\n<\/p>\n
While the main focus of the Red Sox this offseason has been their efforts to improve the rotation and fill out their infield mix at cornerback, the team has been linked to a number of actors in recent months. It is reported that they were involved in the market of JT Realmuto<\/strong> throughout the winter before he returned to Philadelphia on a three-year deal, and the team was linked with it Victor Caratini<\/strong> just before he signed with the Twins on Friday. Those efforts to improve behind the plate appear to be endless, as MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported today that the team “sit down.”[s] you work” <\/em>in their efforts to improve behind the plate after the signing of Caratini, which he insists they were “too involved”<\/em> in the market of.<\/p>\n Those efforts should not be taken as a knock Carlos Narvaez<\/strong>who turned in an impressive 2025 season that saw him finish sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting thanks to a combination of a league-average offense at the plate and top defense behind it. It looks like Narvaez will remain the primary catcher in Boston even if they can find another shortstop to bring into the mix. That said, there are signs that Narvaez could use more support if the Red Sox are to increase their efficiency. Narvaez pitched 952 innings last year, ninth-most among 2025 catchers. Although that’s not as much as the more commonly used Realmuto as well William Contreras<\/strong>Narvaez still has nearly 200 more innings pitched than a rookie backstop Drake Baldwin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n That’s not a big deal in and of itself, but given that Narvaez hit badly at the plate in the second half with a .187\/.233\/.387 slash line after the All-Star break it’s worth wondering if a little more defensive work would allow Narvaez to keep his offensive numbers within 20 feet of Narvaez outside of 2 of the same season. oftentimes that would be easier said than done, however, given the shaky nature of Boston’s holding system behind him. Connor Wong<\/strong> for now he will serve as the team’s main backup. He’s been a bit of a slugger behind the plate, though, and last year he slashed .190\/.262\/.238 in 188 trips to the plate.<\/p>\n It shouldn’t take someone like Caratini or Realmuto to improve beyond that little production. That being said, the market for catching in free agency is a strange one now that those two (and old friend Danny Jansen<\/strong>) have signed. Gary Sanchez<\/strong> again Jonah Heim<\/strong> are among the best catchers available in free agency right now, and it’s fair to wonder if the Red Sox see that as a big improvement. Perhaps turning to the trade market could be in the cards, as McAdam noted that the Red Sox have discussed both in the past. Dalton Rushing<\/strong> with the Dodgers and former Red Sox prospect Kyle Teel<\/strong> and the Red Sox. None of these talks have seen much fruition, but it’s possible the team could continue to look to the trade market for help in the final weeks leading up to Spring Training.<\/p>\n The Royals tend to stick with it Jarren Duran<\/strong> in trade talks, but the team seems pessimistic about their chances of getting him and will certainly refuse to include top prospects. Carter Jensen<\/strong> pocket of his services, while hope Blake Mitchell<\/strong> may be too far from the majors for Boston’s liking. In the past, the Yankees seemed open to a buyout JC Escarra<\/strong>although they may be reluctant to do so now Ben Rice<\/strong> looks poised to take over first base full time after bouncing between first base, DH, and catcher last year. Maybe the Phillies would agree to part ways with him Rafael Marchan<\/strong> now that Realmuto is back in the fold, even the signing of the Caratini twins could pave the way Ryan Jeffers<\/strong> that needs to be worked on.<\/p>\n Even if some of those names are available, however, the Red Sox may also find themselves out of the market for help with teams like the Rays and Astros seemingly in dire need behind the plate. As Wong’s production was a year ago, he was an above-average hitter as recently as 2024 and it’s impossible to imagine him going back. If the Red Sox don’t get the right deal, they can always add a depth piece like this Matt Thaiss<\/strong> or Luke Maile<\/strong> in free agency on a minor league deal and plan for Wong to open the season as Narvaez’s backup.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While the main focus of the Red Sox this offseason has been their efforts to improve the rotation and fill out their infield mix at cornerback, the team has been linked to a number of actors in recent months. It is reported that they were involved in the market of JT Realmuto throughout the winter …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3614"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3616,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3614\/revisions\/3616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insightresearcher.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}