Tom Murphy, Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Dinur via Flickr)
A reoccurring question at the beginning of the season was would the Seattle Mariners carry three catchers? To begin the season, while the rosters were expanded, they did indeed carry Luis Torrens, Tom Murphy, and Cal Raleigh. Another question was, once the rosters went back to their normal size what would the M’s do with the three of them?
Subsequently, when the rosters did return to their normal size Raleigh was optioned to Tacoma. It wasn’t a very difficult decision either as he was hitting below .100. Torrens and Murphy handled the catching responsibilities, with Murphy taking the larger share. Murphy was playing well overall, both hitting and behind the plate. Then he went and dislocated his shoulder and landed on the injured list.
The Seattle Mariners called Raleigh back up to take Murphy’s spot. Unfortunately, Murphy’s suffered a setback during his rehab. At this point, it’s unclear as to when he will return. And, now, he’ll most likely need a minor league rehab assignment. Leaving the Seattle Mariners with only Torrens and Raleigh as options. Prior to all of this, Murphy was hitting .303 with 9 runs scored, 2 doubles, 1 home run and RBI, 8 walks, and 13 strikeouts.
On the season Raleigh is hitting .169 with 10 runs scored, 2 doubles, 6 home runs, 14 RBIs, 7 walks, 33 strikeouts, and 3 errors. Fun fact, the Seattle Mariners are 6-0 when Raleigh hits a home run. So, there’s your winning formula. Torrens is hitting .214 with 7 runs scored, 1 double, 8 RBIs, 7 walks, 32 strikeouts, and 1 error. Subsequently, both of these catchers are being highly productive over the last couple of weeks. This brings us back to the question at the beginning of the season. When Murphy is healthy, will the M’s carry three catchers?
Next: Page 2 – Call to the Farm
The options at Tacoma aren’t overly enticing. Brian O’Keefe is hitting a nice .321 with 13 runs scored, 4 home runs, 11 RBIs, and 1 stolen base over 78 at-bats. Former major leaguer Andrew Knapp is hitting .184 with 5 runs, 3 home runs, and 5 RBIs over 38 at-bats. Also, he’s a career .210 hitter at the major league level. Finally, Joseph Odom is hitting .255 with 15 runs scored, 8 home runs, 14 RBIs, and 1 stolen base in 110 at-bats. However, he’s a career .122 hitter at the MLB level. Nothing here that screams “better option”.
So, this brings us to another route. GM Jerry Dipoto could get on the phone and call the Chicago Cubs and ask them about acquiring Willson Contreras. He’s 30-years old, currently on a 1-year $6,650,000 contract, and has one more year of arbitration eligibility before becoming an unrestricted free agent per Sportac. He’s a career .260/.353/.462 with averages of 78 runs, 141 hits, 25 home runs, 81 RBIs, and 5 steals. Also, a .989 fielding percentage, and some experience playing in the outfield along with playing in the postseason.
Sounds tremendous right? Well, the first question the Seattle Mariners need to ask is will he block and/or hinder Raleigh’s continued development. If the answer is he won’t then they can proceed to the next question. Is Seattle willing to give him a contract extension? Again, if the answer is yes then move on to the final question. What is the cost to acquire Contreras? Keep in mind Raleigh is viewed as the future starting catcher for the franchise.
Next: Page 3 – The Reality of the situation
Chicago is in a bit of a rebuild this season, after trading away Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo, and Kris Bryant. How long the team views their rebuild will play a factor in their feelings towards Contreras. If Chicago feels they might be in the rebuild for this season and possibly next season, then Contreras price tag will be high. Subsequently, if they don’t expect to be contending within the next 3-5 years, then Contreras’s price tag might not be as high.
Most likely acquiring Contreras will cost the Seattle Mariners some of their prospects, as Chicago probably isn’t interested in any of Seattle’s veterans. If Dipoto can pull off a similar deal to get Contreras as he did to get Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez, then he needs to pull that trigger.
The catcher position on almost all major league ball clubs is a position that is not very offensively friendly. Contreras is one of the few catchers who can hit, play good defense, and call a good game. For the Seattle Mariners, adding this kind of talent is a good idea. This also isn’t a shot at Raleigh or Torrens. I still believe Raleigh is the M’s future at catcher and Torrens can be a high-end quality backup.
So, will the Seattle Mariners add Contreras? It will all come down to how Dipoto and the team feel about the questions I provided. They also might feel they have more urgent and pressing needs that need to be fixed.