Veteran catcher will compete for backup catcher spot on the Red Sox roster
This offseason the Red Sox signed veteran catcher Seby Zavala, and the club made it clear that he would have an opportunity to win a spot on the 26-man roster.
“Talking with my agent and the front office, it was a good chance to compete to be at the big league level,” Zavala said Sunday to Chris Smith of MassLive. “And the pitching staff here is really good. Faced them last year early in the season, and they kind of dominated us. I just liked what I saw and thought maybe there were some things I could do to help advance this staff.”
The Red Sox will have competition for the backup catcher spot this spring with Zavala and trade acquisitions Carlos Narváez and Blake Sabol in the mix.
“There’s no leading candidate,” manager Alex Cora said. “But they’re good. They’re good at what they do. Blake comes from an organization that takes pride on the framing part of it.”
The 31-year-old 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.
Cora has been preaching that everyone has a shot to make the Red Sox Opening Day roster this spring. Zavala’s experience and strong defense behind the plate will help him stand out.
“He’s an experienced guy,” said Cora. “He worked with Liam before and Giolito. Talking to them, he takes a lot of pride in calling the game. He took a step back framing-wise (in 2024) compared to two years ago, but hopefully we can get him back. It will be good. It’s something that’s needed to make sure we take care of Connor. Everybody’s gonna get a chance to make the team.”
The veteran served as the backup to starter Cal Raleigh to begin the season. He slashed .154/.214/.282 with two doubles, one home run, two RBIs, four runs scored, three walks, and 16 strikeouts in 18 games (43 plate appearances) for the Mariners before being designated for assignment on June 18. Zavala cleared waivers and spent the remainder of the season with Triple-A Tacoma.
Zavala is focused on getting the most out of Red Sox pitchers while in camp.
“I like to help the pitcher be the best he can that day,” Zavala said. “When they have their stuff and when they’re really rolling, it’s an easy game. The fun parts are when they don’t have their stuff and how do we get through five, six innings with one or two runs? And that’s where I take pride in—in my work and knowing my pitcher, knowing opposing hitters. Just making the pitcher the best he can be that day."
Known for his defense, Zavala ranked in the 87th percentile of all MLB catchers in blocks above average and the 77th percentile in framing, per Baseball Savant. This past season, he threw out three of 14 possible base stealers with Seattle and three of 32 possible base stealers with Tacoma.
If Zavala fails to make the Red Sox Opening Day roster, he will serve as depth at Triple-A Worcester. Boston has just three catchers on their 40-man roster in Wong, Narváez, and Sabol; if Zavala is added at any point, he will need to be added.
