Baltimore Orioles: Solving the Catcher Conundrum

It is well-known that the Baltimore Orioles need to sign a catcher. Here’s a quick look at some of the available catchers and how they could or couldn’t fit with the Orioles.

Francisco Pena has never had a starting role, let alone a part-time role. The other internal options have played very little in the majors. So, let’s assume the Orioles are looking for someone who has regular catcher experience.

So, let’s look at everyone else who is still available:

Steve Clevenger – A reunion is not happening here, between the lack of defense and the twitter comments.
Brayan Pena – Pena was never a full-time catcher, which takes him out of the running.
Dioner Navarro – While Navarro is a solid hitter, his defense is a major issue, he’s out.
Josh Thole – Another former Blue Jay, his defense is good (he was R.A. Dickey‘s personal catcher), but the offense is really bad.
Chris Gimenez – An aging veteran, Gimenez has never been good offensively.
Ryan Hanigan – The Orioles are not a fan of the way he handles pitchers, or the pace of a game with Hanigan behind the plate. He’s out.
Bobby Wilson – All bat and little defense with Wilson, he’s out.
Chris Iannetta – Iannetta is someone who could be a potential option, as he has started over 90 games in five of the last six seasons. There is also reports that the team considers Iannetta an option.
Nick Hundley – The Orioles’ interest in Hundley is well-known, but it seems that his defensive metrics may be holding them back.
Hank Conger – Conger is terrible defensively, but has a good amount of power.
Matt Wieters – Nothing to be said here, Orioles’ fans know Wieters and what he brings.
Kurt Suzuki – Very good defensively, below average offensively, but many thought he would be signed at this point.
Geovany Soto – Not a full-time catcher at this point in his career.
Bryan Holaday – Another defensive reserve catcher, not what the Orioles are looking for.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia – A starting catcher in his prime, Saltalamacchia is likely to retire.
Alex Avila – Avila is another who has full-time catching experience, but likely not at this point of his career.
Welington Castillo – No question about the interest here, but it seems talks are not as close as what it was originally thought, otherwise a deal would probably be done.