The Red Sox Must Bolster Their Catching Depth Before They Sign an Ace

The bond between a catcher and a pitcher is often regarded as the most important relationship in baseball. The catcher orchestrates the game, calling pitches and helping the pitcher throw their best stuff. The pitcher and catcher must be in sync. Frontline starters need a reliable catcher to work with. Former catcher Brett Mayne once said, “What's the most important part of the game? Pitching. If it wasn't, why would teams throw this kind of money around lately? [That said] you have to have a good catcher. It's like having a phenomenal racehorse, but no jockey. Will the horse win the race without one? Probably not.”

The Red Sox lack both an ace and a reliable catcher. In recent years, the catcher position has remained a revolving door. Since 2023, Red Sox catchers have generated a total of 2.7 fWAR, which ranks 25th in the league. 

Catchers Reese McGuire, Connor Wong, and Danny Jansen yielded varying results for the Red Sox rotation last season. 

Brayan Bello’s 2024 second-half resurgence could be attributed to Jansen, who joined the team at the trade deadline. Jansen caught eight games for Bello, whose ERA dropped to 3.47 following the trade deadline.  Conversely, Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford’s ERA ballooned when pitching to Jansen. Since Jansen became a free agent, Wong remains the sole veteran catcher on the 40-man roster. Oof. 

The organization doesn’t see prospect Kyle Teel making the 2025 Opening Day roster. When asked about Teel’s major league readiness, Craig Breslow emphasized, “What’s most important for him is to continue to develop.” After being promoted to Triple-A, Teel got off to a slow start, slashing .214/.306/.321 in August. He finished strong, recording a .375/.516/.542 slash line in September. With Teel in Triple-A for an indefinite amound of time next season, the Red Sox need a veteran, defense-first backup catcher who can fortify the position until he graduates from the minors. As much as I like Wong, he's an offense-first catcher. Wong alone isn’t enough to entice a frontline starter to the Red Sox.

This offseason the Red Sox have seemingly been showing interest in every premier free agent from Willy Adames to Blake Snell to Juan Soto. However, they aren’t linked to any catchers, whose market is moving quicker than expected. Travis d’Arnaud, arguably the top catcher in the class, has already signed a two-year, $12-million contract with the Angels. As a former pitcher, Breslow is aware of the importance of the relationship between the pitcher and catcher. He clarified that the team is in the market for a backup catcher, stating, “We’ll certainly explore opportunities to get better….That includes potentially in kind of a backup role to Connor or however, things shake out.”

A pitcher’s success is often attributed to the performance of his catcher. Signing a frontline starter, but neglecting their need for a catcher is equivalent to purchasing a Porsche and neglecting its maintenance by filling it with regular unleaded gasoline. This offseason feels different. Various third-party sources outside the Red Sox have indicated they’re looking to make a big splash in the offseason. They surprisingly emerged as a legitimate contender for Juan Soto, which wasn’t on anybody’s offseason bingo card. However, the Red Sox must get their priorities straight and solidify their catching depth before making a strong push for a frontline starter and/or any once-in-a-generation outfielders. 

Given the rotation’s mixed results with Danny Jansen, a reunion probably isn't in the pitching staff’s best interest. Kyle Higashioka and Carson Kelly are two of the best remaining options on the free agent market. I highly doubt that either will sign for more money than d’Arnaud, so they’re affordable. A one-year deal with a mutual option after the first year would provide Teel with more to develop and do so without jamming the team’s budget.

There aren’t any huge concerns surrounding either player’s offense. Personally, I don’t expect a catcher to generate a ton of runs. Their most important duty is to provide sound defense. If they can do so while providing a roughly league-average offensive line, they’re doing their job well. At first glance, Higashioka’s bat has more thump than Kelly's, with almost double the amount of home runs and a higher wRC+. However, Kelly’s strikeout rate is lower and overall these differences are marginal. Frontline starters’ catching splits indicate that Higashioka and Kelly complement top-tier starting pitchers. Michael King, Joe Musgrove, and Yu Darvish pitched well when Kyle Higashioka caught for them. Tarik Skubal, Zac Gallen, and Jack Flaherty posted solid numbers with Carson Kelly.  Defensively, Higashioka and Kelly diverge, but they still mark a significant improvement over Connor Wong’s defense. 

According to Statcast, Higashioka falls in the 8th percentile in blocking, the 27th percentile in catching base stealers, the 65th percentile in framing, and the 10th percentile in pop time (2.02 seconds). His defensive performance isn’t what it used to be. Conversely, Kelly grades out in the 63rd percentile in blocking, 85th for in catching stealers, the 68th percentile in framing, and 38th in pop time(1.97 seconds). Kelly is a stellar defender with youth on his side. However, it's important to note that framing is by far the most important part of the job, and Higashioka and Kelly grade out fairly similarly there.

On another, more random note, Higashioka is a fourth-generation Japanese American who reportedly learned some Japanese to connect with former Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. Why is this important? Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old Japanese pitching phenom will be posted by the Chibba Lotte Marines. Sasaki is an affordable option who could sign with any team. Since money is no object to him, The Athletic reported he will “prioritize stability, lifestyle, comfort and, according to league sources, a team’s track record with player development”.  A Japanese-speaking catcher like Higashioka could help lure Sasaki to the Red Sox. Since they both speak Japanese, he could assist Sasaki in acclimating to life in a foreign country. Along with Masataka Yoshida, Sasaki would also have a friend who shares the experience of transitioning from the Nippon League to Major League Baseball. That said, the team already has a strong record in player development and Boston recently ranked as the second happiest city to live in the U.S. 

Signing a player solely to attract another is ill-advised. It’s speculated that Chaim Bloom did this with Masataka Yoshida in an attempt to entice Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who ultimately signed with the Dodgers. The Red Sox are currently stuck with an expensive, slap-hitting DH. Given Wong’s paltry defense, the Red Sox should prioritize Kelly, a defense-first catcher. Kelly is younger than Higashioka and has plenty of knowledge and experience, with eight years of major-league playing time. He could mentor Kyle Teel and be the bridge until Teel is major league-ready. If Wong has another slump halfway through the season, Kelly could fill the primary catcher role. His spray chart indicates that he could capitalize on Fenway’s wonky dimensions to generate extra-base hits.

Looking far down the road, Kelly has a solid relationship with Zac Gallen, who could be a free-agent target next year. At the moment, the Red Sox's catching depth is miles behind their competitors for starting pitchers. The Blue Jays and Orioles have Alejandro Kirk and Adley Rutschman, two young bona fide studs. Tyler Heineman, the Blue Jays' backup catcher, has four more years under team control. Like the Red Sox, the Orioles have a vacant backup catcher position. The Red Sox cannot neglect their catching depth when they are pursuing frontline starters. Since Nick Pivetta declined his mutual option, the Red Sox have an additional $21 million to spend. Some of this money should be allocated toward catching depth. Given their shared needs and interest in starters, the Orioles represent a genuine threat to snipe any Red Sox targets. The Red Sox must act quickly before Kelly or Higashioka can sign elsewhere.