MLB Rumors: Cody Bellinger confirmation, Yankees in on former Met, Giants trade fits
By Curt Bishop
MLB Rumors: Giants trade fits for Joey Bart
The San Francisco Giants have a logjam at the catcher position. While they have Joey Bart on the roster, there are several other in-house options that may ultimately squeeze Bart out of a spot.
The Giants have Patrick Bailey waiting in the wings. They also have Blake Sabol on the roster, as well as Tom Murphy, who they signed to a two-year, $8.25 million deal. Murphy is likely in line to claim backup catcher duties behind Bailey.
With that in mind, the Giants may have to find a new spot for Bart.
Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors predicted that Bart might ultimately be traded and listed the Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Tampa Bay Rays as potential fits.
Bart would be an interesting fit for the Pirates and Rays. Tampa Bay let go of Christian Bethancourt and was left with Rene Pinto, Alex Jackson, and Rob Brantly as their remaining catching options. Bart may have a clear path to start if added by the Rays.
The Pirates are also going to be without Endy Rodriguez, who went down with an elbow injury while playing winter ball, and while they do have top prospect Henry Davis, they could use some depth.
The Brewers could be an interesting fit as well. They already have William Contreras as their starting catcher, which means any trade for Bart would be to add some depth behind Contreras at the catcher position.
Eric Haase was signed to replace the departed Victor Caratini, who served as Contreras' backup in 2023, so he will likely fill that role. However, Haase is a veteran and not regarded as one of the better defensive catchers in the league. He also hit just .201 in 2023, so Bart could potentially have a path forward if acquired.