One of the components in building a new Phillies bench in the 2009-10 offseason is a new backup catcher. Lou Marson was sent to the Indians last July in the Cliff Lee deal, Chris Coste was waived and picked up by the Astros, and the two most promising catchers in the Phillies system, Travis D’Arnaud and Sebastian Valle, are a long way off.

The Phillies will therefore be probing free agency for a solution. And as it happens, this year offers a pretty good crop. The table at right lists the major free agent catchers, with their 2009 and career offensive numbers, sorted by 2009 OPS+. Players marked with an asterisk did not have significant playing time in 2009 and are shown with their 2008 numbers.

Obviously offense will not be a priority in finding a backup catcher solution, and Ruben won’t be willing to drop a lot of money to fill in this slot. It’s still worth taking a look at the most valuable options. Miguel Olivo leads in OPS+, but there are some caveats – Olivo probably has a shot at a starting job on some of the teams more desperately in need of a catcher, probably wouldn’t be keen on signing as a backup, and in any case will want starter money. Besides that, his OPS is very SLG-heavy, and the Phillies would benefit from having a bench player and second string catcher that can get on base at a reasonable clip.

Zaun or Ausmus are probably the best case scenario acquisitions. Both might cost more than the Phillies are willing to shell out; Zaun was set to make $2 million in 2010 before his club option was declined by the Rays, while Ausmus made $1 million in 2009 and may be looking for more. If the Phillies are looking in the Paul Bako range of salary ($725,000 in 2009), Henry Blanco and Chad Moeller represent the best combination of cheapness and production. Blanco made $750,000 last year. Moeller had his $850,000 2010 option declined by the Orioles, who are now trying to bring him back on a minor league contract, so a major league backup role would probably convince him to sign relatively cheaply.

We shouldn’t rule out the possibility that the Phillies will elect to bring back Paul Bako on the cheap. This slot is mainly for giving Ruiz the occasional off day, and for insurance in the event of his injury. Whoever is signed will not see many pinch hit opportunities unless the situation favors leaving him in for the remainder of the game. The offensive output of the bench will primarily depend on the other position players brought in alongside Ben Francisco and Greg Dobbs.