Why Drake Baldwin could raise the bar for catcher salaries, plus more MLB notes – The Athletic
Joe Mauer received the biggest guarantee for a catcher, $184 million in 2010. Buster Posey received the next-biggest, $167 million in 2013.
Recent history suggests those numbers will not be topped, and the market for catchers will remain depressed. But Drake Baldwin might be an interesting test case, if the Atlanta Braves engage him on an extension.
Baldwin, 25, is younger than three other catchers who merit long-term consideration, the Athletics’ Shea Langeliers, Milwaukee Brewers’ William Contreras and Baltimore Orioles’ Adley Rutschman, all of whom are 28. He entered the season with only one year of service, as opposed to three for Langeliers and four for Contreras and Rutschman respectively.
The way Baldwin is playing, batting .313 with 9 home runs and a .923 OPS while appearing in all 36 Braves games, he will be a candidate for National League MVP coming off his award for NL Rookie of the Year.
The Braves, however, have yet to seriously engage Baldwin in discussions on an extension, according to people briefed on the matter. Their hesitance almost certainly stems from the reason catchers rarely get big money — the wear and tear of the position, even with days at designated hitter offering occasional relief.
The last catcher the Braves extended, Sean Murphy at $73 million over six years, provided $39.6 million of value in his first year with the club according to FanGraphs’ dollars metric, which is WAR converted to a dollar scale based on what a player would earn in free agency. But injuries cost Murphy nearly half his team’s games the past two seasons and the first 35 of this one.
Yes, the risk with catchers is greater.
Front office types will tell you Mauer underperformed his contract, in large part due to a concussion that forced him to move to first base. Posey, on the other hand, greatly outperformed his deal, virtually doubling its value despite sitting out the 2020 Covid season.
This is not just about numbers.
Mauer was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Posey, who becomes eligible for the first time in the next election, might achieve the same feat. Teams benefit from marketing opportunities when a player is elected to Cooperstown. They benefit in a similar manner when a player spends his entire career with one club, something long-term deals help achieve.
The Philadelphia Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto was perhaps the catcher best positioned to approximate their contracts, and nearly did. His two free-agent deals combined add up to eight years, $160.5 million. The first of those agreements, reached when he was entering his age 31 season, might have been even greater if it had not been signed amid Covid uncertainty. Realmuto still beat Mauer’s record average annual value for a catcher — barely, with an AAV of $23.1 million.
Baldwin, obviously, is a long way from any comparison to Mauer and Posey, and even Realmuto. But he’s also well beyond two catchers who signed extensions with comparable levels of service — Washington’s Keibert Ruiz (eight years, $50 million as a one-plus player) and Baltimore’s Samuel Basallo (eight years, $67 million just after entering the league).
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Will Smith is in the third year of a 10-year, $140 million extension, a deal he signed as a four-plus player. The Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh is in the second year of a six-year, $105 million extension, a deal he signed as a three-plus player, before his 60-homer season. Each of his three free-agent years is valued at $23 million — Mauer’s AAV.
No matter what the next labor agreement looks like, some catcher eventually figures to beat Mauer by a sizable amount in AAV, if not total guarantee. Rutschman, Contreras and Langeliers might be on that path. Baldwin, because of his age and early achievement, might stand the best chance of all.
Smith’s quiet Hall of Fame case
In his most recent list of active players who might be headed to the Hall of Fame, The Athletic’s Jayson Stark included the Dodgers’ Smith for the first time. That was last July. Smith since has won his third World Series. His quiet case for Cooperstown, befitting for his low-key personality, is only getting stronger.
Smith wasn’t a Rookie of the Year or MVP like Posey was, but he already has matched Posey in World Series titles. His offensive profile is similar to where Posey’s was at the same point of his career. And he figures to play longer than Posey, who retired at 34. Smith is signed through his age 38 season.
Through 752 career games:
Posey: .859 OPS, 102 HRs, 446 RBIs
Smith: .831 OPS, 131 HRs, 458 RBIs
No extension in works for Reds’ Stewart
The Pittsburgh Pirates awarded shortstop Konnor Griffin a nine-year, $140 million extension. The Detroit Tigers signed infielder Kevin McGonigle to an eight-year, $150 million deal.
So where, Cincinnati Reds fans might ask, is the long-term contract for their team’s own standout rookie, first baseman Sal Stewart?
Right now, nowhere.
