With the World Series underway, it’s time to break down each part of the Red Sox’ roster entering what should be a busy winter for new chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. All week, we’ll be running a series analyzing each part of Boston’s roster. First up, a look at Boston’s catchers:
WHERE DO THINGS STAND?
After more than a half-decade with Christian Vázquez as their primary catcher, the Red Sox fully turned the page on that era with a new-look catching situation in the final two months of the 2022 season. That continued into 2023, when after declining to add a top catcher last winter, Boston entered the season with Connor Wong and Reese McGuire as its catching tandem.
Boston made a serious run at a trade for Sean Murphy last year before Oakland traded him to Atlanta, according to an industry source, and made a competitive offer before that deal got done in mid-December. Once Murphy was off the board, it became clear the Sox would go internal at catcher and see what they had in Wong (acquired in the Mookie Betts trade in 2020) and McGuire (acquired at the 2022 deadline for Jake Diekman). Their biggest winter addition at the position came in the form of veteran Jorge Alfaro, who was added to add depth at Triple-A.
What was expected to be a relatively even timeshare between Wong and McGuire did not turn out that way as Wong became the clear No. 1 with McGuire backing him up. In total, Wong started behind the plate in 105 games (65%) for Boston with McGuire serving as a backup and both Alfaro and Caleb Hamilton filling in during a stretch over the summer when McGuire was hurt. Wong’s season was generally impressive. Though he posted just a .673 OPS and struck out 134 times, he showed some pop (25 doubles, 9 homers) and the Red Sox believe there’s more in the tank offensively. Wong, however, was most impressive defensively, ranking fourth among all catchers with 4 defensive runs saved (DRS) and throwing out 21% of would-be base stealers (league average). For most of the season, he ranked among the top of the league in many defensive metrics.
McGuire also didn’t hit much (.668 OPS) after hitting .337 in 36 games with the Sox in 2022. He primarily lost playing time due to his struggles with runners; McGuire only threw out seven of 41 base-stealers (17%) on the season.
Wong (through 2028) and McGuire (through 2025) are both under control for multiple seasons. Wong is not yet eligible for arbitration while McGuire is projected to make $1.7 million.
WHAT’S COMING FROM THE MINORS?
The Red Sox believe they found their catcher of the future in the draft, as they selected Virginia standout Kyle Teel with the 14th overall pick. Teel, already ranked as Boston’s No. 5 prospect by SoxProspects.com after raking (.363 average, .977 OPS) in his first 26 pro games and reaching Double-A, is the Sox’ best catching prospect in years and could be ready to impact the major league roster at some point in 2024.
The Red Sox are also excited about 18-year-old Johanfran Garcia and also have Nathan Hickey, Brooks Brannon and Stephen Scott in the system. But Teel is the star of the catching ranks and the organization’s future plans at the position revolve around him.
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WHICH MOVES MIGHT THE RED SOX MAKE?
In Wong and McGuire, the Red Sox have a capable — albeit somewhat unexciting — platoon. Both players are cheap, controllable and still have upside despite their obvious limitations. With Teel on the way (he’ll start at Double-A but could advance quickly), it’s unlikely that adding a starting catcher is any sort of priority for the Red Sox this winter. There are more obvious holes on the roster that need to be addressed and the Wong/McGuire tandem is capable of holding down the fort until Teel’s eventual arrival in the majors. One minor disclaimer: Teel would have immense trade value as Boston searches for pitching help, though he’d seem to be close to untouchable considering the club just drafted him and seems to love him. If Teel were to be moved in a blockbuster, it would be considered a sign of faith in Wong.
There is at least a small chance the Red Sox non-tender McGuire and look to upgrade their catching situation via free agency, though for now, it seems like he’s safe. The free agent class includes Mitch Garver, Gary Sánchez, Austin Hedges and Yasmani Grandal as well as others like Tucker Barnhart, Victor Caratini and Martín Maldonado. Maldonado is known as one of the best game-callers in baseball and Red Sox manager Alex Cora is known to be a both close with him and a huge fan. There’s at least a chance Boston could have interest in Maldonado based on that connection but at 37, his future is unclear. Like with Alfaro a year ago, it’s almost a certainty that the Sox will add a veteran backstop on a minor league deal for depth purposes.
FINAL ANALYSIS:
The Red Sox entered last winter with the possibility of making a big splash at catcher. The run at Murphy signifies that they were open to it. This time around, things are different.
In all likelihood, the Wong/McGuire duo will be back for another season, even if its just as a bridge to Teel eventually taking over on a full-time basis. Both catchers clearly have rapport with the pitching staff and the Red Sox could do worse behind the plate. Catcher won’t be an area of priority for Breslow, though a depth addition can’t be discounted.
