The Atlanta Braves announced a one-year contract extension for catcher Tyler Flowers on Tuesday. Flowers will receive $4 million in base salary for the 2019 season, plus a $6-million option for 2020.
While the 32-year-old's numbers have dropped in 2018, it is possible that all of his injuries this year have had an impact. The veteran catcher underwent surgery on his wrist and forearm this past offseason, and he dealt with groin soreness during spring training. After suffering a strained left oblique near the end of March, he missed nearly all of the month of April this season. Flowers is slashing .225/.357/.335 with five home runs, six doubles and 20 RBI in 61 games this season.
Flowers' salary is affordable enough that he could be moved from a part-time catcher to a backup role if the Braves try to go out and acquire a starter like Yasmani Grandalor J.T. Realmuto this offseason in free agency.
One of the game’s premier pitch-framers, Flowers had an MLB-best 28.1 runs above average last season, he’s ninth (5.6) in a year in which he missed 24 games after suffering an oblique injury in his first at-bat of the season.
The combination of Flowers and fellow veteran Kurt Suzuki has proven a valuable one as they had a 5.1 fWAR last year to lead all catching corps and are tied for 10th this year at 2.0. While Atlanta has intriguing prospects in the system in William Contreras — rated 12th by MLB Pipeline — and Alex Jackson (28th), neither seems like they are ready to rise up and seize the job.
One of the game’s premier pitch-framers, Flowers had an MLB-best 28.1 runs above average last season, he’s ninth (5.6) in a year in which he missed 24 games after suffering an oblique injury in his first at-bat of the season.
The combination of Flowers and fellow veteran Kurt Suzuki has proven a valuable one as they had a 5.1 fWAR last year to lead all catching corps and are tied for 10th this year at 2.0. While Atlanta has intriguing prospects in the system in William Contreras — rated 12th by MLB Pipeline — and Alex Jackson (28th), neither seems like they are ready to rise up and seize the job.
