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Frankie Pena’s seat just got hotter, or maybe Joe Hudson’s. Or is this Molina knee insurance, as well?
Source tells @StLSportsPage that #STLCards are expected to announce tomorrow that they have signed free agent catcher Matt Wieters to a non roster deal.
— Rob Rains (@RobRains) February 26, 2019
Sounds like Yadi insurance to me. Although Wieters at this point night not be better than Andrew Knizner.
I like this. Minor league deal. Probably has opt out if he doesn’t head north. I remember being excited when Rick Wilkins a similar deal 20 years ago. He actually managed a .330 on base percentage last year in 250 at bats as his walk rate dramatically rose last year. He has won 2 gold gloves in his career. He’s not great any more but not horrible. A switch hitter. Really I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be a big upgrade over pena. I think he must be betting on the possibility of Molina not playing as many games. I wonder who the emergency catcher might be if we keep him as the only backup and he is used as a pinch hitter. I’m guessing Dejong. If I were Robinson or Munoz I would be begging to put on the tools of ignorance for an extra chance to make the roster.
I don’t mind this move. he probably is better than pena far as if something happened and yadi had to be out a while. though hes not a lot better by any means.
And as a switch hitter gives us a left handed option off the bench. Although backup catchers are not often used as pinch hitters.
Danny Mac and I discuss the PH situation in today’s podcast. Whoever the third catcher is had better be ready. I also noted that any artificial pressure to force Drew Robinson onto the roster just because of his handedness may be relieved. Really hard for me to find anything not to like about Wieters’ addition.
Not much to dislike about this signing. He is a former all star, still has some pop in the bat, gives us another LH bat, an upgrade over Pena, and comes with minimal financial obligations.
Hopefully Yadi won’t get upset if his handpicked backup doesn’t make the team.
gscott …. that’s a huge advantage for Pena. Yadi is not going to like seeing Wieters in camp although Wieters is a huge upgrade over Pena. Yadi rules.
I’d like to see Rodriguez or Ortega start at Springfield, with the other starting at Palm Beach. My pick would be Rodriguez, but the organization appears to favor Ortega. But either have more potential than Martinez, as he could back up either. And it’s better than a time share like they had a Peoria.
Cards Conclave:
It’s also interesting they’d make this move when Pena has the Yadier Molina Seal of Approval. Yadi’s always been good with any backup catcher, but it’s pretty clear at times that he connects more with some than others. He never seemed to really make that connection with Kelly (especially if Bengie Molina‘s comments about Kelly last year, saying in effect that he should go to Memphis if he wanted to play and not try to take time from Yadi) but definitely has with Pena. Honestly, I believe Molina’s sway is why Pena got the most starts last year when he was out. We know that Yadi has enough pull to get Jordan Hicks on the roster when the club really wasn’t considering it. Yadi’s opinion on things really matters and so far, I don’t think the club, especially the front office, has notably crossed him. Selecting Wieters over Pena would seem to do that, though, which is an interesting look.
Like so many things, the Cards Conclave commentary is too binary. Molina had input on Hicks making the roster last year and it seems he likes Pena more than Kelly. The signing of Wieters should make it clear he is not in charge, however.
Nothing wrong with bringing Weiters in for a “look see” (as Barney Fife might say). Definitely an upgrade over Pena, and would probably be one of the better back-up catchers in the game.
He should make the roster, assuming he is close to the player he has been in recent years.
who cares what Molina thinks? He has become such a diva. He was my favorite Cardinal but he has become so full of himself in the past few years.
When you invest heavily, you are entitled to reap some dividends. You could argue that Yadi has controlling interest in this team because he has made the greatest investment in this team.
Maybe Pena endorsed the Wieters acquisition with the words “bring em on baby…..bring em on!” I’m still fairly bullish on Francisco, as I thought he filled in admirably for Yadi last year. And it appears that his teammates are comfortable with him….speaking of “teammates”, it doesn’t seem all that long ago when Francisco was playing in the little league world series for that upstart NY State team, where he was a teammate with none other than Danny Almonte……who turned out to be 2 years older than advertised.
The loser may bail out, but if I was Pena, I would consider carefully if I could find a better gig than Memphis elsewhere.
There's a new competition in camp now that Matt Wieters has arrived.
Worth noting: Both Wieters and Pena have opt-out clauses that would allow them to become free agents at the end of camp if not on #STLCards roster. https://t.co/QLkHxCCnwu
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) February 28, 2019
Agree Brian, unless Pena has a guaranteed major league job I cant think of a better minor league gig than waiting for an injury to one of two 32+ year old catchers. Evan Weiters might not find a better spot. In his case though, I am sure he would probably renegotiate to a June 1 opt out.
Yes, I doubt there is any way that Wieters would go to Memphis, and frankly, I would not blame him. Pena does not have that kind of resume to say the least. A good catcher like Martin Maldonado is still looking for a job and many other backup types will be cut loose later this spring. Hopefully Pena realizes he has a good thing going, whether in StL or Memphis.
Word from camp today is that Wieters had not received any offers other than the Cards, just made this week. Some are implying it to be a negative view of the market.
What that tells me is that he probably wanted an MLB deal and when he saw he wasn’t going to get one, he lowered his sights. I am pretty sure he could have received a minor league deal months ago.
Matt Wieters will make $1.5 million if he makes the #STLCards' 25-man roster. He can opt out on March 22 if not.
— Mark Saxon (@markasaxon) February 28, 2019
If Wieters can’t beat out Pena, then it’s probably time for Matt to retire. This shouldn’t be a tough competition unless Wieters has really let himself go.
With the Cardinals signing a big name like Matt Wieters, it's worth considering that over the past 10 seasons, Yadier Molina has caught ~77% of STL's innings.
Compare that to other teams' primary catcher for each of those seasons, and it's an enormous gap. pic.twitter.com/PbvAwntNke
— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) February 27, 2019
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