The Red Sox have signed catcher/outfielder Chris Herrmann to a minor league deal earlier this week, according to Isaac of @iTalkStudiosYT (Twitter link). MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo adds that the contract includes an invitation for Herrmann to attend Boston’s big league Spring Training camp.
Herrmann signed minor league deals with both the Rays and Giants in 2020 but didn’t see any MLB action with either team, ending his string of eight consecutive seasons in the Show. Herrmann’s ability to both catch and play corner outfield positions (plus a few games at first base) has gotten him looks from several teams, and he has also had a couple of very productive years at the plate — most notably a .284/.352/.493 slash line over 166 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks in 2016.
Overall, however, Herrmann has hit only .205/.282/.344 with 25 home runs over 992 career PA with the Twins, D’Backs, Mariners, and Athletics. His last MLB stint was with Oakland in 2019, appearing in 30 games and hitting .202/.280/.274 in 94 PA. Christian Vazquez and Kevin Plawecki look set as Boston’s regular catching duo, so the 33-year-old Herrmann will be in camp to provide veteran depth and give Plawecki some competition as Vazquez’s backup.
Herrmann is what Blake Swihart wishes he was.
Awesome!!!!!
Serious question, but is it weird that I am not any less excited about this pick up then any other this off season? We had some pretty serious holes that needed to be addressed, and I am fairly sure I am looking at a roster that is about .500 if healthy, although incredibly rested and flexible while doing it..
The 2021 Red Sox are shaping up to be one of the most ho hum Sox teams in my 50 year memory as a fan. Seriously, it is as if Chaim Bloom is shaping this roster to be one nobody but the players’ wives cares about.
You mustn’t remember much about the ’94, ’96-’97 teams
Reminds me of when Troy O’Leary “protected” Mo Vaughn (I think – I recall him hitting fourth or fifth much of the time). How is JDM supposed to rebound if Vasquez is hitting behind him? He’ll never get good pitches to hit. I’m a Vasquez fan but not hitting in the prime of the order. I’d go back a lineup type of the 80s and 90s by putting Vasquez second and have Devers hitting behind JDM.
Devers hitting 3rd, JDM hitting 4th, and Bogaerts hitting 5th is probably the best option for all three to get good pitches to hit
My take on the batting order goes back to when we had 3 players getting on base 260 times a year. Who on the team can do that? Bogey, Devers and JD. There is your 1,2,3 hitters. Verdugo is next with his decent OBP so he hits fourth and is fast enough that if they pitch around to get to Vazquez he can steal a base and Vazquez drives in a run with a hit.
During the Red Sox big production years the first three hitters go on base 260 times and had OBPs near .400. . I don’t think Verdugo is there yet so hitting JD where he is most comfortable in the 3 hole makes sense with Bogey and Devers in front of him. The best of the rest OBP person needs to hit 9 so Bogey has a base runner on when he hits. In fact, the best sits in the 9th hole and the second best hits in the 8 hole to help Bogey have both runs scored and RBIs. Put the big swing guys after Vazquez.
Slipping a non high 300s OPS guy in the top four hurts the offense. Cora hasn’t figured that out yet but hopefully an analytics guy will. It’s a common mistake to spread out the star players. The thinking is the inning after they bat you get nothing. The problem is without the 3 best clustered you get nothing throughout the whole game. This pitching staff is going to need runs.
There have been about 30 ho hum Red Sox teams since I started following them in 1964. And some non ho hum teams that just tore my heart out at the end. And some heart wrenching injuries and trades and lost free agents. And yet every year I come back for more, believing that they will be good. And every year true happiness results when the yankees season is ended without success. I have 29 favorite teams, if the Red Sox are ho hum, it still can turn out ok.
I have 70 years as a Red Sox fan, young whippersnapper, and this team is nowhere near as “ho hum” as some of the teams in the 1950s and 1960s. Just because you are a fair weather fan doesn’t mean the rest of us are. I’ll bet you even have a pink Sox cap to go with your pink scarf.
PK – you are a few years older than me and what you said about the 50s and 60s is true BUT the years prior were nowhere near as good as the recent years prior so the drop off seems greater to me. The novocaine didn’t really wear off until 1967 and it had been present since the post war years. The 2010s were far more exciting than the post war years so the drop-off magnifies the ho hum that exists today..
I don’t know, he’s got a batting line like franchy cordero with a little less pop but playing a more premium position.
