Joe Maddon has done a good job managing a roster with three catchers on it, even during the stretch in which the team was carrying 13 pitchers on the active roster. Having three catchers that can play only one position is not ideal for any team, but to Maddon’s credit he has made it work.
It’s believed the front office would like to move Welington Castillo. That is if a team is willing to give the Cubs what Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer feel is fair value for the 28-year old catcher. Castillo has two years of team control left before he is eligible for free agency.
Welington Castillo has handled the demotion from starter to the back-up to the back-up catcher. Castillo has made the most of his playing time at the plate. In 12 games, Castillo is 6-for-25 with a double, two home runs, three walks and four strikeouts (.240/.321/.520) for a .841 OPS. Castillo is 2-for-9 with a homer and two walks against southpaws. And as a pinch-hitter, Castillo is 2-for-6 with a home run and a walk (.333/.429/.833).
The Red Sox are looking for a veteran catcher, according to multiple reports Friday night, after John Farrell announced Ryan Hanigan fractured a knuckle (broken finger) on his right hand that will require surgery to repair. Hanigan is expected to miss a significant amount of time.
The Red Sox are calling up top prospect Blake Swihart, but according to multiple reports from the Red Sox beat writers, including Nick Cafardo, the Sox will continue to look outside the organization for a catcher. And the former Red Sox backstop and recently DFA’d Jarrod Saltalamacchia is reportedly not an option.
Within minutes of the announcement Ryan Hanigan would be out for “a lengthy amount of time,” the connection to the Cubs and Welington Castillo was made by multiple reporters.
It’s believed the Red Sox were one of the teams that showed interest in Castillo after the Cubs acquired Miguel Montero in December. The Red Sox scouted the Cubs in Spring Training because at the time reports suggested the Cubs were interested in OF/1B Allen Craig. But that rumor went away as quickly as it surfaced.
Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer maintained throughout Spring Training the Cubs were willing to start the season with three catchers. But according to reports, the Cubs have continued dialogue with multiple teams about Welington Castillo.
According to Mark Gonzales, the Red Sox had a scout watch the Cubs this week “but only as part of regular coverage.”
The rumors connecting Welington Castillo to the Red Sox figure to increase in the coming days. This could be the just the beginning of the Castillo Watch as Mark Gonzales labeled it.