The Boston Red Sox have plenty of avenues to explore prior to the trade deadline, but one in particular is flying under the radar.
It’s getting spooky behind the dish…
Carlos Narváez has been an absolute revelation at catcher, stepping up and becoming one of the most productive players at his position in the American League — doing it all as a rookie. Connor Wong, on the other hand, has slidden down the ranks as quickly as his partner has risen, becoming one of the least valuable players in all of baseball this season — which isn’t hyperbole.
Boston likely can’t survive this way. Narváez is entering uncharted waters in terms of usage, and having to rely on Wong for more than one-game sample sizes looks to be a losing proposition moving forward, making it likely that the franchise at least explores bringing in adequate depth at the deadline.
MassLive’s Chris Cotillo dropped some sourced thoughts on that very topic Wednesday, floating a familiar name in the process.
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Minnesota Twins catcher Christian Vázquez reportedly is a name to watch.
Vázquez, 34, is far from the player he was when leaving the organization at the deadline three seasons ago, but he still has some of the “intangibles” decision-makers are looking for in Boston.
The Twins also might not mind dumping his salary, according to Cotillo.
Vázquez is slashing .170/.241/.252 in 2025, but is in the 91st percentile in blocking balls above average (six) and the 61st percentile in pop time (1.94). I don’t think that’ll knock any socks off, but those numbers do represent an upgrade over Wong.
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Boston would be wise to at least place a call.
