Like most teams, the Red Sox have some holes on their roster for the 2022 season.
Even before Eduardo Rodriguez left for Detroit, the Sox were in need of additional starting pitching. Now that he's gone, that need is only intensified. The bullpen also needs reinforcements, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Matt Barnes. And surely they could use some depth options at second base, where, unless the Sox move KikΓ© Hernandez back to the infield, Christian Arroyo remains the only alternative.
There's plenty of time for chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom to address these needs.
But given that Bloom's guiding principle is "sustainability,'' surely, he's also thinking about what needs to be done with the catching position in the near future.
For 2022, the Sox have already picked up the $7.5 million option for Christian Vazquez and barring a major surprise, he'll return as the team's No. 1 catcher. The expectation is that the Sox will soon tender a contract to backup Kevin Plawecki, who stands to make an estimated $2 million in arbitration, a reasonable enough cost.
But while the position is set for 2022, it gets murky beyond that.
Vazquez regressed offensively in 2021, posting a .659 OPS with just six homers in 458 at-bats. In the previous two years, Vazquez had an OPS of .801 (2019) and .798 (2020).
Vazquez still contributes defensively, with five defensive runs saved above average while throwing out 25 percent of runners, slightly higher than the league average of 23 percent. He can be somewhat sloppy behind the plate (a league-high 10 passed balls), but generally, is regarded as an above-average defender.
But Vazquez will turn 32 next August and it's an open question whether the Sox would want to retain him as a free agent a year from now. Plawecki will also be eligible for free agency a year from now.
For now, there aren't a lot of alternatives internally.
Plawecki is a capable backup, but has never shown the ability to assume the workload of a No. 1 receiver. He profiles more as a competent backup.
The Sox currently have two other catchers on their 40-man roster: Ronaldo Hernandez and Connor Wong.
Wong, acquired in the trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in February of 2020, has improved his catching after switching to the position in college. But he lacks a lot of game action behind the plate. Perhaps another full year of development time at Triple A Worcester -- mixed with some brief call-up duty at the big league level -- will give the Red Sox a far better sense of whether they could entrust him with the No. 1 job in 2023. But for now, that's an unknown question.
Hernandez was obtained from Tampa Bay for pitching castoffs Chris Mazza and Jeffrey Springs. He had an outstanding season at Double A Portland last year (17 homers in 93 games, .506 slugging percentage) and possesses a plus-plus arm to slow down opponents' running game. But his plate discipline is poor and his receiving still needs a lot of work.
Hernandez was promoted to Worcester in September when Wong was in Boston as part of the team's expanded roster, but the Sox will have a hard time getting both players playing time in Worcester in 2022, at a time when both still need further development.
In the lower reaches of the system, the Sox have a couple of other intriguing prospects, including Nathan Hickey, a fifth-round pick last summer out of the University of Florida. But he needs a minimum of two-three years of development, taking him out of the equation for 2023.
On the free-agent front, Willson Contreras heads the free-agent catcher class next winter, with a number of other suitable options (Mike Zunino, Tucker Barnhart) lining up behind him. But for a position as critical as catching, there will be plenty of competition for any quality free agent.
There's also the trade route. The Sox could be aggressive and bid for Oakland's Sean Murphy as the A's look to shed payroll and reload for the future. But such a deal would be costly in terms of prospect cost.
Again, the Sox are set at the position for 2022. But it won't be long before they need some long-term answers at the position.