Just-In: Red Sox Signed Veteran Catcher To One-Year Deal worth $1.5 million, Avoiding Arbitration
The Boston Red Sox reportedly are avoiding arbitration with one of their veterans.
Boston has a handful of players who were arbitration-eligible this offseason and Thursday is the deadline for Major League Baseball clubs to come to terms on deals to avoid arbitration.
The Red Sox reportedly did just that by agreeing to a one-year deal with veteran catcher Reese McGuire, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.
“Reese McGuire and the Red Sox agree on a 1-year deal worth $1.5 million,” Morosi said.
This move isn’t too surprising. McGuire doesn’t cost much at just over $1 million and pencils in as Boston’s backup catcher right now unless another move is made. Boston has been linked to a plethora of players this offseason — including former New York Yankees All-Star Gary Sánchez — but there’s no way to know what their plan is.
Boston hasn’t given much indication as to what it wants to do this offseason. There’s still plenty of time to make other moves, but it wouldn’t be too surprising to see McGuire spend one more year with the club.
The 28-year-old was acquired by Boston in 2022 and has been steady since. He appeared in 36 games with the Red Sox in 2022 and slashed .337/.377/.500 with three home runs and 12 RBIs.
Last season he appeared in 72 games and hit one home run, drove in 16 runs, and slashed .267/.310/.358. He may not be the catcher of the future for Boston, but he could be a stop-gap for the club until elite prospect Kyle Teel makes the jump to the big leagues.
Further Reading:
MLB Insider Predicts Red Sox Will Do ‘Something Aggressive And Expensive’ Soon
What’s next for the Boston Red Sox?
There has been plenty of speculation about Boston this offseason but the club hasn’t been able to get a big deal done yet. The Red Sox still have two major holes on the roster with Spring Training quickly approaching.
Boston needs a frontline starter and also a right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup. There still is time left for the Red Sox, but there has been speculation that Boston isn’t willing to spend this offseason.
Although this is the case, ESPN’s Buster Olney predicted the Red Sox will do “something aggressive and expensive” in the not-so-distant future.
“Red Sox chairman Tom Werner told reporters his team was ready to go ‘full throttle’ at the time they hired Craig Breslow, and while Boston’s longshot attempt to sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto didn’t work out, there are plenty of other investment opportunities available, from (Blake Snell) to (Jordan Montgomery) to a possible trade for (Dylan Cease),” Olney said. “If the Red Sox don’t do something big, Werner’s words will become the backbone narrative of their 2024 season.
“If they struggle to contend in a tough AL East — as expected — then Breslow’s launch in his new job will be sabotaged; as manager Alex Cora’s contract drifts toward expiration, the team will again be giving away tickets to college students in September. The Red Sox will make a big move for the same reason they spent huge dollars on Rafael Devers: They have no choice.”
Boston has a lot of work to do. Luckily for the club, there are multiple players available who would fit the Red Sox’s needs. Only time will tell if the club actually is willing to get a big deal done.
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