The Rockies have released catcher Andrew Knizner, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been performing well, so it’s possible he triggered an opt-out. Either way, he’s a free agent and can now sign with any club.
Knizner, 31, signed a one-year, $1MM major league deal with the Mariners in the offseason. That club later pivoted to bringing back Mitch Garver to pair with Cal Raleigh behind the plate. Knizner was bumped off the roster before Opening Day, which led to his minor league deal with the Rockies.
Since signing the latter pact, he has been hitting quite well. He has taken 140 trips to the plate across 33 games for Triple-A Albuquerque and hit ten home runs. His 10.7% walk rate and 18.6% strikeout rate are both strong figures. Even in the hitter-friendly context of the Pacific Coast League, his .279/.371/.590 line in 24% better than average by measure of wRC+.
Knizner has never been an impact hitter in the big leagues. In 975 plate appearances across seven seasons, he has a .211/.281/.316 line and 68 wRC+. On the other side of the ball, Knizner hasn’t been graded as a strong framer in his career but he was worse earlier on. Each of FanGraphs, Statcast and Baseball Prospectus rank him as an above-average framer dating back to the start of 2024. The reviews on his throwing and blocking are more mixed.
Presumably, teams generally look positively on his overall work wearing the pads, whether that’s his actual defense or perhaps his ability to have a relationship with pitchers. As mentioned, he hasn’t hit much but has continued to get opportunities. The fact that he is hitting well this year perhaps helps him a bit as he now returns to free agency.
If he gets a major league opportunity somewhere, the signing club would only have to pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster. The Mariners are currently on the hook for the aforementioned $1MM salary. If some club does give him a spot, the portion they pay him will be subtracted from what the Mariners have to cough up.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
