The Red Sox announced Thursday that they’ve signed catcher Connor Wong to a one-year contract for the 2026 season, thereby avoiding arbitration. He’ll be paid $1.375MM next year, MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reports. Ari Alexander of 7News adds that Wong would earn $25K for reaching each of 250, 300 and 350 plate appearances, bringing his maximum earnings to $1.45MM.
Wong, 29, had a breakout 2024 showing at the plate when he hit .280/.333/.425 with 13 homers in a career-high 487 plate appearances. He wasn’t able to replicate that production in 2025, however, and wound up posting a career-worst .190/.262/.238 slash (39 wRC+). That came in a smaller sample of 188 turns at the plate. As Wong struggled, he also lost his grip on the starting job to rookie Carlos Narvaez, who’ll head into 2026 atop Boston’s depth chart behind the dish.
Though Wong’s bat cratered this past season, he did make some notable improvements in his framing and blocking — at least in the eyes of Statcast. He’s still not a plus defender, but those gains and the promise he showed at the plate in 2024 will be enough to keep him with the Sox as a backup to Narvaez. Wong also has a minor league option remaining, so if the Sox want to bring in some additional catching help for the MLB roster, they could option Wong without needing to place him on waivers.
This was Wong’s first offseason of arbitration eligibility. He’s under club control through the 2028 season, though that’ll only come into play if he’s able to bounce back in 2026. If last year’s struggles persist into next season, Wong’s hold on his roster spot will be tenuous.
The sox decided this was the wong time to be stingy.
Just yesterday I read he was a non-tender candidate!
I guess they are still trying to salvage something from the Mookie trade. LOL
@Fever Pitch Guy
He’s close to it but he has an option and a tiny salary. Another poor few months and he’s probably down to the minors or off the team completely.
York – Thank you for trying to make me feel better, I appreciate it!
Let’s hope Narvy stays healthy.
The best thing is even if Narvaez ‘s bat goes silent, his work behind the plate should still be prime. If the Sox get true upgrades with the bat, I’ll be happy to have such a solid glove at catcher. If they don’t, it won’t matter.
Time to put your Big Boy Pants on and get over the Mookie trade.
He was NEVER going to stay in Boston.
Reggie, I agree and it’s too bad your bame sake was forced out of Boston. Imagine if the Sox in the mid 70’s had an outfield of Smith, Lynn and Evans, Yaz at first and Rice as the DH…
It was the worst kept secret in the world that he was going to sign with the Dodgers. The fact the Sox received anything in a trade should be considered fortunate. The alternative was getting the comp pick attached to him.
If anything be mad at Boston/Mass for being so racist. Mookie seems like a pretty honest guy with his head screwed on the right way…I have to take him for his word.
Dewey… how bout a young 1st baseman named Cooooooop…( even though I loved Boomer!)
At one point, for evidence that he wanted to stay in Boston, some people were pointing out: “He’s building a house in Canton!”
It turned out it was Canton, KY, not Canton MA. Lol.
Yankee fan, sad response, but typical.
Is this your way to deflect the racism that Mookie Betts saw firsthand in Boston AND spoke out against? Or is this your way of saying you were apart of that problem? I’m guessing the latter.
I guess any black athlete is just supposed to get over the fact that Boston fans were throwing banana peels at Adam Jones. Nothing to see there right?
Yanks – Mookie saying he didn’t want to stay in Boston because of racism is the worst lie in the world.
A homegrown major superstar and the face of a franchise not wanting to stay with the team because of racism?
If it were true it would have been a major story talked about everywhere, especially on the internet. And yet nobody has ever presented even one shred of evidence to support this juvenile claim.
There’s only two types of people who continue to spread this obvious lie: Rival fans like yourself, and extremely ignorant gullible people.
BTW – I find it hilarious that you are accusing a heavily liberal city/state of being racist. What is your next ignorant statement, that Texas doesn’t like guns?
Where did I say he didn’t stay in Boston because of racism? I said it was the worst kept secret in the world he was going to LA.
I implied Boston did themselves no favors in keeping him there by stunts pulled like throwing banana peels at Adam Jones. I mean if you don’t understand why that might not make a black man feel like home I don’t know what to say.
And I’m sorry do you honestly believe that because Massachusetts is a liberal state that Boston is absent of racism? Funny you mention Texas….you’re aware Austin is one of the most liberal cities in America that falls smack dab in the middle of conservative Texas? I guess by your logic that can’t exist and everyone in Austin loves guns and Barbara Bush too?
