Twins monitoring trade market for catchers

The Minnesota Twins are monitoring the trade market for catchers, reports Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. 

As Berardino noted, the Twins are looking at the likes of A.J. Pierzynski, Jonathan Lucroy, Derek Norris, and Alex Avila for both "short- and long-term" options behind the plate. 

The Twins' starting catcher, Kurt Suzuki, has been above-average defensively, but his offense is where the Twins are looking for an upgrade. Suzuki is hitting just .227/.283/.303 with a 59 wRC+. 

While in contention, the team is looking for a way to get upgrades, and an offensive catcher would be the place to do so. 

Pierzynski could be the likeliest of the options for the Twins, as the Braves are committed to selling, with the Braves already reportedly wanting to sell him off. 

Pierzynski is batting .280/.316/.432 with a 105 wRC+, suggesting that he is 43 percent better than Suzuki at creating runs. 

The Twins are 50-42 and are behind the Royals in the AL Central. They are currently in position to be the second Wild Card if the season ended today. 

--Devan Fink

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