PITTSBURGH — The Pirates didn’t waste time being aggressive on the free-agent market this off-season. The club’s most important positions to fill this winter were at catcher, first base and shortstop. On Thursday, Pittsburgh announced that they filled one of them by signing catcher Rod Barajas to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013. The deal is expected to be worth $4 million for 2012, with the club option for 2013 at $3.5 M.
“They were aggressive,” Barajas said on why he chose to sign with Pittsburgh. “They definitely showed that they wanted me to be a part of their team. When you have an organization that shows a lot of interest, it makes you want to look into it deeper.“
“For me, to feel like I’m wanted is huge,” Barajas said. “So that made my decision a lot easier. I didn’t feel like it was something I really had to sit down and take my time with. It was a team that I feel like was going to be able to compete and a team that wanted me to wear the uniform every single day.”
“There’s no question it was a limited market free-agent wise,” Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington said. “As we explored the trade market or the free-agent market we determined our best course of action was to be aggressive with a guy we wanted. In Rod’s case, he liked the fit, we liked the fit, and we were able to get it done.”
The Pirates four month run of contention in the National League Central definitely helped Barajas decision to sign with Pittsburgh easier.
“I look back at the season they had last year and the fact that this is a good ball club,” he said. “They played great baseball for four months, weren’t quite able to finish it but they were moving in the right direction. They showed a commitment last year at the trade deadline, trying to bring in players to make that run. They showed me that it was an organization that definitely is wanting to win and I figured that’s not going to change. I figured the Pirates are going to be looking to do the same thing this year.”
Despite hearing offers from several other clubs, the 36-year-old Barajas decided that Pittsburgh was the best fit.
“There were definitely some firm offers from other teams,” Barajas said. “A lot of things go into where you choose to play. I had other offers closer to home, teams that were going to compete, teams where maybe my role wasn’t going to be as prominent as it was here.“
“You take everything into consideration playing time, location, financially what they have to offer. I felt like for my career, this was my best fit.”
Last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Barajas hit .230 with 13 doubles, 16 home runs and 47 RBI in 98 games. He ranked third among all National League catchers with 16 home runs, trailing Atlanta’s Brian McCann (23) and Arizona’s Miguel Montero (18). He also led the Dodgers with 88 games and 85 starts behind the plate while posting a 3.56 catchers ERA, which was the third-lowest among National League qualifiers.
“I feel like I can be a plus to any team,” Barajas said of his bat. “I’m not a high average guy, I’m not a high on-base percentage guy but the fact that I can go hit the ball out of the park, I can get some extra-base hits. I think initially I’m definitely a plus. I’m not the guy that going to be carrying the ball club on a daily basis but I feel like I can provide a little bit of pop.”
Since the beginning of the 2009 season, Barajas ranks third among all Major League catchers with 50 home runs, trailing only Brian McCann (64) and Miguel Olivo (51). During that time period he also ranks sixth among all backstops with 161 RBI.
“We tried to go aggressively after the best available combination of the attributes that we look for,” Huntington said. “There’s no question he’s a veteran leader. He’s got the ability to help the pitching staff not only a game or an inning, but through an at-bat. And that’s an important part for us, the game call, the receive, the handling the staff and there’s no question the threat with the bat. Right handed power is something that’s hard to come by in the game and Rod got the ability to ambush guys wherever [Manager] Clint [Hurdle] is going to put him in the lineup. As we looked the market, we felt like this was a really good move for us.”
Huntington said that Barajas, despite playing in just 98 games last season, will be the starting catcher for the Bucs.
“The reality of the catching market now is very few catchers catch over 120 games,” he said. “Very few start over 100. Our expectations is that Rod will be our starting catcher going into next season.”
“We talked about me being the starting guy and being able to go out there everyday, whatever I felt that I was capable of doing,“ Barajas said. “If everything goes well, no injuries, I feel like I can catch a 120 games, maybe even a little bit more. From my understanding, I felt like my body could withstand for a full season.”