Stewart, 22, was the National League Rookie of the Month for March/April, batting .281 with nine homers and 29 RBIs. But the Reds, who offered Kyle Schwarber a five-year free-agent deal in the $125 million range last December, with heavy deferrals in the first year, are not in the same financial position they were then, according to people briefed on their situation. Nor are they in the same position they were when they offered shortstop Elly De La Cruz the richest deal in franchise history in the spring of 2025.
The Reds were one of nine major-league teams to terminate deals with Main Street Sports Group in February (the Tigers, who play in a larger market, were another). Main Street offered Cincinnati $42 million to stay, down from the $52 million they would have paid under the previous contract, but ultimately could not come up with the money. The Reds then shifted production and distribution of their telecasts to the league, which is selling direct-to-consumer subscription packages — a less lucrative plan, at least in the short term.
Around that time, owner Bob Castellini authorized the signing of free-agent infielder/DH Eugenio Suárez to a one-year, $15 million contract. The deal put the team over its payroll budget. And with the lingering uncertainty over future revenues, the Reds have yet to even make a formal offer to Stewart, according to people briefed on the matter.
Cardinals on the rise
Young players sometimes tread lightly around veterans, reluctant to express themselves. The St. Louis Cardinals, by trading third baseman Nolan Arenado, first baseman Willson Contreras and right-hander Sonny Gray during the offseason, effectively liberated their youngsters, allowing a new culture to form.
Super utility man Brendan Donovan, another player dealt by first-year president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, is not the grizzled 30-something the other three were. If anything, Donovan would have fit nicely with this group. The Cardinals, though, felt the return of three prospects and two draft picks was too good to refuse.
With Donovan gone, shortstop Masyn Winn, first baseman Alec Burleson and backup catcher Pedro Pagés are emerging as leaders for the position players, left-hander Matthew Liberatore for the pitchers. In recent years, St. Louis previously was a place where a number of young players failed, only to succeed somewhere else. Bloom is trying to reclaim the Cardinals’ identity as an organization built on young talent.
Encouraging as the Cardinals’ position-player group looks, both offensively and defensively, it’s difficult to imagine the team sustaining its 21-14 start with a pitching staff that ranks last in the majors in strikeout rate. But, if at the deadline the Cardinals are within range of a playoff spot, they likely will adjust their rebuilding plan without abandoning it.
In other words, they could act as modest buyers, fortifying their pitching staff while remaining committed to their young talent. It’s a difficult balance to strike, but Bloom is operating with a clear direction — unlike in Boston, where he initially was tasked with restocking the farm system, only to have the success of the 2021 team heighten expectations for fans and ownership.
Sandy a goner? Maybe not
The Miami Marlins’ demotion of struggling catcher Agustín Ramírez on Monday to make room for top prospect Joe Mack did not attract nearly as much attention as the New York Yankees’ decision to option shortstop Anthony Volpe. But it demonstrated the same type of front-office urgency.
When it comes to the Marlins, the term “urgency” is relative. Their estimated $73 million dollar payroll is the lowest in the majors, and less than one-fourth that of the Yankees. But the front office, at least with its handling of the roster, is trying to win.
Another example occurred Tuesday morning, when the Marlins desginated right-hander Chris Paddack for assignment. Paddack, the team’s third-highest paid player after signing a one-year, $4 million free-agent contract, had a 7.63 ERA in 30 2/3 innings. His expected ERA was a more encouraging 4.36, but Braxton Garrett and top prospect Robby Snelling are excelling at Triple A, and another highly regarded youngster, Thomas White is not far behind.
Another question the team might face – whether the return of Garrett from major elbow surgery and emergences of Snelling and White will prompt a trade of ace right-hander Sandy Alcantara – is more complicated.
Alcantara’s importance to the team goes beyond his ERA, which after 47 1/3 innings is 3.04. Alcantara, 30, is a leader in the clubhouse, highly respected in the community, a favorite of owner Bruce Sherman. He also is earning $17.3 million with a $21 million club option for next season. Only one other Marlins player, closer Pete Fairbanks, is earning more than Paddack’s $4 million.
The Marlins’ younger pitchers are promising. But as long as the team remains in contention, a trade of Alcantara would send the wrong message. The Marlins, if they are fortunate enough to develop a surplus in their rotation, perhaps can move Janson Junk, 30, or Max Meyer, 27, instead.
A’s creating outfield depth?
When the Athletics signed outfielder Carlos Cortes in Nov. 2024, it was pretty much your run-of-the-mill minor-league deal, drawing little attention. The A’s liked Cortes’ offensive profile, recalled him as an amateur at the University of South Carolina and were thin in the outfield at the time. So, why not?
