Here's the latest out of Fenway and the potential fallout from their signing of catcher David Ross to a two-year, $6.2MM deal..
- Many believe that Jarrod Saltalamacchia will be the odd man out in Boston with Ross now in the picture, but one rival exec told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that the club has actually been shopping Saltalamacchia for weeks. The catcher turned in a career-high 25 homers last season but saw his average dip (.222/.288/.454) and his strikeout total climb (139) in 448 plate appearances.
- Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald notes that Ross would be a sensible option to split time with the switch-hitting Saltalamacchia. However, the Red Sox have long coveted catcher Ryan Lavarnway and have refused to discuss moving him before the trade deadline in each of the past two seasons.
- The Red Sox are known to have Mike Napoli on their radar and are targeting him as an option at first base. However, multiple industry sources tell Lauber that the veteran strongly prefers to stay behind the plate. That doesn't come as a major surprise considering his value is greater as a catcher than a first baseman.
- The Red Sox could stand to clear some room off of their 40-man roster, so a trade involving Salty would likely include another player or two, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. Abraham sees the Cubs, Mariners, Mets, Pirates, and White Sox as possible fits for the catcher.
