Matt Treanor… Another Aging Veteran

The Dodgers reportedly have some interest in yet another aging veteran to add to the mix. Matt Treanor, a 35-year old catcher, is on the radar. The Dodgers had been talking with Ryan Doumit, but his asking price was too steep. The Dodgers want a veteran presence to help mentor A.J. Ellis and rookie FedEx. After Rod Barajas signed a $4 million deal with the Pirates, the Dodgers have been on the hunt for another backstop.

As you know our catching situation was downright dire last season. With the likes of Dioner Navarro and Big Rod, we saw many a throw end up in center field instead of second base on attempts to throw out runners, little to no hitting except for Big Rod’s occassional homer, and increased wild pitches.

It’s not like the Dodgers haven’t had some great catchers in the past. We all look back with fond memories of Mike Piazza, Mike Scioscia, Steve Yeager, Roy Campanella, etc. Good catching has been hard to find in baseball of late. After we let Russell Martin go to the Yankees, we have been in a desparate mode to piece some sort of semblance of a catching crew together.

Treanor, who is married to pro-volleyball player Misty May-Treanor, played for both the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers last season. He played 72 games last year, hitting a paltry .214 with 3 homeruns and 22 RBIs. He threw out 25% of base stealers. He is a career .225 hitter with only 16 homeruns and 119 RBIs. He only made $850,000 last season, so we will most certainly get him for much cheaper than Big Rod. He’s affordable, but we won’t get the occassional power that came with Big Rod.

The right-hand hitting catcher is 6’0″ and weighs 205 lbs. Another Southern California native, Treanor was born in Garden Grove and attended high school in Santa Ana. In 1994 he was drafted from High School by the Royals, but was traded to the Marlins in 1997. He played in the minors for 10 years. He debuted with the Marlins in 2004, and played with the Fish until he signed with the Tigers in 2009, but he only played four games for Detroit before missing the rest of the season with a bone spur on his hip. He was then traded to the Rangers in 2010, traded to the Royals in March, 2011, and then traded yet again in August to the Rangers.

I have no problem picking Treanor up cheaply, and I’m glad they didn’t spend too much trying to sign Doumit who is arguably a horrible defensive catcher. I’d like to see A.J. Ellis get a shot at starting a majority of the games and FedEx getting some experience as well.

There is no set deal yet, so we will update you as we find out any more information. Go Blue!