The SF Giants have added some catching depth this winter However, one name will not be returning for now: Curt Casali. Casali agreed to join the Atlanta Braves on a minor league deal according to Aram Leighton of Just Baseball Media.
SF Giants backstop from the 2024 season finds a new home with the Atlanta Braves
The Giants did not begin the season with Casali nor did they necessarily plan on him seeing the bulk of the time as the team’s backup catcher. However, they pretty much ran out of catching depth in May due to injuries to Patrick Bailey (concussion) and Tom Murphy (knee), leading to the Giants bringing Casali back from outside the organization.
The veteran catcher began the season with the Chicago Cubs’ Triple-A team, slashing .362/.489/.551 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 88 plate appearances. He was released by the Cubs to pursue a reunion with the Giants. It was a pretty cool reunion for someone who was well-liked by the pitching staff.
Cssali’s first stint with San Francisco began in 2021 and he had a bizarre stat that year. While the Giants won 107 games that season, they went 42-13 in games started by Casali. That was likely due to randomness but it was funny to track nonetheless, especially since he served as the backup to Buster Posey.
Casali does not offer much in the field at this stage of his career. He posted a .194/.293/.250 line (62 wRC+) with one home run, eight RBI, and 12 runs in 125 plate appearances with the Giants last season. The right-handed bat did record a solid 10.4 percent walk rate, so he still is able to see a few pitches and make pitchers work.
His defense grades out as below average but pitches still like when he is behind the plate. That is tough to quantify but it does add value.
Casali will be joining a Braves organization that could use a third catcher on the 40-man roster. Sean Murphy is entrenched as the team’s starter but Chadwick Tromp is the only other catcher listed on the 40-man roster.
Importantly, Casali is at 8.1 years of service time and could be looking to reach that 10-year mark if he continues his career for another couple of seasons.