Barajas last caught more than 100 games back in 2009 when he caught 125 for the Toronto Blue Jays.
“We’re going to have to make sure we monitor his work load and put him in a position to be successful,“ Huntington said. “That’s why the No. 2 catcher is going to be important as well.”
With the signing of Barajas, there is still a chance the Pirates would be open to bringing back either Chris Snyder or Ryan Doumit, who’s clubs options were declined, in 2012.
“I don’t want to close doors,” Huntington said. “They are each in the process of exploring their markets. If Rod catches 110, there’s still 50 games, if he catches 100, there’s still 60 games that need to be caught. If we end up with Jason Jaramillo or Michael McKenry then we feel good about that. If there’s somebody out there that we think can make us better, that’s certainty something we remain open to. A big part of that question is more on our their side then it is on ours. We’ll say in touch, see how the off-season shakes out and see if there is a good fit here, or if there’s a better fit elsewhere. We appreciate everything they’ve done and we wish them the best.”
Internally Jason Jaramillo and Michael McKenry have the best opportunity of landing the No. 2 catcher role for the club in 2011. The Pirates top catching prospect Tony Sanchez finished the season in Double-A Altoona and could make an impact with the club in 2012, or 2013.
“We got the opportunity to see where Jason Jaramillo is,” Huntington said. “He did some good things a couple years ago and swung the bat well for us late in the season this year after he got healthy. No question Michael McKenry brought a ton of energy.”
The 36-year-old Barajas has a career average of .238 (746-for-3139) with 176 doubles, 125 home runs and 449 RBI. Barajas has spent his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks (1999-2003), Texas Rangers (2004-2006), Philadelphia Phillies (2007), Toronto Blue Jays (2008-2009), the New York Mets (2010) and Dodgers (2010-2011).
Having spent his career with six organizations, Barajas knows how to get to know a staff that he is unfamiliar with. Barajas noted that he will go talk to pitching coaches, players, the pitchers themselves to allow the learning process to go as smooth as possible.
“I’ve had to switch teams, switch organizations and have to learn a whole new pitching staff [before],“ Barajas said. “That’s what spring training is for. I know what I need to do to get myself ready, to get to know these guys…I will definitely use that time in spring training to get to know these guys.”
“I definitely have some experience. I’ve worked with a lot of different pitchers. I feel like I have a pretty good handle on handling a pitching staff and being able to help those guys out. That’s first and foremost, I feel like that’s my No. 1 priority is to work with these guys and try to get the most out of them. And try to do it for six months instead of four.”
The Pirates four months month run made other teams took notice. Barajas said the energy of the club was evident and it’s exciting to be a part of.
“You could definitely see they were having fun playing the game,” Barajas said. “That’s the one thing you love to see when you look across the field and you see guys who are very excited to be on the field, excited to come to the field every single day. That’s what we saw coming into playing them. They definitely have this fun attitude. You want to be able to work and enjoy what you do. They definitely bring that energy, the excitement. They were an exciting team, real exciting team, and everybody was in shock of what they were capable of doing last year.”
In 966 games behind the plate during his big league career, Barajas has also produced a .993 fielding percentage, committing 45 errors in 6473 total chances. A huge plus in the decision for the Pirates was having a strong defensive catcher behind the plate. Barajas also can be a mentor for some of the young players as well.
“I enjoy this game of baseball,” Barajas said. “I absolutely love coming to the park every single day. I love teaching. For me, mentoring, being around younger guys, I feel like that is a huge positive I had coming up, the veteran presence I had around me. Not just catchers, but pitchers and position players who had taken me under their wing. I want to pass that on. I’ve heard that there’s definitely some talent in the minor league level and no body has to approach me or ask me to help out on certain aspects of the game. I’m willing to do it…If any of those guys have questions, I’m an open book for them.”
Photo credit: Yahoo! Sports
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