Though they’re still looking for relievers, they addressed their pitching well, and much has been said about their need for an impact right-handed hitter, but one need is being ignored: the Red Sox near-future catching situation is dire.
What the Red Sox need as much as any righty hitter is an experienced, defensive-minded catcher. At the very least, Boston needs an experienced catcher who complements Connor Wong‘s defensive weaknesses. Ideally, the Sox need an all-around quality defensive catcher to start over Wong.
Connor Wong cannot be Boston’s starting catcher if they’re serious about winning.
He was an acceptable option until Kyle Teel arrived. But Teel’s no longer around. Without Teel, the Sox don’t have a long-term solution at catcher anywhere close to MLB-ready.
Wong took a step forward offensively in 2024 but a significant step back defensively.
He didn’t do enough well enough defensively for a starting catcher. Wong’s never blocked or framed well, and those worsened. His strength — throwing runners out — took a significant hit, too.
Boston seemingly acknowledged Wong isn’t the answer, as they experimented with him in a utility role at times last year.
Connor could put everything together in 2025, though that’s not a scenario the Red Sox should bank on.
After trading Teel, the Sox acquired Carlos Narvaez from the Yankees.
The only other Red Sox catcher with MLB experience is Seby Zavala, who signed earlier this winter.
Only Wong and Narvaez are on Boston’s 40-man roster.
This trio is not good enough for a team that wants to win next season.
It’s too bad the Garrett Crochet trade didn’t happen sooner. The Red Sox missed some good free-agent catchers that fit the above bill.
There aren’t many realistic, good, experienced, catching options—free agents or trade targets—now. And it won’t be easy to find anything more than an MLB backup or depth type anywhere.
Unless they get creative, the Red Sox will likely be unable to do much right now to improve their catching situation beyond 2025.
But even then…
Anything is possible, I guess.
Red Sox’s near future Catching Situation isn’t good
Embed from Getty ImagesWhat did the Red Sox give up in Kyle Teel, and what does their catching situation look like now?
Kyle Teel
Teel, Boston’s 14th overall pick in 2023, was their 4th ranked prospect by soxprospects before the trade. He was 25th on Baseball America’s and MLBPipeline’s 2024 Top 100 Prospects lists.
The 22-year-old’s offense profiles more toward hit than toward power. Teel’s approach at the plate is advanced, with a good knowledge of the strike zone, and he takes his walks.
After 17 professional games, he made it to Portland and played 84 games there in 2024. He hit .299 with a .852 OPS, 11 home runs, 20 doubles, and 60 RBI, walking 48 times and striking out 87 times.
The New Jersey native was promoted to Worcester in mid-August. In 28 games, he hit .255 with a .717 OPS, two home runs, three doubles, and 18 RBI. He walked 20 times and struck out 29 times.
Defensively, Teel was inconsistent in 2024, adjusting to the one-knee catching style. However, he showed flashes of a strong framer and receiver.
Teel does have above-average arm strength despite a 20 percent caught-stealing rate in 2024 (29 percent in 2023).
If/when Teel irons out the kinks defensively, he can potentially be at least an average everyday MLB catcher who’s good on both sides of the ball.
Carlos Narvaez
Carlos Narvaez was acquired from the Yankees almost immediately after the Crochet trade. The Red Sox sent 21-year-old A-ball pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international bonus pool money to the Bronx.
Enmanuel Valdez was designated for assignment and traded to Pittsburgh for 2024 draft pick Joe Vogatsky, a pitcher.
Narvaez, 26, made his MLB debut in ’24, appearing in just six games.
He is considered a glove-first-depth catcher with above-average defensive skills and arm strength who can block and frame well.
Over 8 MiLB seasons, the Venezuelan native hit .250 with a .746 OPS.
In 2024, he hit .254 with a .782 OPS, 11 home runs, and 58 RBI. Narvaez struck out 26 percent of the time and walked 14 percent of the time.
He can hit left-handed pitchers, too.
As noted earlier, Narvaez is on Boston’s 40-man roster.
soxprospects ranks him as the Red Sox’s 28th-best prospect.
Seby Zavala
In November, Seby Zavala, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox.
