Boston Red Sox: Four potential catching upgrades
By Josh Ejnes
Last year the Boston Red Sox were probably the best team in baseball, but that doesn’t mean they were perfect. The team’s catchers struggled in 2018, and it might be time for an upgrade.
The Boston Red Sox currently have three catchers listed on their major league roster. Last year those three catchers, Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart, combined for -1.6 WAR.
That is, to put it lightly, not good.
Things get even worse when you start to look deeper into their stats. All three players have a sub .300 OBP. Blake Swihart struck out in more than a quarter of his plate appearances. So did Leon.
Vazquez only struck out 15% of the time, but he didn’t do much commendable when he put the bat on the ball, finishing the year with a 46 OPS+. All in all, very bad.
The trio’s poor performance (obviously) didn’t drag the Red Sox down too much as they rolled along to 108 wins and a World Series title, but that doesn’t mean that the issue should be ignored. Key rivals have been acquiring talent this offseason while the Sox have sat dormant, and if they don’t do something to fortify their line-up the league’s going to catch up to them pretty fast.
Most of the big name catchers who were available this offseason have already been snatched up, so it’s not likely that the team will find their backstop of the future through a free agent signing. Still, there are a few players available who could at least serve as a temporary upgrade.
If the Red Sox would be willing to trade for a catcher there are even more options available, options with more talent and youth who could be meaningful contributors to the team in the long haul. It’s been rumored that the team wants to move some contracts to shrink payroll, and trading away a higher paid player or two for a young catcher could kill two birds with one stone.
In short, the Red Sox need a new catcher. Maybe two. Let’s take a look at some options.