SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants will see plenty of Stephen Vogt next season, but not in the way most in the organization had hoped.
Vogt has signed a one-year contract with the rival Arizona Diamondbacks that includes a vesting option for a second year, the D-backs announced Tuesday. ESPN's Jeff Passan was first to report that there was an agreement in place.
Vogt was coming off shoulder surgery when he signed a minor league contract with the Giants in February. The veteran catcher ended up being one of the better stories of the season. Vogt posted a .804 OPS in 99 appearances, with 10 homers, 24 doubles and 40 RBI. His defense was better than the Giants initially anticipated, and for much of the second half Vogt was essentially in a timeshare with starter Buster Posey.
Vogt was very popular with a fan base that first saw him across the bay in Oakland, and the same held true in a clubhouse that adopted his technical foul celebration when the Giants went on a run in July. The team's young pitchers particularly gravitated towards Vogt, who worked with many of them in Sacramento early in the season.
Vogt enjoyed his time in San Francisco and talked at times of coming back, but he also wanted to play for a team that would give him a shot to contend, and the Diamondbacks should be able to offer a much more solid role.
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The Giants have top prospect Joey Bart coming fast, and he should be up at some point in the 2020 season. They don't have much catching depth at the moment, but Aramis Garcia has experience at the big league level and can serve as Posey's backup. The more likely scenario -- given that Farhan Zaidi added Vogt, Tom Murphy, Erik Kratz and others last spring -- is that another veteran catcher or three is brought in before camp starts in February.
