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Washington Nationals Sign Veteran Catcher Chris Snyder To Minor League Deal

The Washington Nationals confirmed a report by ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick this afternoon that said the team had added veteran backstop Chris Snyder on a minor league deal, giving the defending NL East Champions insurance should Wilson Ramos not be 100% at the start of the season.

By Patrick Reddington
Bob Levey

Sooooo... about the Nats' catching depth...

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick was first with the news this afternoon that the Washington Nationals had added 31-year-old, nine-year veteran catcher Chris Snyder on a minor league deal:

The move has since been confirmed by several sources. The former Arizona Diamondbacks' backstop played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2010-11 and the Houston Astros in 2012. In 76 games and 258 plate appearances with Houston last year, Snyder had a .176/.295/.308 line with 8 doubles and seven home runs. On his career, the '02 D-Backs' 2nd Round pick has a .225/.329/.385 line. The veteran catcher, as ESPN.com's Mr. Crasnick (and NatsInsider.com's Mark Zuckerman) noted on Twitter, gives the Nationals depth in case Wilson Ramos (who had surgery to repair a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee last summer) is less than 100% come Opening Day. Snyder was drafted by the D-Backs when current Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo was Arizona's Director of Scouting.

Snyder turns 32 a week from today. The veteran catcher gives the Nationals depth behind the plate, as noted last night in an article on Washington's catching, with Kurt Suzuki and Ramos atop a list that also includes 23-year-old Sandy Leon, 27-year-old Jhonatan Solano and 34-year-old Carlos Maldonado. The Nationals let 28-year-old catcher Jesus Flores become a free agent earlier this winter. The five-year veteran, who filled in for Wilson Ramos after his knee injury and before the Nationals acquired Suzuki, eventually signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers.

Wilson Ramos is expected to be 100% for Spring Training, but Snyder gives the Nats a backstop with significant experience should Ramos not be ready at the start of the 2013 campaign. Snyder had back surgery in 2010 to repair a herniated disc. After the end of the 2012 campaign, the Houston Astros declined a $4M dollar option and bought the catcher out at a cost of $500,000. The minor league deal with the Nationals includes an invitation to Spring Training. The Nats officially announced the deal via Twitter a half an hour ago:

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