If franchy is someone to be excited about as the current centerpiece of the benintendi trade, you should love this guy as Vazquez’s new heir apparent in the bloom regime.
Are there really that many shades of mediocrity? Bloom seems to have the entire spectrum of mediocrity covered. Doesn’t he? haha I wonder if Denny Doyle is available.
I realize this is just a depth signing but even at that i don’t really see it as a good one. I guess what difference does it make when signing a catcher that will hopefully never get into a ML game… but even as far as scrub catchers go… i just don’t really think Hermann is a good one lol. Hopefully if a longer term injury does occur with one of their 2 current catchers… they’ll wind up going with one of their ‘prospects’ over him. Amd earlier this offseason they let that rookie they’d claimed from PHI go and personally I’d rather have him as an emergency catcher than Hermann. But he may have required a roster spot which is why he wound up getting the axe but still given some of the P they’ve kept on their 40 man roster… I’d have rather kept that kid than see Hermann in a ML game… nothing against him… he just doesn’t really bring much of anything to the table at this stage of his career.
Jeff – Complimenting him is like shining up your spare tire. Does anyone care? Will he put the Red Sox over the top with a 60th win? Not likely.
This should atone for trading Benentendi. Nice move, Bloom County.
Watch Bloom trade Vazquez now. Nothing surprises me with this guy Bloom. Yet he could have signed Rich Hill for 2.5 million which is cheap for a swingman
Rich is over the Hill. And he’s only trading Vazquez if he gets a huge haul.
It’s a possibility.
Theodore – Huge haul meaning 5 mediocre players?
With the free agents Bloom signed and all his trades and acquisitions he made, this team will be fighting Fi 4th place this year
I don’t think anyone disputes that…
Juanc – I’m thinking 5th. Baltimore will have better pitching if E-Rod has come back too soon and Sale doesn’t get back until mid season.
Payroll will shrink in 2022. They’ll be back to spending
Then wait until 2022 to spend money before going to see the Red Sox play. When they put a competitive product on the field then they will draw the fans support.
Then wait until 2022 to spend money before going to see the Red Sox play. When they put a competitive product on the field then they will draw the fans support. This is not a competitive team the way it is built for 2021.
AL3415 hours ago
Then wait until 2022 to spend money before going to see the Red Sox play.
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I’m not sure why you would care if Henry spends to the cap. Is there a downside to spending $209,999,999?
Chaim Bloom is the master at signing utility men.
Master is a confusing word. He does it a lot, ABSOLUTELY. Is he really good at it? I think not.
Bloom is making moves like he’s still with the Rays.. He’s trying to find lighting in a bottle & just trying to get lucky with a couple of these guys he’s signed.. I wonder just how much slack he has with all of these unorthodox signings with the ownership before they exit him stage left ?!?!
There’s only two signings that I actually liked.. Kikí & Renfroe.. maybe the Ottavino trade.. To be quite honest I’m more intrigued about what our young triple A player’s are going to be able of in 2021 season…
I would expect nearly nothing from our system outside of the usual shuttle of people with heart beats that are used for replacements, and the hopes of a pleasant surprise (for about 2 weeks).
Ratedrdude – I agree. I’m curious to see if the graduates are guys that were part of the stripped down Farm System under DD (you know, the one that out-performed every other MLB team in graduates that started) or the great new farm system built by Bloom. So the question is – Will the Bloom re-treads make it to the Red Sox and contribute or the grossly under-rated boys from when DD was here make it to the Red Sox and contribute (like Houck and Dalbec) in 2020.
Does anyone have any info on the 2 player’s we’re supposed to get from the Royals & the other one from the Mets to complete the Benintendi trade ?!?!
It’s going to take a while. Until the minor league season starts.
Fairly sure we are getting (Mash your keyboard keys for 3 seconds, type a comma, and mash them again for 3 seconds.)
Is there a limit to how many utility players you can have on the roster
Why do I feel like this is the first step in trading away Vaz by the deadline?
That’s likely to happen. Look at what he’s done so far. The players with the highest salaries when he took over were:
1 – Price $32M = but he only cleared $16 so Price’s replacement on the roster costs $16M more than his actual sticker price GONE but shadow of his cost remains!!
2 – Mookie $27M – GONE but not forgotten
3 – Sale $25.6M – TJ surgery keeps him on the team until later this year. Likely to be GONE in 2021 at deadline if healthy.
