Red Sox Acquire 3-Year MLB Veteran, Add Depth At Catching Position

Will we see this backstop in the majors this year?

May 10, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view of a Boston Red Sox's cap and glove on the field before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox proved this past season that you can rarely have too many catchers on minor-league deals.

Catchers with big-league experience to appear for Triple-A Worcester this season included Blake Sabol, Seby Zavala, Yasmani Grandal, and Chadwick Tromp. They also had Ali Sánchez, who has spent most of his time in Triple-A over the last five years, for about a month on the major league roster.

Though Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong seem poised to retain the starting and backup catcher jobs, respectively, it made sense for the Red Sox to re-stock the depth chart behind them. That's what they recently achieved.

Red Sox sign Jason Delay to MiLB deal

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Aroldis Chapman (45) celebrates a win with catcher Jason Delay (55) after the final out of the ninth inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. The Pirates took the series with a 6-1 win. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

On Sunday, Aram Leighton of Just Baseball reported that the Red Sox signed catcher Jason Delay to a minor-league contract. The deal is not yet reflected by the official transactions log on Delay's roster page.

In parts of three major league seasons, all with the Pittsburgh Pirates between 2022 and 2024, Delay slashed .231/.295/.315 in 134 games. He was usurped on the Pirates' depth chart when the club acquired Joey Bart from the San Francisco Giants, and wound up getting designated for assignment last April.

After he was traded to the Atlanta Braves organization and spent the whole season in Triple-A Gwinnett, Delay elected free agency on Oct. 2. Signing him gives the Red Sox an insurance option with some major league experience, even if he doesn't provide much in the way of offensive upside.

Delay is also familiar with Red Sox closer Aroldis Chapman (as one may be able to see from the photo above), thanks to their shared season in Pittsburgh last year.

As a catcher, Delay's best attribute at the major league level has been his framing (plus-10 runs, according to Baseball Savant). While quality framing could be less effective with the implementation of the Automated Ball-Strike system this season, it's still bound to be an asset, and Delay could see a few games in Boston if one of the aformentioned big-leaguers goes on the injued list at some point.

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