Washington Nationals Backup Catcher Options for 2018 Season

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After a poor season from Matt Wieters, the Washington Nationals will need to spend this offseason reassessing their catcher options. This means doing more than filling the backup role with a veteran who owns a catcher’s mitt and shin guards.

Last winter, the Washington Nationals postured as long as they could when searching for a new catcher. They entered Spring Training with Derek Norris and Jose Lobaton expected to open the season on the 25-man roster. Then they struck a deal with veteran Matt Wieters. The contract paid him $10.5 million in 2017 and the same in 2018 if Wieters decided to remain thanks to a player option.

The long-time Baltimore Orioles’ catcher didn’t fair well in his first season with the Nationals. Through his 465 trips to the plate, Wieters slashed .225/.288/.344. He added just 10 home runs and struck out 94 times. Twice he has struck out more, but in each of those seasons he had more than 100 more chances to fan. Clearly, the Nationals got the raw end of this deal.

Wieters will likely use his player’s option to stay in Washington for another year. The worst season of his career statistically did some serious damage to his reputation and would have surely ruined any chances at a favorable free agent period.

As the Nationals decide on who their second-string catcher is next year, they will have to do more than sign a veteran. They need a guy who can actually take over the starting role if needed.

Wieters is not going to give the Nationals the kind of All-Star production he did early on in his career. To ensure the position doesn’t become an automatic out like it often was in 2017, the Nationals need to look at their options. They include these three catchers.

Pedro Severino

The favorite to backup catcher option for the Nationals next year is Pedro Severino. The homegrown talent is a fine defensive player who has yet to find his stride at the plate. While he did hit very well in his 34 plate appearances back in 2016, Severino struggled in 2017 during a full year with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs and again in 31 chances with the Nationals.

Still, the Nationals seem to have high hopes for Severino. He’s probably not the answer long-term as a starter, but his defensive skills can certainly keep him on in MLB if his offensive talents improve.

The greatest benefit of Severino backing up Wieters is that he’s cheap. He’ll only cost the league minimum which would help the Nationals use finances elsewhere; like the bullpen.

The Nationals must find many bench pieces from their minor league system. They may have done so with infielder Wilmer Difo whose 2017 performance should allow them to move on from Stephen Drew. Severino could be the next Nationals’ farmhand to play an important role in Washington.

As the franchise slowly transitions into what will become the Victor Robles Era, the Nationals will need to begin testing out which young catchers deserve the most playing time.

Alex Avila

Veteran Alex Avila has seen the darkest days of baseball and the brightest. Once a possible future star, Avila hit a wall early in his career. Though he has always been an incredibly patient hitter, his career .351 OBP far outweighs the less impressive .243 batting average.

Avila’s bounce back campaign in 2017 should have plenty of teams looking at him as a possible platoon or backup. A starting role probably isn’t out there for him with guys like Jonathan Lucroy and Welington Castillo also searching for jobs. So, it’s probably best for Avila to find a home where a future job is up for grabs.

Although Wieters is getting paid starter money and will need to lose his role as the everyday catcher, it’s a job anyone can win. If Avila can repeat what he did last year, new Nationals’ manager Dave Martinez would have to consider it. The two already met in 2017 when Martinez was coaching for the Chicago Cubs and Avila finished out the season on the Southside. Perhaps this familiarity could lead to a reunion.

Avila finished 2017 with a .264/.387/.447 batting line to go with 14 home runs. Even though this was only the second time in his career he finished a full season batting above .250, Avila is young enough to peak late. He’ll turn 31 in January and could use last year’s momentum to piece together another solid season. Paired with Wieters, the burden could be taken off from each.

Chris Iannetta

Of all the free agent catchers, none is more intriguing than Chris Iannetta. The 12-year veteran smashed 17 home runs for the Arizona Diamondbacks last year in only 316 plate appearances. He did it while also hitting .254/.354/.511. It’s very unlikely these power numbers continue into 2018, but one has to wonder what he can offer the Nationals.

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Iannetta is certainly a risk. He’s a career .231 hitter who hit .188 in 2015 and only a slightly better .210 in 2016. He has played for three teams in three seasons and will play in 2018 at 35-years-old. It’s not fair to say he has declined, though, as last season was one of his best.

If Washington went this route, Wieters would feel the threat. Iannetta is playing in the twilight of his career while Wieters is about to enter another season where his next contract will surely weigh on his mind.

Unless the Diamondbacks re-sign Iannetta, there really isn’t a starting job out there. Most teams are set behind the plate. This could mean Iannetta settles on a part-time role. This is a similar job description from the past few seasons, having never played in more than 94 games.

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Iannetta’s career is coming to a close. His best chance at a championship might be in Washington. Having already worked with a talented 2017 Diamondbacks’ rotation, I have no doubt he’d have value both at and behind the plate with the Nationals.

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