Red Sox Roundtable: Five questions about the Opening Day roster

What do the Red Sox do with Blake Swihart – make him the backup catcher, a utility player or trade him?

Brandon Carusillo: They need to trade Swihart. They’ve already stunted his growth multiple times, and misused him to the point where he suffered a season-ending ankle injury. At some point as an organization you owe it to a player to let him get his opportunity somewhere else. Swihart will never be the fielder Christian Vazquez is. Vazquez continues to improve offensively each year, negating the need for Swihart’s bat in the lineup. His hot spring has shown what he can do when healthy, but not enough to cut ties with Vazquez and Sandy Leon, two guys who have proven they can hit Major League pitching over the course of a full season. Swihart is facing pitchers like Dietrich Enns, Gabriel Ynoa, Jose Mesa, Johnny Hellweg, Charlie Morton and Chih-Wei Hu. None of those scream big-league competition. The Red Sox let Josh Reddick have a chance elsewhere, it’s time to do the same for Blake Swihart.

Rick McNair: Hold with the idea of selling. Swihart appears healthy and his .407 in the Winter League and spring training is an indication. His outfield ability is questionable so as a defensive replacement that is a risk.

Jake Sauberman: I think you have to start Swihart in a utility role where he would primarily serve as a backup OF. With his hot spring and potential, there’s no way you could justify dropping him altogether, especially with no viable backup OF option. Then by June, if Swihart is raking and Leon is struggling, you weigh making him the backup catcher where his bat would be most valuable.

Josh Greenberg: Swihart hasn’t shown much ability as a catcher, thought admittedly he hasn’t had much of a chance to develop. His lack of a position and unproven bat leave him with little trade value at the moment. He has to start the year in a utility role. Injuries and his performance by the trade deadline will determine his long-term future.

Hunter Noll:  I want Swihart as the backup catcher. His offensive potential is still high and his athleticism is off the charts for the catcher position. With that being said, I have a nasty feeling that’s not going to happen. He’ll either be given a utility role or given to the highest bidder. A trade seems more likely now with such a hot start to Spring as his value is rising again.

Bryson Gordon: Having Swihart as the backup catcher is the best role for him right now. His stats at the major league level were very solid until his injury and since then he has not been the same. Putting him behind Vazquez and allowing him every opportunity to win the starting job would be fair. They haven’t given him a fair shake yet and so far this spring he is showing that he deserves one.

Stephen Coelho: While I am not opposed to the idea of trading Swihart, I think the market for someone like him would be poor right now. Most teams don’t have needs this early in the year, and Swihart’s trade value could increase if he continues to hit as well as he has during spring training. For Opening Day, Swihart will probably be a utility/third catcher. The Red Sox need to give Swihart plenty of opportunities while Pedroia rehabs, which will make his role more clear. If he performs well, I could envision Leon being the odd man out when Pedroia returns. The performance of Leon, Marrero, and even Vazquez will also impact Swihart’s role. However, the attrition of baseball could make figuring this out much easier.