The Red Sox are discussing a deal with free-agent catcher Roberto Perez, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (Twitter link). iTalkStudios tweeted yesterday that the Red Sox had some interest in Perez. Boston has already added Jorge Alfaro on a minor league deal this winter and also picked up Caleb Hamilton off waivers from the Twins in October (later passing him through outright waivers themselves), but the front office is still exploring other potential options behind the dish.
Perez, 34, spent eight seasons in Cleveland from 2014-21, establishing himself as one of the game’s premier defensive backstops along the way. He signed with the Pirates in free agency last offseason, but his 2022 campaign was limited to just 21 games. Perez tore his hamstring in early May and wound up requiring surgery that wiped out the rest of his season.
During his brief time with the Bucs, Perez tallied 69 plate appearances and turned in a .233/.333/.367 batting line. That was solid production for a catcher, but on the whole, Perez has typically been a well below-average offensive player. His 2015 season (.228/.348/.402) and 2019 season (.239/.321/.452, career-high 24 home runs) stand as exceptions, but those peaks are offset by several seasons of sub-.200 batting averages and sub-.300 on-base percentages. Overall, Perez is a .207/.298/.360 hitter in 1752 Major League plate appearances.
That lack of offense has been easier to live with, however, due to the strength of his glovework. Perez has won a pair of Gold Gloves in his career and, in 2019, was named the Wilson Overall Defensive Player of the Year in MLB. He’s piled up 79 Defensive Runs Saved in 4052 innings behind the plate, notched a massive 39% caught-stealing rate — including marks of 41% in 2019 and 71% in the shortened 2020 season — and posted elite pitch-framing marks according to each of FanGraphs, Baseball Prospectus and Statcast. Since Statcast began tracking framing data in 2015, only four catchers — Yasmani Grandal, Buster Posey, Austin Hedges and Tyler Flowers — have been credited with more value for their framing efforts.
As things stand, the Red Sox figure to deploy Reese McGuire as their primary catcher in 2023. McGuire and Connor Wong are the only two catchers on Boston’s 40-man roster, although the aforementioned Alfaro, Hamilton and former top prospect Ronaldo Hernandez give the Sox some other non-roster options who’ll vie for playing time in spring training.
Why? I’d rather go with a Alfaro/McGuire platoon to start the season
Same. McGuire is solid defensively (and wasn’t a terrible hitter after joining the team) and Alfaro has some power making a decent platoon combination
You don’t platoon catchers. You pair them up with your pitchers.
You have five starting pitchers and the bullpen. That means you would have to have thirteen catchers on your roster.
Really?? I’m pretty sure Ketch was inferring that it’s not uncommon for SPs to prefer one catcher over the other. Your better SPs benefit from the consistency of throwing to the same person. So to have 2 catchers for a five man rotation it would work for one catcher to catch 3/5 SPs and the other catcher to catch the other 2…most of the time.
Alfaro is a terrible defensive catch. I would like to see what Roberto Perez has during spring training. I am sure if they sign him, it will be a minor league contract.
meh…I guess only table scraps are left
That caught stealing % will have lots of value with the new rules
True. They got him for his defense.
If he can stay healthy
They haven’t gotten him yet and to gun down runners, the catcher usually gets the blame or the glory but the pitcher has to do his part as well.
You got it, Dewey.
Dollar Tree now has catchers.
Bloom is at the Buffet Table two days after it was put out there. Christian Vazquez was a better alternative than Wong, McGuire, or Perez. There is nothing even hopeful about the players Bloom had assembled for this coming season. I guess we should change the band to the Tampa Bay Red Sox.
Does that mean tampa would win with this group? Since they havnt sucked in a while.
Oh hey, Tampa North insinuations. How original.
Im not a Bloom fan at all, but for a bridge year (and thats what this year is gonna end up being) the additions have been fairly solid after letting Xander hit FA and leave. Bullpen improved, leadoff hitter signed, CF addressed short term so Kike and play SS, catching depth added. The starting rotation is still nothing but hopes and dreams but they are staying under the Lux Tax this year almost assuredly so they aren’t gonna get much there. If they sign this guy, itll be very low cost and give them trade capital at catcher, albeit small.
Talk about looking at the glass as half full. You actually do sound like Bloom fan.
B-Strong–if 2023 is to be a bridge year what was 2022?
Chaim crapping the bed and a lot of bad luck. He shipped out Renfroe for Bradley Jr. and 2 prospects that will be lucky to ever crack the majors, then DFA’d him late in the year. He brought back Travis Shaw to be Bobby Dalbec’s compliment instead of getting a more proven 1B and DFA’d him as well. They passed on re-signing Schwarber when we had a need for a DH post JDM contract.
Then we had Story get hit in the hand, Boston’s medical staff apparently not able to diagnose a stress fracture, and him missing even more time. We had Sale’s broken ribs that held him out forever, only for him to immediately get hit by a comebacker, and then AGAIN have something happen while rehabbing from that. And just about every other pitcher other than Pivetta ended up on the damn DL. It was a perfect storm of crap. 2021 was nice, but I really didn’t think we were “there” yet.
