Several outlets have reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to terms on a contract extension with catcher Chris Stewart.
Robert Murray of Baseball Essential was the first to relay the news via a tweet.
Source: #Pirates signing Chris Stewart to a two-year deal. Has a team option for a third year.
— Robert Murray (@RobertMurrayBBE) January 14, 2016
The move is a surprising one. With Elias Diaz major-league ready and Reese McGuire making steady progress through the team’s system, many observers believed the obvious extension candidate to be Francisco Cervelli rather than Stewart.
Stewart has never, nor will ever, be considered an offensive threat as his career .340 slugging percentage indicates. However, he can hit for a high average as evidenced by his .294 batting average in 2015. Stewart’s value comes chiefly from behind the plate with a 30 percent career caught stealing rate. Considering that the major league average is 18 percent, this figure factors into Stewart carrying a higher value than most catchers.
The catching position is one of depth in the Pirates’ system. The extension coupled with the organization’s commitment to McGuire could turn Diaz into a very valuable trade chip. While most scouts remain unconvinced that Diaz’s bat is ready for the majors, nearly all are sold on his defensive capabilities. In Cervelli’s case, this move casts serious doubt on a possibility of a long-term extension for the former Yankee. 2015 was a resurgent year for the former Yankee, yet lingering injury concerns – Cervelli eclipsed the 100 games played plateau for the first time last year – may conspire to keep Cervelli’s time as a Pirate relatively short.
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