Long-Term Catcher Question
by jumperjah on Jan 21, 2026 10:08 AM EST
36 comments
I've managed to have quite a bit of depth at catcher.
I've got Geovany Soto at the major league level, with both Buster Posey and Carlos Santana in the minors right now.
I am contemplating moving one of the prospects to try and get either a high-end prospect at a different position or a pair of mid-to-higher level prospects (also at different positions) to try and improve my depth.
League is standard scoring, and for my purposes, when they will make the majors isn't really that relevant.Just looking for some help on this one, as I know they're both very highly rated and look really good long-term.
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Pretty even talents, I think
But you should take into consideration the competency of the organization. How much will the Giants’ handling of Posey influence his production? I would go w/ Santana because of this . . .
by gogotabata on Jan 21, 2026 10:10 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yeah...
I was not particularly happy to see them sign Molina again… I figured Posey would be starting the season as the starter after his late callup.
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by jumperjah on Jan 21, 2026 10:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
what was it, like $4.5M for Molina?
Not a very big price to pay to let Posey have a consolidation period in AAA, letting him refine his bat and work on his defense.
by mrkupe on Jan 21, 2026 10:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Precisely. Catching for a National League team is the most physically demanding job in baseball. Anyone who thinks Posey is ready to be exposed to that outright as THE big-league catcher needs to reevaluate. Posey has caught, What, 120 professional games in his career? Maybe twice that between college and the minors?
by StickRat on Jan 21, 2026 1:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Why is catching for an NL team more demanding than catching for an AL team?
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jan 21, 2026 1:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Because good-hitting catchers in the AL (Mauer, Posada, etc) get to "rest" while getting ABs as the DH?
I don’t know, that’s the best I can do. It doesn’t seem to make much sense.
by PissedMick on Jan 21, 2026 2:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
That makes sense.
Not convincedt that’s any kind of big effect, though…
by alskor on Jan 21, 2026 3:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
On a team with lots of offensive issues...
They spent a good chunk of their available funds on a Bengie Molina when they had one of the best catching prospects in the game waiting in the wings.
They also spent on Aubrey Huff even though they could very easily have improved their team significantly by not signing terrible Aubrey Huff and getting a league average bat at 3B who can actually defend there and putting Sandoval to his natural 1B. Or even put Sandoval at catcher.
by alskor on Jan 21, 2026 2:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m curious why you think 1B is Sandoval’s “natural position.” He’s 5’11" and overweight; I’d say that’s more of a stereotypical catcher’s body than a 1B’s body.
Officially disinterested in any high school outfielders from the state of Mississippi.
Proud adoptive parent of Sergio Romo. Looking forward to adopting Justin Smoak.
by Lyle on Jan 23, 2026 11:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
if he isn't a very good catcher
it wouldn’t be his natural position, regardless of his body type
by jibs on Jan 23, 2026 11:20 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I suppose a guy with a body like that doesn't have a natural position
1B is a hell of a lot closer to it than 3B, though. He’s a bad 3B.
As I mentioned above, they probably should try him at catcher - but then again, Callis, KG and others have said everyone they talked to said he can’t play there.
by alskor on Jan 23, 2026 1:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Why do you say he’s a bad 3B? The reports I’ve read all say he’s at the very least adequate, perhaps even middle-of-the-pack. I know I’ve seen him make one unbelievably acrobatic play there, and I don’t get to see many games.
Also, there’s nothing to indicate he’d be a bad catcher. I recall reading that he had a pretty high runners-thrown-out average (which isn’t everything, but does indicate some skill for the position).
Officially disinterested in any high school outfielders from the state of Mississippi.
Proud adoptive parent of Sergio Romo. Looking forward to adopting Justin Smoak.
by Lyle on Jan 27, 2026 4:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I say whichever you can get the better return for you trade.
Catching prospects terrify me, so if you could score some positional prospects that could be a bigger help LT I’d pull the trigger.
by rglass44 on Jan 21, 2026 11:12 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
This is very true
We’re splitting hairs enough, that I wouldn’t worry too much about which one you’re giving up.
by Ophidian on Jan 22, 2026 10:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
i have a question
why do all the “Do I do this Trade?” questions get posted at this site, when there is a sbnation site dedicated solely towards questions like that?
