Pirates quietly sign former Diamondbacks catcher with .539 OPS

The Pittsburgh Pirates have added valuable catching depth to the organization. 

On the same day the NL Central club selected the contract of backstop Christian Bethancourt, the Pirates added another catcher on a minor-league deal. 

According to the MLB transaction log, Pittsburgh has signed Jose Herrera to a minor-league contract. 

Herrera, 29, spent parts of four seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2022-25. In 187 career games, he is a .200/.280/.259 hitter with three home runs and 42 RBIs. 

"He has been exactly average at throwing out baserunners and had league-average metrics for his pitch framing and blocking," Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors wrote. 

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With Bethancourt in the mix, the Pirates are now carrying three catchers on the active roster. 

Henry Davis and Rafael Flores Jr. are the Pirates' top two options behind the plate. Besides those three, the organization does not have any other catchers on the 40-man roster. 

Pittsburgh recently lost Endy Rodriguez to hip surgery, so Herrera will serve as depth at Triple-A Indianapolis. 

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