Red Sox Appear Strongly In Mix For Gold Glove Catcher With Multiple Suitors

Boston could use a veteran presence for young pitchers

Scott Neville | Dec 6, 2023

Red Sox Appear Strongly In Mix For Gold Glove Catcher With Multiple Suitors /

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Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow had been adamant that he currently is prioritizing the starting pitching market with the Winter Meetings in full swing.

However, that does not mean he won't be exploring upgrades to other areas of the roster. The Red Sox have interest in former Houston Astros catcher Martín Maldonado according to reports Tuesday.

Now we know a little more background on the situation.

"Update on another Red Sox free agent target: Boston is one of 6-7 teams in on Martín Maldonado, per source, and is expected to meet with his reps in Nashville," MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported Wednesday. "Maldonado likely not going back to Houston after the (Victor) Caratini signing. Alex Cora loves him."

Maldonado hit .191 with 27 extra-base hits including 15 home runs, 36 RBIs and a .606 OPS (66 OPS+) in 116 games last season. The 37-year-old -- outside of some occasional pop -- will be a lost spot in the order.

However, his value does not come from his offensive contributions. The veteran backstop has a Yadier Molina-level reputation when it comes to pitch calling and managing pitchers.

He also has a Gold Glove under his belt and ranks in the 70th percentile or higher in blocks above average, caught stealing above average and pop time. Maldonado has horrible framing metrics but that is far from a massive factor.

Does Maldonado fit with the Red Sox? Boston currently has a perfect platoon split of the right-handed Connor Wong and left-handed Reese McGuire.

Maldonado is a right-handed hitter but would replace McGuire, as Wong cemented himself as the primary backstop.

The highly esteemed catcher would provide value both to Wong and the pitching staff but his personal production would be hurtful to the team.

The difference between McGuire and Maldonado as the No. 2 catcher likely won't be much of a game-changer. Final answer: It'll be more or less the same either way.

More MLB: Red Sox Reportedly Interested In Gold Glove Outfielder Post-Shocking Trade

Published Dec 6, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu