Pirates sign catcher Roberto Perez

Well, there’s your Jacob Stallings replacement, Bucs Dugout. The Pittsburgh Pirates signed veteran catcher Roberto Perez to a one-year, $5 million deal to likely be the “most days” backstop next season at PNC.

That one-year deal shows that the team is likely counting on recent top draft pick Henry Davis to still be ready in 2023, though there’s always the chance we see him a little in 2022 as well.

But for now, Pittsburgh is replacing one Gold Glove catcher for another, as Perez took home the award in 2019 and 2020, though he was awful hitting last season with the Cleveland Guardians, swatting just .149 with 7 home runs and 17 RBIs. In fact, Perez hasn’t hit above .239 since his rookie season, and he carries a career average of just .206. That’s certainly not helping an already light-hitting squad any at the plate.

The 32-year-old is one year older than Jacob Stallings and is also getting paid more. In fact, according to Spotrac, Perez is the most expensive active player currently on the Pittsburgh roster.

It’s certainly not an amazing deal by Cherington, but Perez will be your bridge veteran until Davis is ready to take over.