Seattle Mariners Trade Profile: Cleveland Catcher Yan Gomes

Despite the relatively young off-season having just started, the news continues to fly hot and heavy. Today, we look at an option to fill one of the Mariners many needs; catcher.

For most of our off-season coverage, which began in October, our focus for the Seattle Mariners has been in the outfield and in the starting rotation. Why? Because, frankly, those are the biggest and most obvious needs for the current roster.

However, one area we have glanced over is at catcher. While Mike Zunino is a perfectly acceptable full-time backstop, there could be an opportunity to improve at the position. Zunino does not make consistent enough contact to be counted on to avoid prolonged slumps.

However, he is a good pitch framer, works well with the starting staff, and has massive power. These attributes make him a useful piece, but also not a guy you should ask to catch 120+ games a season.

“But”, I hear some of you saying, ” catchers are really hard to find.”

And you are right. But that doesn’t make it impossible. So today, we take a look at one potential option, Cleveland catcher Yan Gomes.

The Player

In case you didn’t hear, the Cleveland Indians are looking to shed some of their payroll. The mid-market team rode a 3-year stretch of deep playoff runs into stretching their payroll significantly, and now they are ready to scale back by listening on some of their pricey veterans. You can read the full story here.

One such player is 31-year-old catcher Yan Gomes. Gomes is coming off a rock-solid season at the plate in 2018, slashing .266/.313/.449 in 435 PAs. He also clubbed 16 home runs, 26 doubles, and drove in 48 as well.

The return of power to Gomes’ game is a huge boon to his value. In 2013-2014, Gomes appeared to be a potential star, slashing .284/.325/.476 in those seasons. However, things fell apart in 2015-2016 when he slashed just .205/.240/.365.

Gomes blend of power and a decent bat-to-ball skill make him a solid bat at the bottom of the lineup. In addition to his bat, Gomes is an excellent blocker of balls in the dirt who also handles a very good staff in Cleveland quite well. He has the arm to help control the running game and grades out as an average pitch framer as well.

Gomes is a solid, above-average defender and bat for the position, and provides either good insurance for the long slumps of Zunino or as his replacement should the Mariners decide to move on.

The Fit

As stated above, Yan Gomes could be a welcome addition to the Mariners. His bat would bring a more consistent presence to the bottom of the order. His defense is, at the very least, as good as Mike Zunino’s.

Gomes’ reputation of working well in tandem with his starting staff also bode well. However, he is not an obvious upgrade from Mike Zunino. Having both on the roster makes little sense for the Mariners. It is difficult to envision a scenario where both Mike Zunino and Yan Gomes split duties as Seattle’s catching tandem.

The Cost

Now comes the million dollar question: what would this cost? Monetarily, Gomes will cost his 2019 team $7 million, assuming Cleveland doesn’t eat any salary. In addition, Gomes has 2 option years tacked onto the end of his contract, which ends after the 2019 season. His 2020 option is worth $9 million, and his 2021 option is worth $11 million. While it is unlikely Gomes will see either option activated, the team would be on the hook for a $1 million buyout.

In addition to the monetary cost, Gomes would likely spell the end of the Mike Zunino era in Seattle. Without a major upgrade at the position, Jerry Dipoto likely will not trade the 2 years of control in Zunino for 1-year of the similarly valuable Yan Gomes.

If the Mariners do have plans to move on from Zunino, the trade cost to acquire Gomes would be quite reasonable. While posting a 2.7 bWAR in 2018, Gomes still has a checkered past in regards to performance, will turn 32 in July, has just 1 year of club control, and is making a decent amount of money.

All of these factors lead to a price likely in the ballpark of a Nick Rumbelow or Eric Filia for Gomes type of deal.

It remains unlikely that Gomes makes a lot of sense for Seattle right now. But if Mike Zunino is on the trade block and the team can find a deal they like, it remains possible.