Orioles claim catcher Cam Gallagher

[OriolesMagic83]

4 hours ago, Jammer7 said:

Why would they use a 40 man roster spot for that? They could just bring up Handley if Ramirez and Roberts aren’t good enough, no?

Could it be that Chirinos is heading out? Gallagher up to replace him? 

How close is Handley to being ready?  I know he's a defense first catcher.  The bat only has to be better than Chirinos which shouldn't be hard. 

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, OriolesMagic83 said:

How close is Handley to being ready?  I know he's a defense first catcher.  The bat only has to be better than Chirinos which shouldn't be hard. 

Why does the bat have to better?  The glove is better.

[OriolesMagic83]

4 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

Why does the bat have to better?  The glove is better.

Why does it have to be worse?  Chirinos is probably about the worst batter in the majors now.

[wildcard]

When Bemboom, Cumberland and Nottingham went down it did not just effect AAA. It meant there was no backup if Adley or Chirinos went down.   That is why they used a 40 man spot for Gallagher.  He is a proven major league back up catcher.

Handley is a year away from the majors most likely.  He has not played at AAA yet and we don't know if he will hit at that level much less the majors.   But I think he will be protected on the 40 man roster this off season.

Edited September 12, 2022 by wildcard

[interloper]

Very good defensive catcher who has spent his career backing up an excellent catcher in Salvador Perez. I think this is a nice jump on your backup catcher hole for next year, while also filling the need at AAA this season. He would be a sizable upgrade on Chirinos right now, and if the O's can't find anyone else this offseason, Gallagher is a solid option. 

Edited September 12, 2022 by interloper

[Tony-OH]

Here's some reasons why Gallagher might be here next year as the backup:

Here's him stealing strikeouts with great pitch framing:

https://www.mlb.com/video/00u7jzgkdtP9kH55c356/reels/gallagher-getting-k-s-on-framing

Here he is blocking pitches in dirt. Very much a wall.

https://www.mlb.com/video/00u7jzgkdtP9kH55c356/reels/cam-gallagher-blocking

Throwing runners Out:

https://www.mlb.com/video/00u7jzgkdtP9kH55c356/reels/gallagher-throwing

 

[Jammer7]

4 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

Here's some reasons why Gallagher might be here next year as the backup:

Here's him stealing strikeouts with great pitch framing:

https://www.mlb.com/video/00u7jzgkdtP9kH55c356/reels/gallagher-getting-k-s-on-framing

Here he is blocking pitches in dirt. Very much a wall.

https://www.mlb.com/video/00u7jzgkdtP9kH55c356/reels/cam-gallagher-blocking

Throwing runners Out:

https://www.mlb.com/video/00u7jzgkdtP9kH55c356/reels/gallagher-throwing

 

Quality back up, and a big sturdy guy. Thanks for sharing that. 

[RZNJ]

34% CS in the minors.  21% in the majors.    Probably has a good arm even if the ML percentage is not great.   Not bad though.   Had a .622 and .677 OPS in the two years he had over 100 AB's.    He's pretty much guaranteed that many AB's if it's just him and Adley.   Only 7 homers in 468 PA.

[Frobby]

I note that Gallagher is arbitration-eligible.  Will Elias keep him beyond 2022 and tender him a contract?

His framing numbers are solid.  

[RZNJ]

4 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I note that Gallagher is arbitration-eligible.  Will Elias keep him beyond 2022 and tender him a contract?

His framing numbers are solid.  

That seems like the motivation behind signing him now.   You are the expert.   How much can this guy expect to get in arbitration?   He might be happy to have a ML job so maybe they can work something out.   He made 885K this year.   What's it going to take?    1.2M  1.5M    Can he get more than that?   Will he try?   He might price himself out of a job.

Coincidentally, Chirinos made 900K this year.

 

They might offer Gallagher 1M this winter and if he declines, just cut him loose.

Edited September 12, 2022 by RZNJ

[Frobby]

I’d think any raise would be minimal, given that he only played in 18 major league games this year.  He did cross over into 4+ years of major league service though.  That may give him a bump regardless of merit.  

[eddie83]

3 hours ago, RZNJ said:

34% CS in the minors.  21% in the majors.    Probably has a good arm even if the ML percentage is not great.   Not bad though.   Had a .622 and .677 OPS in the two years he had over 100 AB's.    He's pretty much guaranteed that many AB's if it's just him and Adley.   Only 7 homers in 468 PA.

He does walk a good bit. Could have a decent OBP. Has no pop. 

[Moose Milligan]

12 hours ago, eddie83 said:

He does walk a good bit. Could have a decent OBP. Has no pop. 

If he walks, that's good enough.  As long as he's not making outs, I don't care if he doesn't have any pop.  I think we gotta get past the idea of having a backup catcher that can hit.  If that catcher could hit, he'd probably have a starting job somewhere.  If we have a good catcher who can block balls, call a good game and handle the staff and not be a complete liability with the bat, that's probably as good as it'll get.  

[Can_of_corn]

5 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

If he walks, that's good enough.  As long as he's not making outs, I don't care if he doesn't have any pop.  I think we gotta get past the idea of having a backup catcher that can hit.  If that catcher could hit, he'd probably have a starting job somewhere.  If we have a good catcher who can block balls, call a good game and handle the staff and not be a complete liability with the bat, that's probably as good as it'll get.  

Or we could have had Adley and Jonah Heim.

Check out that second link, it's a heck of a play.

Edited September 13, 2022 by Can_of_corn

[sportsfan8703]

The backup catcher spot is something that can be upgraded and make a difference. Ideally, we’d have a RH that mashes LHP.