Curt

Casali

It’s a big league deal for Casali and the 35-year-old backstop will immediately join the Giants’ roster with Jakson Reetz heading to Triple-A Sacramento in a corresponding move. With Patrick Bailey and Tom Murphy both sidelined, Casali will share the load behind the plate with Blake Sabol.

The 35-year-old spent Spring Training with the Marlins but didn’t make the 40-man roster and was granted his release. Casali has struggled offensive slashing .201/.311/.315 over the past three seasons. He spent last season with the Reds where he had a .175 batting average across 96 plate appearances — his worst average since his first season in the majors with the Rays in 2014.

The Marlins will have start the season with Christian Bethancourt and Nick Fortes as the primary backstops. Casali, 35, is a career .220 AVG hitter across 1,454 plate appearances so it’s not a shock the Marlins decided to cut ties before Opening Day.

The 35-year-old backstop hit free agency after the Reds declined his $2.5 million option for the 2024 season. Casali provides strong veteran leadership and has long been lauded for his ability to handle a pitching staff, but his bat leaves much to be desired — as he’s a career .220/.314/.380 hitter over 1454 plate appearances. It’s a nice depth move for the Fish, but he can be avoided entirely for fantasy purposes.

Casali receives a $750,000 buyout and head to free agency in search of a new opportunity. The 34-year-old backstop, who registered a .490 OPS across 96 plate appearances this past season for Cincinnati, remains a viable backup catcher and should be able to latch on somewhere else as extra catching depth.

No word yet on how long the 34-year-old backstop will be sidelined for, but it shouldn’t be more than a couple of weeks. Casali is hitting just .175/.290/.200 with no homers and six RBI in 80 at-bats with the Reds this season.

It’s a routine day off for Stephenson, who has been scuffling at the dish recently, batting just .105 (2-for-19) in his last five games over the last week. It’ll be Jonathan India getting a break from the field on Saturday afternoon at designated hitter and Curt Casali handling the catching duties.

Myers will take a seat with right-hander Kodai Senga on the hill for the Mets. Henry Ramos will make the start in right field and bat seventh. Also of note, Tyler Stephenson will start at DH and Curt Casali is behind the plate.

This is a homecoming of sorts for Casali, who spent three years with the Reds between 2018-2020. The veteran catcher has posted a weak .207/.315/.342 combined batting line over the last two seasons with the Giants and Mariners. He will presumably serve as Tyler Stephenson’s primary backup behind the plate in Cincinnati. Mike Moustakas has been designated for assignment in a corresponding roster move.

The Cubs are looking for a defensive-minded catcher to share the load behind the plate with Yan Gomes, and Barnhart certainly fits that bill. Mooney notes that the Cubs have also looked into Curt Casali and Roberto Perez.