The Pittsburgh Pirates have reportedly reached terms on a contract extension with Chris Stewart.
Source: #Pirates signing Chris Stewart to a two-year deal. Has a team option for a third year.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) January 14, 2016
The move came as a slight surprise for the catcher-heavy Pirates. In addition to having Francsico Cervelli at the major league level, the organization also touts Elias Diaz and Reese McGuire as quality catcher prospects. Diaz has was called up to the big-league club in September of last year but did not see much game action. McGuire had a good showing in the recently completed Arizona Fall League. Both are expected to be in spring training this year as invitees.
Below are Chris Stewart’s career statistics at the plate:
| Year | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 2007 | 17 | 43 | 37 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | .243 | .300 | .297 | .597 |
| 2008 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2011 | 67 | 183 | 162 | 20 | 33 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 18 | .204 | .283 | .309 | .592 |
| 2012 | 55 | 157 | 141 | 15 | 34 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 10 | 21 | .241 | .292 | .319 | .611 |
| 2013 | 109 | 340 | 294 | 28 | 62 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 25 | 30 | 49 | .211 | .293 | .272 | .566 |
| 2014 | 49 | 154 | 136 | 9 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 12 | 27 | .294 | .362 | .331 | .693 |
| 2015 | 58 | 172 | 159 | 9 | 46 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 29 | .289 | .320 | .340 | .659 |
As the tweet above suggests, which was corroborated by SBNation MLB reporter Chris Cotillo, the Stewart deal is a surprising one mainly due to the length of the contract. Presumably this will buy out this year of arbitration, but beyond that, the team’s future plans for the catcher position remain uncertain. With McGuire still at least a year away if not more, the team will now turn its attention to Cervelli, who is also a candidate for an extension. Diaz now may become a very valuable trade chip.
Pirates Breakdown will have more analysis on this move in the coming days.
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