Presence of Daniel Susac, Jesus Rodriguez behind Giants' decision to trade Patrick Bailey
When Buster Posey, the San Francisco Giants' top baseball executive and also the best catcher in franchise history, makes a move at that position, it's worth sitting up and paying attention.
Saturday, Posey made an unusual May trade, sending two-time Gold Glove winner Patrick Bailey, the best defensive catcher in the game, to Cleveland before the Giants' 13-3 drubbing by the Pirates. Joey Bart, traded to the Pirates after Bailey had become the primary catcher two years ago, had four hits, scored three runs and drove in two in Pittsburgh's romp.
Pirates 13, Giants 3
Pittsburgh
AB
R
H
BI
BB
SO
Avg.
Totals
44
13
20
12
5
11
Cruz cf
6
3
3
0
0
2
.256
Lowe 2b
4
2
2
4
1
1
.269
Reynolds lf
4
0
1
1
1
1
.248
Triolo ss
1
0
1
1
0
0
.194
O'Hearn rf
5
1
2
1
1
0
.294
Yorke lf
0
0
0
0
0
0
.214
Gonzales 3b
6
1
4
0
0
1
.323
Ozuna dh
6
0
1
0
0
3
.197
Horwitz 1b
3
2
1
1
2
1
.255
Griffin ss
4
1
1
2
0
2
.258
Cook lf-rf
0
0
0
0
0
0
.200
Bart c
5
3
4
2
0
0
.259
San Francisco
AB
R
H
BI
BB
SO
Avg.
Totals
33
3
7
3
3
7
Lee rf
5
0
1
0
0
1
.268
Arraez 2b
4
0
1
0
0
1
.312
Ramos lf
3
1
2
0
1
0
.270
Devers 1b
3
0
0
0
0
2
.224
Koss p
0
0
0
0
0
0
.077
1-Porter pr
0
1
0
0
0
0
---
Eldridge dh-1b
4
1
1
1
0
0
.154
Adames ss
4
0
0
0
0
1
.197
Chapman 3b
3
0
1
0
1
0
.229
Gilbert cf
3
0
0
1
1
1
.246
Haase c
4
0
1
1
0
1
.286
Pittsburgh
000
022
603_13
20
0
San Francisco
000
010
002_3
7
1
1-ran for Koss in the 9th.
EL Adames (6). LOB: Pittsburgh 11, San Francisco 7. 2B: Ozuna (4), Horwitz (4), Lowe (9), Gonzales (6). 3B_Lowe (1). HR: Eldridge (1), off Ashcraft. RBIs: Lowe 4 (27), Reynolds (23), Griffin 2 (18), Bart 2 (6), Horwitz (16), O'Hearn (26), Triolo (2), Eldridge (1), Gilbert (7), Haase (2). SB: Cruz (14). CS: Gonzales (2). SF: Lowe, Griffin.
Runners left in scoring position: Pittsburgh 6 (Ozuna, Griffin, Bart, Gonzales 2, Reynolds); San Francisco 3 (Eldridge, Lee 2). RISP: Pittsburgh 10 for 22; San Francisco 1 for 7.
Runners moved up: O'Hearn. GIDP_O'Hearn, Devers.
DP: Pittsburgh 1 (Lowe, Griffin, Horwitz); San Francisco 1 (Adames, Eldridge).
Pittsburgh
IP
H
R
ER
BB
SO
NP
ERA
Ashcraft, W, 2-2
7
6
1
1
0
6
80
2.77
Sisk
1
0
0
0
0
1
10
1.80
Sanders
1
1
2
2
3
0
34
10.80
San Francisco
IP
H
R
ER
BB
SO
NP
ERA
Roupp, L, 5-3
4
3
1
1
3
8
94
3.09
Borucki
2-3
2
1
1
0
0
16
6.00
Walker
2-3
3
2
2
1
1
26
6.46
Gage
2-3
1
0
0
0
1
15
1.12
Brubaker
2-3
4
4
3
0
1
30
4.08
Santos
1
1-3
2
2
0
1
0
32
3.60
Koss
1
5
3
3
0
0
19
27.00
Inherited runners-scored: Borucki 1-1, Walker 1-0, Gage 1-0, Santos 1-1. HBP: Sanders (Koss). WP: Walker.
ABS Challenge: Gonzales (Strike-Confirmed); Ozuna (Strike-Confirmed); Eldridge (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Walker (Ball-Confirmed); Santos (Ball-Overturned to Strike).
Umpires: Home, Jacob Metz; First, Tom Hanahan; Second, Scott Barry; Third, Manny Gonzalez.
T: 3:04. A: 40,417 (41,915).
Saturday's transaction was about two things: San Francisco's inadequate offense, which made it tough to hide Bailey's .146 average, but equally about two catchers - both obtained by Posey and general manager Zack Minasian - who appear to have bright futures, especially as hitters. Rule 5 draft pick Daniel Susac, out for another few days with an elbow issue, is batting .478, while Jesus Rodriguez, called up Monday, is batting .455 through Saturday. (Another rookie called up Monday, Bryce Eldridge, snacked his first career home run Saturday in the team's loss; he got the ball back from "McCovey Cove Dave" in return for a photo and a signed bat and ball.)
With the Giants at the bottom of nearly every offensive ranking, Posey didn't want to single out Bailey.
