Could Robins Add Sexy Catcher?
(Not quite as sexy as Megan Willis, but hits likes she looks.)
It wasn't too long ago that we talked about Brooklyn sabotaging Sean Smith (6/7/7/4/4 Ratings)'s service time. One of two things happened. Either we didn't calculate it correctly or the league silently intervened because someone was offended that they didn't think of it first and complained. Either way would be funny and make a great article. But since I'm not 100% sure, I'll just write one about who his replacement will be.
Candidate #1
Carlos Flores (6/6/6/5/7 Ratings)
Flores has been Smith's platoon buddy over the past 2 seasons. He's done the job well posting a .267/.304/.426 line in 427 at bats. Not great, but as a backup catcher, good enough. The Robins are not likely to hand him the full time job though. His reverse splits mean that he'll likely see a regression in his stats. Plus he isn't a great defender. Brookyn is committed to pitching so it's very likely that they will go with a better defender and might even demote Flores to serve as the 3rd catcher waiting in AAA.
Candidate #2
Ignacio Marrero (5/5/8/6/5 Ratings)
The 30 year old journey man backstop has always served as a short side option. He's essentially been a more consistent and better defensive version of Flores. He's also unlikely to be handed the full time gig because he isn't great at anything. If is going to suck at hitting then he needs to be an elite defender.
Candidate #4
Michael Arroyo (5/6/7/6/5 Ratings)
Arroyo was snagged recently in the rule 5 draft. He's a decent defender with some pop and a good eye. Brooklyn was steadfast in selecting the best left handed hitting catcher available to platoon with Marrero/Flores. Arroyo happened to be that guy. He is not quite what they had hoped to gain from the process. And thus the search is still ongoing.
Candidate #5
Wyle Tupin (5/9/4/6/6 Ratings)
Staple nose is the defacto heir to the thrown in Brooklyn. After the team hits the nuke button following a Landis victory, Tupin is widely expected to be Brooklyns starting catcher next year. He is a team leader with strong catching ability. He's been one of the guys the Robins have leaned on to develop a lot of the pitching bumpers you see in Brooklyn today as well as the dozens of others they have traded along the way.
Candidate #6
David Katzenbogen (4/5/5/6/4 Ratings)
I mean, if you are going to go defense first... this is the guy. With the addition of Elroy Hinson (8/7/7/7/9 Ratings) to the Madison roster, I'm sure Bazooka could be had for the right price. His addition would not only help the pitching first 2037 roster. But he could be kept along long term in the "World's Greatest Rebuild" project and there would be no better player to extract value out of reclaimation project pitchers. Something Brooklyn will be doing for 4-5 seasons. But there is that small little detail that will hurt the 2037 team.... He can't hit for shit.
Candidate #7
Hsin Mei (8/8/10/6/8 Ratings)
Now that you've finally stopped thinking about that hot softball chick and I have your full attention. This is the sexy catcher I was talking about. I'm really into trade values. There is a huge dynamic of conditions that apply to each player and circumstance. On the surface you say.. who doesn't want Mei? But with the skyrocketing costs to extend pending free agents now a days and many of the top GM's in the league being tight wads. Mei could probably be had cheaper then you may think.
Jim is rebuilding in New Orleans. Ideally he wants to flip Mei for a bushel of prospects. Brooklyn has no prospects. Literally. Our top prospect is like 175 overall. We have a couple of minor league guys that may interest them. But as throw ins. We don't have the ideal package to match up.
But... who does that is willing to make the move? I mean after all. Mei only has one year left before he is set for a massive payday. I think the general feeling is that he is going to want Lucas McNeil money and he is going to hit free agency no moatter where he lands.
Enter the Brooklyn Robins. Did we mention 2037 is all or bust? We traded for Mauro Flores knowing damn well he will be a free agent after this season. We plan on trading just about every player on our roster after the season. So while we don't have the prospects to get a deal done, we do have some young pitching that may interest New Orleans. A trade centered around someone like Manuel Andrés maybe be interesting.
So does Brooklyn have one more bullet left for one more superstar? This is the hot stove baby. Anything is possible.