Red Sox Appear Strongly In Mix For Gold Glove Catcher With Multiple Suitors
Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow had been adamant that he currently is prioritizing the starting pitching market with the Winter Meetings in full swing.
However, that does not mean he won't be exploring upgrades to other areas of the roster. The Red Sox have interest in former Houston Astros catcher Martín Maldonado according to reports Tuesday.
Now we know a little more background on the situation.
"Update on another Red Sox free agent target: Boston is one of 6-7 teams in on Martín Maldonado, per source, and is expected to meet with his reps in Nashville," MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported Wednesday. "Maldonado likely not going back to Houston after the (Victor) Caratini signing. Alex Cora loves him."
Maldonado hit .191 with 27 extra-base hits including 15 home runs, 36 RBIs and a .606 OPS (66 OPS+) in 116 games last season. The 37-year-old -- outside of some occasional pop -- will be a lost spot in the order.
However, his value does not come from his offensive contributions. The veteran backstop has a Yadier Molina-level reputation when it comes to pitch calling and managing pitchers.
He also has a Gold Glove under his belt and ranks in the 70th percentile or higher in blocks above average, caught stealing above average and pop time. Maldonado has horrible framing metrics but that is far from a massive factor.
Does Maldonado fit with the Red Sox? Boston currently has a perfect platoon split of the right-handed Connor Wong and left-handed Reese McGuire.
Maldonado is a right-handed hitter but would replace McGuire, as Wong cemented himself as the primary backstop.
The highly esteemed catcher would provide value both to Wong and the pitching staff but his personal production would be hurtful to the team.
The difference between McGuire and Maldonado as the No. 2 catcher likely won't be much of a game-changer. Final answer: It'll be more or less the same either way.
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