"It's more the confidence that we have in Jesus Rodriguez and Daniel Susac and the strides they've made defensively, both of them are swinging the bat well," Posey said. "Not necessarily only Patty who's been off to a slow start offensively this year, but just as a whole, we're trying to find ways to get more runs on the board."
Bailey's playing time took a hit when Rodriguez was called up Monday, but Bailey will be the primary catcher in Cleveland, where former A's and Giants catcher Stephen Vogt is the manager. It's unsurprising, then, that Posey said Bailey, the Giants' first pick in the 2020 draft, took the news well.
"He was a pro," Posey said. "He was a pro this whole last week with not even starting like he normally does."
Posey, of course, was one of the few great two-way catchers of recent years, a threat at the plate and exceptional behind it. It won't be fair to expect Susac and Rodriguez to be as adept defensively as Bailey is, but both have been adequate and will get better, especially Rodriguez, who only began catching in the minors. The Yankees, who sent Rodriguez to the Giants in last summer's Camilo Doval deal, primarily used Rodriguez as an infielder and outfielder even after moving him behind the plate.
With little big-league experience for either Rodriguez or Susac - 15 games, combined, going through Saturday - it will be tempting for the Giants to keep three catchers on the roster. Veteran backup Eric Haase was behind the plate Saturday evening, going 1-for-4, and he also can play the outfield. He was 3-for-10 with the Giants entering the game, and he's also an excellent baserunner.
Posey said that some upcoming injured list decisions might make for less roster space for a third catcher so nothing is written in stone. "I do think having a guy like Haase is extremely valuable in your organization and on the 26-man roster, or wherever he may be," he said, "but the aptitude we feel like that Susac and Rodriguez have, these guys will be quick in learning from their mistakes."
Posey said there have been no conversations with two rookie catchers about calling pitches from the bench.
Rodriguez wasn't in the lineup Saturday but he said he was fine after taking a pitch off the elbow the night before and he's ready to take on more catching duties or anything else the Giants want to throw his way.
"I've always been ready," he said, "but I feel like with me and the guys that we have here right now, we're going to get more chances, obviously, to try to help the team to get some wins."
Starting pitchers, more than anyone, feel the absence of a superb defensive catcher, and Logan Webb has worked with Bailey by far more than anyone else, 78 starts to Bart's 30.
"Yeah, it stinks," Webb said of Bailey's departure. "I've gotten real close with Patty since he first came up - for a while now, he's pretty much the only guy I've thrown to. It's been me and Patty for a long time, so obviously I'm going to miss him.
"I'm happy for him; sometimes a fresh start is the best thing that can happen. He's got Vogter over there, too. I think it's going to be a good opportunity, it's a really good team. Patty's a fantastic talent in this game, and I think he's going to keep proving that. I think he'll only get better."
Third baseman Matt Chapman said he didn't get the sense the front office was trying to send the underperforming offense a message.
"Patty's importance to our team kind speaks for itself, he's been great behind the plate for us for a few years now," Chapman said. "Obviously the offensive struggles happened, but you see Jesus come up, and obviously we've got Susac, and they've played really well. I think Buster liked what he saw in those guys, and sometimes you have a lot of good players at the same position and I think he was ready to make a change.
"I don't think this move means that our goal changes, we still have two great options back there and everybody in the room expects to win."
The Giants didn't have plans to send Bailey down to Triple-A Sacramento to work on his hitting, and when the team did start talking to teams about Bailey, there was no lack of interest, according to Posey.
Rodriguez said he tried to pick up all he could from Bailey, especially when it came to receiving and throwing.
"It was just great watching him every day," Rodriguez said. "I'm thankful that I got to spend time with him and see his routine. He's the best, so you try to learn as much as you can."
Webb recalled having to get in sync with Bailey Bailey first came up and he noted that there have been other rookie catchers who've taken their teams into the postseason. One is the head of the Giants baseball operations department.
"Look at Buster," he said. "If anyone knows better about this than anybody, it's him. (Susac and Rodriguez) work their butts off and it's been fun to be around them. I haven't thrown to either of them a ton, but I think it just takes some time."
Landen Roupp, making his first-ever start with Haase behind the plate, had to work hard against the Pirates - he was at 91 pitches after four scoreless innings but he came out when Bart led off the fifth with an infield single. Lefty Ryan Borucki came in in relief and gave up two hits and a sacrifice fly as the Pirates took a 2-0 lead. They scored two more in the sixth after Ryan Walker walked Spencer Horwitz with one out and gave up hits to Konnor Griffin and Bart, and six more off JT Brubaker and Gregory Santos in the seventh, three of them unearned after Willy Adames' sloppy error at short.
Infielder Christian Koss worked the ninth and his scoreless appearance streak ended at five, with Pittsburgh scoring three off him after Bart's leadoff single. Koss was taken out of the game after being hit by a pitch that cracked his helmet in the bottom of the inning. San Francisco went on to score twice with two outs in the inning. Koss is fine. "The helmet did its job," he said.
Eldridge's homer, on an inside pitch from Braxton Ashcraft, was the only real feel-good moment for the Giants. Eldridge's mother, Beth, and sister, Susan, were on hand, making it all the more special. "I definitely blacked out a little bit," Eldridge said.
"It was awesome," Roupp said. "I see a lot more of that for him in the future - and in the near future."
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 7:14 PM.