Possible Replacements for Miguel Montero

On Tuesday, the Arizona Diamondbacks made a trade with the Chicago Cubs in which they shipped franchise catcher Miguel Montero in return for a pair of young pitching prospects.

Montero was called up to the Diamondbacks in 2006 with decent bat control and a knack to get on base. His ability to get on base only improved over his nine years with the Diamondbacks, averaging a .342 on base percentage in 906 games. He was able to make the National League All-Star team in 2011 and 2014.

The 31-year-old Venezuela native is under contract through the 2017 season and will make $12,000,000 for the Cubs next season followed by two seasons at $14,000,000. This move by new Diamondbacks General Manager Dave Stewart seems to be a salary dump.

Moving a top-tier catcher in the prime of his career will be very hard to replace for the upcoming season. Possible replacements include Tuffy Gosewisch, Blake Lalli, and Matt Pagnozzi from within the organization.

Jul 13, 2014; San Francisco, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Tuffy Gosewisch (9) throws the ball to first to record an out against the San Francisco Giants in the sixth inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Gosewisch, 31, has been a member of the Diamondbacks the past two seasons, accumulating 55 games played. He was called up in early-August in 2013 and would start two or three times a week totaling a weak .174 OBP. The Arizona State alum and Scottsdale native played slightly better in a 41 game stint with the Diamondbacks last season where he hit his only career home run and had a .242 OBP.

Lalli, 31, has never played a game for the Diamondbacks, but does have 22 games of Major League Baseball experience as members of the Cubs and the Brewers. In his short Major League service he hasn’t faired very well at all, hitting 5-39 with 10 strikeouts. He has played significantly better in the minor leagues in his career however. In 840 minor league games Lalli’s slash line stands at a .292/.353/.415. On top of his solid slash line, he also has significant experience at first base with 354 appearances there, as well as experience at second base, third base, and left field. Lalli could stand as a great utility man in 2015.

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Finally, Pagnozzi, 32, has the best Major League numbers of this trio. Although he just has 43 games of experience in the big leagues, spread amongst five years and five teams, he holds a .323 career OBP. In his longest stint in the big leagues, 15 games as a member of the 2010 St. Louis Cardinals, he was 14-39 with a home run and 10 RBI with a .405 OBP. Although there is no tell-tale sign of how Pagnozzi would fare as a primary catcher, he does have decent long-term numbers in the minor leagues with a .297 OBP in 865 career games.

It looks like the catcher position will be a dismal part of the 2015 Arizona Diamondbacks lineup with none of these options being ideal for a contender-worthy ball club. Most likely, Gosewisch will be the Opening Day starter, depending on whether or not Stewart goes out and acquires a new catcher, based off of his personal experience with the team.

As a member of the Oakland Athletics’ coaching staff Chip Hale was able to learn the ins-and-outs of platoon swaps at an expert level and I could definitely see him rolling out a platoon situation at the position as well. With Gosewisch being a right-handed batter and almost a lock for the 25-man roster, it would come down to the left-handed Lalli or the right-handed Pagnozzi for the second catcher spot. Lalli will most likely get the back-up role due to the fact that he hit .298/.356/.408 against right-handed pitchers last season for the Reno Aces.

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