Red Sox Could Bolster Catching With Orioles' Adley Rutschman

It is no secret that the Boston Red Sox, suddenly a contender with their 14-game winning streak entering play Tuesday, would love to upgrade the catching position.

So how about snatching one from a fellow AL East team?

One catcher out on the market, per ESPN's Jeff Passan, is Baltimore Orioles backstop Adley Rutschman. Once the darling of the Orioles' rebuild, Rutschman hasn't been the superstar they envisioned. Passan noted the Red Sox were one of the teams that would be a good fit for Rutschman.

A switch-hitter, Rutschman has a career slash line of .254/.342/.414. He hit 20 and 19 homers in his second and third seasons in the majors, while drawing AL MVP votes in 2022, when he finished second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting, and 2023.

But injuries in each of the last two seasons have slowed his production. In 90 games last year, Rutschman slashed .220/.307/.366 with nine homers and 29 RBIs. He has followed that up with a .251/.331/.433 with eight homers and 47 RBIs in 67 games this year before hitting the injured list for the third time this season Monday, this one for inflammation in his left wrist. Still, he represented the Orioles in last week's All-Star Game.

That injury will keep him out until at least the weekend of the trade deadline, which is Aug. 3. The Orioles have struggled last year and this year and with Samuel Bassallo in the fold long term after signing an extension this year, making Rutschman not as valuable as he once was.

Still an elite defender, Rutschman is also under club control through the 2027 season, so the Orioles won't be looking to dump him for just anything.

And especially if the Red Sox come calling, the Orioles will make sure to extract a good price for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.

He would certainly be an upgrade over Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong, the Red Sox's current catching tandem.