Rumored Red Sox Target Lands Deal With White Sox, Ending Possible Pursuit

Boston found a better solution to bolster behind the plate

Scott Neville | Dec 27, 2023

Rumored Red Sox Target Lands Deal With White Sox, Ending Possible Pursuit /

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The Boston Red Sox entered the offseason seemingly motivated and appeared to be on the precipice of reminding Major League Baseball that they are one of the biggest markets in the sport.

Thus far, it's been more of the same for the inactive Red Sox -- though there are plenty of impact players remaining.

While fans have reason to be upset over losing out on superstars such as Shohei Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the latest player Boston fell out of the bidding for is not worth getting upset over.

"Free-agent catcher Martín Maldonado and the Chicago White Sox are close to an agreement, according to sources familiar with the situation," FanSided's Robert Murray reported Tuesday.

The Red Sox met with Maldonado's representation at the uneventful Winter Meetings earlier this month and were among a plethora of potential suitors for his services.

Since then, however, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow appeared to pivot, and rightfully so.

Between then and now Breslow inked a fellow Gold Glove-winner catcher to a minor-league deal, Roberto Pérez.

Boston needed additional catching depth behind Connor Wong and Reese McGuire, and Pérez fits the mold due to his willingness to start the season off of the 40-man roster.

Maldonado on the other hand, would have cost the Red Sox a third 40-man spot for the position.

The Red Sox lost bidding wars for Yamamoto and even right-hander Seth Lugo (to the Kansas City Royals) but appeared to drop out of the race for Maldonado after finding a better match with Pérez.

More MLB: Red Sox Have Been In 'Constant Communication' To Reunite With Starting Pitcher

Published Dec 27, 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