Red Sox made serious run at former Athletics catcher last offseason (report)
The offseason will officially begin once a World Series champion is crowned. Newly minted chief baseball officer Craig Breslow will have a lot to do this winter to build a strong major league roster for 2024.
One area that Breslow may not have to address is behind the plate. Connor Wong had a strong season defensively and Reese McGuire was an adequate backup. With Kyle Teel waiting in the wings, Boston could stay the course with their current tandem at the big league level or make a minor tweak and add a veteran on a short term deal and move either Wong or McGuire.
According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, the Red Sox catching landscape could have looked substantially different this past season.
“Boston made a serious run at a trade for Sean Murphy last year before Oakland traded him to Atlanta, according to an industry source, and made a competitive offer before that deal got done in mid-December,” reported Cotillo. “Once Murphy was off the board, it became clear the Sox would go internal at catcher and see what they had in Wong (acquired in the Mookie Betts trade in 2020) and McGuire (acquired at the 2022 deadline for Jake Diekman). Their biggest winter addition at the position came in the form of veteran Jorge Alfaro, who was added to add depth at Triple-A.”
Murphy ultimately was traded to the Braves in a multiplayer deal. The right-handed hitting catcher had a strong season hitting .251 with 21 homers, 68 RBIs, 93 hits, 21 doubles and an .844 OPS.
If Boston would have acquired Murphy, it’s unknown if they would have still selected Teel in the first round.
The catching position is not a major need for the Sox, if they look to upgrade, Boston could look at a few external free agent options. Mitch Garver, Gary Sanchez and Victor Caratini could provide a stop gap until Teel is ready. Garver could provide depth as a backup and spend sometime at designated hitter.
Murphy ultimately was traded to the Braves in a multiplayer deal. The right-handed hitting catcher had a strong season hitting .251 with 21 homers, 68 RBIs, 93 hits, 21 doubles and an .844 OPS.
If Boston would have acquired Murphy, it’s unknown if they would have still selected Teel in the first round.
Wong and McGuire are a capable duo heading into 2024, they’re both cheap and controllable, whereas the free agents will be expensive. With Teel around the corner, making a big splash for a catcher makes little to no sense. Teel holds immense trade value if Breslow looks to move him for a high-end controllable starting pitcher.
Sometimes the best trades you make are the ones you don’t make. Murphy moving to Atlanta allows the Boston to allocate the prospects they would have traded elsewhere and now can focus on Teel in the future. Breslow has a lot of different options on the table, a catcher is a low priority need at this point.
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Wong and McGuire are good. They come at a good price. Focus on pitching and fewer errors.