Jacob Stallings is a nine-year veteran catcher who has played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, and Colorado Rockies. He had the best offensive season of his career in 2024 with the Colorado Rockies, hitting .263/.357/.453 with 36 RBI and nine home runs in 82 games. Rockies manager Bud Black raved about Stallings presence on the team and how invaluable he was to Colorado’s young pitching staff. He has been a solid defender throughout his career and, with his newfound offense, will be an intriguing depth option in 2025.
Jacob Stallings Solid Depth Option in Free Agency
Potential Landing Spots
Colorado Rockies
Stallings might not be done while playing in Mile High City. He had the best offensive season of his career in 2024 with Colorado, which might make him want to keep calling hitter-friendly Coors Field home. The veteran catcher declined his mutual option for 2025, entering free agency with a $500K buyout. However, per Rockies insider Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post, there is still mutual interest in a reunion. Black is returning for his ninth season as the Rockies manager and needs depth at catcher. The Rockies catchers currently on the roster are Drew Romo and Hunter Goodman, who both have minimal Major League experience. Stallings would be a familiar face around the clubhouse and a veteran with experience with the Rockies pitching staff.
Chicago Cubs
Per Chicago Cubs reporter Jordan Bastian, the Cubs will be looking for catching depth this offseason. Miguel Amaya debuted in May 2023 and is the primary catcher for the Cubs. Amaya hit .232/.288/.357 with 47 RBI and eight homers in 117 games in 2024. Stallings could provide veteran depth behind Amaya, who is coming off a career year offensively. His newfound offense was not a product of Coors Field either. He hit .261/.366/.461 with five homers and 18 RBI in 115 road at-bats in 2024. He also spent six seasons in the National League Central with the Pittsburgh Pirates and would be familiar with Wrigley Field. Finally, Stallings would not get in the way of Amaya’s development as a 34-year-old and would be a cheap, dependable depth option for the Cubs.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox traded for Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen at the trade deadline in 2024 as a rental for their push to the playoffs. Jansen was not effective offensively for Boston in 30 games, hitting .188/.323/.300 with six RBI and three home runs. Stallings had a much better offensive year and would provide slightly better defense. Per Statcast, Jansen was an elite blocker defensively, recording 14 blocks above average. Comparatively, Stallings was just slightly behind, recording ten blocks above average. Jansen was near the bottom of the league with -4 caught stealing above average, while Stallings was average with -1 CSAA. Stallings also had a quicker pop time of 1.96 compared to 1.99 for Jansen. Altogether, Stallings would be the cheaper option for the Red Sox. Per Spotrac, his market value is projected at $2.1 million compared to $4.4 million for Jansen.
Main Photo Credits: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
