Pirates catcher Joey Bart is drawing some trade interest, according to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Hiles adds that teams interested in Bart (including at least one AL club) are valuing him as a potential bench bat to hit left-handed pitching, rather than as a starting catcher.
That’s understandable, given the season Bart has had. The 28-year-old has appeared in 64 games for Pittsburgh this season with a .244/.343/.302 (87 wRC+) slash line in 236 plate appearances. He’s combined that with below average defense across the board behind the plate and especially weak framing numbers. With that said, Bart has raked against southpaws with a .333/.424/.451 (150 wRC+) line against them in 59 plate appearances this year. Bart performing well against lefties is also consistent with his career, as his career 106 wRC+ against southpaws is 21 points higher than his mark against right-handers.
That ability to crush left-handed pitching would make Bart a strong bench option for a team that struggles against lefties like the Royals (76 wRC+), Rangers (77 wRC+), or Reds (77 wRC+). The Reds and Rangers already have a lefty-mashing backup catcher in Jose Trevino and Kyle Higashioka respectively, but the Royals would be a particularly interesting fit as Bart represents a clear upgrade over Luke Maile and could pair with Freddy Fermin in future seasons behind the plate if this is franchise stalwart Salvador Perez’s final year in Kansas City. The Royals have a middling 54-55 record but are just three games out of a Wild Card spot and have already acquired Randal Grichuk and Adam Frazier this summer. Bart is controlled through the 2027 season, so he could be a sensible addition for teams that aren’t squarely all-in on 2025.
Bart may not fit other teams quite as perfectly as he does the Royals, but there are still some other interesting fits. The Padres are known to be in desperate need of catching help and Bart would be an offensive upgrade over either Elias Diaz or Martin Maldonado. The Rays and Mets could be other solid fits, although Tampa’s recent acquisitions of Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia seemingly leave them well-stocked in terms of catching talent while the Mets might be reluctant to part with the top-shelf defense backup catcher Luis Torrens is providing behind the plate.
The Pirates face an interesting dilemma regarding Bart. The 28-year-old’s 2024 season looked at the time to be a breakout performance as he slashed an excellent .265/.337/.462 (121 wRC+) with 13 homers in just 80 games, and there surely would’ve been clubs intrigued by Bart as a potential starting catcher last winter after that performance. That could make holding onto him in hopes he bounces back offensively to raise his value a worthwhile course of action, particularly given his remaining team control. On the other hand, 2024 is the only time across parts of six seasons in the majors where Bart has looked like an above-average offensive player, and with both Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez looking for an opportunity to develop behind the plate next year perhaps the Pirates should get something for Bart now if they can and more fully devote the catcher position to their former top prospects next year.