With his abrupt departure from the Red Sox last season for Sandy Leon, could the Red Sox bring back the utility catcher?
He has familiarity with the pitchers, as well as the rest of the organization –– and the Red Sox also need a backup catcher to Christian Vazquez after the trade of the aforementioned Sandy Leon. He would be one of the cheapest options on the free agency market, and the trade market would cost even more.
The stars are aligned for Blake Swihart to come back to Boston.
He would also be able to fit in as a utility role while Vazquez is in the game, as he has experience playing multiple other positions. That versatility alone is more valuable to a contending club than anything. Which is why Brock Holt became such a valuable commodity on their roster over the last couple of seasons.
If he departs, the Red Sox will also need to fill that void as well.
His numbers throughout his career will never impress anybody, but the former top-100 Prospect has always had the short-end of the stick. Injuries after his first stint held him back in his development, and then Vazquez caught up to him and leapfrogged him at the major league level.
After signing Leon, Swihart stayed in Triple-A Pawtucket for multiple seasons before getting another shot after injuries plagued the catchers in 2018.
After playing well enough to warrant a roster spot, he transitioned to the outfield, then injuries to Dustin Pedroia forced infield practice. Then, after finally earning the backup spot last year, it only took 26 games for the team to make the mistake of calling up Leon, and trading Swihart, along with international pool money, to the Arizona Diamondbacks for outfield prospect Marcus Wilson.
The 23-year-old Wilson hasn’t gotten past Double-A in his seven seasons of minor league ball. His .269 average, 18 homers, and 58 RBI were all career-highs so far. Soxprospects ranks him as the 20th prospect in the farm system.
With the low cost and possibly high reward, it would be in the best interest of the organization to re-sign Swihart. After all, he is a World Series Champion. Who knows what spark he will bring to this team, which desperately needs revitalization to shake off 2019’s terrible season. The 2020 roster is under construction, and with a week to go until the winter meetings, nothing is off of the table thus far.
