A spin through the Red Sox blogosphere, as Sox bloggers weigh in:
Out of all the catchers that may be available through trade or free agency, which player do you want starting for the Sox and why?
“The popular names are Varitek. Saltalamacchia. Teagarden. But there are a plethora of other catchers available. Miguel Montero. Chris Iannetta. Chris Snyder. Yeah, I’d love to get Salty — everyone wants the sexy name, but I’m going to go with Chris Snyder. He’s had a good season and he’s proven. He’s going to be 28 and is arbitration eligible. The Diamondbacks are reportedly having money problems, so Snyder may be gettable. I’m concerned with his career .238 batting average, but he had a .348 OBP and .452 SLG last year.” — Evan, Fire Brand
“I would love the Red Sox to get Taylor Teagarden; he has great potential to be the catcher of the future. Right now he can produce as much or better than Tek did last season and I can see him being an All-Star in 3 years. Boston needs to get some pop in the second half of the order and Teagarden can be that guy, he hit 6 taters during his short (16 game) time in the bigs in ’08. I love what Tek did for the team but it is time to move on, maybe Boras can find some team willing to sign him for 4 years but the Sox need to get some youth behind the dish.” — Matt O’Donnell, Fenway West
“In a perfect world, I’d probably go with Teagarden, as he’s the most well rounded of the young options. But as he’s hit about his true level of ability, much like Ellsbury in ’07, the cost there would be prohibitive. Given that he seems to be Texas’ first choice for the position, I’d kick the tires on Salty to see if there was an opportunity to buy low. It might be worth checking on Shoppach, but I’d be surprised if Cleveland would let him go for fair value. Ultimately, it might be necessary to tread water for a year or two with a Laird, assuming he can be acquired at minimal cost. Whichever option we pursue, however, I keep Buchholz off the table, and leave Bowden on it (at least for a Salty/Teagarden). But that’s just me.” — Stephen O’Grady, wicked clevah
“I would love for the Sox to somehow keep Jason Varitek for another 2 years or so, but also pick up Taylor Teagarden. Teagarden seems more like an all-around catcher compared to Saltalamacchia, but both of them probably have sky-high prices because Texas knows how bad the catcher situation is in the MLB right now. I still think Teagarden might be worth it, assuming they don’t ask for something ridiculous like Clay Buchholz AND Michael Bowden. I think it’s a big enough need for the Red Sox that I wouldn’t mind parting with someone like Daniel Bard.” — Michael Christopher, Sox Addict
“In a perfect world, I’d like to see the Sox end up with a Salty-‘Tek platoon. Say, Salty catching two nights for every three that Varitek does. It’d keep ‘Tek more fresh for the second half of the season and give Saltalamacchia a chance to learn the ropes. If Varitek isn’t willing to re-sign for one or two years, then it’s probably time to consider Pudge or Molina.” Dan, Red Sox Monster
“My first choice is to re-sign Tek. We all know what he brings to the table and the Sox have the means to add production elswhere, making his .220 BA hurt less. That I said, I like the Texas catchers, specifically Salty and Teagarden (they’re talented and the nicknames are abundant!) I hate to sacrafice a guy like Bowden or Buchholz, but if Tek walks, I don’t like the idea of Cash and Dusty Brown as the catching tandem, so they’ll have to make a move… catchers tend to develop late – maybe Kottaras could be the guy in another year or two, but not right now.
I wish we never traded Shoppach away… He’s clicking at just the right time – for the Indians. It’d be a long shot, but getting him back would be a nice move also.” Rob — The Bottom Line