Ex-Yankees, Rockies All-Stars Stand Out in Red Sox's Catcher Hunt

The Boston Red Sox aren't loaded with catching depth with big league upside at the moment.

Carlos Narváez had a great rookie year and Connor Wong remains a solid option for the organization when healthy. In 2025, he dealt with injuries, which opened the door for Narváez, and also zapped his offensive production. If the 2026 season began tomorrow with Narváez and Wong on the big league roster, that would be enough to have success. But what about if an injury pops up? These two are the only catchers on Boston's 40-man roster right now.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

There were points in 2025 when Ali Sánchez and Blake Sabol got chances with Boston and didn't really do much. Narváez played 118 games in 2025 and by the end of the season looked tired. From Aug. 1 through Sep. 27, Narváez slashed .200/.252/.409 in 36 games played. In comparison, he slashed .257/.327/.424 across his first 82 games played. The club could use a little more depth for the marathon of a season.

The Boston Red Sox need one more veteran option

Jun 30, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Gary Sanchez (99) reacts to striking out to end the inning against the Texas Rangers during the seventh inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo reported that the Red Sox have been "poking around" for more depth threw out a handful of names as guys to watch for a minor league deal.

"As MassLive has reported, Boston has been poking around the catching market for much of the last year, looking at both long-term projects and short-term depth upgrades," Cotillo wrote. "Those efforts will remain ongoing. The safe bet, in the interim, is that they will add a veteran catcher on a minor league deal to serve as depth at Triple-A.

"Right now, non-roster invitee Jason Delay is the third option with Nate Baez, Nathan Hickey and Ronald Rosario all in camp, too. But old friend Christian Vázquez remains a free agent along with Elias Diaz, Mitch Garver, Jacob Stallings, Gary Sánchez and Matt Thaiss. Expect the Red Sox to float minor league deals to players in that bucket in hopes of adding depth."

Of this group, the two that stand out are Sánchez and Diaz. Both are right-handed bats with a little bit of pop and are former All-Stars. When Sánchez was at his best, he was an All-Star with 30-homer power with the New York Yankees. Now, he's much more of a depth option. He played in 29 games for the Baltimore Orioles in 2025 and had five homers, drove in 24 runs and slashed .231/.297/.418. In comparison, Wong had zero homers and seven RBIs in 63 games while hitting .190.

Díaz wasn't great offensively in 2025. He slashed .204/.270/.337 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 106 games for the San Diego Padres. But he's a career .247 hitter who can hit the ball out of the ballpark and was an All-Star in 2023 with the Colorado Rockies.

If the Red Sox could land either on a minor league pact before Spring Training, arguably, they'd be all set at catcher.

More MLB: Red Sox-Tigers Jarren Duran, Connelly Early Mock Trade Fall Short