Finding right catcher will take time
SAN DIEGO — For four days, an assortment of Astros scouts, front-office personnel and onfield staff pored over two whiteboards inside a ninth-floor suite at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Names of trade targets and desireable free-agent catchers were scribbled and debated but hidden from sight when reporters were welcomed inside.
“Between 10 of us sitting here, we would all rank them differently, because we all value things differently,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said Tuesday. “Whether it’s the bat, whether it’s the leadership skills, whether it’s the ability to communicate with pitchers, the framing, throwing, blocking, all of those elements.
“Catching is one of the hardest things to really put down on paper and evaluate in a way everybody agrees. So we have quite a spirited debate.”
One fact is indisputable: The Astros are in dire need of a durable, everyday catcher. Luhnow and his lieutenants left San Diego on Thursday without a defined starter, the most distinct deficiency on a team trying for a fourth straight American League West title.
Addressing the position was the club’s “top pursuit” in San Diego, but Luhnow warned against assuming it will happen quickly. Houston also requires a veteran starting pitcher and one reliever.
Who catches those new acquisitions is anyone’s guess. And what the Astros value in their search depends on who in the organization fields the question.
“I want somebody that can handle the complexity of our game plan,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “That’s a complicated job, and I like someone that can handle all of that and then maybe hit a homer or two.”
Just five years ago, pitch-framing was en vogue, an attribute the Astros helped become more mainstream. They signed Hank Conger for the 2015 season in large part because of his elite framing work.
Conger excelled in that area, but he caught only one of 43 baserunners who tried to steal against him. He also mustered a pedestrian .759 OPS, so Houston traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays that offseason.
“I value balance overall,” Luhnow said. “I prefer us not to have any major deficit across all the areas, but it’s hard because everybody has some deficiency. But I think I’d probably value defense more than offense, especially for our team and our rotation.”
The returning members of Houston’s rotation almost mandate a veteran presence. Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke are polar opposites in their styles and demeanor, a day-to-day transition that could be difficult to adapt to. Lance McCullers Jr. spins hard-to-block curveballs as frequently as any starter in baseball. Jose Urquidy is embarking on his first full major league season. Having an older backstop to guide him — and this whole group — seems ideal.
The two catchers on Houston’s 40-man roster — Dustin Garneau and Garrett Stubbs — have 521 combined major league plate appearances. Neither has appeared in more than 42 major league games in a season.
“When you’re catching two future Hall of Famers, that may or may not matter,” Luhnow said. “We do value having someone with a little bit more experience in the big leagues. I think that’s important.”
Stubbs and Garneau profile as “defense first” catchers, Hinch said. Stubbs’ major league sample size is too minuscule to glean any absolutes. Garneau had a .757 OPS in the major leagues last season — but in only 101 plate appearances.
“We have a good offense,” Luhnow said. “I think we’re going to produce a lot of runs next year regardless of how much we get out of our catching spot. But we’ve been there where the catching spot is kind of an easy out and then you have to wait until it goes around to the top again.”
When Houston won the World Series in 2017, it received a .754 OPS from its catchers, the highest mark in Hinch’s five-year tenure. Last year, in a lineup that slugged higher than any in major league history, catchers had just a .722
OPS. Returning eight of the nine everyday players from that lineup seems to suggest Houston could afford a lighter-hitting backstop.
The speed with which freeagent catchers continue to disappear may challenge Luhnow’s patience in filling his biggest need. Austin Romine’s reported oneyear agreement with the Detroit Tigers on Thursday marked the eighth by a free-agent catcher since the offseason began.
Included among them were Travis d’Arnaud and Yasmani Grandal — unquestionably the top two backstops available. Neither was in a price range that worked for an Astros payroll approaching the luxury tax.
Their signings leave Robinson Chirinos, Martin Maldonado and Jason Castro among the most sought-after free agents. People familiar with the Astros’ plans said this week the team has had contact with all three of its former players.
All three have obvious familiarity with Hinch and his catching demands. Castro was drafted and developed by the franchise. Maldonado has been traded for twice in the last two seasons. Chirinos caught every Verlander inning last year.
Trading for a catcher could come with pitfalls. Houston’s farm system took a substantial hit after the Greinke deal last July. Premium prospects aren’t as plentiful to include in packages.
Still, San Diego’s Austin Hedges, Miami’s Jorge Alfaro and the Cubs’ Willson Contreras have all been bandied about as available. None of the three has reached his second year of arbitration eligibility. All played at least 100 games last season.
Hedges hits little but is an elite defender — one of baseball’s best pitch framers. Contreras crushes the baseball and is a two-time AllStar. Alfaro does not stand out in either facet, but is nonetheless solid in both.
“When you have a catcher that can handle himself defensively and also produce runs, it’s a huge benefit for sure,” Luhnow said.