FORT MYERS, FLA. – Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki was enjoying his offseason when manager Paul Molitor interrupted it with an unexpected phone call.
Another catcher was coming to town.
The Twins traded for John Ryan Murphy on Nov. 11, and Molitor called Suzuki right before the deal went down to make sure he was not blindsided.
"I told Molly it is what it is," Suzuki said. "I believe I still have a lot left."
So let the catcher controversy commence, right? Nope. Not going to happen.
Despite coming off a season in which his production dipped and opponents had success stealing bases against him, Suzuki will head into the season as the clear No. 1 catcher.
"I'm heading into camp thinking that Kurt is going to be our starting catcher," Molitor said. "And to think that you try to make some kind of an assessment that John Ryan Murphy is ready to be more than someone who backs up Kurt. At least it gets things started."
Suzuki, 32, says he had no trouble understanding the reasons behind the deal. He has played in 131 games each of the past two seasons, and his production in 2015 was down in most offensive categories.