Dodgers DFA former top catching prospect; Boston, thin on catching depth, should inquire
The talent-rich Dodgers designated former top catching prospect Diego Cartaya for assignment on Friday following the announcement of signing free agent infielder Hyeseong Kim to a three-year deal.
With the Red Sox seemingly thin at catching depth in the system following the trade of Kyle Teel to the White Sox, they traded Mickey Gasper to the Twins, Reese McGuire elected free agency, and Danny Jansen signed with the Rays; Boston should give the Dodgers a call.
Cartaya has not yet played in the major leagues, but the former No. 1 prospect in the Dodgers system could serve as nice depth for the Red Sox at Triple-A Worcester, platooning with Seby Zavala. The Venezuelan native was Los Angeles’ top prospect in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons and was ranked as Baseball America’s 25 best minor league talents over that span.
The Dodgers have catcher Will Smith signed long-term with Austin Barnes and Hunter Feduccia on the 40-man roster. They also have Dalton Rushing, their top catching prospect in the system, knocking on the door, reaching Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2024.
The 23-year-old hit .208/.293/.350 while striking out at a 27.4% clip across 49 games in the Pacific Coast League. He had the second-lowest batting average among qualified PCL hitters with at least 200 plate appearances. Cartaya hit just .189/.278/.379 with 10 doubles, 19 home runs, and 57 RBI over 93 games for Double-A Tulsa in 2023. He continued to show elite power but struck out at a 29% rate, according to FanGraphs.
He is known more for being sound defensively, and with time at Triple-A Worcester, he would work with skipper Chad Tracy, who handles the catchers daily from footwork to other drills throughout the year.
As it stands right now, the Red Sox have Zavala and Nathan Hickey on the WooSox roster with Ronald Rosario as the top option at Portland. The addition of Cartaya would give Boston a young right-handed hitter with upside but who hasn’t been able to put it all together offensively.
Zavala, 31, is a veteran of five big-league seasons; he originally broke into the league with the White Sox back in 2019. The Windy City would host him for four seasons before the Diamondbacks claimed him off waivers last September. He played in seven games for Arizona before being part of the trade with the Mariners that sent third baseman Eugenio Suarez to the desert.
Hickey is currently the other catching option for Worcester. He split time with the WooSox and Sea Dogs this past season. Hickey also played first base, taking grounders before games with skipper Chad Tracy and Jose Flores. He struggled offensively last season, resulting in his demotion back to Double-A Portland.
Boston did add catcher Carlos Narváez in a trade with the Yankees in December. Narváez made his major league debut last season, playing in six games with the Yankees. He went 3-for-13 with three singles, two walks, and six strikeouts. Defensively, he threw out 1 of 2 base stealers.
While playing in Triple-A, Narváez batted .254 with a .370 on-base percentage, a .412 slugging percentage, a .782 OPS, 11 homers, 20 doubles, 58 RBIs, 54 runs, and 56 walks and 105 strikeouts in 96 games. Throughout his minor league career, the 26-year-old has thrown out 30% of base stealers. He is currently listed as the Red Sox backup catcher to Connor Wong on the 26-man roster.
If the Red Sox were to trade for Cartaya, he would be perfect depth to stash at the Triple-A level, and he has one MiLB option remaining. The Red Sox 40-man roster is full, so they would have to either designate someone for assignment or trade from the lower part of the depth chart. Left-hander Chris Murphy and Brennan Bernardino, right-hander Chase Shugart, and infielder Nick Sogard could all be potential options to make room for Cartaya.