Cortes previously was known for getting drafted twice by the New York Mets, first in the 20th round out of Lake Howell (Fl.) HS in 2016, then in the third round out of South Carolina in ‘18. He also throws with both hands — left-handed when in the outfield, right-handed when at second base. Little did the A’s know that he would hit well for them as a 28-year-old rookie last season, then take his game to an even higher level.
By hitting .400 in April, Cortes became the second player in franchise history to bat .400 in that month with a minimum of 70 plate appearances. The other player, according to the team’s media relations department: Hall of Famer Ty Cobb, who hit .403 in April 1927.
Can Cortes keep this up? Well, he started May by going 2-for-6. And his Statcast profile indicates this isn’t simply luck.
Cortes’ expected batting average is .350, ranking in the top one percent in the league. His expected slugging percentage is .571, putting him in the top five percent. And his 8.3 percent strikeout rate is among the league’s lowest.
The A’s, at least for now, intend to ride their platoon of Cortes and Colby Thomas in right. They’ve already moved on from Andy Ibáñez, who was claimed by the New York Mets, clearing additional room on their bench.
Once Lawrence Butler starts hitting and Denzel Clarke recovers from a bone bruise in his right foot, the A’s outfield might be an area from which they can trade. Tyler Soderstrom is holding down left, Zack Gelof is mostly playing outfield and top prospect Henry Bolte is hitting at Triple A.
Don’t forget Montgomery
It’s only fitting that Chicago White Sox fans are caught up in Mune Mania, considering that Japanese rookie Munetaka Murakami entered Tuesday tied with Aaron Judge for the major-league lead with 14 home runs.
Murakami, though, isn’t the only burgeoning star on the South Side. Shortstop Colson Montgomery, 24, is excelling both offensively and defensively in his first full season, again impressing, in particular, with his power.
Since last year’s All-Star break, Montgomery’s 30 home runs rank fourth behind Kyle Schwarber (37), Judge (31) and Junior Caminero (31). José Abreu is the only player to hit more home runs in his first 105 games with the White Sox, though Murakami obviously might blow by both.
White Sox general manager Chris Getz said the attention on Murakami actually is benefiting Montgomery, allowing him to settle in. At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Montgomery frequently draws comparisons to Corey Seager. And like Seager, he looks entirely capable of remaining at short.
Defensive metrics are not always reliable in small samples, but Montgomery currently is tied with Elly De La Cruz in Outs Above Average at shortstop, trailing only Bobby Witt Jr. He ranks ninth among shortstops in defensive runs saved, still grading out as above average at the position.
Dodgers at it again
Even rival executives who complain about the Los Angeles Dodgers’ spending concede that the two-time defending World Series champions do just about everything well, from drafting and developing to scouting internationally.
An 11th-round draft pick, left-hander Justin Wrobleski, is the current NL ERA leader. And an international free agent who cost the Dodgers a mere $12.5 million, infielder Hyeseong Kim, appears to be a steal.
Kim, 27, lost the second-base job to Alex Freeland in spring training, but the Dodgers summoned him to platoon with Miguel Rojas at shortstop after Mookie Betts went on the injured list April 5 with a strained right oblique.
Dodgers first base coach Chris Woodward, a former major-league infielder, compares Kim’s defensive skill to that of Andrelton Simmons, a four-time Gold Glove winner at shortstop.
“The talent he has, the work ethic, all the things combined, I’ve never seen a package quite like that,” Woodward said. “I think Simmons at his peak was probably similar. The arm strength, the quickness, he might have been the best I’ve ever seen.
“But Kim’s work ethic is off the charts. I have to tell him to stop. He wants to go, go, go. The speed, the arm strength, there are certain things he does that I can’t teach, mechanically. His hips are so mobile. He can be completely across his body and still throw a ball 100 mph across the field. And you’re like, ‘That doesn’t make any sense.’”
Woodward said he needs to see more of Kim at second base and shortstop before he can make a full defensive evaluation. But so far, so good for Kim, even on the offensive side. In 73 plate appearances, he is batting .308 with a .770 OPS.
Kim is under contract through 2027, after which the Dodgers must decide whether to exercise his two-year club option, which would pay him $5 million in both ‘28 and ‘29.
In other words, the Dodgers might get five years of Kim for slightly more than one-third of right fielder Kyle Tucker’s AAV.
