When the Boston Red Sox made the trade that got their offseason off the ground, acquiring former Chicago White Sox lefty ace Garrett Crochet, the acquisition did not come without a heavy price. The Red Sox gave top four of their best prospects, but most notable among them was their 2023 first-round draft pick, 14th overall, out of the University of Virginia, Kyle Teel.
The decision to send Teel to Chicago as part of the Crochet deal was not an easy one for the Red Sox. The 23-year-old was looked on by the Boston organization as the catcher of the future, tabbed to take over from Conor Wong who, despite a solid bat, rates well below average on key defensive metrics for a catcher.
The Red Sox acquired eight-season minor league backstop Carlos Narvaez from the New York Yankees in December, and it now appears that Narvaez will break camp as the primary back-up to Wong — but neither catcher is viewed as the long-term solution that the Red Sox planned for Teel to become.
Blockbuster Gets Red Sox Potential Next Great Catcher
But a new trade pitch offered by Newsweek sporstwriter Zach Presnell could open the door for the Red Sox to replace Teel at the top of their minor league system with a catcher who appears ready to step in at the Major League level on short notice.
The trade would link the Red Sox with the Atlanta Braves, whose No. 1 overall prospect is catcher Drake Baldwin, age 23, who was Atlanta’s third-round draft pick in 2022 out of Missouri State. Baldwin is ranked as the No. 7 overall catching prospect by MLB Pipeline — though it should be noted that Teel is now ranked No. 3.
At the same time, Atlanta is growing increasingly disillusioned with veteran shortstop Orlando Arcia, who has mustered just two hits and three walks in 30 plate appearances so far in Spring Training. If the Braves intend to get back to the postseason in 2025 after seven years of playoff baseball in a row — including the 2021 World Series championship — they will need more production from the shortstop slot.
The Red Sox have veteran Trevor Story, entering the fourth year of the six-season, $140 million contract he signed with the Red Sox prior to the 2022 season, as their shortstop — but Story has been plagued by injuries, appearing in only 163 games over three years in Boston. Nonetheless Story, 32, is a two-time All-Star with a career .833 OPS who may benefit from a change of scenery.
Marcelo Mayer Ready to Take Over From Story
In Presnell’s trade pitch, Story would bring back a pair of Braves prospects in righty pitcher Hurston Waldrep — the Braves first round pick, 24th overall, out of Florida in 2023 — along with 2022 fifth-rounder Nacho Alvarez Jr., an infielder from Riverside, California.
Waldrep and Alvarez are the Braves’ fourth- and fifth-ranked prospects, respectively, per the MLB Pipeline rankings.
But while pitching is always in demand, the Red Sox have a backlog in the middle infield with Story, possibly Alex Bregman (if he moves from third base to second), David Hamilton, prospects Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, as well as Vaughn Grissom — who was acquired in last year’s trade with the Braves that sent 2024 National League Cy Young winner Chris Sale to Atlanta.
Grissom, however, has been optioned to Triple-A due to the Red Sox wealth of middle infielders. Alvarez Jr. would likely find no path to the Major Leagues in Boston.
Catcher, on the other hand, is a position where the Red Sox lack depth especially after surrendering Teel in the Crochet trade. Mayer, a natural shortstop who is batting .357 with a .973 OPS in 15 Grapefruit League games, could take over shortstop from Story, and the Red Sox would gain a new catcher of the future in Baldwin if they were to execute the blockbuster trade idea.