Zavala has spent parts of five seasons in MLB with the White Sox, Diamondbacks, and Mariners.
He won’t throw many runners out, with a career 17 percent caught-stealing rate, but he does frame and block well.
Seby did not qualify for Statcast’s percentile rankings in 2024. However, he was in the 77th percentile in framing and 87th percentile in blocks above average in 2023.
In 2022, he was in the 69th percentile in blocks, 88th percentile in caught stealing, and 83rd percentile in framing.
Zavala has 557 career MLB plate appearances, hitting .205 with a .613 OPS.
He is not on the Sox 40-man roster.
Johanfran Garcia
Johanfran Garcia, 20, is now the Red Sox’s highest-ranked catching prospect.
Still in A-ball, Garcia is ranked 15th by soxprospects, 17th by MLBPipeline, and 14th by Baseball America.
The 2022 international free agent rose quickly to Salem but has played in only 29 games there. He’s hit .288 with a .809 OPS.
Johanfran is an all fields hitter with power ability and a potential fringe-average hit tool.
Defensively, he is a potential average defender who can frame and block. He also has above-average arm strength (34 percent career caught stealing rate).
Garcia is a potential bat-first reserve with an everyday ceiling. However, those projections hinge on how he recovers from his ACL injury sustained in May that caused him to miss the rest of the season.
Nathan Hickey
Nathan Hickey, Boston’s 2021 5th-round pick, spent most of 2024 in Worcester. He split time between catcher, DH, and first base.
Ranked 44th by soxprospects, his defense at catcher isn’t anywhere good enough for even an MLB depth role.
He can hit some, though.
Brooks Brannon
Brooks Brannon, 20, was the Sox’s 2022 9th-round pick.
Only in A-ball, there are serious questions about his ability to stick at catcher.
Brannon controls the running game better than he receives the ball. He has above-average arm strength, struggles to block balls, and doesn’t move well.
Thumb and back injuries limited him to 17 games in 2023.
Brooks split his 62 games of 2024 between catcher, first base, and DH. He hit .244 with a .697 OPS, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 27 walks and 77 strikeouts.
The North Carolina native chases too much at the plate and must improve his swing decisions.
With just 255 plate appearances in Salem, soxprospects ranks Brannon Boston’s 38th best prospect, and MLBPipeline ranks him 23rd.
Hudson White
Hudson White, 22, was drafted in the 9th round of the 2024 draft.
He has a solid offensive approach, good contact ability, and below-average power.
Defensively, White is a decent receiver, has decent arm strength, and can call a game.
He has a high floor as a defense-first catcher.
There is not much promise behind them.
Connor Wong Can’t Start if Red Sox Want to Win
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Red Sox cannot have a catching situation where Connor Wong is the de facto starter.
In 2023, Connor Wong’s first full MLB season, he was terrible in the batter’s box.
Over 126 games, Wong hit .235 with a .673 OPS, 25 doubles, nine home runs, and 36 RBI. He struck out at a 33 percent clip (4th percentile) and walked 5.5 percent of the time (12th percentile).
Connor was in the 16th percentile in chase rate (34.5 percent) and 12th percentile in whiff rate (32 percent).
That was good for the 5th percentile in batting run value.
He swung at pitches in the zone at a 71 percent clip, making contact in the zone 76 percent of the time.
He also had reverse splits, doing better versus right-handers (.734 OPS) than left-handers (.501 OPS).
On the basepaths, his eight stolen bases, 44 percent extra bases taken rate, and 76th percentile sprint speed put him in the 38th percentile in baserunning run value.
Wong was overmatched by pitches 95 mph or faster, though lucky versus fastballs below 95 mph.
He hit .251 with a .422 slugging percentage and a .326 weighted on-base average against fastballs below 95 mph. Connor had a 27 percent whiff rate and a 26 percent strikeout rate against them.
However, his expected batting average against non-95 mph-plus fastballs was .229 with a .391 xSLG and .306 xwOBA.
The Houston, Texas, native was downright terrible against offspeed and breaking pitches.
Behind the plate, Wong threw runners out at an elite level with an above-average pop time. He was in the 92nd percentile in Caught Stealing Above Average with a 21 percent caught stealing rate and the 78th percentile in pop time (1.92).
