D-backs reach agreement on 1-year deal with catcher Stephen Vogt
Nov 26, 2019, 6:46 PM | Updated: 6:50 pm
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Arizona Diamondbacks have reached an agreement on a one-year deal with catcher Stephen Vogt, the club announced Tuesday.
The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The contract includes a club option and vesting options for 2021.
Vogt, 35, was an All-Star in back-to-back years for the Oakland Athletics in 2015-16. After getting off to a rough start in 2017, he was waived by the Athletics and claimed by the Milwaukee Brewers.
He hit .254 in 2017 for Milwaukee before missing all of 2018 due to a re-occurring right shoulder injury that eventually led to season-ending surgery.
The San Francisco Giants signed Vogt to a minor league contract in February and he made the roster, appearing in 99 games and hitting .263 with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs.
Not getting to the majors until he was 27, Vogt is a career .253 hitter with 67 home runs, 258 RBIs and an OPS of .737.
Vogt will give Arizona a left-handed bat behind starting catcher Carson Kelly that the D-backs value as an offensive player more than Alex Avila, per 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro.
Kelly started 85 games for the D-backs last year, with Avila mainly serving as the backup at 49 games started. Avila is a free agent this offseason.
One of the primary pieces in the return for Paul Goldschmidt; the 25-year-old Kelly had a strong OPS of .826 and 18 homers with 47 RBIs last season.