Red Sox Reportedly Could Make Major Splash To Upgrade Subpar Catcher Depth
The Boston Red Sox certainly sound like they're going to be busy this off-season.
The future of Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers has grabbed most of the headlines, but after finishing an American League East worst 78-84, there's way more for the Red Sox to worry about.
One area that the Red Sox seems poised to attempt to improve is the catcher position. Boston traded away longtime backstop Christian Vázquez to the eventual World Series-winning Houston Astros at the MLB Trade Deadline leaving themselves with a committee of Reese McGuire and 26-year-old Connor Wong.
McGuire has played five seasons in the big leagues but has never played more than 89 games in a campaign. Wong on the other hand has played just 33 total games for the Red Sox over two seasons. All-in-all, Boston has some work to do and they know it.
According to the Boston Globe's Alex Speier, Boston may opt for a major splash as they attempt to find consistent production from behind the plate. Two options Speier mentioned were free agent three-time All-Star Willson Contreras and Oakland Athletics catcher Sean Murphy.
Contreras has spent his entire seven-year career to this point as a member of the Chicago Cubs but now is on the open market. Spotrac currently projects the 30-year-old to command a deal with an annual value of $16,066,514 per year. Speier noted that the Red Sox are "unlikely" to pursue Contreras, but he is the top option on the market if the Red Sox want to make a big move.
Another way they could do so would be through a trade and the Red Sox have been linked to the Athletics for Murphy before. Boston and Oakland spoke ahead of the 2022 trade deadline but were unable to come to any agreement. Murphy is just 27 years old and if Boston is looking for a stronger defensive presence, he would fit the bill as the 2021 American League Gold Glove winner at catcher.
There are plenty of moves the Red Sox could do to improve the roster and if the team was able to come away with either of these two catchers, they would be massive upgrades.
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