Red Sox Star Named 'Bust Candidate,' Calling Blockbuster Trade Into Question

The Sox need this key hitter to deliver in 2025

Feb 18, 2019; Lee County, FL, USA; A general view of a Boston Red Sox helmet as Boston Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. (19) walks on the field during a spring training workout at Jet Blue Park at Fenway South. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox made a fairly large gamble on one member of the projected starting lineup heading into the 2025 season.

Catcher Connor Wong was originally the throw-in of the Mookie Betts trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 2020. Five years later, he's the primary starting catcher for Boston, who traded away top catching prospect Kyle Teel to secure ace pitcher Garrett Crochet in December.

Wong, 28, had a very strong 2024 campaign, slashing .280/.333/.425 for a 110 OPS+. Those numbers were dragged down by a rough second half, but for much of the season, Wong was one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball.

However, Wong was also the recipient of a lot of good batted ball luck in 2024, and that often fluctuates from season to season. It's not as though the Red Sox need him to be an All-Star, but if his numbers for 2025 resemble the second half of 2024, there could be second-guessing about trading Teel away.

On Sunday, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter heaped even more pressure on Wong by calling him one of the 10 "biggest bust candidates" of the upcoming Major League Baseball season.

"If (the San Francisco Giants') Tyler Fitzgerald is the most obvious regression candidate in baseball heading into 2025, Wong is a close second," Reuter wrote.

"His gap between batting average (.280) and expected batting average (.231) was the second-largest among qualified hitters, and he ranked near the bottom of the league in hard-hit rate (20th percentile), average exit velocity (11th percentile) and expected slugging (18th percentile). All of that makes it difficult to envision him coming close to replicating last year's offensive numbers."

The Red Sox are depending on Wong to be the no-doubt starter at the catching position, which is a risky play. Behind him, all they have is Triple-A trade acquisitions in Carlos Narvaez and Blake Sabol, and the prospect pipeline is fairly barren after the loss of Teel.

Again, Wong doesn't have to be great. But it would be a huge win for the Red Sox if he could replicate his 2024 offensive stats, especially if his defense improves in the process.

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