Red Sox acquire catcher from the Giants, DFA reliever Chase Shugart
The Red Sox added more catching depth on Wednesday, trading for Blake Sabol from the Giants for international bonus pool space, according to Beyond the Monster’s Hunter Noll.
To make room for Sabol on the 40-man roster, Boston designated right-handed pitcher Chase Shugart for assignment.
With the acquisition of Sabol, the Sox now have three catchers on their 40-man roster, including Connor Wong and Carlos Narvaez.
Sabol, 27, is a left-handed hitter who has 121 major league games under his belt over the past two seasons, all with San Francisco. This past season, he went 10-for-32 (.313) while slashing .421/.375/.796 with two doubles, one RBI, five walks, and nine strikeouts in 11 games. He played 100 games in the Giants system in 2024, hitting .245 with 12 homers, 15 doubles, one triple, 58 RBI, 48 walks, and 11 stolen bases.
Sabol has thrown out just 12.7% of base stealers (7-for-55) in the majors so far. He has a 24% caught stealing rate in the minors, according to FanGraphs.
In addition to catching, Sabol has shown some versatility playing in left field while in the minors, logging 271 innings in the outfield, but he isn’t considered a plus defender. He also saw time at first base in 2024 in an attempt to create depth at other positions and potentially clear a path to the bigs. If Sabol starts the year with Triple-A Worcester, it’s almost a guarantee he will continue to see time at other positions similar to other catchers over the years, including Nathan Hickey, Mickey Gasper, Jorge Alfaro, and Caleb Hamilton.
Shugart, 28, made his big league debut with the Sox this summer, yielding four runs on eight hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings of relief. He spent the bulk of the 2024 season in Triple-A Worcester, where he logged a 4.46 ERA.
Boston will have five days to trade Shugart; if not, he’ll be placed on waivers; if unclaimed, he can be outrighted to the WooSox. He will then likely be given a non-roster invite for spring training next month in Fort Myers.
