Angels Rumors: 3 free agent catchers to consider

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Kurt Suzuki (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Kurt Suzuki is an affordable option who might be the best fit for the Angels.

Whenever he decides to hang up his spikes, Kurt Suzuki will finish his career as one of the most underrated ballplayers this game has seen. Not only would the Angels save money by signing Suzuki, they also get solid production as well.

The 37-year old has spent 14 big league seasons behind the plate and is a respected player throughout the league. Suzuki’s offensive numbers aren’t near the level or potential of a Contreras or Realmuto, but they’re still solid have kept him around this long.

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Kurt Suzuki Last Five Seasons:

2016: (106 games) .258 BA 8 HR 49 RBI .704 OPS
2017: (81 games) .283 BA 19 HR 50 RBI .887 OPS
2018: (105 games) .271 BA 12 HR 50 RBI .776 OPS
2019: (85 games) .264 BA 17 HR 63 RBI .809 OPS
2020: (33 games) .270 BA 2 HR 17 RBI .745 OPS

At this point in his career, Suzuki probably won’t give teams a full-season workload behind the dish, but it’s possible you can platoon him when Stassi is ready to return. A price range of one-year, ~$5million is likely for the veteran catcher in 2021.

For those who value intangibles over analytics, Suzuki is at the top of the list in that department. Suzuki has seen a lot in his nearly decade and a half behind the plate in the big leagues and was a key member of the 2019 Nationals team who won the World Series.

He’s far from flashy, but Suzuki is the ultimate professional who could help the growth of the starting rotation. Maddon has a history of relying on veteran catchers, so this move is right up his alley.

The cost-effective signing also leaves some room in the budget to allocate funds elsewhere which is something to consider.

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