Jim Turner - January 23, 2006
With much of the Jays' newfound wealth spent, and nearly every roster spot filled, the 2006 Jays must still decide who will split the catching duties with Gregg Zaun. The second catcher position has been a liability for the past two seasons, as the likes of Kevin Cash, Bobby Estalella and Guillermo Quiroz have failed to establish themselves.
Ken Huckaby was a nice story, a career minor leaguer who was able to catch some service time as a reliable defensive backup. While he will one day get to tell his grandkids that he used his hustle and the knees he's bouncing them on to sideline Derek Jeter for six weeks, he was completely overmatched as a major league hitter. Huckaby has signed with Boston and so the Jays will look for a catcher who can put a few more runs on the board.
Here are the career numbers of two of the candidates:
Sufficed to say, Molina isn't too thrilled with this turn of events, and has even threatened to sit out if he doesn't make at least $6 million.
Player B? That's Jason Phillips, former Met and Dodger, who signed a minor league deal with the Jays earlier this winter. He's younger than Molina, and far more willing to take a walk, though he has struggled with the bat the past two seasons, and his career line is built almost entirely upon his fine 2003 season: .298/.373/.442.
Is Molina the better player? Sure. He's put up three straight quality seasons, and has a pair of gold gloves on his mantle. He's nowhere near better enough to justify a multi-year contract. It's unlikely that he'll improve upon a career year at age 31, an age at which many hitters suffer serious declines.
Given the same number of at-bats this year, it would be no surprise to see Phillips outhit Molina. He'll certainly outhit Huckaby. Molina does rate a defensive edge.
Signing Molina at $3-4 million for a one year deal is far more defensible. Molina should be motivated to improve his numbers and take another shot at free agency - it did wonders for Kevin Millwood. And he could be valuable trade bait at the deadline if the Jays find themselves out of the race or awash in quality catching. With Phillips already signed, the Jays aren't desperate, and Molina shouldn't have much leverage to drive up his asking price. If he does indeed decide to sit out, the team can pocket those millions to use at the trade deadline.
Then there's Guillermo Quiroz. The oft-injured prospect is out of options with the Jays, so he will either have to seize a job or find another organization. With the Jays having invested heavily in contending this offseason, it's unlikely that the young catcher will get a very long look, especially if he struggles early. That's a shame, because Quiroz could be a low wattage Lance Parrish-type, with strong defense and home run power. Hopefully the Jays will see the best of what a healthy Quiroz can do.
Finally, there's the most intriguing option for a second catcher; free agent Mike Piazza. Sure, Piazza's defense is weak, and he only throws out about 15% more base stealers than I do. He's also a first-ballot Hall of Famer with the bat, and it's not as if the Jays are in a division laden with running offenses. They could likely sneak Piazza behind the plate for 50 games without fear of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez running wild. Given the chance, Piazza would have a good chance of outhitting Shea Hillenbrand splitting time between DH and catcher.
Piazza's salary demands are unknown, but unlike Molina, who already owns a World Series ring, Piazza might be drawn to Toronto as a chance to play for a winner, and could come at a discount.
Ultimately, the most important players to consider in this equation are these guys:
Age Games AVG OBP SLG
Player A 31 716 .273 .309 .397
Player B 29 385 .254 .321 .381
Player A is the winter's top free agent catcher, Bengie Molina, ex of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California. Molina is coming off a career year that saw him hit .296/.336/.446 and set a career highs in homers. Molina and his agent have tried to parlay his big year into a big payday, reportedly turning down a 3-year deal from the Mets worth between $18 and $21 million in the hopes of sparking a bidding war. That didn't materialize, and the Jays have become surprise bidders for Molina, with Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi looking to sign Molina to a one-year pact at no more than $4 million. That would take the Jays payroll
right to its suggested $75 million threshold.
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HBP SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
Player A 490 65 136 29 1 9 65 71 5 75 2 1 .278 .371 .396 .767
Player B 448 57 102 21 0 12 53 68 2 77 1 5 .228 .331 .355 .686
Clearly, player A is the better choice here. That's what Greg Zaun has done prior to the All Star break over the past three seasons. Player B is what he's done in the second half. Zaun's a bulldog behind the plate, but he's been wearing down under his unprecedented workload the last two seasons. Given a competent backup, Zaun can get more rest and his offense may hold up over the course of the entire season. That would give the Jays an offensive edge at catcher over all but the Variteks and Posadas of the world, and those guys aren't getting any younger.
