Red Sox Catching Situation: Day 95

From Boston Herald:

Trading prospects is not something the Red Sox do with great enthusiasm. The return would have to be pretty good, so it should not come as a big surprise to hear that the young catchers – Teagarden is 25, Saltalamacchia turns 24 in May, Montero 26 in July – each offers at least one compelling skill that would make life without Varitek, and the prospects, at least bearable.

In Montero, it would undoubtedly be his catching and pitch-calling skills. Randy Johnson in particular is said to have been high on Montero as a catcher, and other Arizona veterans enjoyed throwing to him. For his age and experience – he spent just two years in the D’backs minor league system – the Venezuelan is considered very mature.

Offensively, his numbers have been slow to develop, getting limited at-bats last year with Chris Snyder ahead of him on the depth chart. His offensive stats do not jump off the page – .309 career on-base percentage, .239 batting average, with a more decent 15 home runs in 414 at-bats – but there is a difference of opinion in the scouting community about how much better he can become with the bat.

Offense is not a problem for Saltalamacchia, who has the potential to become a force with his bat. He is still developing catching-wise but, as the youngest of the three, time is on his side. Few would project him to become the type of defensively accomplished catcher that Montero is, but his offense – high on-base, slugging, average capability – could be of a special caliber.

Teagarden offers the most complete package, blending better catching skills than Saltalamacchia and better offense than Montero. That is likely why he would command a more expensive return in prospects, the same reason why his name is heard less frequently than Saltalamacchia or Montero.

In a matter of days, the names of Saltalamacchia, Montero and Teagarden could drift into the background if Varitek and the Red Sox strike a deal.

Not So Fast

From Arizona Republic:

We’re hearing the Diamondbacks aren’t getting the impression that the Red Sox are zeroing in on Montero. The clubs are still talking — or maybe we should say they are again talking — and the Sox have tweaked their offer, but it apparently is not to the point where it satisfies the Diamondbacks.

Red Sox May Get Their Catcher Soon

From Boston Herald:

On a couple of occasions last week, GM Theo Epstein mentioned the possibility of trading for a young catcher. According to one baseball source, the team has been intensifying talks with the Arizona Diamondbacks concerning 25-year-old catcher Miguel Montero. The Red Sox still believe that the price for gifted Texas Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamachia is too high because it still includes pitcher Clay Buchholz. The Diamondbacks are not believed to be asking for Buchholz, making a return package of pitching that could include Michael Bowden and/or Daniel Bard feasible.

Peter Gammons On The Red Sox Catching Situation

From Boston.com:

Hey Peter, thanks for chatting. What young catchers would top the Red Sox’ wish list? DO you know of any particular order?

Peter Gammons:  

There’s a difference between wish list and realistic wish list, but right now, they seem to be focused on Miguel Montero from Arizona, with Saltamacchia in Texas a possibility. Early in the fall, they tried to make a run at Russel Martin of the Dodgers and Mike Napoli of the Angels, but without success.

Peter Gammons:  They can have Montero if they’ll trade Michael Bowden but thus far the Red Sox have refused to trade him.

Montero’s 2008 Stats:

2008 STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG
.255	5	18	.330	.435