The Detroit Tigers always intended to tender veteran catcher Dustin Garneau a contract for the 2022 season.
But Garneau is the definition of a journeyman.
He has played 160 games across parts of seven seasons for six teams: Colorado Rockies (2015-17), Oakland Athletics (2017, 2019), Chicago White Sox (2018), Los Angeles Angels (2019), Houston Astros (2020) and Tigers (2021).
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That’s why the 34-year-old wasn’t ready to bank on what the Tigers would do at the Nov. 30 tender deadline, when teams had to decide whether to bring back arbitration eligible players for the 2022 season or send them into the free-agent pool less than 30 hours before MLB’s lockout.
“I was definitely 50-50 all the way up until when it happened,” Garneau said Tuesday. “I understand baseball is a business. They’re going to do whatever is best for the team as far as roster construction and payroll. I don’t really put too much stock in it anymore until whatever happens, happens.”
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On Nov. 30, though, the Tigers made their decision official.
Garneau is staying with the Tigers entering the 2022 season and will show up to spring training in February with a major-league deal in hand. He could receive as mucuy as $1.6 million in salary arbitration, according to MLB Trade Rumors, but his salary should be right around $1 million. It will be the most he has ever made for a single season.
“It’s nice,” Garneau said. “Everybody wants an opportunity and to at least have somewhat of a legitimate shot. I feel like I have this now, and I can go in and try to solidify whatever role it will be for me with AJ (Hinch, manager).”
Here’s why tendering a contact to Garneau made sense for the Tigers:
It’s not fully guaranteed
Because Garneau is arbitration-eligible, the Tigers would owe him 30 days termination pay if he is cut on or before the 16th day of spring training. If he is cut after that, but before the end of spring training, the Tigers would owe him 45 days termination pay.
If Garneau makes the 26-man Opening Day roster, his year-long salary becomes guaranteed. (The same is true for the seven others tendered contracts on Nov. 30: Jeimer Candelario, Michael Fulmer, Jose Cisnero, Joe Jimenez, Spencer Turnbull, Harold Castro and Victor Reyes.)
“If that comes, it comes,” Garneau said. “It’s just another thing I would have to deal with.”
The key relationship
On Aug. 19, Hinch glowed as he spoke about Garneau.
“He caught in the playoffs last year,” Hinch said. “That can’t go unnoticed. There’s no level that’s been too big for him. He’s a catcher first and anything he brings offensively will be a plus. But there’s a calmness to him behind the plate. He’s a student of the game. He’s very trustable in how he’s going to prepare. That history is one of the reasons why we wanted him.”
Garneau signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers in December 2020. In July, Garneau was stuck in Triple-A Toledo and recovering from a wrist fracture. Without a clear path to the big leagues — due to the success of Jake Rogers and Eric Haase — he opted out of his contract and signed with the Rockies.
One month later, Hinch needed a catcher.
Garneau returned to the Tigers in an Aug. 18 trade.
“Everything that happened last year was wild,” Garneau said. “The one calming factor for me was being comfortable behind the plate and in the box, but also having AJ that I could talk to about games, pitch-calling and the stuff that he does in the games. I could pick his brain.”
“If I was a little lost, I had somebody I could go to where I could vent or ask where I messed up. He was going to give me a fair and honest answer. That’s a huge, huge deal in this game, when you have a manager who has an open book and tells you the way it is and why he does stuff. It’s a game-changer for a team.”
Garneau dealt well with the pitching staff amid injuries to Rogers and Haase. Once Haase returned, he worked alongside with Garneau for the remainder of the games. (Rogers is expected to miss the 2022 season because of Tommy John surgery.)
Hinch has praised Garneau’s game-calling and trusts him with the franchise’ young pitchers. The Tigers added another defense-first catcher — two-time Gold Glove winner Tucker Barnhart — in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds to begin the offseason.
Barnhart is the clear-cut starter.
Garneau thinks the Tigers made a home-run decision.
“I think it’s a smart move,” Garneau said. “He’s a helluva catcher. He’s a two-time Gold Glove winner. I mean, he’s a helluva player.”
Garneau is excited about left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez and shortstop Javier Baez, too. He thinks those signings — totaling $217 million — sent a message to the American League Central, currently controlled by the Chicago White Sox.
“We’re trying to win,” Garneau said. “Toward the end of the season, we were competing with the big boys in the league. We can try to translate that into next (year) with getting a legitimate pitcher and a guy who is a freaking stud at shortstop to lead this offense and compete with this division.”
He knows the organization
The Tigers traded for Garneau last August for the same reason they tendered him a contract — his extensive knowledge of the organizations’ pitching.
An eager-to-learn Garneau got up to speed quickly on starting pitchers Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning, as well as relievers such as Gregory Soto, Michael Fulmer, Kyle Funkhouser, Jose Cisnero and Alex Lange. He was around for last year’s spring training and worked in Triple-A Toledo, so names and faces in the minors aren’t unfamiliar.
