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Chasing Rainbows at Catcher
2004-10-28 10:14
Top MLB Catchers, 2004
Two others earn low six-figure salaries because they haven't earned arbitration or free agency rights yet. Consider Cleveland and Atlanta blessed. An 11th catcher, A.J. Pierzynski, made $3,500,000 despite an OPS lower than that of Royce Clayton or Tony Womack. Not exactly a bargain, though at age 27, his statistics should improve. That leaves the Chicago Cubs' Michael Barrett, who hit 16 home runs and 32 doubles in 2004, as perhaps the best don't-break-the-bank catcher around. Barrett is due for a raise through arbitration but apparently is just shy of his free agent rights. A poorer team might consider trading him, but the contending Cubs figure to keep him. Some other catchers? Here are the most noteworthy remaining free agents at the position, according to Peter Gammons.
Here's the current Dodger starter:
Dave Ross will earn close to the major-league minimum next season. His 2004 performance was abysmal, but you realize as you look at some of these catchers that even for Ross, the journey to average isn't far, the journey to bargainhood even less so. Let me repeat. There are many catchers out there better than Ross, many not even mentioned above. But there might not be many better bargains out there than Ross. If retaining Ross as the starter and batting him eighth allows the Dodgers to solve their other problems, that may be a satisfactory resolution.
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