The 28-year-old catcher was in the 10th percentile in blocks above average and in the 18th percentile in framing.
2023 Connor Wong and Reese McGuire made for a good catching tandem for the Red Sox. McGuire did nothing but hit when he played; he was an above-average blocker and an average framer.
Unfortunately, this quality Red Sox catching situation didn’t carry over to 2024.
McGuire struggled offensively and defensively and was DFA’d on July 28.
Connor Wong was in the 58th percentile in CSAA and the 63rd in pop time (1.95). He was in the 3rd percentile in BLAA and the 9th percentile in framing.
He allowed the 5th-most wild pitches/passed balls in MLB (40).
Connor appeared in 37 games at catcher after the Red Sox acquired Danny Jansen (36 games at catcher with Boston) on July 28. He also saw time at first base (14 games), second base (6 games), and left field (that one game…)
Offensively, Wong hit .280 with a .758 OPS, 24 doubles, 13 home runs, and 52 RBI. Over 126 games, he had a 23 percent strikeout rate (38th percentile) and a 6 percent walk rate (16th percentile).
He also had a 29.5 percent chase rate (43rd percentile) and a 29 percent whiff rate (27th percentile).
That put him in the 46th percentile in batting run value.
Last season, he swung at 72 percent of pitches in the zone and made contact 80 percent of the time.
Unlike 2023, Wong had traditional splits in 2024, hitting better against lefties (.877 OPS) than righties (.706 OPS).
His eight stolen bases, 54 percent extra bases taken rate, and 79th percentile sprint speed put him in the 47th percentile in baserunning run value.
Connor hit velocity much better last season.
Against fastballs, he hit .316 with a .455 SLG and .363 wOBA. He had a 24 percent whiff rate and a 20 percent strikeout rate.
He still was putrid against breaking pitches.
However, he did vastly improve against offspeed pitches.
Wong hit .304 with a .464 SLG and .336 wOBA against offspeed pitches. He whiffed at a 30 percent clip and struck out 14 percent of the time. In 2023, Connor Wong’s first full MLB season, he was terrible in the batter’s box.
Over 126 games, Wong hit .235 with a .673 OPS, 25 doubles, nine home runs, and 36 RBI. He struck out at a 33 percent clip (4th percentile) and walked 5.5 percent of the time (12th percentile).
Connor was in the 16th percentile in chase rate (34.5 percent) and 12th percentile in whiff rate (32 percent).
That was good for the 5th percentile in batting run value.
He swung at pitches in the zone at a 71 percent clip, making contact in the zone 76 percent of the time.
He also had reverse splits, doing better versus right-handers (.734 OPS) than left-handers (.501 OPS).
On the basepaths, his eight stolen bases, 44 percent extra bases taken rate, and 76th percentile sprint speed put him in the 38th percentile in baserunning run value.
Wong was overmatched by pitches 95 mph or faster, though lucky versus fastballs below 95 mph.
He hit .251 with a .422 slugging percentage and a .326 weighted on-base average against fastballs below 95 mph. Connor had a 27 percent whiff rate and a 26 percent strikeout rate against them.
However, his expected batting average against non-95 mph-plus fastballs was .229 with a .391 xSLG and .306 xwOBA.
The Houston, Texas, native was downright terrible against offspeed and breaking pitches.
Behind the plate, Wong threw runners out at an elite level with an above-average pop time. He was in the 92nd percentile in Caught Stealing Above Average with a 21 percent caught stealing rate and the 78th percentile in pop time (1.92).
The 28-year-old catcher was in the 10th percentile in blocks above average and in the 18th percentile in framing.
2023 Connor Wong and Reese McGuire made for a good catching tandem for the Red Sox. McGuire did nothing but hit when he played; he was an above-average blocker and an average framer.
Unfortunately, this quality Red Sox catching situation didn’t carry over to 2024.
McGuire struggled offensively and defensively and was DFA’d on July 28.
Connor Wong was in the 58th percentile in CSAA and the 63rd in pop time (1.95). He was in the 3rd percentile in BLAA and the 9th percentile in framing.
He allowed the 5th-most wild pitches/passed balls in MLB (40).
