Seattle Mariners: 4 Catchers Who Could Replace Mike Zunino

Thursday morning, the Mariners officially traded long-time catcher Mike Zunino to the Tampa Bay Rays. While the deal has been met with both skepticism and excitement from a divided Seattle fanbase, there is one question on everyone’s minds: who’s going to be the M’s catcher in 2019?

As of now, Seattle only has one catcher on its 40-man roster in David Freitas. While anything is possible, I think it’s safe to say Freitas will most likely not be the Mariners’ starting catcher moving forward. Over the next few weeks, the Mariners will likely bring another catcher or two on board, perhaps looking for someone a little more offensively inclined than Zunino.

What seems to have been lost in the madness of the last 24 hours is that the M’s clearly have a plan for addressing their catcher position. They are fully aware of how rich the upcoming free agent class of catchers is, and what could possibly be presented on the trade market as well. This was likely their plan all along, and they may have even gotten more in return for Zunino than they expected.

I’ve selected four catchers — two through trade and two via free agency — who may find themselves on Seattle’s radar at some point this Winter. It should be noted that neither Yasmani Grandal or Wilson Ramos will appear on this list, as a large investment in either one doesn’t seem like a real possibility for the organization right now.