Red Sox acquire 7-year MLB veteran catcher: Report

BOSTON, MA – JULY 13: Mitch Moreland #18 of the Boston Red Sox grips his helmet during an intrasquad game during a summer camp workout before the start of the 2020 Major League Baseball season on July 13, 2020 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The season was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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By Jackson Roberts

Contributing Sports Writer

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All winter, there were whispers that the Boston Red Sox wanted to add another catcher. That wasn't a bluff, as it turned out.

Last season, Carlos Narváez broke out as a rookie and usurped the starting catcher job from veteran Connor Wong. Narváez visibly wore down as the season went along, however, and Wong had one of the worst offensive seasons of any catcher, starter or backup, in recent Red Sox history.

On Saturday, the Red Sox seemingly inserted a new backstop into the mix, and although not all minor-league signings represent a threat to the big-leaguers on the roster, this one seems to have potential to fit that description.

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BOSTON, MA - JULY 13: Mitch Moreland #18 of the Boston Red Sox grips his helmet during an intrasquad game during a summer camp workout before the start of the 2020 Major League Baseball season on July 13, 2020 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. The season was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

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According to a report from Andrew Parker of Beyond the Monster, the Red Sox signed seven-year major league veteran catcher Matt Thaiss to a minor-league contract with a non-roster invite to spring training, which was less than two weeks away as of Saturday.

Thaiss, 30, was a 32nd-round pick for the Red Sox in 2013, but opted to attend the University of Virginia, where he won a national championship in 2015, and was selected in the first round of the 2016 draft by the Los Angeles Angels. He's coming off his most productive season in terms of bWAR, as he accrued 1.2 in 60 games for the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.

Signing Thaiss is about as clear a sign as is possible that Wong's job is not safe. Both Wong and Narváez bat right-handed, whereas Thaiss is a lefty. Thaiss also had his best defensive season last year, which is a quality teams always seek from a second-string backstop.

Because Wong has a minor-league option remaining, it could make sense in theory for the Red Sox to start the season with Thaiss on the major league roster and Wong in Triple-A. But the Red Sox are also in win-now mode, so if they believe Wong is the better player for the start of the season, they'll continue to ride with him.