M's close to signing another catcher

[Podunkparte]

MLBTR says the M's are close to a deal with John Buck. That's actually not a bad signing IMO. I definitely like him better as our backup C than Sucre or Quintero. The guy's had double digit HRs in all of the last 4 years though lately the average has been low.

I don't anticipate this being more than a 2 year deal for little money, but it's a move nonetheless.

 

[NWinAZ]

He was one of the remaining free agents I mentioned that would be a good fit. Not a blockbuster, but a solid addition.

 

[Banned 10x]

It's official

Mariners To Sign John Buck

By Jeff Todd [January 14 at 4:48pm CST]
The Mariners have reached agreement on a one-year, $1MM deal with catcher John Buck, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com [ame="[MEDIA=twitter]423224788127977472[/MEDIA]"]on Twitter[/ame]. We learned late last night that the sides were nearing a deal, courtesy of Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
Buck, an All-Star back in 2010, got off to a hot start last season for the Mets. He ended April with a .844 OPS and 9 home runs, but faded over the course of the year. Buck ended up with a composite .219/.285/.362 line in 431 plate appearances for the year, though he did swat 15 home runs. His overall numbers line up with the figures he posted over the previous two seasons, falling well shy of his two best seasons: 2009 (.247/.299/.484) and 2010 (.281/.314/.489, 20 home runs).
Buck has appeared in at least 100 games in eight of the last nine seasons, making him a durable option. He has rated positively in terms of blocking pitches in the dirt, but has been ranked among the worst pitch framers in the game. Indeed, according to StatCorner ([ame="[MEDIA=twitter]423228231886446592[/MEDIA]"]hat tip[/ame] to Dave Cameron of Fangraphs), Buck came in dead last among all catchers in framing, costing the Mets over 20 runs.
Buck inked a three-year, $18MM contract with the Marlins after those big 2009-10 campaigns, but -- depending upon how one values catchers, in particular -- never quite lived up to the deal. Fangraphs figures his value at 4.1 WAR over the life of the deal, while Baseball Reference pegs it at just 1.1. And further downward adjustment could be warranted to account for Buck's poor framing metrics. He was ultimately dealt three times over the life of the contract: first to the Blue Jays, then to the Mets, and then to the Pirates. Hitting the open market for a third time, Buck ultimately settled for a relatively modest guarantee this time around.
Young catcher Mike Zunino figures to be the Seattle's primary catching option for 2014 (and beyond), but Buck will presumably leapfrog 25-year-old Jesus Sucre and veteran Humberto Quintero on the depth chart. As MLBTR's Aaron Steen has noted, the unseasoned Zunino could probably stand to spend more time in the minors or in a reduced role. With Buck's long history as a starter, however, he is a plausible candidate to see significant time behind the big league dish.