Orioles add veteran catcher Sucre
Friday morning, the Baltimore Orioles added a veteran catcher to the organization as Jesús Sucre was signed to a minor-league deal. The contract is worth $850,000 if he makes the big league club. He receives an invite to Spring Training and also has an opt-out clause in the contract if he’s not added to the 40-man roster by March 22.
Sucre, 30, has appeared in 135 games over the past two seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays. Traded by the Seattle Mariners in February 2017, he adds a veteran presence to the catcher mix that already included Chance Sisco, Austin Wynns, Marvin Cervenka, Carlos Pérez and Andrew Susac.
Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias has already stated the team is looking at one-year deal for any free agent, and this is right on track with that sentiment. Sucre is a career .251 hitter in 13 seasons in professional baseball. He made his major league debut in 2013 and appeared in 88 games in parts of four seasons with the Mariners.
In the majors, Sucre has caught 220 games, starting 180 of them. He’s had 111 chances to throw out baserunners trying to steal and has been successful 32 percent of the time.
A veteran of the Venezuelan Winter League, he holds a career on-base percentage of .311 in 157 games.
