There's already been one huge A's announcement this week (cough jewel box with nooks and crannies cough), but among the baseball news of the week what also caught my eye was a report that teams are actively inquiring about Francisco Cervelli and Russell Martin. The catcher market is fascinating this offseason as there are many catchers available and also numerous teams in need. Is it a buyers market or a sellers market?
With so many team names and player names in the mix it can be a challenge to frame one's thoughts about the situation. To help my own self out, and to share as a reference with all Green n' Gold lovers, I decided to compile a list of those talented, ignorant, crouching men available and which teams are still in need of such a fellow.
Note: I built this list primarily off of the excellent MLBTradeRumor article on the subject: 2018-2019 Market Snapshot: Catcher
If there's any omissions please let me know and I'll edit accordingly. I plan to keep this list up-to-date as the off-season progresses. Catcher is probably going to be a boring upgrade for the A's this offseason. This list is meant to help me manage my worry that the A's are at risk of missing out completely.
As I write this here on Nov. 29th, there are 6 teams still in dire need and 8 remaining backstops who could handle primary catcher duty. That's a relief, but also note there are 5 additional teams who could make an upgrade. And one team from that list already nabbed Brian McCann, so look out.
Good Tier
Yasmani Grandal
J.T. Realmuto
Francisco Cervelli
So-so Tier
Martin Maldanado
Wellington Castro
Russell Martin
Teams In The Market
Huge Need
Angels - Lucroy
Astros - Chirinos
Athletics
Diamondbacks
Dodgers
Nationals - Suzuki, Gomes
Rays
Kinda Need
Braves - McCann
Brewers
Mets - Ramos
Phillies
Red Sox
Rockies
Rangers - Mathis