Yanks – Here’s what you wrote, since you apparently have amnesia and the inability to scroll up:
“Is this your way to deflect the racism that Mookie Betts saw firsthand in Boston AND spoke out against?”
Clearly you brought that up as a supposed “reason” he supposedly “didn’t want to stay with the Red Sox”.
Have there been a couple isolated instances in the past at Fenway? Yes, just like many other major cities including NY. I suppose you’re not aware Delino DeShields was the target of racism in Yankee Stadium?
There were no accusations of banana peels being thrown at Adam Jones in Fenway. He said a banana was thrown at him in San Francisco, does that make SF extremely racist too?
Jones had a bag of peanuts thrown at him in Fenway, racism had nothing to do with it.
No state is absent of racism, but Boston and Mass are not “racist” as you claim. The most beloved athletes in Boston sports history are men of color, Mookie included. You make it sound like Mookie was hated in Boston.
I said the state of Texas, I did not mention Austin or any other city. What you’re trying to do is cherrypick isolated situations while ignoring the vast majority.
There’s conservatives in Cali and NY, does that make those two states conservative too? What you’re trying to do ain’t working.
No I can scroll up and read what I wrote I don’t need you to cherry pick my sentences to fit your narrative. You’re reeling man….that’s why you’re jumping all over the place trying to make some semblance of a point. Texas, NY, Cali…..what does that have to do with the racism present in Boston.
You glossing over the racism prevalent in Boston as a “couple isolated” incidents is exactly why Boston can’t shed its racist ties.
Bill Russell said “Boston is flea market of racism”….is that the beloved black star you speak of? Oh he’s from the old days and it’s not like that anymore I’m sure you’re about to say….okay how come Jaylen Brown and Marcus smart have recently come out about the racism they see towards other players and themselves. Lebron James, Tori Hunter, CC Sabathia, PK Subban…..some of the most respected athletes in their sports…..all just making things up huh? Being ignorant and denying these people their truths does not help the problem buddy….it makes it a lot worse.
Yanks – You have proven you can’t follow a conversation by stating you don’t understand why Texas and Cali were brought up, so I’ll end this by making it really really easy for you.
Your take is Boston is extremely racist, you brought up racism as a perceived excuse for Mookie leaving, then you appeared to backtrack …. so clearly you have no interest in talking baseball, you’re here to talk racism only.
I’ve pointed out the past decade there’s been no more racist incidents at Fenway or in Boston than in other MLB parks and cities, but you ignored that. So what’s the point in wasting my time with you anymore? I already gave you one recent example of racism in Yankee Stadium, I already called out your bull$hit about Jones supposedly getting banana peels thrown at him in Fenway, and all you do is continue to ignore the facts. I could easily provide dozens of examples of racism in NYC, but you’ll ignore that too. So ….. bye.
There are racist people in NY. I’ll admit that. I live in Long Island one of the most segregated places in the country…you think I’m not aware racism exists here? It still doesn’t have any bearing on our conversation. It doesn’t magically make Boston any less racist because racism exists in NY.
Funny thing is if you talk to the racist people here, in Long Island, they swear they aren’t racist and there is no racism here in Long Island….they say this as they are actively racist lol. THEY are the problem in Long Island. Just like YOU are the problem in Boston. Denying it doesn’t help the problem, just makes you look like a fool.
Yanks – This is a baseball forum, not a political forum or social justice forum. Racism has existed since the beginning of time and it exists in every demographic. But the bottom line is Mookie did NOT refuse to sign an extension with the Red Sox because of racism, he refused to sign an extension with them because THEY refused to offer him fair value.
Mookie is one of my all-time favorite athletes, probably still my favorite baseball player. I’ve followed him really closely over the years. And i can say with certainty he was always adamant about getting paid what he’s worth. That’s why he went to arbitration with the Sox. It was always about money, nothing more. And good for him, he deserved what he wanted and he eventually got it from the Dodgers.
Well in my original comment there was a baseball point and a separate point made about racism, you chose to completely ignore the baseball point and focus on the point about racism so it’s a bit too late to say this is a baseball forum.
Tori Hunter said in 2020 that he was called the N-word 100’s of times while in Boston. Little kids even called him it with their parents standing next to them according to him. Are you calling him a liar?
How about your own franchise….direct quotes that the Red Sox put out as per ESPN
“Torii Hunter’s experience is real. If you doubt him because you’ve never heard it yourself, take it from us, it happens,” the Red Sox said in a statement. “Last year, there were 7 reported incidents at Fenway Park where fans used racial slurs. Those are just the ones we know about.
