If you follow the Boston Red Sox, then it’s not a secret for you or anybody that the team badly needs a quality catcher.
They have made some sizable improvements at specific positions, but a reliable catcher is still needed.
The problem is that the Red Sox couldn’t quite swing a deal for catcher Sean Murphy and missed out on other alternatives.
At this point of the offseason, in mid-January, there are just no players at the position capable of significantly changing the outcome of a game.
But that doesn’t stop the Red Sox from bringing in more people to compete for games and at-bats behind the plate.
“Red Sox have signed catcher Jorge Alfaro to a minor-league deal, per @ChrisCotillo. Alfaro played in 82 games with the Padres in 2022, slashing .246/.285/.383/.667 line 7 HR. 94 OPS+. 96th percentile pop time. Interesting depth behind McGuire/Wong,” Red Sox analyst Tyler Milliken tweeted.
Red Sox have signed catcher Jorge Alfaro to a minor-league deal, per @ChrisCotillo.
Alfaro played in 82 games with the Padres in 2022, slashing .246/.285/.383/.667 line 7 HR. 94 OPS+. 96th percentile pop time.
Interesting depth behind McGuire/Wong.pic.twitter.com/IYhWE1OHn0
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) January 16, 2023
At this moment, Reese McGuire and Alfaro are expected to fight for starts with the big league club, and Connor Wong could join that mix, too.
It’s not an overly promising group, but Alfaro does have a past as a top prospect and is not a terrible hitter.
His pop time also gives him an edge.
Overall, it’s not a bad move by the desperate Sox.
It doesn’t quite solve the “catcher of the future” dilemma they are currently facing, but competition is always good, and Alfaro has had his moments as a major leaguer.
He is an OK defender with a big arm and some power, so he could be a backup catcher at worst.
The best-case scenario for Boston would have him getting closer to the league-average threshold for hitting performance (100 wRC+, he is currently at 89 for his career and was at 90 in 2022).
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