Red Sox acquire veteran catcher in trade with the Mets
The Red Sox made a minor trade on Friday to add more depth behind the plate for 2024.
Boston acquired veteran catcher Tyler Heineman from the Mets for cash considerations, the team announced. Right-hander Max Castillo was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
The 32-year-old has 104 games of major league experience over the parts of four seasons with the Marlins, Giants, Blue Jays and Pirates.
Heineman will serve as depth in the upper level of the system alongside offseason acquisitions Roberto Pérez and Mark Kolozsvary. The veteran backstop has one minor league option remaining, allowing the Red Sox to shuffle him back and forth between the bigs and minors.
The Sox new catcher is considered to be an above-average defender, offering the opportunity to help mentor the young hurlers that will be in Worcester this coming season.
The switch-hitting catcher played in 22 games last season split between the Pirates and Blue Jays. Heineman is a career .218 hitter (54-for-248) with 11 doubles and on the defensive side, he has thrown out 19 of 68 (27.9%) runners attempting to steal while he’s behind the plate.
The Red Sox are slated to go into the season with Connor Wong and Reese McGuire as their catching tandem. With Pérez and Heineman in the organization, the front office has options to help the Red Sox if a player goes down with an injury.
Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisHenrique
For additional Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, MLB and NFL content follow Beyond the Monster on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr.
