribe to the 1 WAR = $7-8 million principle as Sawchik does.

Cervelli turns 30 in March, but a three-year deal would likely end before he declines too much. If he tests free agency after another strong season in 2016, someone might be willing to hand him a five-year contract, which would make Pittsburgh’s decision all the more difficult.

Such an arrangement would also allow the Pirates to continue grooming top catching prospects Elias Diaz and Reese McGuire. Either could replace Cervelli at the end of his deal.

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Cervelli won’t offer much in the way of power or run production, but he hits for average and demonstrated his all-around effectiveness last year as Pittsburgh marched to a 98-win season. If the Pirates want to continue holding their own against the Cubs and Cardinals, they might want to keep him around a bit longer.

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