Connor appeared in 37 games at catcher after the Red Sox acquired Danny Jansen (36 games at catcher with Boston) on July 28. He also saw time at first base (14 games), second base (6 games), and left field (that one game…)
Offensively, Wong hit .280 with a .758 OPS, 24 doubles, 13 home runs, and 52 RBI. Over 126 games, he had a 23 percent strikeout rate (38th percentile) and a 6 percent walk rate (16th percentile).
He also had a 29.5 percent chase rate (43rd percentile) and a 29 percent whiff rate (27th percentile).
That put him in the 46th percentile in batting run value.
Last season, he swung at 72 percent of pitches in the zone and made contact 80 percent of the time.
Unlike 2023, Wong had traditional splits in 2024, hitting better against lefties (.877 OPS) than righties (.706 OPS).
His eight stolen bases, 54 percent extra bases taken rate, and 79th percentile sprint speed put him in the 47th percentile in baserunning run value.
Connor hit velocity much better last season.
Against fastballs, he hit .316 with a .455 SLG and .363 wOBA. He had a 24 percent whiff rate and a 20 percent strikeout rate.
He still was putrid against breaking pitches.
However, he did vastly improve against offspeed pitches.
Wong hit .304 with a .464 SLG and .336 wOBA against offspeed pitches. He whiffed at a 30 percent clip and struck out 14 percent of the time.
Few Decent, Realistic Options to Improve Red Sox’s Catching Situation
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Red Sox subtracting Kyle Teel from their catching situation when they did is what it is.
They arguably pushed hard for Max Fried, then quickly pivoted to Garret Crochet when they didn’t get Fried.
As a result, the Sox lost out on Travis d’Arnaud, Kyle Higashioka, and Carson Kelly.
All three would’ve been great additions.
Austin Hedges and Jacob Stallings would’ve been good pickups, too.
So, here we are. It’s January. The Red Sox have three catching options, two are on the 40-man, and none of them have extensive MLB experience — it’s not a great situation to be in.
Now, in free agency, at least, it’s slim pickings. There are even fewer realistic, experienced options on the trade market to bolset the Red Sox catching situation.
The Red Sox can say they like and believe in Connor Wong all they want. They can’t just hand him the starting job on Opening Day.
If the Sox can’t get one of the below names — oh boy…
Short Term Solutions
Free agent Elias Diaz, 34, has spent parts of 10 seasons in MLB with Pittsburgh, Colorado, and San Diego.
Diaz ranked in the 77th percentile in CSAA (28 percent) and framing, the 87th percentile in pop time (1.90), and the 20th percentile in blocking in 2024.
In 2023, he was in the 63rd percentile in blocking, the 90th percentile in CSAA, the 7th percentile in framing, and the 70th percentile in pop time (1.93).
Diaz is a career .251 hitter with a .692 OPS. He doesn’t do much well offensively anymore, but he doesn’t strike out much.
Yasmani Grandal, 35, another free agent option, is an elite framer and OK blocker.
Last season, Grandal was in the 57th percentile in blocking and the 87th percentile in framing.
In 2023, he was in the 57th percentile in blocking and 72nd percentile in framing.
The Former Padre, Dodger, Brewer, White Sox, and Pirate hasn’t been a good hitter since 2021.
From 2022-24, the 35-year-old has hit .221 with a .633 OPS. However, he doesn’t chase or whiff and takes his walks.
He’s also appeared in 40 career playoff games, which is worth noting for a team needing more experienced veterans.
The first and probably most realistic trade target is old friend Christian Vazquez.
Vazquez, 34, hasn’t been the same player since the Red Sox traded him.
Since 2023, Christian has hit .222 with a .587 OPS.
His quality of contact and underlying hitting metrics improved last year but weren’t like 2022.
Defensively, he was in the 63rd percentile in BLAA, the 23rd percentile in CSAA (16%), the 84th percentile in framing, and the 54th percentile in pop-time (1.96).
His blocking and framing haven’t changed much since he left.
What has changed is his ability to throw runners out. The percentage of runners Vazquez has thrown out has declined every season since 2022.
