The Rangers have now officially signed catcher Kevin Plawecki, a move that was hinted at in recent reporting. The club announced the move, along with Nick Solak heading to the 60-day injured list with a right foot fracture in a corresponding move. The Solak move is a mere formality, as it was previously reported that he suffered a season-ending foot fracture.
Plawecki, 31, spent the past three seasons with the Red Sox, performing quite well in the first two. Over 2020 and 2021, while backing up Christian Vazquez, Plawecki hit .305/.364/.414 for a wRC+ of 112, or 12% above league average. He wasn’t able to sustain it here in 2022, however, dropping to a batting line of .217/.287/.287, 61 wRC+.
With the Red Sox out of the playoff race and Plawecki approaching free agency, they decided to give more playing time to controllable catchers like Reese McGuire and Connor Wong. That led to Plawecki getting designated for assignment, a move that apparently rankled the Boston clubhouse. Nathan Eovaldi and Rich Hill spoke on the record about Plawecki’s popularity on the club as a veteran leader, which is something it seems the Rangers are interested in.
Levi Weaver of The Athletic relays that he spoke to interim manager Tony Beasley about the move, with Beasley highlighting Plawecki’s reputation as a clubhouse guy and outlining how his presence would allow the club more flexibility in deploying its two other catchers, Jonah Heim and Sam Huff, down the stretch.
“That led to Plawecki getting designated for assignment, a move that apparently rankled the Boston clubhouse.”
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Tired of reading this.
The Red Sox are 6th in MLB payroll, under .500, and in last place in their division.
Meanwhile, the players are mad that the owner / FO didn’t trade inexpensive young prospects with a future to take on even more overpaid players to supposedly help them win more. Their two supposed team leaders have made it clear that day vants dare mahneee….NOW….and are upset and insulted.
This is a team with no leadership; the players are obviously overpaid in relation to team wins; and the fans constantly make excuses for the players lackluster showings.
Trout and Ohtani are on a team that hasn’t competed for the playoffs in years. But they and others don’t go kvetching to the media knowing what they say will become public. They’re class professionals that say what they want to – if they want to – in private, and go out every day playing the best they can to help their team win.
Red Sox fans – quit making excuses for the people wearing your team uni this year. It’s not the FO, manager, or coaches. You’ve got a bunch of overpaid, pampered players that want to point fingers because they aren’t anywhere near as good as they think they are.
If plawecki was the voice of the Sox then the issues r deeper than we thought
Agreed. The players crying only emphasizes your point!
It is infuriating that players on a sub .500 team feel they can act like spoiled little children. Eovaldi and Hill should have been cut right then and there.
Francona got canned for losing control of the club house. Perhaps it’s time for history to repeat itself.
…or are writers playing this up to get clicks on the internet? I certainly hope that’s the case.
Actually, if upset and moaning about Plawecki being DFA’d is really happening in the Red Sox clubhouse, where was the upset and moaning when when Vazquez was traded? I would think there would be just as much, if not more, moaning about that. Did I miss that?
Yes, you missed it. The discontent in the clubhouse at the Vazquez trade was widely reported.
https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2022/08/02/xander-bogaerts-christian-vazquez-trade-red-sox/
Fink: Thanks. I remember Xander questioning. It didn’t have all the “woe is me” vibe like is supposedly happening now and it was only Xander reported, not widespread in the clubhouse.
It wasn’t just Xander:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/jd-martinez-thought-he-was-next-after-red-sox-traded-christian-vazquez/ar-AA11BHab
Fink: I should add that if they really are whiners, Cora needs to go.
Fink: The second article has no whining unless you consider JDM being “caught off guard” whining. I don’t think Xander was whining, just questioning. I reread Rich Hill’s and Eovaldi’s comments about Plawecki and I think they are all more caught off guard than whining and writers and fans have spun it into more than it is. It was writer Rob Bradford that said that the Red Sox DFAing Plawecki sets a bad tone for the final 17 games, not any players. I guess whether I am reading this correctly or not won’t change anything.
Fake news Xander was bemoaning the lack of direction like all of us, not crying about fata$$ getting traded. Hill and eovaldi were crying about plawecki because they didn’t want to deal with two inexperienced catchers
Read on:
https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2022/08/christian-vazquez-trade-hurts-in-red-sox-clubhouse-chaim-bloom-says-thats-something-we-dont-take-likely-with-guys-busting-their-tails.html
https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2022/09/red-sox-cutting-kevin-plawecki-seems-to-have-ruffled-feathers-in-clubhouse-chris-cotillo.html
Cora is not the problem it’s def the talent level it’s not there our so called aces can’t pitch in any meaningful games
RMWFTRB: Makes sense. I realized as I was chatting with Fink last night that it feels like a waste of time to try to dissect this further. I would be curious to hear Jason Varitek’s thoughts about the team.
Most of the players act greedy, not just overpaid ones.
I get that veteran Pitchers don’t want to learn a new Catching duo this late in the season but the Sox have nothing to play for and need to start looking ahead to next season. Eovaldi is not likely to return and Hill has probably not done himself any favors in coming back next year either, Keeping Plawecki wasn’t going to change anything
Rsox – I think mentoring the young catchers would have been Plawecki’s biggest contribution if he had stayed.
I get that but it’s so late in the season now the Sox were likely thinking carrying 3 Catchers would be a waste of a roster spot. If this were a few years ago when teams could carry 40 players in September it would be different
Umm uyou make it sound one size fits all but this is not all Red Sox fans, not even a majority on here. I do agree they are overpaid, but it’s deeper than that. You’re just stirring a pot by getting on Boston fans.
Sam – I’ve been in management for decades. I would love to work for you, because you wouldn’t hold me accountable for who I hire or the staff I supervise. What you’re saying is management, the field manager, and the coaches have zero impact on the players.
If Bloom acquires injury prone guys like Paxton, or guys well into their 40’s like Hill, or guys who have stunk in the past like Robles/Diekman/Davis/JBJ/etc, you’re saying it’s not his fault when those same players are injured or play poorly. So then why would the Sox ever get rid of him? He should keep his job with the Sox for life, right? Because losing is never his fault, right?
As for Cora, why does he get paid millions if he has no impact on the team’s performance? If it doesn’t matter how good a manager he is, why not hire someone at a fraction of the cost?
And BTW players sticking up for other players is simply them being good teammates. When you spend 8 hours a day with someone, day in and day out for 8 months a year, chances are you’ll form a strong friendship with them. People tend to stick up for their friends, don’t you?
Should be a solid 5th option
I don’t understand why Chris Young keeps making these pointless transactions. None of these journeymen he’s acquired have ever benefitted the organization. There are better placeholders in the minors…Pozo, Viloria, Huff at catcher, for example.
Don’t forget Garver and heim
How does signing a catcher give u more flexibility on playing time for 2 other catchers?
Huff has been used some at 1B and having a third catcher makes it safer to use one of them at DH in case the one catching gets injured during they game
Villoria could’ve did that, and they have Pozo, too.
Whup-eee