It's Jack Taschner for Philadelphia backup catcher Ronny Paulino, but the beat writers both reported about an hour ago the Giants might have another deal in the works. I'm going to bed in a few minutes, so I'll have to find out about it in the morning.
As for the matter at hand, Taschner saw the trade coming, probably because he requested it, a tidbit that was revealed in the reportage this afternoon. He's on his way to Philadelphia, and we wish The Special Agent all the best. He had a great Giant nickname if not a great record against left-handed batters.
As for this Ronny Paulino, who seems likely to replace Steve Holm as the backup catcher, the first thing that comes to my mind is a broadcast a few years ago, perhaps his rookie year, when the Giants were in Pittsburgh and Paulino was hitting line drives all over the yard. Kruk and Kuip were raving about him. The glow of his rookie year and its impressive .360 OBP faded fast, and he spent much of last year nursing an ankle injury.
What about his defense? Over his career he's caught 31% of runners stealing, helped by a strong 36% in 2006. The last two years he's been just above 25%. Steve Holm did a credible job last year with the bat as Molina's backup, but the Giant brass must have seen something they didn't like -- perhaps the 21 for 23 in stolen bases against him, or the catcher's ERA nearly 8/10 of a run higher than Bengie Molina's.
In all, it's a minor move. Taschner wasn't going to fetch much in return. Sorry to say it, Jack, but a backup catcher who had potential at 24 but is fading at 27 seems about right. Jeff Fletcher is a bit more generous, calling Paulino a "legit big league catcher who could hold down a spot for a few weeks or a month if Molina were to get hurt." Fair enough.
