Red Sox Trade With Rival for MLB’s ‘Best Defensive Catcher’ Could Haunt Them for Years
Perhaps the Boston Red Sox are currently benefitting from the trade, but New York Yankees fans could be holding this one over the heads of their heated rivals for many years to come.
One-on-one deals involving the Yankees and Red Sox are rare. In fact, there have only been nine transactions between the AL East rivals since the beginning of the Divisional Era in 1969.
And when the dust settles from the swap that took place a few weeks before Christmas, the Red Sox could find themselves wishing there had been only eight such exchanges.
On Dec. 11, 2024, Boston sent right-handed pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and $250,000 in international bonus pool money to New York for catcher Carlos Narvaez.
Earlier that same day, the Red Sox acquired staff ace Garret Crochet from the Chicago White Sox for a package of prospects that included top catching prospect Kyle Teel. In Narvaez, a 26-year-old career minor leaguer, Boston was filling a sudden depth need for an MLB-ready backup to Connor Wong.
Known more for his defense, Narvaez had a pair of down offensive years in 2022 and ‘23. But he rebounded to bat .254 at Triple-A Worcester, matching what he had previously posted throughout his earlier seasons in the Boston farm system, while earning his best slugging percentage, .412, since rookie league ball in 2016.
