May 10, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) during batting practice before a game against the New York Yankees at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

The Royals announced that Salvador Perez would be placed on the bereavement list after the death of his maternal grandmother. Josh Vernier was first to put the word out on Twitter. Taking Perez’s place on the roster will be Adam Moore.

Perez was off on Saturday after playing in Friday’s night game. Perez was injured on Monday night when he ran into the barrier in front of the Astros dugout in Houston while chasing a foul ball. The injury was categorized as a deep bruise, though the Royals did consult MRI results in case there was a tear in the hip. Perez returned to the Royals lineup on Thursday and went 3-4, then went 0-4 on Friday. He’s hitting .311/.327/.411 after 156 plate appearances.

Placement on the list ensures that Perez will be out 3-7 days. He’ll be eligible as soon as Wednesday when the Royals travel to St. Louis. George Kottaras will presumably fill in as the starting catcher until then. Kottaras is hitting just .167 after Saturday’s game, but, unlike anyone not named Billy Butler, has been able to find other ways to get on base besides base hits and has been a pretty good backup when called to action. He’s made 1.9% of the team’s plate appearances but taken 7% of the team’s walks. His line is .167/.394/.

Adam Moore made 12 plate appearances for the Royals last September after being claimed off waivers by the team in July. He’s hit .190/.297/.405 in 91 plate appearances for Omaha in 2013.

Mar 5, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Brett Hayes (12) signals there are two outs during the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

The last spot to consider is that of Salvador Perez‘s backup. The Royals have claimed Brett Hayes and George Kottaras this winter with an idea of pitting them against each other. As Bob Dutton has pointed out, both are out of options and only one is expected to stay with the Royals. Now, the question is which one stays and which one goes?

Hayes is the better defender, but Kottaras is considered a better hitter (and has shown power and patience in the past). Despite the reputation, Hayes is doing well this spring:

Hayes

Kottaras

The standard qualifier about this being spring training applies, and it’s also a limited sample size, so vast conclusions can’t be drawn from Hayes’s numbers (nor Kottaras’s) but the two homers could be enough to persuade the Royals to keep him.

Kottaras hasn’t had the power this spring, but he’s gotten on base, reaching 11 times (five walks, six base hits) in 27 plate appearances. He’s a career .320 OBP catcher, which is acceptable as a backup (Hayes, by contrast, is a .266 OBP player as a big leaguer). Neither are going to dominate but they’ll contribute, just in a different ways. We’re looking at 30-35 games maximum (ideally) for Perez’s off days, and possibly less than that even. But while it seems to be a small decision, consider this time last year.

Brayan Pena and Humberto Quintero took over the catching duties when Perez went under the knife. Neither were effective. A strong backup catcher is often a luxury but when you have one ready to plug into the lineup, it’s a benefit. The Royals have to sort out who would best fit in a lineup long-term if Perez got hurt again while also figuring out who they think could do more in the short-term to cover the off days.

Can Kottaras’s defensive limitations be minimized if he’s only asked to catch 30 games a year? His bat would probably fit better with the expectations on Perez as a hitter this year. Or, if the Royals only see 25 games necessary to spell Perez, are they willing to go with the better defensive catcher in Hayes, knowing that his bat, while considered worse than Kottaras, is only going to be in a fraction of the team’s games?

To me, there’s more upside in Kottaras in short-term action and, if necessary, long-term as well. They do give up a lot on defense that way, though.

There are teams looking for catching now, though, which could help the Royals make their decision. The Angels are one team looking for another backstop, and the Royals might end up giving them the option of either backup and taking whichever gets the better return. My hunch is that they’d feel comfortable with either Hayes or Kottaras behind the plate and getting something in a trade is better than trying to sneak them through waivers. With Adam Moore and Manny Pina all set for Triple A, somebody’s going to end up in a new spot by the end of spring.

It looks as though Hayes is leading at this point, but the Royals haven’t tipped their hand on the matter. They have two weeks to figure it out.

UPDATE: The morning after this post was published, reports pointed towards the Angels signing catcher Chris Snyder. There should, however, be other teams looking for a backup catcher even if the Angels may not be any longer.

