The Braves signed catcher Anthony Recker and left-handed reliever Paco Rodriguez to one-year contracts Friday, avoiding arbitration with each, while reliever Chris Withrow became a non-tendered free agent when he wasn’t offered arbitration.
Recker got an $800,000 contract, and Rodriguez signed for $637,500, each taking less than their projected arbitration salaries.
In the case of Rodriguez, who missed the 2016 season recovering from elbow surgery, he was projected to get $900,000 through arbitration, and it seemed likely the Braves would’ve non-tendered him rather than go through the arbitration process and potentially pay that much.
The team tendered contracts to its three other remaining arbitration-eligible players — center fielder Ender Inciarte and relievers Arodys Vizcaino and lefty Ian Krol — and will swap arbitration figures with them next month unless the sides reach a deal before then.
Withrow had a 3.58 ERA in 46 appearances for the Braves in 2016 and was solid for much of the season, but he pitched in only seven games after Aug. 4 and missed the final two weeks with soreness in his surgically repaired elbow. He was projected to make $1 million in arbitration according to MLB Trade Rumors.com.
Rodriguez, 25, underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2015 and last pitched May 29, 2015, two months before he was traded by the Dodgers to the Braves. He was impressive before elbow problems, posting a 2.53 ERA in 124 appearances over parts of four seasons with the Dodgers and limited left-handed batters to a .174 batting average. He had a 2.32 ERA in 76 appearances in 2013.
The other significant development for the Braves was the Recker signing. The Braves have looked for a left-handed hitting catcher this offseason to pair with Tyler Flowers, but general manager John Coppolella said entering the offseason that the team would be comfortable bringing back right-handed-hitting Recker to team with Flowers if they didn’t find a catcher with a reasonable price tag via trade or free agency.
The Recker deal might signal the Braves plan to go with Flowers and him, but they likely will keep all options open in case another option arises.
Among other catchers they considered this offseason, defensive specialist Jason Castro signed a three-year, $24.5 million deal with Minnesota and Brian McCann was traded to the Astros, who will pay more of McCann’s remaining $34 million salary over two years than the Braves were comfortable paying.
The Braves earlier signed arbitration-eligible former Diamondbacks backup catcher Tuffy Gosewisch to a split major/minor league contract that will pay $635,000 at the big-league level. He’s expected to begin the season at Triple-A Gwinnett and give the Braves a major league-ready backup option if needed.
Recker got a major league deal, not a split contract. His $800,000 salary is 20 percent below what MLB Trade Rumors projected he’d get in arbitration ($1 million).
Recker, 33, surpassed expectations in 2016 when the former Mets backup hit a career-best .278 with 10 extra-base hits (two home runs) in 33 games for the Braves after getting called up from Triple-A at the All-Star break when Flowers went on the disabled list for a broken thumb. The Braves had purchased Recker in May from the Indians, for whome he toiled in Triple-A to start the season.
He had a .394 OBP and .828 OPS in 112 plate appearances for the Braves and wound up sharing the catching duties with Flowers late in the season, after A.J. Pierzynski struggled mightily and eventually went on the DL twice, fading from the picture late in the season.
Recker has just a .200 average with 18 homers and .635 OPS in 200 games (623 plate appearances) over parts of six major league seasons with the Athletics, Mets and Braves, but he made strides on offense and defense last season, and the Braves liked how he worked with pitchers.
