Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve taken a long look at the Red Sox’s current roster. I’ve reviewed player performance, examined contract situations, and made assessments of each player’s future in Bostonin 2013. (See Part 1 on Position Players and Part 2 on Pitchers) Here’s the roster I came up with:
Position Players
C – Jarrod Saltalamacchia
C – Ryan Lavarnway
1B – VACANT
2B – Dustin Pedroia
3B – Will Middlebrooks
SS – Jose Iglesias
UT – Pedro Ciracio
LF – VACANT
CF – Jacoby Ellsbury
RF – Cody Ross
OF – Ryan Kalish
OF – Daniel Nava
DH – David Ortiz
Starting Pitching
SP 1 – Jon Lester
SP 2 – Clay Buchholz
SP 3 – VACANT
SP 4 – John Lackey
SP 5 – Felix Doubront
Bullpen
Closer – Andrew Bailey
Set-Up – Junichi Tazawa
RHP – Daniel Bard, Mark Melancon
LHP –Franklin Morales, Andrew Miller, Craig Breslow
Remainders
In Reserve – Rich Hill, Clayton Mortensen, Rubby De La Rosa, Alex Wilson
Out – James Loney, Mike Aviles, Ryan Sweeney, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Aaron Cook, Alfredo Aceves, Scott Atchison, Vicente Padilla
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Of course, I’m making a few assumptions here. The biggest assumptions being that the Red Sox re-sign both David Ortiz and Cody Ross. While I don’t know for sure if one or both players will be brought back, all of the signs are reporting to “yes” at this point. Still, I’m cautiously optimistic; especially when I hear that Ortiz is hoping they “get it (contract) done by the end of the World Series,” and that there’s “mutual interest” on the parts of Ross and the Red Sox. Yes, things could still go wrong, but these are positive developments. In a season where there was little positivity, I’ll take all I can get right now.
Another big assumption is Jacoby Ellsbury staying in the fold. While he’ll likely be touted in trade rumors throughout the Hot Stove season, I don’t see why the Red Sox would move him at this point, his impending free agency not withstanding. I’m not going to focus too much on this aspect today as I’ll be discussing potential trade targets in a later article.
The third assumption I’m making is Jose Iglesias being named as the starting shortstop. Even with Aviles being flipped for John Farrell and another Carpenter that isn’t the Cardinals ace, many questions abound as to whether the slick fielding shortstop can hit well enough to justify starting. While there are free agent and trade options out there, it seems abundantly clear the Red Sox are heading into the offseason with the intent on him starting at shortstop in 2013.
Today, I’m starting with potential catching candidates.
Catchers
Why would the Red Sox need a catcher? Well, it’s pretty simple actually. Saltamacchia, despite the 25 home runs he hit this past season, may end up on the block this winter to full-time slot for Lavarnway. Or conversely, he could be moved to first base part-time to maximize flexibility. We can debate on the latter idea’s viability considering the potential for a defensive disaster, but we still have to concede that it’s a possibility. As such, Ben Cherington could be in the market for a back-up catcher. Let’s take a look at the players he might be interested in acquiring.
David Ross (.256/.321/.449 in 196 plate appearances) – Ross is probably the pre-eminent back-up catcher in the Major Leagues. He’s an above average hitter with above average defensive skills behind the plate. Oh, yeah. Did I mention that he threw out 53 of 133 would be base stealers during his four year stint in Atlanta? For you math majors out there, that’s a 37.6% success rate. At 36, he could be exactly the kind of steadying veteran presence a guy like Lavarnway needs to help him take that next step. Plus, at $1.5-2M a season, it’s tough to beat! He’s the premier free agent option for the Red Sox.
Jose Molina (.223/.286/.355 in 274 PAs) – I should note that it’s possible (or even likely) that Molina’s option gets picked up by the Rays, thus negating this whole narrative. If not, he could be a very intriguing choice as a short-term option at back-up catcher. He’s a Molina, so you know he’s solid behind the plate both fundamentally and throwing out would-be base stealers. At 38, he won’t add much offensively, but he could serve as a calming force to some of the Red Sox’s better pitchers.
Yorvit Torrealba (.227/.293/.330 in 218 PAs) – Going into his age-34 season, Torrealba probably won’t give you much, if anything, at the plate as evidenced by his combined 64 OPS+ with three teams last season. Defensively, he’s on the decline, but he gives you a serviceable option (hopefully) to back-up Lavarnway. Still, he’s not someone I’d want to bank on. He’s probably one of the last options, and only worthy of a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.
Kelly Shoppach (.233/.309/.425 in 245 PAs) – HAHAHAHAHA! Just kidding. He doesn’t stand a chance of coming back to Boston.
Gerald Laird (.282/.337/.374 in 191 PAs) – Laird’s been below average at throwing out base stealers over the last two seasons, but he was consistently throwing up 40%+ success rates prior to 2011. Even still, he’d likely be better than either of the Red Sox’s current options in this category. At 33, he probably still has something left in the tank. He’s not someone you’d feel with whom you’d feel comfortable starting every day, but there are worse players you can have playing once every five or six games.
Chris Snyder (.176/.295/.308 in 258 PAs) – No, his stat line is not awe inspiring, but it wasn’t that long ago the Red Sox were actively contacting the Diamondbacks and Pirates about trading for his services. As such, it stands to reason that Ben Cherington will at least kick the tires on the 32-year old backstop. The good news on Synder is that his on base and power skills still remain. The bad news is that his defensive skills have waned. Luckily, it hasn’t waned to the point where he’s virtually useless. With a little luck on balls on play, Snyder could be a reasonable facsimile of Kelly Shoppach minus the attitude.
Those are my potential options for back-up catcher in Boston. My top choice is easily David Ross, but Chris Snyder is my second choice. (Provided Jose Molina doesn’t become available.) On Friday, I’ll discuss free agent infielders.