“And it’s not only players. It happens to the dedicated Black employees who work for us on game days. Their uniforms may be different, but their voices and experiences are just as important.””
Thoughts on what the Red Sox had to say about Torii Hunter and their own black employees?
Ha, came here to say this exact thing.
Will Verdugo even play this year? And Downs…? Witness Protection Program
Verdugo produced while in Boston, then gave the Red Sox Richard Fitts and Greg Weissert, when he was trade. And, Wong is still producing.
Its not a good haul, but it was for only one year of Betts.
He was, they probably got him cheaper this way than through arbitration. Free agency and the trade market doesn’t really offer much in the way of upgrades. The Sox were never going to go after Realmuto and Victor Caratini will likely look for a place he can start, or at least play frequently like he did in Houston. And both would be substantially more expensive.
Wong started hitting at the end of the season so I’m guessing the thumb injury lingered a bit throughout. Hopefully he gets back to his 2024 self
They salvaged by not having to pay that albatross contract for a mediocre hitter through 2032
RickEO,
Yeah, that 137 OPS+ since he joined LA is quite mediocre…
I’m assuming you’re just looking at 2025, which certainly was a down year at the plate. He still had 4.9 bWAR.
Teams sign top-flight free agents to long contracts knowing the first several years will be great, the next few okay, and the last few may be rough.
That’s the cost of doing business. And Boston can afford it. The alternative is to trade your best players (Betts, Devers) instead of paying them, like the Pirates and Marlins do. Is that the model the Red Sox should follow?
I believe ownership learned that you need four things to truly compete: leaders, pitching, defense and clutch hitting. You also need power but you don’t have to lead the league in homers. You just need hitters who shine in the moment. Bregman will hopefully be back and with him and Story, we just need in my view one additional hitter to provide key power. While I would love Alonso or Schwarber, I see both re-signing with their last clubs. Thus, I’d be happy with a T. Hernandez type. While he didn’t have a great 25, you always worried in October whenever he came up. Anthony is that type in my view so maybe just a full healthy season is all that’s needed. I would though prefer Bregman and that one other bat. Yoshida and Casas are both wild cards but their injury history is that you can’t depend on either.
Meant to say Bregman and Story as leaders.
Ownership has won 4 world series this century, but they just learned something this past year. Good Grief!
No, he was never a non-tender candidate. People who don’t understand the team may have listed him as such but considering the Sox only have 2 catchers on the 40-man roster and no one really a viable option in the upper minors he was certainly getting tendered a contract.
ken – Careful, Tony may be reading ….. ;O)
mlbtraderumors.com/2025/11/2025-non-tender-candida…
Great agent
I thought they’d non-tender him, but I suppose it’s cheap roster depth. Hope they get Narvaez a better backup though.
Meow – They picked up Jason Delay to back up Narvy if necessary, although perhaps they will acquire a better catcher in the Duran/Abreu deal.
They also picked up Ronny Hernandez, who the ChiSox traded only because two teams gave them very good catchers already.
Yeah, it was because they acquired multiple catchers lately that made me think they might non-tender Wong. But I think he still has options and the amount is low so probably not a bad idea to keep him around and see what happens.
They also can’t afford to be letting catchers go. He isn’t making enough for them to hesitate on designating him for assignment later if they get someone else or he sucks.
Tang – I think it’s just a timing issue. Deadline for tendering a contract is tomorrow, if they didn’t they would have likely lost him. And if they lost him, then it would be tougher to negotiate for another catcher either via trade or signing.
If the tendering deadline was let’s say January 1st, they’d probably have waited until then.
Or there’s injury issues with Narvy that are not being revealed …. hopefully not, but you never know. After all he did just have knee surgery.
They DFA/trade useful relievers yet keep this guy on the roster. Yikes.
I agree jettisoning Bernardino and Murphy was a bit puzzling. Catcher is a problem position league wide, keeping Wong in the fold is probably better than adding another Blake Sabol
But we know what Wong is at this point. I’d rather roll the dice with someone else at this point.
Joemo: Wong was hurt most of the year last year. The dude improved his defensive metrics and has proven he can hit MLB pitching. As a back-up catcher, you can’t expect much more. Besides, Obi Wong is our only hope of salvaging SOMETHING from the Betts trade.
