Tampa Bay Rays doing the same thing at catcher again

So much for the Tampa Bay Rays upgrading at the catcher spot this offseason.

The Tampa Bay Rays had considered improving their production at catcher to be one of the keys to their offseason. This would have presumably occurred via trade, as the Rays were not about to spend much money in free agency. Michael Perez had been lost on waivers to the Pirates, and due to their own free agency, prospect Ronaldo Hernandez was the only catcher the team had on the 40 man roster.

That has changed while the Rays have not changed anything at all. Mike Zunino has returned to potentially reclaim his spot as Tampa Bay’s starting catcher. Meanwhile, the Rays have also reportedly brought back Kevan Smith as part of that mix.

Smith will still need to earn his way onto the roster. He is expected to sign a minor league deal with an invitation to the major league portion of spring training. However, given the team’s lack of depth at the position, and that Hernandez has yet to reach AA, he would seemingly have an inside track at the backup role.

He actually showed signs of competence at the plate in 2020, albeit in a limited sample size. Smith produced a respectable .258/.378/.452 batting line with a homer and three doubles in 38 plate appearances. He was also reasonably solid behind the plate, throwing out three of six would be basestealers and saving a run in just 80 innings.

While Smith has generally been a solid producer with the bat for his position, his defense leaves a lot to be desired. His surprising defensive performance last year notwithstanding, he has actually cost teams 15 runs behind the plate while throwing out just 15% of base stealers.

But the Rays need production offensively. It is fine to trot out a strong defensive catcher with minimal offensive skills if the rest of the lineup can make up for that weakness. However, the Rays are not quite at that point.

Kevan Smith is reportedly back with the Tampa Bay Rays. While they have prioritized catching once again this offseason, they are back to doing the same thing.