Red Sox Lose 5-Year MLB Veteran Catcher To Free Agency

Is this the only season we'll see of this player in Boston?

Mar 21, 2018; Port Charlotte, FL, USA; A view of a Red Sox baseball bag in the game of the Boston Red Sox against the Tampa Bay Rays at Charlotte Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox ended up not using their Triple-A catching depth much at the major-league level, but that depth was still an interesting storyline to follow.

Connor Wong missed time on the injured list early in the year, and after the All-Star break, Carlos Narváez dealt with a knee injury that required surgery after the season. Those injuries led to brief cameos from Blake Sabol and Ali Sánchez, but there were even more former big-leaguers who moonlighted for Triple-A Worcester.

Ex-big-leaguers Yasmani Grandal and Chadwick Tromp both spent partial seasons in Worcester, but the most notable name who spent the entire season there was five-year veteran Seby Zavala. Now, we'll wait to find out if Zavala will be one-and-done in a Red Sox uniform of any kind.

Zavala becomes minor-league free agent

Mar 18, 2024; Surprise, Arizona, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Seby Zavala against the Texas Rangers during a spring training baseball game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, Zavala elected minor-league free agency, according to the transactions log on his official roster page. It's the same process that brought him to Boston on a minor-league deal last November, after he finished the season on the Triple-A roster for the Seattle Mariners.

For the WooSox, Zavala batted just .165 in 67 games, which explains why the Red Sox weren't exactly jonesing to call him up when the major league backstops were injured. He hit eight home runs and drew 32 walks, but those weren't enough to bring his on-base percentage or slugging percentage into respectable territory.

Zavala has 194 games of big-league experience, spread out between the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Mariners. His best partial season was 2022, when he registered a full win above replacement in 61 games, putting up a .729 OPS.

It can be helpful to young pitchers coming up through the system to throw to a backstop who's been around the block, so perhaps Zavala made an impact beyond the stats on the diamond. Boston graduated starting pitchers Hunter Dobbins, Payton Tolle, and Connelly Early from Triple-A to the majors this year.

Ultimately, though, Zavala's career in affiliated baseball is in jeopardy, and if he gets another opportunity on a minor-league deal next year, he'll have to prove he can do much more with the bat.

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