MLB Hot Stove Rumors: Nationals, Braves reportedly in on Matt Wieters
Wieters is by far the best free agent catcher available
By
Mike Axisa
•
2 min read
Last offseason, following his first year back from Tommy John surgery, catcher Matt Wieters decided to remain with the Orioles and accept the $15.8 million qualifying offer. He took the large one-year guarantee over a potential multiyear payday as a free agent.
Wieters did not receive the qualifying offer this offseason and he is currently the best available free agency catcher. Quality catchers are hard to find, and yet, the market for Wieters does not seem particularly robust at the moment. Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports says two NL East rivals are currently in the mix:
The Nationals have joined at least the Braves in what could turn out to be an NL East battle for free agent catcher Matt Wieters, league sources say.
Wieters spent the first eight years of his career with the Orioles, so relocating to Washington, DC wouldn't be a long-distance move. Also, Wieters grew up in Charleston and attended Georgia Tech, so he's familiar with Atlanta as well. Both the Nationals and Braves offer geographic advantages.
Washington lost starting catcher Wilson Ramos to free agency earlier this offseason, and they acquired Derek Norris from the Padres to take over behind the plate. Ramos, Jose Lobaton, and Pedro Severino are their top three options at catcher. None present a big obstacle for Wieters, however.
For what it's worth, Pete Kerzel of MASN Sports indicates the Nationals would like a strong pitch-framer behind the plate, and the numbers do not love Wieters' receiving ability. Here are 2016 pitch-framing numbers for Wieters and Washington's three incumbent backstops:
| StatCorner | Baseball Prospectus | |
| Lobaton | +5.4 | +2.5 |
| Norris | +5.7 | +9.2 |
| Severino | -0.8 | -0.7 |
| Wieters | -7.3 | -4.4 |
Wieters' throwing has rebounded well following elbow reconstruction -- he's thrown out an above-average 34 percent of baserunners the last two years -- but his .243/.302/.409 (87 OPS+) batting line in 2016 represents the worst offensive season of his career. Below-average framing and a career worst offensive season are a bad combination heading into free agency.
The Nationals may prefer to stick with their in-house options, especially after giving up a prospect to acquire Norris from San Diego a few weeks ago. The Braves, however, are very much open to adding another catcher. They were in talks to acquire Brian McCann from the Yankees before he was traded to the Astros, for example.
Right now, the Braves have pitch-framer extraordinaire Tyler Flowers behind the plate, with journeymen Anthony Recker and Tuffy Gosewisch as backup options. Wieters would be an upgrade over Recker and Gosewisch, and would form a nice catching tandem with Flowers. He'd be a solid veteran backstop to help lead the club's young pitchers through the rebuild.
For now it seems the Nationals, Braves, and every other team are willing to wait out Wieters and see if his contract demands drop. Jason Castro inked a three-year deal with the Twins worth $24.5 million earlier this offseason, and I'm sure Wieters is hoping for a similar payday. Neither the Braves nor the Nationals are desperate for catching help at the moment, so Wieters may have to wait a little longer to sign.
