The Boston Red Sox could be in the market to further add to their depth behind the plate.
After having already added catchers Jorge Alfaro — on a minor-league deal — and Caleb Hamilton, who was placed on waivers by the Minnesota Twins, Boston might not be done just yet. The Red Sox reportedly are “in talks” with free agent catcher Roberto Perez, who last played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.
Perez, who suffered a season-ending hamstring injury last season, played just 21 games with the Pirates. That campaign followed his eight-year run with the Cleveland Guardians where the 34-year-old won back-to-back Gold Glove Awards (2019, 2020) as their primary backstop. Perez has notched a .995 fielding percentage in 4,460 defensive chances through 501 games at catcher.
While a solid defensive option, Perez hasn’t found much success in the batter’s box. In four of his last seven seasons, Perez has registered a sub .185 batting average. He’s a career .207/.298/.360 hitter with just one season of double-digit home runs (24, 2019) under his belt.
With the Pirates, Perez batted .233/.333/.367 with two homers and eight RBIs in 60 at-bats.
Meanwhile, manager Alex Cora has plenty of flexibility regarding Boston’s backstop options. Currently, the Red Sox have Reese McGuire, who they acquired prior to last season’s Major League Baseball trade deadline, and Connor Wong, who has made 33 appearances through two seasons in Boston.
If the Red Sox do elect to add Perez, it could open up some roster competition throughout spring training and before Opening Day.