Ken Rosenthal reports the Rays have contacted free agent catcher Michael Barrett:
The Rays are among the teams that have made contact with free-agent catcher Michael Barrett, but the team's greater priorities are finding bullpen help and upgrading at shortstop. Barrett, 31, is a Type A free agent, while fellow free agents Paul LoDuca and Yorvit Torrealba are Type Bs. Under the collective-bargaining agreement, a team would not lose a draft pick for signing LoDuca or Torrealba; their previous clubs would receive a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds. Barrett would cost any team that signed him a first- or second-round pick if the Padres offered him arbitration
Barrett, 31, could be the bargain of the off-season; last season he posted totals lower than his career averages including a .653 OPS, nearly .100 points lower than his career average. If signed I'd assume Barrett would rotate between DH and catching as well as potentially playing the corner infield positions. The news also raises questions of just how secure the team feels it is with Dioner Navarro and often injured Shawn Riggans as their lone catchers, Navarro was on the receiving end of some odd injuries last year, including being hit in the throat on a tricky hop. Also apparently Barret's PECOTA card is free to view for whatever reason, it's worth the look.
