In true throwback fashion, allow me to transport you back to 2019 when Tampa Bay utilized the services of six different catchers because the Rays were in the throes of a backstop crisis. Sound Familiar? It should, given that both Mike Zunino and Francisco Mejía find themselves on the Injured List, while the Rays have had to lean on five catchers this season. Zunino, diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, is slated for surgery to remedy the issue, and thus is done for the season. Meanwhile, Mejía, the primary catcher for the Rays following Zunino’s season-ending injury, recently ended up on the 15-Day IL with a shoulder impingement.
Thankfully, it would appear that Mejía’s injury isn’t severe, according to Rays’ skipper Kevin Cash, potentially necessitating a minimal stint on the IL.
Totally fine after the game (Tuesday). Totally normal. Then he woke up and called us and said it was barking a little bit. He went and got checked out (by a doctor). We’re confident it’s an impingement. Hopefully, it’s just, I’m going to say two weeks.
— Kevin Cash
Even so, it is yet another blow to a team that has been pounded by injuries this season.
Mejía has appeared in 59 of 97 games, with the 26-year-old performing to a respectable .258 BA/.265 OBP/.423 SLG/.688 OPS slash line with a .295 wOBA, and a 96 wRC+ across 185 plate appearances. However, when hitting against southpaws, the switch hitting backstop has gone off, putting up a .373 BA/.385 OBP/.529 SLG/.914 OPS line with an outstanding 166 wRC+. On top of that, he has started to get into the groove as it relates to controlling the running game, with the majority of his seven caught stealings coming across a handful of recent contests. Suffice it to say, Mejía’s absence will be felt.
In the interim, Rene Pinto, who boasts a 49 wRC+ in 56 big-league plate appearances, has been recalled from Triple-A Durham. In the long term, however, with the trade deadline looming, it’s conceivable that Erik Neander and Peter Bendix could pull the trigger on a trade acquisition of another bat that can fill in behind the plate.
With that in mind, there are a pair of backstops the Rays have been connected to — Willson Contreras (Cubs) and Sean Murphy (Athletics).
Willson Contreras
Contreras is in the midst of an All-Star season, with him putting up a .258 BA/.373 OBP/.470 SLG/.843 OPS line, with a .372 wOBA and a 139 wRC+ across 357 plate appearances. He’s hit 14 home runs, scored 51 runs, and driven in 37. He also hammers the ball landing him in the 98th percentile in Max Exit Velocity, and in the 91st percentile in HardHit% per Statcast. And while his defensive peripherals are down this season, he comes with a positive reputation behind the dish based on previous seasons.
The downside: he is a rental player, as he will be a free agent at season’s end, and Tampa Bay would be giving up prospects, and potentially big-league talent, for a player that would help the team get to the postseason, then vanish shortly thereafter.
Sean Murphy
Much like Contreras, Murphy has put up a respectable .244 BA/.322 OBP/.426 SLG/.748 OPS line with a .324 wOBA (but with a .347 xwOBA, landing him in the 82nd percentile), and a 115 wRC+ across 368 plate appearances. He’s hit 11 home runs, scored 42 runs, and driven in 41. Also like Contreras, Murphy can scorch the ball (94th percentile in Max Exit Velocity), although his HardHit% is just above average (61st percentile).
Defensively, Murphy is a 2021 Gold Glover who currently boasts a 34% Caught-Stealing% and a pair of pickoffs this season. He’s tallied a +12 DRS over the past three seasons, with strong framing marks along the way. Moreover, he allowed just two passed balls since Opening Day 2021 despite ranking fifth among all big leaguers with 1553 innings caught in that time. Beyond that, Murphy is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, while he is under team control until 2026, making him that much more appealing to the perineally cost-conscious Rays.
Either Contreras or Murphy would be a welcome addition to the Rays’ roster and would bolster the team through these trying times and beyond. Only time will tell will if Neander and Bendix will pull the trigger on one of them, although with five days remaining until the trade deadline, we should know more soon.