The Washington Nationals reportedly signed Kurt Suzuki on Monday afternoon. Could this be a precursor to a Wilson Ramos reunion?
Since losing Wilson Ramos after the 2016 season, the Washington Nationals have received very little production from their catching corps. Matt Wieters was signed to replace Ramos, but had an underwhelming two-year tenure in Washington.
Now, with Wieters’ time in DC a thing of the past, the Nats have not wasted any time improving behind the plate. On Monday afternoon, they reportedly signed veteran backstop Kurt Suzuki.
Suzuki spent parts of 2012 and 2013 in Washington and has spent the last two years with their division foe Atlanta Braves, so the Nats are plenty familiar with him. They obviously like him, as they will pay him $10 million over the next two years, but his track record points to him being more of a glorified backup, as opposed to an everyday catcher.
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Over the last two years, Suzuki has thrived while splitting time with Tyler Flowers. Suzuki is capable of starting, but would be best served in a platoon. If the Nats intend on having him continue in a timeshare role, they will likely need to acquire another catcher.
Spencer Kieboom had a nice finish to the 2018 season, but he projects better as a backup. With Suzuki on the roster, the Nats may need more of a starting-caliber catcher to complete the tandem.
The Nats have already reunited with one of their 2013 catchers in Suzuki, but they could reunite with their other backstop from that season as well. In 2013, Suzuki caught 79 games for the Nats, while Ramos caught 78. Now, we could see a similar situation in 2019.
Ramos has suffered a few significant injuries throughout his career, including tearing his ACL twice. Considering his relatively lengthy injury history, it may be difficult for him to produce as an everyday catcher. For this reason, he and Suzuki would form a perfect catching tandem.
Yasmani Grandal and Robinson Chirinos are solid options, but Ramos may be the best catcher available on the open market. Despite being able to help almost all 30 teams, it will be difficult to accommodate for him due to his injury history. He will require more off-days than a typical catcher, and most teams do not have a backup capable of taking on a bigger role. Suzuki is more than capable of serving as Ramos’ glorified backup.
Ramos could also help the Nats maintain a productive offense in their post-Bryce Harper life. Harper and Daniel Murphy are currently free agents, leaving the Nats lacking some pop in the heart of the order. Anthony Rendon, Juan Soto, and Ryan Zimmerman are solid run-producers, but Ramos would make the group even better.
A reunion between Wilson Ramos and the Washington Nationals has made sense for a while, but adding Kurt Suzuki to the mix only enhances the situation.