Faketeams.com is obviously not as popular, or read as minorleagueball.com, but the guys who run it really know there fantasy sports and are doing a great job of increasing the posts, and consequently the amount of readers they have is growing as well.
It’s just a thought, and it’s not that big of a deal right now in the offseason, with the best posts right now being the community prospect lists, and the posts of BA/BP’s top 10/11.
Anybody agree or disagree with me?
by cr1578 on Jan 21, 2026 12:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
well
Probably the best place to ask whether or not people agree with you is not here but over at the sbnation site at agreeornot.com, which really focuses on either/or thinking.
But, yeah, you’re probably right, though if they have to do w/ prospects, it seems relevant. It’s especially useful for thinking about how to value prospects vs established players as a way of gauging value.
by gogotabata on Jan 21, 2026 12:16 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
FakeTeams
They do a really great job over there, a big fan of theirs actually.
But I have to believe that the users that follow this page are much more knowledgeable about minor leaguers, and the things involved with them.
Trust me on this, the second I get an actual offer I think is worth talking about, I’m posting it over there. Those guys help out a lot too.
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by jumperjah on Jan 21, 2026 12:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
you're probably right
I do it out of habit, though - I just recently learned of faketeams. Also, I’ve grown to (for the most part) trust the people on this site.
by rmarx on Jan 21, 2026 5:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Santana
For fantasy purposes, Santana is your guy.
Honestly, I think Posey’s D will end up being better behind the plate, and Posey will also likely be the better contact hitter. But for power, Santana should out-produce Posey by a fairly wide margin. Posey will be hitting in a very tough park, and his GB% will likely mean he never really tops 20 HR output.
by guru4u on Jan 21, 2026 12:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Keep Santana...
he will be the better fantasy catcher. He has more offensive potential. the thing is, I think Posey could provide better fantasy numbers in avg and SB, but Santana will give you betetr power and will drive in more runs in a better offense.
by joegonzo on Jan 21, 2026 1:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Easily Santana
Posey will have an advantage in AVG, but Santana has a huge advantage in power.
Posey’s issues with power are not discussed nearly enough. Its a big question mark. His swing doesnt lend itself to HRs, nor does he have much natural power.
by alskor on Jan 21, 2026 2:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
"His swing doesnt lend itself to HRs, nor does he have much natural power."
I’m sorry, that is incorrect.
by StickRat on Jan 21, 2026 3:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Posey has an excellent bat for a catcher, but his power is and projects as average-ish. Santana projects as a monster bat.
Posey has all of the tools needed to become an impact catcher in the majors. He has excellent pitch recognition, the potential for average big-league power…
http://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=8426
should be good immediately with the ability to hit for average, draw a decent amount of walks, display gap-plus power…
http://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=9623
Despite his gaudy numbers, Posey doesn’t have the swing that translates to huge power. However, he does have have a swing that will allow him hit for a moderately-high batting average in addition to a lot of doubles.
http://www.baseball-intellect.com/Articles/scouting-buster-posey.html
Wilton (Douglas)
Fantasy wise, who would you rather own: Bumgarner or Posey? Posey’s lack of power seemingly knocks him down a few pegs, but Bumgarner’s velo drops this year are also worrying. Is Posey the type of player who should very well be worth more in real life than fantasy?
Jim Callis (2:19 PM)
Posey will be worth more in real life because his defense won’t translate to fantasy. But I think he’ll hit for a high average with solid power, and might even steal a few bases. He’ll be better offensively than most catchers.
http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/29011
KO (Pittsfield, MA)
Could you name a few players that are considered Top Prospects that you personally feel might be a little overrated?
