The only move the Red Sox made at the trade deadline to add to their lineup was a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, bringing in Danny Jansen to be the backup catcher behind Connor Wong. The move has worked out well so far, as Jansen has a 1.098 OPS in 26 plate appearances in a Red Sox uniform.
The cost of the trade beyond the players they sent to the Blue Jays was Reese McGuire, who was DFAd alongside Chase Anderson to make room for Jansen and Yohan Ramirez. McGuire was outrighted to Triple-A Worcester, where he has one hit and five strikeouts in 12 plate appearances.
McGuire talked with the media at Polar Park on Tuesday and was asked about the Jansen trade and losing his spot on the roster. It's safe to say he was pretty surprised with what happened.
According to MassLive, McGuire said the trade for Jansen caught the whole clubhouse off guard. He said it "kicked him to the ground," as the trade was the writing on the wall for McGuire that he was about to lose his roster spot.
Reese McGuire admits to being blindsided by Red Sox trade deadline moves
McGuire went on to say that he felt even worse when he went through waivers unclaimed, saying he felt like he belonged in the big leagues and reality set in that no team wanted him on their roster. Instead, McGuire is the fourth catcher on the WooSox roster, sharing time with Tyler Heineman, Mark Kolozsvary, and the recently promoted Kyle Teel.
McGuire felt multiple teams could have upgraded their backup catcher spot by adding him to the roster, though he refused to name the teams.
While the decision may have been surprising in the clubhouse, the Red Sox made the right call by moving on from McGuire. He got off to a hot start to the season, but he hadn't been hitting very well for multiple months by the time they acquired Jansen, and his defense behind the plate was average at best. Unless something happens to Jansen or Wong, it's hard to envision McGuire in the majors again this season.