You can expect more than a 42 OPS+ and poor defense (even if it is ‘improving’) from a backup catcher.
If he’s hurt, take the time to recover and rehab. He’s not adding any value to the team when he’s performing like that.
Joemo: The decision to “take the time to recover and rehab” is/was not his. Was 2025 embarrassing for Wong? Yes. Were you (and most Red Sox fans, as well as Boston’s player personnel brass) happy with his performance in 2024? Yes. A $1.3 million gamble is worth seeing which season is the outlier, especially with the catching market being what it is.
I wasn’t happy with his 2024. The Sox were 15th in catcher bWAR, and Wong is the last piece from the Betts trade. So there’s extra baggage there.
If a player is hurt, the decision to not play is most definitely theirs. If the team forced him to play through the injury then there’s a bigger issue.
Most athletes try to push through injuries because they are afraid of losing their playing spot to the backup. That’s exactly what happened here.
I would rather take that risk on a catcher who isn’t a poor defender and who can actually hit.
Rsox – too many more important things to do…….
The Sox now have four lefties in Sandoval, Tolle, Harrison and Early where (hopefully) there are only two open rotation spots. I could easily see Tolle as a close-down option for a year in the ‘pen
It seems consistent playing time in the minors would be more valuable for Tolle at this point. Part of that will depend on how Sandoval looks this spring. I have not heard anything recently about his recovery and when he is expected to be ready.
Yeah.
Bernie was a low leverage lefty and expendable. His numbers look OK on the surface but he is league average. They will need his spot for upgrades. Not puzzling in the least.
With Bernievi agree but despite his injuries and small sample size, I thought Murphy could have been a gem.
ellis – The thing about Bernie is he gives a lot of innings at league average, that’s what made him so valuable.
I realize they have a lot of young, cheap pitching talent so he was just squeezed off the roster …. hopefully his replacement pitches as least as well. They have so many lefties already though, the move is understandable. I’m not upset about it, just disappointed because I always liked the guy. Like me he is a man of God which makes the connection stronger.
Murphy will be a solid addition to the team that picks him up. I just hope it is not the Tankees.
I saw this on soxprospects.com:
The Red Sox traded:
Luis Guerrero 7.4 bb/9
Chris Murphy 5.2 bb/9
Alex Hoppe 5.0 bb/9
Brennan Bernardino 4.9 bb/9
The Red Sox protected:
Shane Drohan 3.5 bb/9
David Sandlin 3.4 bb/9
Tyler Uberstine 3.1 bb/9
Suit – great find. Certainly crystallized the motive for all the moves for me
As opposed to who else they have to catch? Narvaez can’t play every game.
Plenty of FA catchers to roll the dice on that have some upside, unlike Wong.
Danny Jansen, Victor Caratini, JT Realmuto, Christian Vazquez, are the only ones with a WAR of more than 1.
Only Caratini and Realmuto have one more than 2.
They don’t need a starter. They need a backup.
Something better than Wongs -0.6 bWAR and 42 OPS+ in 63 games.
Wong does have upside, look at 2024. As a backup catcher, it could be worse. It could also be better, but he is serviceable
Right because Wong will never be any better than he was last year trying to play through an injury, mostly because as already stated the team didn’t have any other options.
Can’t get much worse than the current version of Wong.
Maybe he should have taken time to recover and rehab from the injury instead of going out there and giving that performance.
Joemo – what that OPS+ doesnt tell you is just how many catchers – both starters and backups – actually have an OPS+ below 100. Hint, its a lot.
Maybe you should just quit while you’re behind and stop looking even more foolish.
Joe- it could always be worse, perhaps the continuity for the staff is more important than another 4 or 5 hr’s or 15pts on a batting average.
Maybe his leadership is just too important (lol, couldnt resist a Bregman parting shot)
GA – 42 is closer to 0 than it is 100. You deal with bad offense from backup catchers, and catchers in general, if they provider great defense.
Wong does not do that.
Keeping Wong makes plenty of sense. Keeping 5 or 6 below average utility players when 2 would be more than enough is the head scratcher for me
The Red Sox should be adding 3-4 players to the 40 man roster in the offseason and guys like Grissom should be DFA’d.
Have you seen who is available on the catching market? Ugh…
Apples.
Oranges.
The Astros trash can.
A year drop is horrible?People wanted Vasquez and he sacked too.What exactly are you looking at as a back up catcher?Salvador Perez numbers?
Something better than poor defense and no offense.
