Buster Posey is no doubt one of the best catchers in the league and one of the best players currently in the game period, and the Atlanta Braves were – maybe – after him prior to the trade deadline.
This one may have gone under the radar but the Atlanta Braves reportedly had checked in on San Francisco Giants’ star Buster Posey before the July trade deadline, according Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
"[Buster] Posey is on the DL and facing hip surgery. It’s interesting that at the trade deadline there was some interest in him. The Braves had inquired and there was talk the Red Sox were also involved, but a team source denies that. The Red Sox had lost Christian Vazquez to a broken pinkie and their catching was thin. Sandy Leon’s success helped alleviate their concerns, and the fact that Blake Swihart caught so well in his limited chances also assured the Red Sox they didn’t need to pursue a catcher. Posey in the middle of the Red Sox lineup would have been interesting. The Yankees were also in the hunt for Giants lefthander Madison Bumgarner but the price was too high."
Disclaimer: Nick Cafardo has often been a bit sketchy on his speculation and sources, so we won’t go ALL IN on this and allow you to take it as you will.
As he notes, the 31-year-old catcher is on the DL and will be having season-ending hip surgery on Monday. From SFGate, Posey will head to Colorado to have arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn labrum and deal with some bone spurs in his right hip.
However before going down, Posey was hitting .284 for 2018 with five home runs and 41 RBIs. It’s actually a down year for him but that’s still quite impressive.
Being paired with either Tyler Flowers or Kurt Suzuki, it would have definitely boost the Braves offense, plus the man can play 1st base if that’s ever needed.
Cafardo also included the note that the Boston Red Sox were apparently involved with the trade talks but that a source denied it.
Posey is a six-time All-Star and multi-award winning player including the Gold Glove (2016), Silver Slugger (4x), NL MVP (2012), Hank Aaron Award (2012) to name a few. Also, he is a hometown kid, being born in Leesburg, Georgia.
Are Giants Ready To Move On?
With his injury, the Giants may be preparing to move on from the Posey-era with the call-up of Aramis Garcia, the Giants 2nd-round pick in 2014. Garcia may only be hitting .233 in this season but it’s the first step of what could be San Francisco’s new catching regime. They also already have Nick Hundley (.239) on the roster.
Aramis Garcia was officially called up to replace Buster Posey. Garcia will wear No. 16.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) August 26, 2018
To entertain this cause even more, there is the point that they drafted Georgia Tech alumni, Joey Bart who is now their top prospect. According to MLB Pipeline, Bart has advanced defense and a bat that can “generate power to all fields.”
Also, our own Benjamin Chase said he was told by a scout that Bart could be ready for Opening Day 2019.
Posey has played his entire 10-year career with the Giants and co-face of the franchise with his battery mate Madison Bumgarner but could his time with the Giants be up?
Carfardo also noted that the Giants were listening to the Yankees’ ask for Bumgarner but gave a high price.
Why This Is Eye-Catching
No pun originally intended. If the talks were true, it confirms that the Braves have added “Elite Catcher” to their wish list after being rumored to having interest in Marlins’ J.T. Realmuto since last winter.
Posey is no-doubt one of the best offensive & defensive catchers in MLB next to names like Realmuto, Yadier Molina, Salvador Perez and Jonathan Lucroy. He is a guy that could and most likely would cost the Braves four of their top 10 prospects, but if they wanted to go for a top-of-the-line catcher, Posey is one of them.
However, hip surgery is one of the big ones that will put a player on the shelf for some time. 6-to-8 months is the projected recovery time in this case. Some of us guessed Posey therefore might not be okay enough to go until May 1st.
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Posey is currently contracted for about $22m per season through 2021 (with a 2022 option). So, he’ll be a HUGE gamble for the Braves if they want to go for him.
Should they though? It’s kind of hard to tell before he has his surgery.
The Braves currently have the duo of Flowers and Suzuki which cost them only $7.5m this season. They will both become free agents after this season though, unless the club extends them.
However, I don’t see the Braves re-signing both of them, if even one of them, before the season ends if they plan to check on other names.
Also, if they pursue anyone else at other positions (e.g. Jacob DeGrom, Manny Machado, Craig Kimbrel), such decisions could determine the direction of their catching pursuits.
Posey will now added to the group of catchers the Braves could be pursuing this off-season… health question notwithstanding. Other catchers might also include Realmuto plus Wilson Ramos and Yasmani Grandal if they’re looking on the market.