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GM Ben Cherington: Pirates expect to add another catcher before spring training
Ben Cherington acknowledged Friday the Pittsburgh Pirates went into the offseason knowing it needed to add catchers. Even after signing two with major league experience, Cherington said he isn’t done.
“We are continuing to look for more catching,” the Pirates general manager said while speaking to reporters Friday at PNC Park. “We expect we’d continue to add to the catching group in some way between now and spring training.”
The Pirates signed five-year MLB veteran catcher Luke Maile to a one-year contract Dec. 16, and they inked John Ryan Murphy to a minor league deal Jan. 10. Murphy, who has appeared in 259 major league games since 2013, is expected to compete with Maile as a complement to Jacob Stallings.
It seems only fitting John Ryan Murphy will be in the #Pirates’ spring training camp next month.The veteran catcher was born and raised in Bradenton, Fla.https://t.co/FHwmr7Y6Un
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) January 24, 2020
Stallings has 95 games of experience with the Pirates since 2016 and is the presumed starter this season, though Cherington stopped short of anointing Stallings as the opening day starter.
“I’ll leave the lineup decision to (new manager Derek Shelton),” Cherington said. “We went into the offseason certainly knowing that we had to add to the catching group, and I think it’s fair to say that we have put an emphasis on a group that is going to help our pitching staff perform at the highest level possible. We believe Jacob can be a big part of that. How many games he plays will be up to Shelty and his staff to figure out.”
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