Former Red Sox catcher agrees to minor league deal with Cubs
Former Red Sox catcher Reese McGuire has found a new home. McGuire and the Cubs agreed to a minor league deal, according to Aram Leighton of Just Baseball.
The 30-year-old has spent parts of the last seven seasons with the Blue Jays, White Sox, and Red Sox organizations. McGuire spent three years with the Red Sox, splitting time with Boston and Triple-A Worcester last season.
McGuire was designated for assignment following the acquisition of catcher Danny Jansen before the trade deadline. In an interview with MassLive's Chris Smith, McGuire said that the Red Sox removing him off the 40-man roster "caught him off guard."
“It’s just interesting. I’ll definitely say it: It caught the whole clubhouse off guard with that trade,” McGuire said. “I felt like we were really, really close-knit group. And we finished that first half really, really strong. And everyone was on the same page. Everyone was locked in and ready for that second half to kick off. Unfortunately for me, that move was made, which pretty much put the writing on the wall that the position was going to be filled.
“It’s tough because I feel like I belong in the big leagues, and this one did hurt me a lot,” McGuire said. “This one really, really did. It kind of kicked me to the ground, to be honest. Especially when no team claimed me. That was kind of the icing on the cake. It was like, ‘Holy (expletive). This is really happening right now.’”
Boston originally acquired McGuire from the White Sox as part of the Jake Diekman trade back in 2022. Primarily serving as Connor Wong’s backup with the Sox, he hit .264 with seven homers, 20 doubles, three triples, and 46 RBI in 161 games.
McGuire joins the Cubs system, offering depth behind Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly. Top catching prospect Moisés Ballesteros is knocking on the door of the big leagues and will be part of the catching conversation.