The former Red Sox is a free agent after 2025, so Boston could wait a year. But the Twins want to shed money, and Christian will make $10 million in 2025.
The Sox can add money to their payroll at a minimal prospect cost and receive a good defensive catcher. Not only that, but they’d get a defensive catcher who’s succeeded in the market and has been there and done that.
Longer Term Solutions
Atlanta’s Sean Murphy would be the perfect catching trade target for the Sox. He’s right-handed, has a swing made for Fenway, and is a well-above-average catcher in every facet.
Two birds, one stone.
They’d be acquiring him coming off an injury-plagued season, though.
A strained left oblique sustained on Opening Day limited Murphy to 72 games in 2024.
The injury impacted him both offensively and defensively. Everything was worse overall than in 2023, except for his walk rate and blocking ability.
Despite the injury, he was still above average defensively in everything but CSAA.
In case you forgot or didn’t know, from 2021-23, Murphy was among the best offensive catchers in MLB.
Murphy is signed through 2028 and is due $15 million annually from 2025 to 2028 at a 12.17 million average annual value ($48.68 total). He has a $15 million club option for 2029 with no buyout.
There has been no indication that Atlanta would consider trading Murphy. What has been out there is purely internet speculation. That said, Sean Murphy was a fit before the A’s traded him to the Braves, and he’s still a fit now.
The Red Sox could also trade for another team’s catching prospect in a larger deal for other needs to improve their catching situation.
There are others, but Harry Ford of the Mariners, Ivan Herrera of the Cardinals, and the Phillies’ Rafael Marchan are a few intriguing options.
A Harry Ford trade might be a stretch now that the Sox are out of the Luis Castillo sweepstakes. It doesn’t hurt to try, though.
Ford is the Mariners’ sixth-ranked prospect entering 2025 and is 69th on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects list.
Seattle’s 2021 12th overall pick completed his first season at Double-A in 20424, moving quickly through the minors since being drafted.
Over 116 games last year, the 21-year-old split time between catcher (67 games), DH (40 games), and left field (8 games).
Ford hit .249 with a .745 OPS, 26 doubles, seven homers, and 45 RBI.
A representative of Great Britain in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, he also stole 35 bases in 2024.
Ford is a career .261 hitter with a .822 OPS+.
Ford is athletic and has above-average plate discipline, on-base ability, and speed.
Defensively, the two-time MLB All-Star Futures Game participant (2023 and 2024) is a work in progress but is improving with experience.
Harry threw out only 19 percent of base stealers last season. He threw out 23 percent of runners in ’23 and 27 percent in ’22, good for a 23 percent MiLB career caught-stealing rate.
The Atlanta native has the athleticism to develop into an average everyday catcher. If he doesn’t, he can always switch positions.
Ivan Herrera was St. Louis’ 6th-ranked prospect entering 2024.
Herrera appeared in 72 games for the Cardinals in 2024, batting .280 with a .800 OPS. He didn’t hit the ball hard but also didn’t whiff, chase, or strike out too much and took his walks.
Ivan has above-average contact ability, a patient approach, and rarely chases.
Herrera hit .280 with a .826 OPS in the minors.
Herrera is an opposite-field hitter who hits lefties well and has no platoon split concerns.
Defensively, he was an above-average blocker (63rd percentile) and framer (61st percentile) for the Cardinals last year.
Last but not least is the Phillies’ Rafael Marchan.
Marchan has appeared in only 40 MLB games from 2020 to 2024 (17 games in 2024), hitting .262 with a .762 OPS.
Marchan hit .262 with a .676 OPS for his MiLB career.
A groundball hitter, he doesn’t whiff or chase much.
The 25-year-old is a good defensive catcher who can block and throw the ball.
His defense should lead to a solid MLB career.
Speaking of Phillies catchers, J.T. Realmuto will be a free agent after 2025.
The Red Sox would be wise to wait; however, why not pry Realmuto from Philly as Dave Dombrowski tries to keep them competitive?
Red Sox brass has said all winter, they needed to get uncomfortable. They haven’t gotten uncomfortable financially (yet). Trading your only near-MLB-ready catcher, your “Catcher of the Future,” seems uncomfortable, no?
Featured Image Credit: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images
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