Shoppach to the Bucs

[JohnU]

The guy is old, a veteran and a decent 3rd catcher. That's not the point of this.
The transaction is fairly ordinary. But the reason is interesting, if there is one.
He was offered a deal by the Cardinals as well.

Instead ...

Pirates sign Kelly Shoppach - MLB Daily Dish

 

[Redsfan1507]

He's taking the gamble that the team in the lead has a better chance at post season, by the record I assume. I'd say the Pirates and Cards choke factors have historical differences though. Maybe he prefers His chances in a 5 game series than a 1 game play in. Sometimes agents decide for players- hopefully more than THIER percentage is considered.

 

[JohnU]

His chances of getting PT with the Bucs is better. McKenry is out hurt.
Sanchez sucks.

 

[chico ruiz]

here's a more thoughtful assessment of the shoppach signing. huntington is a smart gm who has been diligently working on depth the last 5 years. so, the mckenry injury was more devastating than a typical reds fan might think. the reds had corky to fill-in, not a rookie with zero mlb game experience. tough situation (pennant race) for a untested rookie. mckenry is a c- defensive catcher, but has some power as a back-up to martin. it's a shame they lost him for the year. i really liked his all-out approach. he's a gamer who could give you some good at-bats. teams will run on sanchez. they did in the minors, and they will in the bigs. he doesn't add any power either, for the bucs. i would venture to say that shoppach was signed to be the back-up catcher for the pirates heading into the playoffs. experience with good defensive instincts and better than average arm. the rays thought highly enough of him to sign him for 3 million bucks in 2011 to be a back-up. and the rays put more of a premium on defense than most teams. he can run into one now and again as well. my guess is that he was an insurance policy for the cards in case molina's injury was more severe, or took a longer recovery time, than first thought. shoppach knows burnett and liriano having played against them both extensively. i would not be surprised to see shoppach as the back-up come october first or sooner.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Many times, an under the radar signing makes the difference. There is usually more to a catcher than his bat.

 

[JohnU]

Catchers are hard to find. Experienced ones, even harder.

Shoppach was around in the spring and I kept hoping Walt would sign him.

Navarro was a plus last year, in limited examples.

 

[Redsfan1507]

Remember Gene Tenace ? A low BA moderate power nobody that became a hero in the '72 Series beating the Reds. It happens.