Diamondbacks interested in some Red Sox catchers
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Apparently Mike Hazen is in the market to build up the Arizona Red Sox.
The former Red Sox GM reportedly has interest in bringing a catcher to his Diamondbacks. And guess who made the list? Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez. Umm.. Cool, I guess. The last thing the Red Sox can really afford to do right now is deal one of their catchers.
Think about it. Say what you will about Pablo Sandoval — but there’s only so much you can say about the guy until about May — but this catching situation is probably the weak point on the big league roster. Yeah, depth isn’t good all-around, but on a fully healthy team, this is still a pretty weak setup.
Both Vazquez and Sandy Leon are out of minor league options which pretty much means they’re guaranteed spots on the big league roster on Opening Day unless injuries or something ridiculous happens in Spring Training. Neither of them have proven to be able to hit big league pitching in a full season — let alone spend a full season in the big leagues. Leon might have one of the ugliest swings against a curveball in Red Sox history. Sometimes, he’ll even take one down the middle for strike three.
And Vazquez is a lifetime .233 hitter with minimal power. Sure, they’re great defenders, but it doesn’t equate to great catchers.
Swihart is their best depth piece right now. He has minor options. He’s proven he can hit big league pitching. He used to be a top prospect. And both he and Vazquez’ trade value has probably dropped a lot in the past year or so. No sense in dealing them when the Sox have catching issues of their own — unless it led to them bringing in someone really good, which there’s a 90 percent chance it wouldn’t.
So yeah, stay away, Hazen. Look some place else.