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Less than two years ago, Jarrod Saltalamacchia was a World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox. Despite an offer to stay in beantown, Salty signed a three-year deal for $21 million dollars with the Marlins, and things haven't worked out well.
#Marlins C Jarrod Saltalamacchia reinstated from paternity list and designated for assignment.
— Juan C. Rodriguez (@JCRMarlinsbeat) April 27, 2015
In 2014, Saltalamacchia hit .220 with an OBP of .320, driving in just 44 runs. While it's still early in the season, the Marlins decided they couldn't put up with his .069 average and .182 OBP any longer. They're now on the hook for roughly $14.2 million and will likely wind up eating all of it. According to Nick Cafardo, there are at least five teams interested in Saltalamacchia, one of which is the Diamondbacks.
I'm told the Dbacks are having internal discussions about whether to pursue Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was designated today by the Marlins.
— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) April 27, 2015
Tuffy Gosewisch has been the primary catcher for the D-Backs thus far in 2015, and owns a slash line of .200/.241/.200. He's been worth -0.4 fWAR, and while Saltalamacchia isn't a much better option, it can't hurt to try at this point.
According to Joe Frisaro, the emergence of J.T. Realmuto is what made this all possible. If there had been no replacement for Saltalamacchia, the Marlins would have had no choice but to hope for the best, but Realmuto clearly impressed those in charge. In 36 plate appearances, he's hitting .265 and has been worth 0.1 fWAR, 0.3 points better than Salty. It's difficult to upgrade the catching position during the season, as it's such a limited resource, and it figures to be a weak spot for Miami throughout 2015.