WORCESTER — The Red Sox’ trade for catcher Danny Jansen on July 27 surprised players in the Boston clubhouse.
Everyone knew chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was looking to acquire a right-handed hitter. But not many expected it to be a right-handed hitting catcher.
The Connor Wong (RHH) and Reese McGuire (LHH) catching duo had been in place for almost two years.
“It’s just interesting. I’ll definitely say it: It caught the whole clubhouse off guard with that trade,” McGuire said Tuesday here at Triple-A Worcester’s Polar Park. “I felt like we were a really, really close-knit group. And we finished that first half really, really strong. And everyone was on the same page. Everyone was locked in and ready for that second half to kick off. Unfortunately for me, that move was made, which pretty much put the writing on the wall that the position was going to be filled.”
The Red Sox designated McGuire for assignment the following day. He cleared waivers and was outrighted to Worcester.
“It’s tough because I feel like I belong in the big leagues and this one did hurt me a lot,” McGuire said. “This one really, really did. It kind of kicked me to the ground to be honest. Especially when no team claimed me. That was kind of the icing on the cake. It was like, ‘Holy (expletive). This is really happening right now.’”
The Jansen trade became official just about an hour and a half before Boston’s game against the Yankees on July 27. So McGuire knew a second move was coming when he and the Red Sox took the field to play New York at Fenway Park for a Saturday evening game. By the time Sunday’s game started, Jansen was in the lineup and McGuire had been cut.
“When I say the writing was on the wall, I just mean there was some second move going to be happening whether it was me or Wong or whatever it was,” McGuire said.
McGuire knew it was infeasible for the Red Sox to carry three catchers. Jansen has played nowhere besides first base and DH during his professional career.
McGuire was surprised no other team claimed him off waivers.
“I looked around the league and I’m not going to name teams but there were multiple teams that could have upgraded at their backup spot,” McGuire said. “I feel like I’m better than a couple of the guys around the league. But honestly the timing of it with the trade deadline — and you just never know with team roster flexibility. I don’t know where those backup guys were in their contracts with their teams — if they had any options or if they were on guaranteed contracts. It’s an interesting time with the deadline, too, because you have a handful of teams that are making a run at something and you have a handful of teams that are almost looking the opposite way. And they’re like, ‘All right. How do we get our young guys up here for experience?’”
If a team had claimed McGuire, they would have had him under control through the 2025 season.
“The thing that I thought about with not getting claimed was that I do have another year of control with arbitration three,” McGuire said. “I felt if a team valued me going into next season as a guy to be a backup or as a guy to compete for a split job, I felt confident that a team would’ve looked toward me being a top defender in the league and having a lefty bat. I thought I could absolutely have value around the league. So I’m hoping it was timing and it wasn’t me as a player.”
His Boston teammates let him know they wish his DFA “didn’t happen.”
“There was a lot of love for me from the teammates that I had up there,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s out of our hands.”
McGuire has appeared in just two games for Worcester since being outrighted here Aug. 2. His playing time obviously won’t increase with top prospect Kyle Teel being promoted to Worcester. Teel is making his WooSox debut here Tuesday.
“You get knocked down but now it’s time to get up and control what I can,” he said. “Getting back up to the big leagues with Boston isn’t out of the question. I know it would take some traffic to be shifted. But to me, that’s my goal — just do what I can. And then once again with Teel here, he’s going to be catching the majority of the games. And then you’ve got Heiny (catcher Tyler Heineman) on the 40-man. So he’s going to be getting into some games (here). So I’ve just gotta fill in. In a way, I’ve got to finish strong and set myself up for hopefully a team wanting me this offseason.”
Red Sox manager Alex Cora has said the decision had more to do with Jansen being a better roster fit, not the need to upgrade at the position.
“It creates balance,” Cora said July 28. “Reese did a good job, especially defensively the last month and a half. If you look at the numbers as far as like framing, he’s top three in the league. He did an amazing job with our pitching staff. Offensively, it was tough because he wasn’t playing that much. It was hard for him to get into a rhythm. Coming into the season, I expected to play him more. But Connor happened.”
McGuire struggled with the bat, posting a .575 OPS.
“Everything they asked of me I feel like I was doing for the most part,” McGuire said. “Not to my best of ability, for sure. But for getting in there once a series, or sometimes once a road trip, for me, it was to try to just win the baseball game. Catch a great game and call a good game. For me, I feel like my numbers behind the plate helped that team win a lot of games. And of course I wish my bat could have produced better in moments. But everyone in the league knows that it’s difficult when you’re not playing as consistent. But at the end of the day, I know this baseball game is what it is. You’ve got to play good.”
McGuire said sparse playing time caused him to “press a little bit” at the plate.
“You try to do something knowing, ‘OK, this is my one day out of the series,’” he said. “You try to do something to help the team and produce.”
He will be eligible for minor league free agency if he continues to remain off Boston’s 40-man roster when free agency opens.
“I think we had a good thing going,” McGuire said. “And I felt like we were moving things in the right direction and we were just continually getting closer and stronger as a group. I know you’re going to add pieces and subtract pieces. In order to add, you’ve got to subtract. But it would have been nice if there was a trade lined up prior to that move but things kind of move quickly (at the deadline).”
He said the DFA hit him hard as he was packing his bags.
“And once I cleared waivers, that’s when it really hit me, too,” McGuire said. “I was like, ‘Man, I don’t even remember the last big league game I played as far as my memory.’ So in my head, I’m like, ‘I don’t want that to be my last game.’ So you got kicked down and it’s time to wake up and make the most of whatever opportunity comes.”
