St. Louis Cardinals Hot Stove: The bargain basement of free agents
By Chris Greene
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Sep 23, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago White Sox catcher Geovany Soto (58) slams his bat to the ground after striking out in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Geovany Soto
For backup catcher, all we need to find is something better than Tony Cruz‘s mediocre defense and awful offense (career 56 wRC+, which is 44% below league average). Geovany Soto is actually a hair above average in his career offensively (103 wRC+), and has slightly better defense than Cruz. He’s not a powerhouse, but he does have a little bit of pop and will definitely offer an upgrade over Cruz. The former Rookie of the Year isn’t a superstar anymore, but he would be an improvement to the bench and would give Matheny a more palatable option for Molina’s days off.
Projected Cost: $2M-$4M/1 year