• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Pittsburgh Sports Today

Pittsburgh Sports News Continuously Updated

  • Steelers
  • Pirates
  • Penguins
  • Colleges
    • Carnegie Mellon University
    • Duquesne University
    • Penn State
    • Robert Morris
    • University of Pittsburgh

Andrew Knapp Elects Free Agency

May 20, 2022 by MLB Trade Rumors

Catcher Andrew Knapp has cleared waivers and elected free agency, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Knapp had been designated for assignment by the Pirates a few days ago. Players can reject outright assignments and elect free agency if they have been previously outrighted in their careers or have more than five years of MLB service time. Knapp fits both of those categories, allowing him to return to the open market.

Knapp, 30, was signed by the Reds to a minor league deal this winter but didn’t make the team out of Spring Training. After being granted his release, he very quickly latched on with the Pirates to serve as the backup behind Roberto Perez. The switch-hitting Knapp got into 11 games with the Bucs but hit just .210/.310/.315, for a wRC+ of 23.

Perez recently underwent season-ending hamstring surgery, forcing the club to figure out a new plan for who would handle the receiving duties in Pittsburgh. Michael Perez had his contract selected and then the team claimed Tyler Heineman off waivers from the Blue Jays, with Knapp getting nudged out as part of the latter move.

Knapp will now be free to communicate with all 30 clubs and figure out his preferred next step. Over 320 career games, he’s hit .210/.310/.315 for a wRC+ of 70. That’s 30% below league average for all hitters, though backup catchers who can hit at a league-average rate are few and far between. The fact that he can hit from both sides of the plate could perhaps help him find a job with a team whose primary catcher has a notable platoon split.

Filed Under: Pirates

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • What to know heading into the Wimbledon tennis finals
  • Trump official criticizes Fed chief Powell as Trump takes aim over interest rates
  • 7/11: CBS Evening News Plus
  • 7/11: The Takeout with Major Garrett
  • From the archives: David Gergen on leadership

Categories

Archives

Our Partners

All Sports

  • CBS Pittsburgh
  • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
  • 247 Sports
  • Bleacher Report
  • City Of Champions
  • The Sports Fan Journal
  • The Spun
  • USA Today

Baseball

  • MLB.com
  • Bucs Dugout
  • Last Word On Baseball
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Rum Bunter

Football

  • Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Behind The Steel Curtain
  • Last Word On Pro Football
  • NFL Trade Rumors
  • Our Turf Football
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Football Talk
  • Still Curtain
  • Steelers Gab
  • Steelers Wire
  • Total Steelers

Hockey

  • Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Elite Prospects
  • Last Word On Hockey
  • Pens Labyrinth
  • Pensburgh
  • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Talk
  • The Hockey Writers

College

  • Busting Brackets
  • Cardiac Hill
  • College Football News
  • College Sports Madness
  • Saturday Blitz
  • The Duquesne Duke
  • The Pitt News
  • Zags Blog

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in