The SF Giants traded their 2018 first-round pick, catcher Joey Bart, just a few weeks ago. It was a necessary move given that they have enough catchers on the roster, but after Bart’s red-hot start with the Pittsburgh Pirates, they may have seller’s remorse.

We all know that Bart was supposed to be the heir apparent to Buster Posey behind the plate. It was an incredibly unfair position for him to be in, having to follow one of the most beloved players in the history of the franchise.

It did not help things that he had injuries in the minor leagues, plus the pandemic which stunted his development time. And then when he got chances in the big leagues he struggled.

The emergence of Patrick Bailey last season as the likely future catcher of the team cemented Bart’s fate. The team acquiring backup Tom Murphy in the offseason only solidified this further.

The Giants decided to add Bart to the Opening Day roster, perhaps hoping that they could sneak him through waivers without another team claiming him. Unfortunately, they had to put him on waivers and traded him to the Pirates at the beginning of the season.

So far, this has been a great move by the Pirates. He got off to a great start by hitting a home run in his first at-bat as a Pirate. He hit another home run just the other day. It is a very small sample size, but Bart 4 hits, 2 of them home runs, in his first 10 at-bats as a Pirate.

As of right now, Bart is the backup to Henry Davis at catcher. However, it is possible that he could eventually take the starting job from the second-year catcher. Davis is off to a slow start at the plate, and last season he slashed .213/.302/.351 with 7 home runs and 24 RBI. Bart could definitely improve upon those numbers if he stays healthy.

It would probably be going too far to say the Giants have seller’s remorse. The writing was on the wall with Bart for a long time. They have a solid catcher in Bailey and Bart really seemed like he needed a change of scenery where he did not have the shadow of Buster Posey weighing on his every move.

Sometimes, things just don’t work out for a player on one team but they are able to find success with another. Perhaps that will be the case with Bart after his hot start to the year.