Giants to add catcher Pérez
Gold Glove winner ‘has great instincts’
After failing to re-sign Curt Casali, their former catcher, the San Francisco Giants agreed to a deal with another veteran at the position Sunday.
Roberto Pérez, who spent his first seven-plus seasons with Cleveland before playing in Pittsburgh last year, also was an option for Boston, according to Mass Live’s Chris Cotillo, who reported the agreement. Terms have not been reported.
Pérez, 34, won Gold Gloves in 2019 and ’20, led the American League in percentage when throwing out runners in 2019 (40.8) and 2020 (71.4), and is the current career range-factor leader among big-league catchers. But he has not hit better than .239 over a full season, and while he hit 24 homers in 2019, his next highest total is eight and he has had only 10 combined in the past three seasons.
“He’s unbelievable to throw to,” said former Giants and Oakland A’s reliever Dan Otero, who played with Pérez in Cleveland. “He has great instincts throughout the game in reading swings. He always seemed to come up with big hits in big moments, as well.”
Injuries limited Pérez to 65 games the past two seasons, with a hamstring strain costing him all but 21 games last year.
The Giants’ catching spot has been unsettled since Buster Posey retired after the 2021 season. Rookie Joey Bart got the starting spot to open 2022, but struggled with the bat — his strongest attribute — and was sent to Triple-A Scramento for part of the season. By the end of the season, Austin Wynns was catching All-Star Carlos Rodón full-time and also worked more often with Opening Day starter Logan Webb.
Casali, who was traded to Seattle last summer, had strong interest in returning to San Francisco, but accepted a deal with Cincinnati while the Giants were focused on trying to sign Aaron Judge and then Carlos Correa.
Wynns was designated for assignment by the Giants on Jan. 6, then accepted an assignment to Sacramento after he cleared waivers.