Breaking News: Red Sox Land Ex-Mets Catcher To Bolster Organizational Depth
The Boston Red Sox haven’t made a massive move yet this offseason, but they have added depth throughout the organization.
One area the club has looked to bolster is the catcher position. Boston seemingly is set at the big league level with Connor Wong and Reese McGuire but the club has made other moves to add options at the minor league level.
Boston continued to add and landed catcher Tyler Heineman in a trade with the New York Mets on Friday in exchange for cash considerations, according to the Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham.
“The Sox purchased catcher Tyler Heineman from the Mets,” Abraham said. “Right-handed reliever Max Castillo was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster. Heineman, 32, was designated for assignment by the Mets Tuesday. He is a career .218 hitter over parts of four seasons with the (Miami Marlins), (San Francisco Giants), (Pittsburgh Pirates), and (Toronto Blue Jays).
“A switch hitter, Heineman appeared in 22 major league games last season for Toronto and Pittsburgh and had a .670 OPS in 42 Triple-A games. Heineman joins Reese McGuire and Connor Wong as catchers on the 40-man roster. The team also invited Nathan Hickey, Mark Kolozsvary, Roberto Pérez, and Stephen Scott to spring training.”
Heineman may not have the strongest bat in the game, but he is very solid defensively. It’s unclear what type of role he will play with Boston, but he’s a solid player to have at the Triple-A level and to fill in as needed in the big leagues.
The Red Sox struggled as a team defensively last season so it doesn’t hurt to add more depth with solid defensive upside.
Further Reading:
Red Sox: Justin Turner’s eye-opening Boston admission after signing with Blue Jays
Former Boston Red Sox player Justin Turner is revealing he would have liked to stay with the team.
Turner played just one season in Boston. He worked as both a designated hitter and infielder for the team, finishing the 2023 campaign with 154 hits and 96 runs batted in on more than 550 at-bats. It seems Turner deeply enjoyed his time with the Red Sox franchise.
“I think as time went on it was appearing to be less and less likely [to return to Boston],” Turner told reporters, per Boston.com. “Right when the season ended, I assumed that it would be a no-brainer that I would try to work something out and come back.”
Turner is now taking his talents to Toronto, to help a franchise looking for continued success in 2024. He signed a one-year deal with the Canadian Major League Baseball team. The Blue Jays finished the 2023 season with a 89-73 record, good for third place in the American League East. The Blue Jays battled hard to get phenom Shohei Ohtani in the off-season, but lost out on him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Before his time with the Red Sox, Turner also played for the Dodgers, Mets and Orioles. He’s made the All-Star game twice in his career, and won a World Series in 2020 with the Dodgers. He has a lifetime batting average of .288 with 1,461 hits and 187 home runs.
The Blue Jays start spring training games on February 24, with a meeting against the Philadelphia Phillies.
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