Sources have informed Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Giants are still on the hunt for a catcher and have shown interest recently in the Rangers’ Yorvit Torrealba.
San Francisco’s hunt for a new backstop began in late May, shortly after Buster Posey broke his leg in a collision at home plate with Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins. The search has not been fruitful to this point, but the Giants seem to have found new motivation with Eli Whiteside (elbow, quad) banged up and Chris Stewart batting .156 with a .417 OPS.
Torrealba has never been a great offensive player, but he’s easily a better hitter than Whiteside and Stewart, and he could bring some stability to the position for the Giants. The Rangers may be open to offers once Mike Napoli (oblique) returns from the disabled list. Giants setup man Guillermo Mota is said to be available, and Texas could use the bullpen help.
One possible hangup: Torrealba is owed $3.25 million next season and Posey is expected to be fully recovered by the start of spring training. There’s a chance that the Giants will balk at that math. Then again, they could use Torrealba as a highly active backup in 2011 and give starts at first base to Posey with the idea of keeping his knees healthier. That might justify the $3.25 million salary.