Joey Bart’s future with SF Giants murky after team reportedly signs catcher
The Giants are bringing in a veteran catcher to back up Patrick Bailey, a signal that they’re likely posturing to part ways with former top prospect Joey Bart.
Per multiple reports, the Giants signed Tom Murphy, 32, to a multi-year deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported the contract is for $8 million over two years, plus a club option for a third year with a $250,000 buyout.
Murphy most recently played for the Mariners, where he hit eight home runs in 47 games last year. The right-handed hitter has posted an OPS+ well above league average in three of his past four seasons, though injuries have been an issue for him.
A broken foot cost Murphy the shortened 2020 season and surgery on his left shoulder limited him to just 14 games in 2022. Last year, a fractured thumb ended his season after 47 games.
When he was healthy last season, though, Murphy contributed. He hit .290 with a .335 on-base percentage and 12 doubles.
Murphy, a New York native, began his professional career with the Colorado Rockies in 2012. He made his MLB debut three years later. He has since played 314 games, posting a slash line of .244/.313/.456 with 48 home runs. He was also, briefly, a Giant in 2019 before they traded him to Seattle in a minor league deal.
For the Giants, Murphy is slated to back up Patrick Bailey, who broke out during his rookie campaign last year. The switch-hitting Bailey ranked among the league’s best in practically every defensive metric, including framing.
Bailey, Murphy and Blake Sabol — last year’s Rule 5 pickup who also plays the outfield — give the Giants plenty of options behind the dish. The organization’s depth at the position will likely push out Bart, who fell out of the mix last year and is out of minor league options.
The Giants took Bart with the second overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft — the last of the Bobby Evans regime. He was considered the team’s top prospect for years, but hasn’t panned out.
Strange circumstances likely affected Bart’s development. He was thrust into MLB action in 2020, before reaching Triple-A, when Buster Posey opted out of the season to spend time with his family. Then he spent all of 2021 in Triple-A and struggled when given the starting role in 2022, his true rookie season.
Bart recorded a .660 OPS in 2022 and never got a clear shot at starting again. The team opened a competition for playing time at the position in spring training, with Bart, Sabol, Roberto Perez, Austin Wynns. Bailey, who wasn’t even in the race, won.
Now Bart is a likely candidate to be traded. Since teams rarely carry more than two catchers, and Bart can’t be optioned, there won’t be room for him on the 26-man roster. If the Giants cut ties with Bart this winter, he’ll have played only 162 games across four seasons for the big-league club.