Five Big Name Free Agent Targets For Miami Marlins In 2022

Miami Marlins Free Agent Target # 3:  Salvador Perez, Catcher

Unless, of course, the Miami Marlins still have more questions than answers at starting catcher.

Multiple members of the staff outright preferred Chad Wallach over Jorge Alfaro last season when it came to game management, to the point Alfaro found himself on the bench come playoff time. A decision made all the easier for Marlins skipper Don Mattingly considering the fact 2020 was far and away Alfaro’s worst campaign offensively. Wallach actually outhit Alfaro last year, setting up a very interesting catcher race to follow in 2021.

If Alfaro finally delivers the full, complete season Miami thought they were acquiring when they traded J.T. Realmuto, this move obviously has no chance of happening. But if Miami is forced to once again use a career .209 hitter more often than not…the Marlins will be making catcher their first, second, and third priority.

So why not make it the second best catcher in MLB and sign Salvador Perez?

The only reason Perez hasn’t been an All-Star in a staggering seven straight MLB seasons is that, there was no All-Star game in 2020. Four straight years of 20 plus HRs, followed by last season’s explosion of 11 HRs in just thirty-seven games. That’s a massive upgrade to what could be the weakest spot in Miami’s lineup. There’s a reason the early 2021 MLB draft buzz has the Marlins thinking catcher.

More importantly, Perez has won the AL Gold Glove in five of the last seven seasons. So if nothing else, Marlins pitchers are probably going to pretty happy with him as a battery-mate.

I’m not saying it will guarantee a return to the World Series for the Miami Marlins. All I’m saying is the Marlins have never won a World Series without a Gold Glove caliber backstop.

Coincidence? Maybe so. Seems like something the Marlins should rule out though, no?