Shortly after the World Series, Dave Dombrowski admitted that it would be difficult for the Red Sox to keep three catchers on the roster again in 2019.
On Thursday, he took that a step further, acknowledging that he didn't expect to have all three on the roster when the regular season begins in late March.
"I don't anticipate having all three (Blake Swihart, Sandy Leon, and Christian Vazquez) on our club Opening Day,'' said Dombrowski prior to Thursday's 80th annual Boston Baseball Writers Dinner. "There's interest, but we still haven't made a deal we feel comfortable making.''
Dombrowski said the Sox "have had discussions with clubs about catchers. Some catchers have been slow-moving to sign and even trades (have been slow), which affects other clubs. We've had discussions and it's a matter of making a trade we feel good about. We'll just wait and see.
Tellingly, Swihart said he was told to focus on catching this off-season -- instead of the other positions (first base, DH, outfield) that he played last year.
"He's going to come to camp trying to compete to be our starting catcher,'' said Dombrowski. "That's first and foremost. Now, he's also in a position where he has the ability to do other things. But he's going to be an important part of our club and competing to get that starting spot.''
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