What other catchers provide great offense out of a back up catcher?Look at the catcher position and see if they are an upgrade.Most are .200 hitters.
TB – those backup catchers who hit poorly provide at least average defense. Wong does not do that.
>:(
Wow
Reasonable enough. I have a feeling he’ll bounce back a bit in 2026. After an almost impossibly bad first half, he actually had some decent games toward the end of the season. And if not, to AAA he goes (assuming one of these catchers they’ve acquired recently is better).
The lack of catching depth has been and remains a concern for 2026.
The team has lots of bigger issues that need to be addressed. A little continuity behind the plate seems worth the small amount of money. if we get the same production from Narvaez over 115-120 games Wong is serviceable as a backup.
Wong is just place sitting anyway.. I liked the trade to pick up Heyman
The only reason he’s still around is to justify the Betts trade
We are 5 years later on that. There is nothing to justify anymore
That stuff got old years ago. Betts wanted out. Deal with it.
Correction: the only reason people still make knowlingly baseless claims that Boston is still trying to justify/salvage the trade is to take potshots or because they’re still b***hurt about it. Time to move on!
….and the main return for Betts was not the players. The main return was $48M which was half of David Price’s remaining contract.
Suit – great point! And for those of you who still believe that Henry can return to the days of being a moderate spender, read Suit’s comment 5x more
Bringing Wong back makes a lot of sense. He was obviously hurt last season and it affected not only his batting average but his power as well. I think it took him over 3 months to get his first extra base hit?
Wong knows the pitching staff well, does a decent job framing and blocking behind the plate and has the talent to be a regular .240 – .265 hitter when he’s right.
The Sox’ best catching prospect is The Password’s little brother (#31 in their system) and they just traded some of their bullpen excess for 2 catching prospects as well. Somewhere in this mix, they will find a long term backup and/or future starter behind the plate. Until then, Wong can hold down the fort as their #2 behind the surprising Narvaez. Narvy was fantastic last season. Let’s hope he continues to grow and get even better.
So much for all those who comment that the Yankees never develop players…..say thank you Red Sox for your starting catcher…..
You didn’t develop him and keep him, you traded him. And look at who the Yankees did keep, Vople, Dominguez, Wells are all pretty much league average. Some decent pitchers have come up though.
Now look at The Sox, Anthony, Duran, Rafaela, Abreu, Bello, plus a whole crop of up and comers like Mayer, Garcia, Tolle, Early. Yankees minors are a dumpster fire.
To be fair. The Yankees didnt jettison a WS core to other teams in FA to get comp balance picks, or tank to finish in the rear of the division for 3 of 4 years to net picks and higher draft position.
They kept their guys, built a high payroll, and spent time in the postseason depressing their draft slots.
That will impact your prospects…
GASox- 100% correct. The Sox, through Chaim, were going to rebuild and reshape the farm system (al la the Rays way).
I think they are seeing the fruits of some of that now.
Even with good young players coming up, you still need to supplement your 26 man with real bonafide MlB stars (not above replacement players, I said stars). So, there is a path to rebuild a system while still spending money in order to keep your on field team at about playoff level. Your example is correct, the Yankees have done in for 24 out of 25 years.
Going forward with this young group, if the Sox spend correctly, can have a playoff run for a decade, but you can not just ignore high priced free agents, and expect playoff series wins
It’s a challenge to play baseball injured and it’s equally as difficult to stay healthy as a catcher. 29 isn’t that old but catchers have to be thought of like the running backs of baseball versus other positions so he certainly isn’t young anymore.
Anyway, easy decision to make he’s a quality catcher when healthy and it’s peanuts in terms of money. You need like 2-3 of these guys in your organization to make it through a season or two.
I keep on wondering that if they could only add another Wong to the equation, things could turn out right.
Anyone who keeps wondering why the Red Sox did this is wrong about Wong.
Wong was fine over the last two months. Stop your whining. He’s earned his spot. On to more important things.
He’ll probably get more from Schwarber for the number 12 so it’s like winning the lottery.
Red Sox Nation can relax now.
Of course Connor got tendered anyone who thought he wouldn’t be is clueless. You can sum up his 2025 by looking at his iso it was .048 it fell off a cliff. He actually struck out less and walked more than his decent offense in 2024. It’s quite obvious his swing was greatly affected by the two injuries. No brainer to tender him if he struggles again this year then we can chalk it up to something different. I’m willing to bet he will be fine as a backup.
How about packaging Wong with one of the outfielders in a trade for Teel?