Pirates Tender Contract to Catcher Despite Off Year

Pirates Have Tendered Joey Bart for 2026

The Pirates obtained Bart, 28, early in the 2024 season from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for minor league pitcher Austin Strickland after Bart had been designated for assignment. Bart responded with the best season of his career, hitting .265/.355/.340, 13 HR, and 45 RBI in just 80 games. The right-handed hitter had the best slugging percentage and second-best on-base percentage (OBP) on the team. He appeared to have found a baseball home.

However, in 2025, Bart slipped and hit just .249/.355/.340, 4 HR, and 30 RBI in 93 games. Bart also spent time on the concussion injured list last season, which may have affected his play. He still had the best OBP on the team, but there was little else to recommend him. Behind the plate, he was charged with -3 Fielding Runs Above Average and -6 Defensive Runs Saved. Would-be base stealers were successful in 58 of 71 attempts against him. Furthermore, he gets poor marks as a pitch framer.

Competition and Depth at Catcher

Meanwhile, former first overall draft pick Henry Davis emerged as a strong defensive catcher in 2025, defying scouting reports that doubted his abilities behind the dish. Davis registered a “catcher’s ERA” of 2.87 as opposed to Bart’s 4.73. Of course, Davis had the advantage of being the personal catcher of National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. But it’s not as if the Pirates were sending Charlie Faust to the mound every time Skenes didn’t pitch. With a staff that had the sixth-best ERA in the majors at 3.76, the difference was striking.

The Pirates have some additional, albeit unproven, depth at catcher behind Bart and Davis in Rafael Flores and Endy Rodríguez. Flores, obtained in the deadline deal for David Bednar, is expected to provide an instant offensive boost. Even so, the Pirates clearly weren’t quite comfortable letting go of their only proven commodity as an offensive major league catcher in Bart. Davis posted a mere .167/.234/.278, 7 HR, and 22 RBI stat line in 2025. Flores and Rodríguez may need more time in the minors to develop as hitters.

Furthermore, there were three occasions last season when Bart was used as a pinch-hitter for Davis. Managers can pay lip service to the notion of how much confidence they have in a player, but the tell-tale sign is who comes to bat when the game is on the line. By all accounts, Davis is a hard worker, but it’s clear that at this point in Davis’s career, manager Don Kelly prefers Bart’s bat.

The Last Word

With the Pirates having tendered Bart, expect Bart and Davis to continue splitting playing time, with Davis serving as the exclusive catcher for Skenes. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Flores or Rodríguez won’t break spring training with the big club. Both saw action at first base for the Pirates last season. Rodríguez also has minor league experience in the outfield and at second base. Given their versatility, it’s possible the Pirates could carry three catchers in 2026. If one of them develops as expected, Bart can always be dangled in as trade bait.

None of the Pirates’ other Friday tender/non-tender decisions were unexpected. Non-tendered were outfielders Alexander Canario and Ronny Simón and pitchers Colin Holderman and Dauri Moreta. All four were designated for assignment on Tuesday. Non-tendering them was a mere formality. Their time with Pittsburgh is over.