Over the offseason, the Boston Red Sox debated improving their stash of catchers. Last season, they added Carlos Narváez in a trade with the New York Yankees and saw the difference a quality defensive catcher makes, so they had a veteran backstop or two on their radar.
Boston was linked to J.T. Realmuto before he re-signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. Ultimately, it didn't add a catcher of Realmuto's caliber, but the one they did sign has stood out at spring training.
The Red Sox in January signed Matt Thaiss to a minor league deal, and he's performed well early in his tenure with the team. Sox skipper Alex Cora has had some positive things to say about him so far.
“Matty Thaiss is impressing people here,” Cora said (via Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, subscription required). “His swing is really good; he’s lefthanded. He’s been able to control the pitching staff. He’s a guy who has been catching our eye.”
Minor league signing Matt Thaiss is turning heads at Red Sox spring training, could be Connor Wong replacement
Thaiss has slashed .222/.364/.222 with six strikeouts, three walks and an RBI over six Grapefruit League appearances. Connor Wong, meanwhile, is batting .100/.143/.100, he has just two hits and eight strikeouts over eight spring training games.
Besides the discrepancies in their offensive production, there could be another reason why Boston prioritizes adding Thaiss to the major league roster over Wong — Thaiss' contract contains an upward mobility clause that can be triggered five days before Opening Day. If the Red Sox don't give him a spot on the Opening Day roster, they'll have to offer him to the other 29 other teams in the league. If any of them want to offer him a roster spot, Boston either has to give him one or trade him to a team that will.
The Red Sox's roster already has some crowding issues, particularly in the outfield and designated hitter areas, so carrying three catchers may be out of the question Fortunately, Wong still has a minor league option on his contract so he could start the year — or spend all of it — in Triple-A, if needed.
Wong is firmly a backup catcher now that Narváez is in the picture and sending him to the minor leagues wouldn't be the worst thing, even if he's the last remaining piece from the Mookie Betts trade. Wong slashed .190/.262/.238 with just eight extra-base hits and seven RBI over 63 games last season and any offensive upgrade would help Boston's offense on Narváez's days off.