Tampa has made the postseason each of the last 4 years. Boston has never made the postseason 4 years in a row.
I guess you were unconscious in 2021.
Did the Sox make the postseason 4 times that year?
What I said stands but should be modified to “Tampa has made the postseason 4 years in a row AND COUNTING,” and Boston has never made the postseason 4 years in a row. So I’m not sure why being Tampa North would be so horrible.
They came close. They made the post season three times in a row (2017-19) and won the WS in ’19. If the four straight times Tampa was in the PO, how many WS did they win?
Avenger…. Was to easy… just waited for someone else to push THAT button…
Beacuse they’ve never won a championship.. You want that? Then be a Tampa fan and get lost.
Swing and a miss, bud. 2016-2018 with a win in 18. 2019 was the Nats bro.
We’ll see – but your statement “There is nothing even hopeful…” is pretty pessimistic in my opinion. I don’t know how long you’ve been watching MLB – but the naysayers said the same in ‘67, ‘75, ‘86, ‘04, ‘07, ‘13, ‘18 yada yada yada – I’m taking the optimistic road. It makes winning so much sweeter! This team is going to surprise millions of people this year. Again.
AL – Bloom won’t touch a DD guy. Vazquez is a huge upgrade from McGuire or anyone else Bloom procures.
Vazquez was around long before DD entered the picture. And if Bloom “won’t touch a DD guy”, why is Jarren Duran still around? His baseball skills?
Ketch–trust me Duran won’t be around for long. he is worthless in a trade which is why he still here
Stupid move by bloom not taking Vazquez back after he contacted the Sox about coming back to the team. McQuire was a sad backup with the White Sox, and now the Red Sox are using him as their number one. As a Sox fan (both Red and White), I hope it works out.
Please No
Unless this is a minor league signing I’m against this
It’s probably a minor league deal so they don’t have to DFA anyone.
Clevelanders remember his two home run game in the 2016 WS
The Sox seem to be anticipating the game changing with the new rule changes. They’re signing defensive catchers and base stealers. I give them credit for trying to get ahead of the curve. If they end up with a surplus of these types of players there may be a few teams asking for trades when they realize the game has changed.
They also put in a waiver claim for Sugar Dunkington
Teams out there signing solid 3rd string catchers and the Astros aren’t attempting to sign a backup. Disrespectful to the pitching staff
Astros have both Korey Lee and Yainer Diaz, either should be solid backup catchers at the very least. Lee has a better glove, but he’s shown some pop as well. Diaz’s bat is gonna be what carries him, but he probably plays backstop well enough to spell Maldonado if need be.
Personally, I’d rather give those two a shot to be C2/3 rather than hiring a journeyman vet that hits .175. I’m sure they’ll sign one of those guys as AAA depth, but the Astros get enough hitting across the rest of their lineup to be patient with Diaz and Lee as part-timers.
I’m aware of who they have but it appeared as though they lost a bit of hope in Lee after his debut. There were plenty of opportunities in Sept/Oct for either Lee or Diaz and management treated them as if they weren’t capable. Rather have a true backup AND a 3rd string catcher to learn on active roster
I’m surprised Perez would sign with Alfaro in the picture. I don’t really see why people are complaining here. Perez has enough track record to be going somewhere where he’s clearly the 3rd option. Perez is not the third option here unless one of the three non injury prone players ahead of him gets hurt, or Wong totally busts.
None of the Boston Catchers will be part of the future. If Perez signs with them, he easily leap frogs Alfaro, Hernandez and Wong to the ML roster. Its all about who can help the most this year, and Alfaro is Gary Sanchez behind the plate, not good.
Trim the budget and go all in on Ohtani
They’re just talking folks.
The fact that he hit 24 home runs in 2019 shows how ridiculously juiced the ball was that season.
The Backbay Rays are cooking now!
Now the Backbay Rays are cooking!
An injured player who can’t hit. Yep, the Chaim Bloom special.
FYI, if they sign him, it would be the third Pirate cast off on the RedSox roster….a team that lost 100 games last year. Is this concerning to RedSox fans?
Anyone set an over/under on 2023 Red Sox losses? Ill put a sawbuck on the Over. Oh, and yea, they will have a nice fat payroll to achieve that.
I mean, Jose Bautista was a cast off from a 67-95 Pirates team, and then he hit over 300 home runs
The way the team has been run the past few years should be concerning for Red Sox fans
Bring back my man Richard Leo Gedman!!!!
Great! It’s like bringing Sandy Léon back!
He was my 2nd choice!!!!
If he was healthy I think the Pirates would have signed him. Same if he was willing to sign minor league contract. Guy was looking good for 21 games. Just such a injury risk.
“Perez has won a pair of Gold Gloves in his career and, in 2019, was named the Wilson Overall Defensive Player of the Year in MLB.”
Why do people write like this?
“Perez has won a pair of Gold Gloves in his career and was named the Wilson Overall Defensive Player of the Year in MLB in 2019.”
Stronger sentence because the writer isn’t interrupting themselves