The veteran backstop has joined his fourth major league team.
The Miami Marlins have signed catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to a three-year, $21 million contract, per Juan C. Rodriguez. The former Braves and Rangers catcher was with the Red Sox since Texas traded him there during the 2010 season.
Saltalamacchia had a career year in 2013, hitting .273/..338/.466 with a 117 wRC+ and 3.6 fWAR. As good as that is for a catcher, it was a level of production out of line with his career norms, which include a 94 wRC+. With a .372 batting average on balls in play this year, it would be hard for him to duplicate his success next season.
But the signing still makes plenty of sense for Miami, as legitimate major league catchers don't often cost less than $7 million per season once they've gotten enough service time to hit free agency. And he'll turn just 29 years old in the spring.
As for the Mets, there wasn't any reason for them to be in on Saltalamacchia since they're counting on Travis d'Arnaud as their starting catcher. While Saltalamacchia doesn't make the Marlins' lineup great, he's certainly an upgrade for them.
