Friday, March 14, 2014

Would You Trade Francisco Cervelli?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

The trade winds continue to swirl around Yankeeland, and there is a new player at the eye of the storm.  Francisco Cervelli has reportedly been scouted by a few teams already this spring and more reports came out earlier in the week that interest in him was increasing.  On the heels of his 2-HR day on Wednesday and yesterday's announcement that he and Brian McCann would be switching roles this weekend, the speculation that he cold be on the move soon is rapidly growing.

The 28-year-old Cervelli is a prototypical backup catcher.  He can hit some, he can get on base some, and his overall defensive makeup is anywhere from solid to above-average depending on what scouting report you're reading.  What's held him back from generating a larger production sample is a combination of bad luck injuries and worse luck Triple-A demotions, but he has a reputation as a great teammate and clubhouse guy.  He's hitting .500/.556/1.125 in 18 PA this spring with 3 HR, 4 RBI, and 6 R scored, and he's also thrown out 3 attempted base stealers.

In a world where well-rounded catchers are hard to find, Cervelli is a very attractive option to teams looking to improve their depth and possibly upgrade at the starting catcher spot, like the White Sox.  He's under team control through 2016 and because of the missed time he hasn't accumulated as many of the standard bumps and bruises that come with the position.  The Yankees have a pair of capable backup options waiting behind him, so for the right return Cervelli should definitely be available.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cervelli for the right infield prospect yes but not for Beckham he's overated.

Unknown said...

Couldn't agree more.

DCfxBroker said...

I would absolutely trade him. I don't understand people who woldn't.