McAdam: Red Sox shopping Blake Swihart in advance of deadline

Even as the Red Sox eye upgrading their bullpen, the club is also letting teams know that catcher/utility man Blake Swihart is very much available in a deal.

In a perfect world, the Red Sox would be able to use Swihart to address their top needs, thus solving two problems -- getting something of value for a player who has yet to make an impact, but is stuck on the major league roster because of his lack of options while at the same time addressing some of their own roster needs.

But whether Swihart can fetch immediate help for the 2018 Red Sox, the team seems intent on moving on from him and getting whatever return is available.

At least one American League team this week notified its scouts that Swihart was being offered around and instructed its talent evaluators to compile background on him as part of a precursor to a potential deal.

Swihart received scant playing time in the first seven weeks of the season, accumulating just 30 at-bats while posting a slash line of .133/.212/.167 with one RBI. When Hanley Ramirez was designated for assignment on May 25 -- and subsequently given his release the next week -- it appeared Swihart would be one of the main beneficiaries of the roster shakeup.

Suddenly, some playing time opened at first base, as well as the promise of some opportunities in the outfield and DH. Moreover, manager Alex Cora vowed to get Swihart some games behind the plate. But since Ramirez was DFA'd, Swihart has started just eight games with similarly underwhelming results, slashing .174/.224./.196 over 18 games with 46 at-bats.

The hope had been that Swihart would take advantage of his opportunity and either force his way into the lineup more regularly or at the very least, improve his stock as a trade piece. Instead, neither has happened, leaving the Sox with a piece that doesn't fit into their crowded roster puzzle and a desire to cut their losses and move on.

(Since Swihart is out of options, he can't be returned to Triple-A without first clearing waivers. Convinced that he wouldn't go unclaimed, the Sox are resigned to getting whatever little they can).

Despite the virtual certainty that Swihart wouldn't get through waivers, his value now is thought to be slight, in part because of his lack of production at the big league level and also because of his lack of options. Since teams know the Sox are desperate to move him in order to get a more useful piece onto their roster, their leverage is reduced on the open trade market.

Some evaluators maintain that Swihart, as an athletic switch-hitting catcher with the ability to play multiple positions, still has value in the game. On the other hand, his lack of production in the major leagues (he sports a career OPS of .659) makes it difficult for the Sox to get much for him.

Even if the Sox are unable to obtain a major league player in exchange, they would happily move Swihart for a prospect to help fortify a depleted farm system.