October 3, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher George Kottaras (14) reacts after failing to catch a pop up by the Texas Rangers during the third inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

We discussed Kottaras at length when he became available and for a backup, he’s a nice pickup. According to Bob Dutton, he’ll compete with Brett Hayes for the backup catcher job. If he only had to play 30 games (assuming Salvador Perez stayed healthy all year), his defensive liabilities would be minimized but the Royals wouldn’t drop nearly as much production at the plate from the catcher position on Perez’s off days.

Kottaras is a high-walk, good-power hitter and bats left-handed. That he was claimed when the Royals seemed comfortable with Hayes previously suggests to me that he’s the favorite to backup Perez in 2013.

Tony Abreu was designated for assignment to make room on the 40 man roster for Kottaras. He gets dropped because Irving Falu has options remaining and allows for greater roster flexibility for the Royals.

Kottaras will make $1 million in 2013 after signing a contract after he and the A’s avoided arbitration prior to his designation for assignment.

September 18, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher George Kottaras (14) at bat against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

You have probably heard about the three-team trade that landed John Jaso in Oakland (and Michael Morse in Seattle and A.J. Cole in Washington). When Oakland acquired Jaso, they needed to clear a spot on the roster for him and designated catcher George Kottaras for assignment. The A’s have to release him or trade him after ten days of that transaction.

Looking at the Royals situation, they could use a backup catcher. Brayan Pena was let go and signed with Detroit, leaving Adam Moore, Manny Pina, and Brett Hayes (after he was claimed off waivers) as their backup options.

Assuming Salvador Perez stays healthy all season, he’s going to see 130 games and probably more. The impact of a backup catcher isn’t going to be very big, but still, if there’s a chance to improve that spot, why not go for it? Finding small improvements here and there can add up. And having a somewhat established backstop in place can help if an injury does occur. Last season, when Pina was already injured and Perez got hurt, the Royals were left with Pena and no other real plan, forcing them to go out and get Humberto Quintero.

Let’s compare career numbers:

That’s a pretty stark difference between Kottaras and the rest of that group. Pena was always adequate in a backup role (and had 0.2 oWAR as a Royal) but not spectacular. He would have his hits here and there, showed a bit of power, but overall, he was still just a replacement level player. I suppose, in comparison, Hayes is most similar to Pena and right now he’s okay as the backup catcher entering 2013. But why not try to get a little extra out of that position? Even factoring in Kottaras’s defense (which lowers his bWAR to 1.7) he’s still at a decent level over his 694 PA career.

Kottaras is a Billy Beane type of player, which explains how he ended up in Oakland in the first place. He walks a lot (13.1% over his career) and has power. If the Royals were to acquire him, they’d find that on Perez’s off days, they’d have a capable bat in the lineup. No, the base hits probably wouldn’t be there, but he’ll probably continue to get on base well enough, and for a backup catcher, isn’t that like playing with house money? Kottaras is also left-handed, which could offer some pinch-hitting flexibility (but at least gives a team the opportunity to plan off days with platoon advantages in mind).

What about the financial side of things? The Royals are already over budget in regards to payroll, so another acquisition just keeps that moving. Hayes was arbitration eligible and agreed to a $600,000 deal with the Royals shortly after being claimed. Kottaras had agreed to $1 million with Oakland before he’d been designated. Moore and Pina are both in the minors and were cleared off the 40 man roster, so if the Royals did get Kottaras, Hayes would probably be a roster casualty (and his one-year deal would not be guaranteed). In the end, the Royals don’t end up on the hook for much more by choosing Kottaras over Hayes. Financial aspects shouldn’t be much of a consideration if they think he’s the player they want.

Of course, walkrate and isolated power aside, Kottaras was designated for assignment last July before being traded from Milwaukee to Oakland, and now he finds himself cut loose. When I suggested the Royals go after Kottaras recently on Twitter, Greg Schaum of Pine Tar Press reminded me of a reason why the catcher might be available. He “can’t catch“. The statistics and scouting agree on this point. He’s a negative defensive runs saved (DRS) catcher over his career and has thrown out only 16% of would-be base stealers in the majors. Hayes, by comparison, hasn’t saved any runs according to DRS, but he has thrown out 26% of runners as a big leaguer. He’s considered much better behind the plate.

So it comes down to this: for 30 games, do you want a catcher who can produce runs when called into duty (but is a butcher behind the plate) or an average catcher defensively who would produce similarly to Brayan Pena’s career numbers? To me, there’s some upside to be found with Kottaras, and if the Royals find themselves in position to get him without giving up more than just cash, they should take that chance.