Former Boston Red Sox catchers Reese McGuire and Danny Jansen are both free agents after the 2024 campaign, which creates an unexpected issue for the club's upcoming offseason.
Boston desperately needs quality pitching to bolster its rotation and prevent another bullpen breakdown, but, as of the end of last season, Connor Wong is the club's only major league catcher. Kyle Teel, the Sox's top catching prospect, may not be ready to debut by Opening Day after a brief adjustment period in Triple-A in August and September. Suddenly, the Red Sox needed to add a backup catcher to their list of offseason needs.
They may have signed one on Nov. 18. Boston has signed former Mariners catcher Seby Zavala to a minor league deal, per the WooSox's transactions page. The 31-year-old righty has 194 games of big league experience, including a short stint with the 2023 Diamondbacks, the World Series runners-up.
Zavala carries a career .205/.271/.342 slash line and .613 OPS in the majors. He batted .154/.214/.282 with a .496 OPS in 18 games with Seattle in 2024. Zavala only had slightly more success with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate — he batted .188/.325/.376. with a .701 OPS in 33 appearances in Tacoma.
Red Sox sign potential 2024 backup catcher Seby Zavala to a minor league deal
The Red Sox have signed 31yo catcher Seby Zavala to a minor league contract. Zavala has 194 games of MLB experience, most recently with the Mariners. He is a candidate to fill the emergency third catcher role to start the season.
— SoxProspects.com (@SoxProspects) November 20, 2024
The 31-year-old clocked a career-high 73 games in the big leagues in a single season in 2023, and his defense was solid that year. His seven blocks above average and 77th percentile framing skills represent defensive improvements over McGuire. Jansen was the best blocker in the league last year, but his 21st-percentile rank in framing leaves more to be desired.
Zavala represents a righty bat among Boston's lefty-heavy squad. He's far from a strong hitter, but is defensively sound enough to be a temporary solution for the Red Sox until Teel is ready to debut.