Notebook: On how Blake Swihart fits on the roster; 2019 free agent class; preserving Sale

ORLANDO  - After a serious ankle injury in 2016 and a down year at the plate in '17, the last two years have represented lost seasons for catcher Blake Swihart.

But Swihart remains very much on the Red Sox’ radar for '18, either at other positions, behind the plate, or both.

“The one thing we’ve talked about is the versatility that he brings,’’ said Dave Dombrowski. “I’m sure he’d come to camp as a catcher, but with also the flexibility to play outfield and first base. We need to get him at-bats and with (Christian) Vazquez and (Sandy) Leon ahead of him at catcher, maybe he beats them out.

“But we like his athleticism, we like him as a player. He didn’t have a good offensive year during the season. I think a lot of that was based out the year before and getting hurt with his hand (in '17), but he really has swung the bat well in winter ball. We like him a great deal and he can hit. ... Because of his athleticism, we think he could play different roles. But I would not exclude catching at all.’’

Swihart is out of options, meaning he would have to be exposed to waivers if he didn’t make the club in the spring and the Sox tried to outright him to Triple A.

It’s expected that following his breakout season offensively last year, Vazquez will go into spring training as the clear No. 1 catcher. Leon, meanwhile, is eligible for salary arbitration at a projected cost of $2.1 million. If the Sox deem that too expensive for a backup, they could non-tender Leon, or deal him this winter, and make Swihart the backup to Vazquez.

But such a move might limit how much Swihart could play elsewhere. Teams often are reluctant to use their backup catcher at other positions since it can make late-inning switches difficult.

“Can you do it? Yes,’’ said Dombrowski. “I think that’s always one you work with your manager in terms of how you want to use that player and it’s more difficult to answer now because we have a new manager, so he doesn’t know all the players as well. He doesn’t know Blake quite as well. You see other organizations do it. Houston did it for a while (with Evan Gattis behind Brian McCann) and did it successfully. But most managers would prefer to not do it. But some do.’’
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Even before there are any signings this offseason, many in the game are looking ahead to next fall’s free agent class, which could include Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, and, should they opt out of current deals, David Price and Clayton Kershaw.

Dombrowski said he’s aware of the names on deck, but has other issues to address first.

“You always look to the future. You’re always doing that,’’ he said. “But I think what gets lost, too, is that we have some young players that we want to retain in our own organization. So how many big dollar guys can one club have? There are still limitations on every organization in baseball in that regard. So you look at all those things together.

“In some ways, you prioritize your own players and keeping them for the long-term. If you do that, does that restrict you from doing something else? But yet if you don’t keep them or they don’t want to be with you, there are others (available) if you want them, too. So, there’s a lot that goes into those decisions.

A number of top Red Sox players are eligible for free agency in the coming years. Craig Kimbrel will be eligible after '18, and Chris Sale and Drew Pomeranz will be eligible after '19. From the position player group, Xander Bogaerts is eligible after '19.
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The Sox have yet to formally draw up a plan to ensure starter Sale is more rested toward the end of the regular season, but will do so sometime this winter. Sale saw his performance fall off considerably over the final two months, a pattern that’s been repeated in several seasons over his career.

“We’ve talked about it,’’ Dombrowski said. “We haven’t sat down and talked to Chris about it. I think it’s something we’re looking at from an internal perspective. It’s a challenge and it’s something we need to do. But it wasn’t something we weren’t cognizant of last year. We never brought him back on short rest. Any time we could give him a sixth day, we did.

“He threw 215 innings (during the regular season);  it’s not like he threw 250 innings. Two hundred fifteen is a lot, but it’s the lowest that’s ever led Major League Baseball in a particular year. But I think we need to explore all of those types of things.’’

Some changes to the regular season schedule will help, with five additional off-days built into the regular season under the new collective bargaining agreement.

“We have to be aware that those off-days early (in the season) can pay off later on,’’ Dombrowski said.  “We’ve talked about that but we haven’t gotten any more specific.’’

Then again, as Dombrowski noted, the Sox have to balance providing rest for Sale with winning as many games as possible.

“You talk about preserving guys which is very important,’’ he said. “But you also have to win; it doesn’t do any good to preserve your guys for late in the year but then you haven’t qualified for post-season play. So, there’s a lot that’s mixed into that.’’