4 – JD $22M – Poor 2020 kept him on the team until 2021. GONE in 2021
5 – Eovaldi $17M – Missed opportunity to move him at deadline in 2020 thanks to an untimely IL stint. As soon as he performs well, he’s gone. GONE in 2021
6 – Pedroia – $13.75M – Should have moved him in the Mookie deal not Price, Now the team must eat one more year and be done with his contract. GONE
7 – JBJ – $11M – Should have non-tendered him in 2020. Finally got smart in 2021. Nice learning curve for a guy who many argue was experienced. GONE
8 – E-Rod $8.3M – Gave him a contract in 2021 despite not knowing if his health will be good enough with respect to his heart problem. He’s on double secret probation. If heart problem persists – GONE in 2022 if healthy GONE at the deadline.in 2021.
9 – Vazquez $4.5M – Value to cost he’s worth it but he is next on the got to go list so the new team is all Bloom’s. A Vazquez trade by Bloom is a mistake waiting to happen. I’m guessing 2021 GONE
Bloom will eventually clear the entire 2018 roster and Boston fans will remember him as the guy that simply had no clue. Just like Cora, he had no experience at the job he was hired to do. He was a Small Market exec with no Large Market experience just like Cora managed lower level teams but never a MLB team. With no track record comes no knowledge to fall back on when things get rough. Trust me, things are rough right now..
Geez all the negative comments on a team that hasn’t play a game yet this season.
Seen I’ve been around for light 60 or 70 years. With thoughts of having yet another crap year coming. Remember the 2013 team ,and all the negative comments back then. What happen in 2013 ? So to all the negative (as one has said fair weather fans)comments find another team. I’ve seen it all since 1974 (not as long as some here) but given all the ups and downs I’ll watch every game as Red Sox and a baseball fan. As I watched all the games last year Stop complaining and start hoping that this years team will surprise us all.
2013 comparison isn’t fair. We have no Papi-like player to rally the troops. Sale is out to start the year and E-Rod had heart problems last season yet rushed to get back so he’s far more high risk than in the past. Eovaldi will still be a 3 or 4 SP going again 1 or 2 SPs, Richards is an injury waiting to happen. The miracle needs to come from Houck and/or Pivetta and if it’s only one of them, it won’t be enough to make .500 this year.
You just watched a World Championship roster get torn down. My question to you is – WHY AREN’T YOU RED HOT MAD AT OWNERSHIP for destroying a great franchise? Losing Mookie didn’t happen before 2013. That alone is devastating and the roster won’t recover from that for many, many years. A top flight offense has been taken down two notches and the pitching may be the worst in the league. Sure hope is great but wishing for miracles? Is that really how you want to spend your season 3 years after a World Series ring?
I expect negative comments until Bloom is gone and Cora is gone. I think the negativity would also subside a bit if the purse strings weren’t cinched but right now money can’t fix the problem. The problem is a GM who has no idea how to win in a big market and a manager who is a two time cheater now leading a group of guys who will need to cheat to win. Lost integrity is an issue. Lost vision of how to beat the Yankees is an issue. And most importantly, lost support for the Red Sox fan base is overwhelmingly evident. You know it’s the fans that allow the ownership to make money!!! It’s too bad we can pay for the quality product they are providing. Hundreds of millions of profits from winning and now ANY profits are too many for an ownership group that tears down a WS Championship team and replaces it with the 4th worst team in baseball.
We should be tearing them a new one from now until things get fixed because they tore down a potential dynasty. If Sale and others had stayed healthy in 2019, if Mookie hadn’t been offended by ownership and if DD was still here Boston would be second favorite to NY to win the division just like always not a debate as to whether they’ll finish ahead of Baltimore. There is plenty to vent about. If you choose not to because it doesn’t make you feel better, be considerate, it helps many, many fans reduce stress seeing the crap team we have now just 3 years after a ring.
Kd17 – full of more bs than usual in this thread….thinks he’s the second coming….second coming of JB (slow Joe) maybe…
This is an audition year for so many arms who did not throw many innings last year. This signing only serves to spread out the ST catching work load and help Worcester’s young pitching develop while throwing to a veteran receiver. Nothing more. Bloom certainly has made some questionable moves, but let’s allow him some time to work his plan before cutting off his head. He deserves that much at least.