Those pitchers, by the way, embraced Garneau’s presence and ability to call a game.
“I only shook him one time, and it was the first hit up the middle,” Manning said Sept. 16 after throwing six innings of one-run ball against the Brewers. “After that, I didn’t shake him at all. He’s very experienced. I love throwing to him. I think we have a good relationship building, and I feel very comfortable when he’s leading the way.”
“Dustin prepares a lot,” Lange said in September. “He’s very smart, very cerebral about the game. The guy knows a lot about this game. When he calls a pitch, he’s not just calling a pitch because he thinks it’s going to work. He’s got rhyme and reason behind it. He’s got hours and hours of researching, diving into scouting reports of each individual guy about what the strengths and weaknesses are. When you’re coming in for the sixth, seventh, eighth inning, he’s got a pretty good understanding. He’s been in the battle the entire time. So, you got to trust a guy like that.”
Last season, Garneau caught 165 innings in 20 games for the Tigers and 139 innings in 17 games for Triple-A Toledo, too. In the majors, he allowed three passed balls and committed two errors for a .987 fielding percentage. He posted a 36% caught stealing rate, throwing out five of 14 runners.
If injuries occur in camp, the Tigers can easily transition to Garneau for as long as necessary.
Prove it, Haase
The backup catcher job — currently Haase’s gig — could become a competition.
Haase surged in his first long-term stay in the big leagues. The 28-year-old rookie hit 22 home runs in 98 games, winning AL Rookie of the Month in July and becoming a fan favorite. He grew up a fan of the Tigers, attended Dearborn Divine Child and marveled at hitting behind Miguel Cabrera in the lineup. The dream come true could be just the beginning of a long-lasting career.
But Haase also had some issues.
“It’s been a struggle for him,” Hinch said Oct. 1. “The swing-and-miss has shown up. Some of the chase has been an issue. That’s increased. When you pile up as many home runs as he did early in his season, those heat maps are going to light up. I think they’ve studied him a little bit more to not concede to his power zones.
“The contact percentage has got to come up for him to be a more well-rounded hitter. He’s gotten more and more frustrated as this stretch has gone. He’s probably tried to chase homers while chasing bad pitches. That’s a lethal combo.”
Haase hit .246 with 18 home runs in his first 58 games, then .208 with four homers in 40 games to finish the season. He ended with a .231 batting average, 26 walks and 119 strikeouts in 98 games, giving him a 31.2% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate. His production dropped off as opposing teams learned his tendencies.
Expect Barnhart as the starter and Haase as the backup when spring training begins, but the latter must prove last season’s power surge was more than a fluke. He also needs to improve his defense.
A true everyday catcher gets somewhere between 120-140 games. The Tigers think Barnhart — not Haase — can fill that role. Still, the Tigers believe in Haase and think he could compete for playing time in numerous roles. He made 61 starts at catcher, 20 in left field and 10 at designated hitter, along with two innings at first base, last season.
If Haase hits, he’s going to stick around. The Barnhart-Haase combination makes a solid duo. Platooning Barnhart (a left-handed hitter) and Haase (a right-handed hitter), to an extent, will aid Hinch’s lineup flexibility in specific matchups.
“I’m just taking it like any other year,” Garneau said of his role. “I’ve never had the opportunity — well, I kind of did with the Astros where I had the backup spot. But I didn’t take it that way where I came into spring training and figured everything was mine. I’ve always had to go in and work for my spot.”
Three’s company
There’s also a chance the Tigers simply decide to carry three catchers.
The Tigers could benefit from using Haase as a first baseman, so Jonathan Schoop — one of the better second basemen in baseball — can play his natural position, especially if the Tigers want to field their best defensive team. Keep in mind, Cabrera turns 39 in April. He played 44 games at first base last season but only twice after Sept. 8. Top prospect Spencer Torkelson is near his MLB debut, but if he isn’t ready at the end of spring training, the Tigers will need a first baseman. For a month or so, Haase could get the job done while Barnhart and Garneau handle most of the catching duties.
“Eric can play all over the field,” Garneau said. “He can play outfield, play first base, DH and catch, and the guy just smashes the baseball, so he’s earned that right to be in the lineup. It’s all about flexibility, and the more flexibility a manager can have, I think it benefits this team, especially when it gets in the late innings of the game.”
The Tigers showed their commitment to Garneau before tending him a contract. Before the tender deadline, the Tigers removed catcher Grayson Greiner — a former third-round draft pick projected for $800,000 in salary arbitration — from the 40-man roster.
There is, though, one caveat: Garneau does not have any minor-league options, meaning that if the Tigers want to send him to the minors at some point, he’ll have to clear waivers — and other teams could claim him.
Still, Garneau’s return to the Tigers as an insurance plan is worth the risk for both parties.
“I’m just excited,” Garneau said. “I’m excited to be back. I’m excited to see what this team can do and help compete in this division. I think we have a legitimate shot now.”
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Read more on the Detroit Tigers and sign up for our Tigers newsletter.