If a team is going to outspend all but two other teams in Major League Baseball, shouldn’t they be expected to sign/trade for some of the top players at just about every position?  That’s my thinking.  I also think that the Cubs are spending the payroll dollars like the big boys, but their roster cannot stack up to the big boys.

In this series of posts, I’m looking at the Cubs roster one position at a time to see just how their roster compares to the other five highest spending teams in baseball.  To see what I’ve come up with so far, take a look at these previous posts:

• What Can You get For $140 Million? (Introduction and Methodology)
• What Can You get For $140 Million?: First Base
• What Can You get For $140 Million?: Second Base
• What Can You get For $140 Million?: Shortstop
• What Can You get For $140 Million?: Third Base

Today, I’d like to take a look at the catchers for the six teams with the highest payroll.  The catchers we will be looking at are:

• Jorge Posada (Yankees)
• Brian Schneider (Mets)
• Geovany Soto (Cubs)
• Gerald Laird (Tigers)
• Carlos Ruiz (Phillies)
• Jason Varitek (Red Sox)

To begin, let’s see how the catchers stack up based on salary:

• Jorge Posada ($13.1 million)
• Jason Varitek ($5 million)
• Brian Schneider ($4.9 million)
• Gerald Laird ($2.8 million)
• Geovany Soto ($575,000)
• Carlos Ruiz ($475, 000)

There’s an important point I’d like to make here that I’ve alluded to in previous posts, but haven’t made as strongly as I would like.  While it is true that I feel the third highest payroll in baseball should allow the Cubs to put one of the top players in baseball at just about every position, the reality is that some positions will still need to be filled by young, inexpensive players.  The reason for this is two-fold.  First, it allows the team to take full advantage of their payroll dollars.  In other words, by spending less at a couple of positions, the Cubs will have more money to spend on the remaining positions.

Having said this, it doesn’t mean that the Cubs (or any other big spending, playoff caliber team) should just throw any old player on to their roster.  For instance, I’ve already been very critical of the Cubs for starting Mike Fontenot at second base in 2009.  The Cubs had no reason to believe he would be successful as a starter.  It was just wishful thinking to put Fontenot in that position.

Second, every team, even the high payroll teams, need to develop their own talent.  And you can’t properly develop them unless you give them an opportunity at the big league level.  Of course, that assumes that they have earned a shot at the big league level.

Putting young, inexpensive players in the starting line-up is fine, provided they can actually do the job.  Just filling a hole with a warm body should never be acceptable for a team spending as much money as the Cubs spent in 2009.

Okay, let’s get back to the catchers.  Let’s start by looking at how each catcher did in 2008, leading up to the 2009 season.  First, let’s rank the catchers based on their 2008 WAR:

1. Geovany Soto (WAR 4.6)
2. Brian Schneider (WAR 1.6)
3. Gerald Laird (WAR 1.3)
4. Jason Varitek (WAR 1.3)
5. Jorge Posada (WAR 0.8)
6. Carlos Ruiz (WAR 0.5)

I knew that Soto had a good year in 2008.  After all, in 2008 he won the NL Rookie of the Year Award.  However, I didn’t expect him to score so much higher than all of the other catchers in the survey.  Both Ruiz and Posada spent time on the DL in 2008 (Posada missed most of the year), explaining their low WAR scores.

How did the catchers do in OPS+ in 2008?  Let’s find out.

1. Geovany Soto (OPS+ 118)
2. Jorge Posada (OPS+ 103)
3. Gerald Laird (OPS+ 91)
4. Brian Scheider (OPS+ 87)
5. Jason Varitek (OPS+ 73)
6. Carlos Ruiz (OPS+ 63)

Again, Soto was the cream of the crop in 2008.  I’m actually a little surprised by how poorly the group as a whole hit.  Of course, many teams prefer to go with a defensively-oriented catcher, so maybe this shouldn’t be a surprise.

Moving into 2009, how do the catchers compare based on WAR?

1. Jorge Posada (WAR 4.0)
2. Carlos Ruiz (WAR 2.2)
3. Geovany Soto (WAR 1.3)
4. Jason Varitek (WAR 1.3)
5. Gerald Laird (WAR 0.9)
6. Brian Schneider (WAR 0.3)

Posada and Ruiz were healthy in 2009, accounting for their increase in WAR.  Soto was not healthy.  He spent time on the DL because of a shoulder injury.  Because of this, I’m surprised Soto’s WAR score is as high as it is.  I had expected a lower ranking.

 Let’s next look at these same players based on 2009 OPS+:

1. Jorge Posada (OPS+ 133)
2. Carlos Ruiz (OPS+ 104)
3. Jason Varitek (OPS+ 80)
4. Geovany Soto (OPS+ 79)
5. Brian Schneider (OPS+ 67)
6. Gerald Laird (OPS+ 64)

Jorge Posada had an excellent year in 2009.  Not so much for our boy, Geovany.  Soto started 2009 playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.  It was at the WBC that Soto failed a drug test for using marijuana.  Soto also gained some weight in the off season prior to the 2009 season which took its tool on the catcher.

Which is the real Soto?  The catcher who excelled in 2008, or the one that struggled mightily in 2009?  The Cubs think that 2008 is the real Soto and they’re counting on him to have a bonuce back year in 2010.

So, how did the catchers in our survey rank overall?

1. Jorge Posada (Yankees)
2. Geovany Soto (Cubs)
3. Carlos Ruiz (Phillies)
4. Jason Varitek (Red Sox)
5. Brian Schneider (Mets)
6. Gerald Laird (Tigers)

It’s amazing that a 38-year old catcher leads the pack, but I don’t even think it’s close.  Soto appears to be the second best catcher on the list.  An argument could be made that Varitek is a better catcher than Ruiz.  At one time, I think that was true, but I’d take Ruiz over Varitek now.

So, do the Cubs have one of the top catchers in all of baseball?  If you give me a choice, I’m going to take Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez, and Brian McCann over Soto, but I think it is fair to say that Soto is in (or near) the top five catchers in baseball.  His performance in 2010 will determine whether he stays in the top five or falls into the also-ran category.

Bottom Line:  The point I made earlier about needing a couple of young, inexpensive players in the line-up applies to Soto.  He worked his way up through the minors and gave the Cubs’ front office reason to believe that he could be an everyday MLB catcher.  This is the type of risk-taking that is acceptable for the third biggest spending team in the league.

What isn’t acceptable is the experiment the Cubs have been running at second base and shortstop.  Neither Mike Fontenot or Ryan Theriot is a good enough player to be filling a line-up spot for one of the top payroll teams.  Fontenot in particular does not deserve to be an everyday player. 

Soto does not fit into the same category as Fontenot and Theriot.  Soto showed enough promise to get a shot as the everyday catcher for the Cubs.  He made the most of that opportunity in 2008, putting himself near the top of MLB catchers.  Provided Soto rebounds from a sub-par 2009, the Cubs have one of the better catchers in the game.