A few days ago, the Cleveland Guardians lost the race to trade for Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy, now with the Atlanta Braves.
The Guards were pursuing Murphy for a while, and once they missed out on him, they immediately pivoted to another good option at backstop.
The market at the position was clear: Willson Contreras was the best option and signed a five-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Then, Murphy was the next best asset, but he could be had via trade, not free agency.
With those two off the board, the Guardians went with Mike Zunino on a one-year deal to re-establish some value.
We all knew that they had agreed to terms with him, but the team just made things official on Thursday.
“We have signed C Mike Zunino to a 1-year contract. Welcome to Cleveland, Z!” they tweeted.
We have signed C Mike Zunino to a 1-year contract.
Welcome to Cleveland, Z!#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/CCvPMaBmHY
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) December 15, 2022
Zunino wasn’t at his best in 2022 with the Tampa Bay Rays, but injuries definitely had something to do with that.
He was only able to get 123 plate appearances, in which he posted a horrid .499 OPS.
There Is Considerable Upside In His Bat
The catcher eventually needed season-ending shoulder surgery in July to help him with symptoms of thoracic outlet syndrome.
However, he is expected to be fully recovered by the start of spring training in 2023.
Let’s not forget this is a catcher who finished with an .860 OPS and 33 home runs in 109 games for the Rays in 2021, so the offensive upside is there.
For just one year and $6 million, the Guardians may be getting a steal here if he returns to full health.
Zunino is not only powerful: he is a master behind the plate, too.
Cleveland needed a good catcher and someone who could provide power, too, and they are getting both with Zunino.
