(Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
On Monday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reported that the San Francisco Giants are expected to sign veteran catcher Stephen Vogt to a minor-league deal.
Vogt still needs to pass his physical, per source. That’s not automatic given shoulder issues. @JanieMcCAP says he feels good but is not throwing from the crouch yet. https://t.co/IXi5N8DGiX
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) February 11, 2019
This deal is contingent on Vogt passing a physical, which isn’t necessarily automatic given that Vogt had season-ending surgery last May on his shoulder, and while he has said he feels better than ever, he has still not thrown out of the crouch yet.
This signing is the next in a long line of minor league deals Giants VP of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi has executed this offseason, and with the recent departure of Nick Hundley, Zaidi feels Vogt — a player whom he worked with in Oakland from 2011 to 2014 — can add more depth to the catcher position.
The 34-year old two-time All-Star split time in 2017 between Oakland and Milwaukee, batting .233 with 12 home runs while providing a veteran presence to an otherwise young locker room in Milwaukee. Vogt made back-to-back All-Star games with the A’s in 2014 and 2015, posting a slash line of .268/.333/.438 with 27 home runs and 108 RBIs during those seasons combined.
If the Giants do indeed add Vogt, he will be the second veteran catcher the club has signed to a minor-league deal in the past week after adding former Angels catcher Rene Rivera on Friday.
Aramis Garcia is currently the only other catcher on the Giants’ 40-man roster aside from Posey. He’s expected to begin the season as the backup, after an impressive late-season stint last year where he posted an OPS of .800 with four home runs in 65 plate appearances.
Former Phillies catcher Cameron Rupp is also in the mix after being signed by the Giants in January. Rupp has played in over 80 games each of the past three seasons for Philadelphia, hitting 39 home runs with an OPS of .718 during that time.