SF Giants: Three reasons to trade catcher Joey Bart

Reason #1: The team has other more pressing needs

It is no secret that the San Francisco Giants need help with the starting rotation. Kevin Gausman was the lone bright spot from the rotation who is going to return in 2021.

Meanwhile, the Giants are fairly stacked at the catcher position throughout their organization. Buster Posey, arguably one of the best catchers in the game, will be back. Curt Casali will likely be a solid backup. Chadwick Tromp showed promise in his time last year. Plus, the Giants selected switch-hitting catcher Patrick Bailey in the first round in the 2020 MLB Draft.

The SF Giants have a lot of depth at the catcher position, so it may make sense for the team to trade Bart, who is still a valuable prospect for many teams, in exchange for a young starting pitching prospect who may have the potential to be a future ace for the Giants.

The young starters currently on the Giants, Logan Webb, Tyler Beede, Conner Menez, have all shown some promise, but it is clear they aren’t going to be the next Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner. Then again, it is unlikely that the Giants will ever draft three starters who contribute as much to the franchise as those three.

Nonetheless, trading Bart in exchange for a starting pitching prospect would bolster the SF Giants’ farm system when it comes to pitching and would not take away from their organizational depth at the catcher position.

Reason #2: Buster Posey

Buster Posey has two more years left on the 8 year, $159 million contract he signed with the SF Giants. This includes a $22 million team option with a $3 million buyout for 2022. We know that before Posey opted out of the 2020 season, he had been steadily declining. Injuries had limited his ability to hit for power and was hurting his abilities at the plate overall.

He showed flashes of his old self in 2020 Spring Training before the world was flipped upside down, but it remains to be seen whether that old self will return in 2021. However, if Buster is as healthy as he appeared to be entering Spring Training last year and can stay fairly healthy throughout the season, then I think we can expect much better performance than his 2019 numbers.

So, what if Buster does turn things around this season and perhaps next season? Then, SF Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and general manager Scott Harris will have a tough decision to make. They could sign Posey to another contract, almost ensuring that he would retire as a San Francisco Giant, a fitting end for a living legend who was instrumental in bringing three championships to San Francisco.

Or, they could decide that it is not worth signing Posey to another deal and that it is time to move on at the catcher position. There are many variables in this equation, the main one being how Buster performs in 2021.

It is a choice similar to the one the San Francisco 49ers had to make when they traded Joe Montana late in his career to make way for Steve Young. If Bart was traded, it would be more like when the New England Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo instead of Tom Brady even though there were some who felt Garoppolo was the future of the position for the team.

Trading Bart would at least clear up any potential controversy that could come up between Bart and Posey.

Reason #3: Maybe he is a bust

I will preface this by reiterating that we cannot read too much into Bart struggling in a weird, shortened season that took place in the midst of a global pandemic, the same way that we should not have totally anointed him had he had an incredible season.

Nonetheless, the SF Giants will need to monitor Bart’s progression in the minors to see if he can build upon his weaknesses that were exposed last season such as his struggles with inside pitches.

There is also the question of Bart’s ability to stay on the field. To be fair, the injuries he has sustained in minor league ball were often freak injuries. However, if we learned anything from Jeremy Affeldt it is that some guys are just cursed with the freak injury bug.

If the team sees alarming signs in the minors, though, then it may be wise to cut their losses before it is too late. Bart still has value for a lot of teams considering he is still only 24 so he could be an enticing trade chip unless it is clear he was not all he cracked up to be.

It is still fairly unlikely that the Giants plan on trading Joey Bart any time soon, but if they were to do it there are some valid justifications. Some time in the minors is bound to do him some good and being able to learn more from Buster Posey will also help in his progression. But if the SF Giants feel that they can improve the team, especially in the starting pitching department, then they should not hesitate to entertain offers for Bart.