Who's going to catch?

[Dewey'sCannon]

Haven't heard much buzz lately about Sean Murphy. There was talk earlier in the offseason that Atlanta might be willing to deal him to trim salary and make room for a top catching prospect. What would it take to get him?

 

[simplicio]

Haven't heard much buzz lately about Sean Murphy. There was talk earlier in the offseason that Atlanta might be willing to deal him to trim salary and make room for a top catching prospect. What would it take to get him?

That probably depends entirely on his medical status. Was last year who he is now or can he go back to being a 5 WAR guy?

 

[kazuneko]

That probably depends entirely on his medical status. Was last year who he is now or can he go back to being a 5 WAR guy?

If they actually want to trade him it would make me nervous to trade for him. If last year is a sign of what’s to come I wouldn’t give up a bag of balls for that contract.
Does it really make sense to bet on the future health of a player when his current team (who should know best) isn’t wanting to do the same?

 

[joe dokes]

Red Sox expect Carlos Narváez to be their backup catcher coming out of camp

The Red Sox had six players participate in their annual rookie development program this season. The group included two of the best prospects in the game, outfielder Roman Anthony and multi-position standout Kristian Campbell.
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But the player most likely to be with the Sox on Opening Day is catcher Carlos Narváez.
Narváez is the only catcher on the 40-man roster other than Connor Wong and had six games of major league experience with the Yankees last season.
Nothing is guaranteed, but the Sox see him as their backup catcher coming out of camp.
“My mind changed big time after I played in the majors last season,” Narváez said Tuesday. “I realized what it took and I changed my preparations. It’s 100 percent. My body is in great shape and my mind is in the right place.”
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The Sox were eager to land Narváez as a backup for Wong. They had plenty of intel to back up that decision, too.
Catching coordinator Tyson Blaser, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, and minor league field coordinator Andrew Wright all came from the Yankees organization and knew plenty about Narváez.
The Sox also have former Yankees pitchers Richard Fitts and Greg Weissert.
“That part has been great, getting to play with those guys again,” Narváez said. “Dillon, too. I worked with him. I feel at home here.”
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When Narváez was called up by the Yankees in July, manager Aaron Boone saw it as a plus for his team. “He can really catch,” Boone said. “Smart, really good presence to him, plays the position with a lot of confidence. He’s somebody that I have a lot of confidence in. I believe a lot in the person.”

 

[Harry Hooper]

It's not even February, and via Narváez we have the perennial "best shape of his life" story.

 

[Sin Duda]

It's not even February, and via Narváez we have the perennial "best shape of his life" story.

It's like the first sighting of a robin.

 

[joe dokes]

I don't know the answer to the thread question, but Pudge has got some ideas:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/01/18/sports/carlton-fisk-red-sox/

He likes the way Connor Wong catches

— “he’s a good athlete” — but in general doesn’t like the evolution of his position.

“You shouldn’t have to rely on somebody from the dugout to call pitches,” he said. “You shouldn’t be on one knee when there’s somebody on base. There’s not a premium on catching. Now there’s a premium on framing the pitches and I think that has created some bad habits.

“They’re trying to pull the ball into the strike zone. Now you see guys missing balls in the dirt. There’s a responsibility for your catcher to instill as much confidence in a pitcher as you can. By that, I mean you can throw any pitch at any time, anywhere, and it’s not going to get by. I took pride in the idea that no ball would get by me even if it landed two feet away or was six feet high.”

And not surprising coming from someone regarded as a human rain delay:

Fisk also would like the pitch clock adjusted so that catchers can have a few extra seconds during important moments of the game to make sure they’re in synch with the pitcher.

“When nobody’s on, I can see it,” he said. “But with the game on the line you need to be able to take a deep breath. I think that could be changed. The object of the game is to win, not play faster.”

 

[Yo La Tengo]

What trades would look good to land a big upgrade to the catcher position? Presumably Seattle, Houston, Milwaukee aren't looking to move their catchers (although in theory they might as they get more expensive). Alejandro Kirk is underrated, but the Blue Jays don't have an obvious replacement and it would be a bad look within the division.
How about O'Hoppe (Angels) or Langeliers (A's)? Bad teams who might be willing to make a move. O'Hoppe appears to be decent to good defensively and hits RHP better than LHP, so he could be a good pairing with Wong. Langeliers is very good stopping baserunners but extremely bad at framing/blocking (maybe worse than Wong) so those two couldn't be paired together.

Any other targets?

 

[simplicio]

I think the Sabol trade says they're done there for now. It's a place they could look at at the deadline, but I don't see them adding a 4th catcher to the 40 man for now.

Tyler Stephenson in CIN is another one to keep an eye on, but like Kirk there isn't an obvious replacement behind him.