Red Sox Trade Deven Marrero To The Diamondbacks For A PTBNL Or Cash Considerations

Earlier today, the Red Sox announced that they had signed catcher Christian Vazquez to a three-year extension. Even prior to the extension, we knew that Vazquez was a lock to make the Opening Day roster. It was backup catcher Sandy Leon’s future with the team that was in question, as was former top catching prospect Blake Swihart’s. Being that Swihart is out of contract options, coupled with the fact that he’s hitting the shit out of the ball this spring, it seemed like a no-brainer that he’d make the Opening Day roster.

So, what did that mean for Leon? Well, he’s Chris Sale’s personal catcher, and although it sounds like new Red Sox skipper Alex Cora wanted to get away from the idea of personal catchers, Leon’s defense is a welcomed asset to the club. It also helps that Swihart can (attempt to) play other positions outside of the catching position.

If the Red Sox were to keep all three catchers, then they would have a decision to make, and that decision would ultimately come down to keeping only one of Brock Holt or Deven Marrero. Holt came into today hitting .345 with a .920 OPS this spring, which more than likely saved his utility infielder job with the Red Sox. Marrero is also out of contract options, so they couldn’t stash him away down in Pawtucket, so off he goes to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Red Sox drafted Marrero in the first round of the 2012 MLB Draft with the 24th overall pick, although he never really performed like a first round selection during his time in The Show. His glove is undeniably elite, but in 258 plate appearances spread out over parts of three big league seasons, Marrero hit just .208 with a .568 OPS. At this point, we kind of know what Marrero’s bat looks like against major league pitching.

Holt’s bat looked atrocious last year, but that was largely a result of the vertigo that he was suffering from post-concussion. Holt joined the Section 10 Podcast back in December to talk about how much the vertigo had affected his performance at the plate in 2017. Based on how well he’s hit the ball this spring, it would appear that he’s feeling a lot better in that department. So, for now, it looks like Holt’s job is safe.