What to make of Giants’ catcher situation after stunning Patrick Bailey trade

SAN FRANCISCO — Patrick Bailey spent the off day in Palo Alto, speaking to a North Carolina State baseball team that was preparing to face Stanford this weekend. As he talked about that experience with his alma mater on Friday afternoon, Bailey was all smiles. Those hours were a reminder of home, and for Bailey, that has always been the most important part of his life. The 26-year-old is known as the best framer in the world, but his faith and his family come first, and that made Friday night a bit easier to swallow for a man who not long ago was hoping to sign an extension that would keep him in San Francisco for years to come. Shortly after he caught the final pitch of a win over the San Diego Padres, Bailey was told that he was headed to Cleveland in a deal that would bring Double-A pitcher Matt Wilkinson and the 29th pick in the draft back to the Giants. Bailey was on a flight Saturday morning, and while Cleveland is not exactly within driving distance of his North Carolina home, it’s a hell of a lot closer than California. When the next off day comes, he might be able to take a flight to see his wife and two young children.As they get older, Bailey will pull up the highlight reels, and you can argue that a two-minute YouTube clip of his Giants career might stand up with any in recent franchise history. He’s the only Giants catcher to win two Gold Gloves, and while he was well below-average as a hitter in parts of four seasons with the Giants, he sure had a knack for making them count. Last season, Bailey became the first player in MLB history to hit a walk-off inside-the-park homer and a walk-off grand slam in the same season. The latter came against the Los Angeles Dodgers, providing bonus points, and on April 22 of this year, he did it to them again, hitting a three-run blast in the seventh that shook Oracle Park. The homer was his only one this season, though, and one of just 12 hits in 82 at-bats. At the time of the deal, he had a wRC+ of 16, and since the trade deadline in 2024, he has a .539 OPS that is 23 points lower than any other hitter in the big leagues. When they had Buster Posey, the Giants did not have to choose between offense and defense behind the plate. But Posey felt they had to this week, and he went with the young hitters. The Giants will move forward with Daniel Susac and Jesús Rodríguez, a pair of right-handed-hitting 24-year-olds who were acquired over the past calendar year by Posey and general manager Zack Minasian, who determined early in their tenure that they might ultimately have to make a change behind the plate. The front office, per sources, considered optioning Bailey back to Triple-A early last season, and Posey had some lieutenants quietly scout other young options around the league who might be available last summer. When he was shown clips of Rodriguez ahead of the trade deadline, he fell in love with the bat. Susac, acquired in the Rule 5 Draft in December, proved just as intriguing. He had 11 hits in 23 at-bats before getting hurt last month, and he’s just about ready to finish his rehab. The Giants could have carried all three, and this week, when there were again whispers that Bailey might get optioned, manager Tony Vitello seemed to be leaning in that direction. He twice had Bailey replace Rodriguez late in close games to improve the defense, and on Friday, he noted that Bailey spoke up during the daily hitters’ meeting. Vitello has said several times this season that Bailey was handling all of this well, and there was evidence to back that up. When Susac got a huge hit early in April, the cameras panned to Bailey, who was leading the cheers from the dugout rail. While some Giants coaches have grumbled over the last couple of years about the work he was putting in on his hitting, Bailey did not seem to be pouting. He took early batting practice before every night game this week, hopeful that he could find a fix. Bailey was able to do that because he started just one of the last five Giants games. Susac was threatening to take the starting job in April, and this week, it has belonged to Rodriguez. The Giants could have gone with a three-catcher look, using Bailey primarily when defense was needed and moving Rodriguez all over the field. But Posey isn’t the type to wait around, and Bailey, even in another down offensive year, was a valuable trade asset, totaling more than 10 Wins Above Replacement over parts of four seasons.What has stood out to other executives in the year-plus that Posey has been in charge is the fact that he does not always do this job in a traditional way, which makes sense given that he’s one of the few former players in a leadership position. He jumped the line on Rafael Devers last June, and while other execs might have tried to rebuild Bailey’s value and create a mini bidding war closer to the deadline, Posey found a deal on May 8.Wilkinson is a 23-year-old lefty with a 1.59 ERA in six Double-A starts. His nickname is Tugboat, and he’ll join an organization that is light on starting pitching prospects. The more important piece may end up being the draft pick, which is essentially a late first rounder and was able to be included since it’s a compensation pick. The pick will increase the Giants’ pool money at a time when they’re preparing to pick fourth overall in July’s draft. The Guardians parted with it because they believe in Bailey, and they certainly had plenty of scouting reports. Manager Stephen Vogt is a former Giants catcher, and one of Vogt’s closest friends in baseball is Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz. He was previously Vogt’s No. 2 in Cleveland, and before that he was Bailey’s catching coach. Albernaz might be Bailey’s closest friend in baseball, and while he’s no longer in Cleveland, you can bet that the front office there has a pretty good idea of what they’re getting in this deal. It’s a perfect landing spot for Bailey, who said in a text message on Saturday morning that he was “super grateful for the Giants organization giving me many opportunities to play this game and the incredible support from the fans for me and my family&excl;”For the Giants, it’s a fresh start, and a fascinating decision. Posey is starting to feel the heat of some decisions that have gone wrong, and his team is sitting eight games under .500, a record that led to two separate shakeups in the first full week of May. This trade will be as scrutinized as any, given that it’s a former catcher trading away a catcher who just won two Gold Gloves. The ABS system has cut into Bailey’s value, but he’s still one of the best defensive players in the game. That wasn’t enough, though. Not when the Giants have the worst offense in the league and two young options ready to try and provide some answers. It led to another bold move that came weeks before anyone might have been fully expecting it.Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast

What to make of Giants’ catcher situation after stunning Patrick Bailey trade

Trending News