Red Sox Lose 30-Year-Old Backstop To Phillies In Free Agency

They never gave him a shot at the big-league level, either

Feb 28, 2024; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Mark Kolozsvary advance to third base in the second inning against the Washington Nationals at The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox had a catcher with two partial years of major league experience in their minor-league system for the last two years, and many fans may not have even known it.

Mark Kolozsvary, a 30-year-old backstop who appeared in 11 major league games for the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles from 2022-2023, signed a minor-league deal with the Red Sox before the 2024 season. He didn't play much, for a variety of reasons, but he played reasonably well when he was on the field.

However, the Red Sox never saw fit to give Kolozsvary a shot at the major league level, even when there were injury concerns with Connor Wong this year. That was understandable, but it also made it logical that Kolozsvary would look for new opportunities.

Kolozsvary heads to Phillies in free agency

According to a report from Will Sammon of The Athletic, Kolozsvary has agreed to a minor-league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies that includes an invite to spring training. The deal had not yet been confirmed by the club as of Friday afternoon.

In two years with Boston affiliates, Koloszvary played just 57 games, due to several stints on the development list last year and being placed on the full-season injured list this past June. He was good offensively in a very small sample this year, but throughout his time in the minors, he's been a glove-first catcher.

Kolozsvary likely sensed more opportunity with the Phillies than he did in Boston. Not only is free agent J.T. Realmuto remains unsigned, but the catchers on the roster, Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs, are both out of minor-league options, whereas Kolozsvary has two.

Even if Realmuto returns, there's a chance one of Marchán or Stubbs could be headed elsewhere if they don't make the major league roster out of spring training. Kolozsvary's primary goal, of course, is to make that roster himself, but that's an aspect of the situation that works in his favor.

The Red Sox signed three-year Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Jason Delay to a minor-league deal at the start of the offseason, but it's possible they could still be looking for more Triple-A quality catchers moving forward.

More MLB: Red Sox On Insider's List Of 'Winners' Despite Spending $0 On Free Agents