State of play: NL Catchers

Now that the Cincinnati Reds have signed Brayan Pena, what is the state of the catching situation in the National League?

by Alex Hall

Nov 8, 2013, 11:38 PM UTC

Pena will have to leave behind the AL style of play, in which catchers position themselves on third base.

Mike Ehrmann

The Cincinnati Reds signed backup catcher Brayan Pena on Friday, which leaves their previous backup, Ryan Hannigan, without an obvious job. These two players are not exactly the marquee names of the catching industry, but according to the Butterfly Effect, even the flapping wings of tiniest major leaguer can cause ripples throughout the rest of the world. Here is a look at the current catching landscape in the National League:

Team	Catcher 1	Catcher 2	Notes
Arizona D'Backs	Miguel Montero	Open	2013 backup Wil Nieves is free agent; Tuffy Gosewisch (676 career minor-league OPS) is on 40-man roster.
Atlanta Braves	Gerald Laird	Open	2013 starter Brian McCann is a free agent; Laird has started in the past. Is 22-year-old Christian Bethancourt ready for majors?
Chicago Cubs	Welington Castillo	Open	2013 backup Dioner Navarro (856 OPS) is free agent.
Cincinnati Reds	Devin Mesoraco	Brayan Pena	2013 backup Ryan Hanigan is still under team control, so either he or Mesoraco are likely on the move.
Colorado Rockies	Wilin Rosario	Open	2013 backup Yorvit Torrealba is free agent. Rosario played 121 games last season but is a poor defender.
Los Angeles Dodgers	A.J. Ellis	Tim Federowicz	Not spending enough money behind the plate. Would suggest signing Robinson Cano and converting him to catcher because Dodgers.
Miami Marlins	Jeff Mathis	Rob Brantly	Please send help. (2013 Marlins catchers: 529 OPS)
Milwaukee Brewers	Jonathan Lucroy	Martin Maldonado	Brewers are set with offensive-minded Lucroy and defensive specialist Maldonado.
New York Mets	Travis D'Arnaud	Anthony Recker	2013 starter John Buck is free agent. Top prospect D'Arnaud is ready for a shot in the bigs.
Philadelphia Phillies	Open	Open	2013 starter Carlos Ruiz is free agent; if team can't retain him, it will probably seek external help as in-house options (Rupp, Kratz, Valle, et al) are seen as backups.
Pittsburgh Pirates	Russell Martin	Michael McKenry	Team appears set behind the dish heading into 2014.
San Diego Padres	Nick Hundley	Yasmani Grandal	Grandal could miss start of 2014 after knee surgery, but could also move to starting role eventually.
San Francisco Giants	Buster Posey	Hector Sanchez	Buster. They're set.
St. Louis Cardinals	Yadier Molina	Tony Cruz	Yadier. They're set.
Washington Nationals	Wilson Ramos	Open	2013 backup, Kurt Suzuki, was traded midseason. Could use an upgrade over Jhonatan Solano as backup.