Miami Marlins Offseason To-Do List
By Jason Burke
To Add a Catcher?
The Miami Marlins have J.T. Realmuto behind the plate, and he is coming off of a career year where he hit 11 homers, drove in 48, stole 12 bags and hit .303. He’s the team’s starting catcher, to state the obvious.
But who will be the backup catcher? With Mathis hitting free agency, is it time to give Tomas Telis a bigger role on the club? The way that they’ve been using him doesn’t suggest that they think he’s ready.
On the free agent market there are a couple of options that could prove to be solid defensive catchers behind Realmuto.
The first is Jason Castro, who has spent his career thus far with the Houston Astros. He regularly ranks among the league’s best in pitch framing, and unless we’re moving to robotic umpires with the new CBA, Castro will still have value. His bat will leave you wanting, but he is good for the occasional big home run. Perhaps a role as the backup instead of the full-time guy will keep his legs a bit more fresh and help out his bat.
Two other options would be A.J. Ellis and Nick Hundley, formerly of the Dodgers (and Phillies) and Rockies. Both would provide a solid veteran presence on the club, and while Hundley would provide a little more pop than Ellis, Ellis would provide the better defense behind the dish. Both performed well below league average at the plate last year, but Realmuto would be getting his fair share of starts.