Tigers near deal for catcher Ramos (sources)

DETROIT — Hours after new Tigers manager A.J. Hinch mentioned catcher as one of his team’s lingering needs, he has someone to fill it. The Tigers spent Tuesday evening closing in on a one-year contract with free-agent catcher Wilson Ramos, sources told MLB.com.
The club has not confirmed the deal,

The club has not confirmed the deal, which is expected to be worth $2 million. Jose F. Rivera, a reporter with Wow Deportes, first reported the deal.

The 33-year-old Ramos will join a Tigers club that currently has Grayson Greiner and prospect Jake Rogers as its only catchers on the 40-man roster. Hinch has welcomed the opportunity for Rogers to compete for a big league spot, but he also made it clear Tuesday they were looking for veteran help.

“Ideally we would add to our mix and put some pressure on guys to make our team,” Hinch said Tuesday afternoon in a video conference with reporters. “We have the capabilities of having a stable duo of guys behind the plate. We have a little bit of experience. We have a young up-and-comer in Rogers. In a perfect world, there’s still a guy out there that can help us, but whether the market produces that, whether that’s how we choose to spend our dollars is obviously up to [general manager] Al [Avila]. But in that position, the more, the merrier.”

Ramos, a veteran of 11 Major League seasons and a two-time All-Star, spent the past two years with the Mets, who filled their catching void earlier this offseason with former Tiger James McCann. Ramos had a solid 2019 season in New York, posting a 2.2 bWAR while batting .288 with 14 homers, 73 RBIs and a 106 OPS+, before digging out of a rough start last year.

Ramos ended up with a .239 average, five home runs, 15 RBIs and an 88 OPS+ in 2020.

Jason Beck has covered the Tigers for MLB.com since 2002. Read Beck’s Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason.

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