In rather stealth fashion, Monday news broke the Washington Nationals had agreed to a 2-year deal worth $10 million with free agent Kurt Suzuki.  The terms of the deal have the 35-year-old catcher earning $4 million in 2019 and $6 million in 2020.  This move signifies a homecoming for Suzuki, as he played 122 games for Washington in 2012 and 2013.  In addition, this is the third significant acquisition by the Nationals already this offseason, as they previously traded for Kyle Barraclough and signed Trevor Rosenthal.

The right-handed hitting Suzuki had a strong 2018 playing for division rival Atlanta, batting .271/.332/.444 with 12 home runs in 105 games.  Over his 12-year career, he is a .258/.315/.387 hitter and has slugged 114 home runs.  Of note, he is particularly adept at avoiding strike outs, as evidenced by his 43 strikeouts in 348 at-bats last season and career 11.7% strikeout rate.  Suzuki should provide a dramatic upgrade offensively at catcher for Washington, which saw a collective .214/.304/.320 batting line in 2018.

Defensively Suzuki’s skills lag behind his bat, as he is below-average at throwing out opposing baserunners and has poor marks as a pitch framer.  On the other hand, he is terrific at blocking errant pitches in the dirt and has a strong reputation calling pitches.  The pitch framing weakness is concerning, but Suzuki is likely a below-average to fringe-average defensive catcher at this stage of his career.
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Overall this feels like a tremendous addition by the Nationals.  I still hope Washington adds another catcher this winter to pair with Suzuki, both to improve the position in 2019 and allow youngsters Spencer Kieboom, Raudy Read and Pedro Severino additional seasoning in the minors.  In addition, acquiring said catcher would allow Suzuki to play closer to 80-100 games next season, which should keep him fresher down the stretch and help extend his career.

Certainly we must acknowledge the inherent risks of signing any 35-year-old player, let alone a catcher, even if he has caught 94+ games 10 of the past 11 seasons.  And Suzuki is not the defensive dynamo every team covets from a catcher.  Yet, the combination of his above-average hitting and fringe-average defense makes him a league-average, starting catcher.  This is a savvy move by Washington’s front office, and on a “risk vs. return” basis, I expect this to be a contender for wisest free agent signing this offseason.

NatsGM Grade   ->   B+