Christian Vazquez is entering his ninth season with the Boston Red Sox. That makes him the longest-tenured player in the organization not named Xander Bogaerts, who's entering his 10th year with the club.
Whether Vazquez will hit that 10-year milestone is up in the air. He'll become an unrestricted free agent after the 2022 campaign. Boston exercised the veteran's club option in November, but a near-trade for a new catcher during the offseason put a giant question mark on his future.
More positional previews: Infield | Outfield | Starting pitching | Bullpen
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The Red Sox reportedly tried to acquire catcher Jacob Stallings from the Pittsburgh Pirates before the MLB lockout. They "at one point thought" they agreed to a deal, according to Craig Mish and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, but Stallings instead was sent to the Miami Marlins.
Stallings and Vazquez have similar skillsets. Both backstops are regarded more for their defense than their offense, but there's some upside at the plate. Stallings earned his first Gold Glove award last season while belting eight homers in 112 games. If that trade went through, it's fair to assume it would have signaled the end for Vazquez in Boston.
The team also was close to parting ways with Vazquez in 2020. According to The Athletic, the Red Sox and Rays discussed a deal that would have sent the 31-year-old to Tampa Bay for pitching prospects.
Despite all of the rumors and general uncertainty surrounding his contract situation, Vazquez has made it clear he wants to stay in Boston for the rest of his career.
Boston Red Sox
“I feel like this is my home,” he said earlier in spring training, per MassLive.com. “Fifteen years here. So I would love to retire here. But if they don’t want it, they don’t want it. This is business. It’s part of the business. So let’s see what happens.”
Vazquez will hope to have a bounce-back season at the plate in his contract year. The 2018 World Series champion posted a slash line of .258/.308/.352 with six home runs in 2021, a steep drop-off from his previous full season (2019) when he slashed .276/.320/.477 with a career-high 23 homers.
There's no doubt Vazquez enters the new campaign with extra motivation as he looks to prove he belongs in Boston's long-term plans. That isn't the only storyline for this Red Sox team behind the plate, however. Here are a few other catchers in the organization you'll want to keep tabs on.
Kevin Plawecki returns as the backup
Plawecki and the Red Sox avoided arbitration by agreeing on a one-year contract in December, making 2022 his third season as Vazquez's backup.
Through 88 games played with Boston, Plawecki is hitting .305 with a .778 OPS. That kind of production at the plate has made him the perfect complement to Vazquez, but it isn't the only value the 31-year-old brings to the organization. He's established himself as a key part of the Red Sox clubhouse since joining the team in 2019. We'd be remiss not to mention he was responsible for the team's 2021 postseason anthem, "Dancing On My Own".
Plawecki wasn't much of a difference-maker at the plate during his time with the New York Mets or Cleveland Guardians, but he seems to have unlocked something with the Red Sox. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him get more playing time, especially against lefties. He hit .310 off southpaws in 2021.
Next men up
If Vazquez and/or Plawecki miss time, Connor Wong could once again fill in behind the plate. The 25-year-old infielder/catcher, who was part of the 2020 deal that sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers, made his MLB debut last June.
Wong went 4-for-14 at the plate for Boston with a double and a triple. In 40 games with Double-A Portland, he posted a slash line of .349/.393/.604. Those numbers dipped to .256/.289/.446 in 50 games at Triple-A Worcester, where he likely will begin the 2022 season. He's the organization's No. 16 ranked prospect, according to SoxProspects.com.
Wong isn't the only catching prospect worth monitoring in 2022. Ronaldo Hernandez displayed his impressive pop last year in Double-A and will look to do the same this year in Worcester. If all goes according to plan, he could see some major-league at-bats this season.
Hernandez, acquired from the Rays in 2021, hit .280 with 16 homers and a .825 OPS in 92 games with Portland. His defense behind the plate needs some work, but his prowess at the plate makes him one of Boston's many intriguing prospects. SoxProspects.com has Hernandez ranked 24th in the Red Sox farm system.
Another prospect to watch
Kole Cottam, selected in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, can flat-out hit. The 24-year-old backstop tallied 10 homers and posted a .871 OPS in 71 games last season between High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland. He's raked at each level he's played at in the organization since being drafted out of the University of Kentucky. He won't be sniffing the major leagues any time soon -- though he was a non-roster invitee at spring training -- but his bat makes him a prospect worth monitoring when he steps up to the plate for the Sea Dogs.