John Manuel (3:29 PM)
I wonder a bit about Buster Posey; a lot of Florida State hitters put up ridiculous numbers, I think Buster will be good but I wonder if he’s a future star; he may not have enough thunder in the bat for that.
http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/24958/24958
Posey is closer to Ackley than Santana as a hitter, IMHO. Thats still an awesome prospect as a catcher, and Posey’s hit tool is very, very good.
by alskor on Jan 21, 2026 4:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Well, these two statements sound like two different categories: “power … projects as average-ish” and “nor does he have much natural power”. And I disagree with both of them.
I am ill equipped to compare Posey’s power to Santana’s. What I will say is Posey has good power, in that he has tremendous bat speed that generates a lot of lift and carry. I think some of Posey’s other tools overshadow his power, because many evaluate his hit ability and defensive tools as five-stars. His power tool is probably in the 3.5 to 4 range. IMHO, certainly better than “[not] much natural power” and likely better than “average-ish”.
by StickRat on Jan 21, 2026 4:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Really?
What I will say is Posey has good power, in that he has tremendous bat speed that generates a lot of lift and carry.
If that is the case, then how do you explain his very high GB rate? Seems to me that a guy with a swing that generates a lot of lift and carry should be hitting FBs, not GBs.
by guru4u on Jan 21, 2026 7:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
He isn’t covering the entire plate. That isn’t unusual considering ’09 was his first full year of pro ball. But trust me, when he hits flyballs, they stay hit.
by StickRat on Jan 21, 2026 8:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
His swing just doesn't generate power a whole lot of power.
He’s a very good hitter, but its unreasonable to expect a whole lot of power from him in the future. He doesnt have the swing for it, and he doesnt have the kind of natural power that shows up oppo or when he doesnt hit it clearn. He has the kind of power that comes from fantastic contact abilities, consistently squaring up the ball and great bat speed.
For my money, I’ll take Santana, easy. They both have some defensive issues to work out, and I do expect Posey to be the better defender (he has the tools to be better). I just dont think it or the contact ability makes up the big difference in power.
by alskor on Jan 21, 2026 9:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Well, if we’re talking about sheer physical power, then sure … Buster Posey is no Andres Gallaraga or Wily Mo Pena. Posey is a pretty darn strong hitter, though. Is he the same caliber hitter of Willie Mays? Well, Who is? He has Mays-style power though … and by that, I simply mean he does own the big three you mentioned: bat speed, contact ability, and consistency in squaring balls up. And Posey, while unassuming, is also pretty darn strong. Of the homeruns I witnessed between he and Thomas Neal this year, Posey’s were more consistently in the category of bombs. And Neal is probably considered to have the more “natural power”.
by StickRat on Jan 21, 2026 11:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
carlso santana
will be the better option for fantasy purposes given his power
by miraclemets on Jan 21, 2026 3:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Had a similar dillemma....
In my Dynasty League (20 teams, 40 man rosters).
Difference being, at the Major League level I had Brian McCann and had Posey in the minors. I ended up flipping Posey for Chris Carter (the Athletic), Grant Green and the 7th overall pick in the minor league portion of our draft.
I had a slim farm system from trades, was down to just Posey, Desmond Jennings and Christian Friedrich and needed to bulk up a little, plus only have Miguel Cabrera at 1B for 2 more years.
"God, I'm from Cleveland. When is it going to be our time?"
by BStal11 on Jan 21, 2026 3:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Sorry...
My point being, I am always a big proponent of dealing depth for GOOD quantity.
"God, I'm from Cleveland. When is it going to be our time?"
by BStal11 on Jan 21, 2026 3:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Posey for Carter, Green and first rounder?
I’d say you made a pretty good deal, especially since you have McCann!
by rmarx on Jan 21, 2026 5:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah
Another owner was a bit perturbed over the deal, it helped that the guy I traded with is rebuilding and was a bit “overloaded” with prospects based on roster limits, so he was looking to trade multiple for a higher end prospect.
"God, I'm from Cleveland. When is it going to be our time?"
by BStal11 on Jan 22, 2026 3:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Moved Posey
Got Westmoreland + a draft pick - Should be able to get either a B+ prospect or higher B prospect with the draft pick no problem.
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by jumperjah on Jan 22, 2026 1:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
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