Potential free agent catcher acquisitions

Catcher platoons do not work. Especially when one of your guys is a 37 year old with a history of concussions. Starting pitchers typically like to consistently work with the same guy throughout the season. Yes, most are not like Tim Wakefield who needed his own caddie flown in from San Diego, but the comfort of you starter is worth much more than the offensive upgrade you get batting Suzuki vs. Righties and Ross vs. Lefties.

He also had 11 infield hits somehow this year, so his BABIP was actually artificially inflated! I don't really know what to make of it either, but since he's done it for a such an extended period that I have to determine that it is a thing.

If you tighten the list for the 10 lowest since 2010, his better LD% continues, but he's hitting a higher rate of pop-ups. One interesting thing? He gets absolutely murdered by fastballs. Maybe pitchers have gotten the book on him so they just try to blow fastballs by him, resulting in low ground ball rates (not rolling over curveballs because they aren't throwing them). It's possible that he's a bad hitter in that he can't catch major league fastballs, which is rare for a player who has gotten so many at bats. Usually players who just can't hit a fastball will fall quickly out of the league, but because Suzuki is a plus defensive catcher he's had a long enough career to turn in an extremely strange statistical profile. Just a theory.

EDIT: "Blow fastballs by him" is a bad characterization because he doesn't swing and miss so much. A better description would be that they just work him with fastballs, knowing he doesn't make good enough contact with it to hurt them. Like he's the sort of hitter that the Manny Delcarmens of the world would eat up.

The thing is, most guys who can't hit fastballs just strike out a ton. Suzuki, on the other hand, has the 8th best strikeout rate amongst catchers since 2010. For his career, he's posted elite contact rates on pitches both inside and outside the zone.

No thank you! I think the Sox should do what they reasonably can to keep Salty. He's not the greatest, but he is far from the worst, and there really are not any good options.

I have updated the title to reflect a broader discussion!

But I believe the Phillies have targeted re-signing Ruiz as a priority and it appears likely that's going to be the case absent a significant overpay by another team.

If that's the case I much rather see Ross and Butler to begin the season. Lavarnway won't cut it IMO and Vazquez isn't ready.

I think it's the age factor myself JMEI. A platoon of 2 guys on the far side of 30 to me just does not bode well, even if Boston does have 2 guys in Lava and Butler a phone call away at Pawtucket.

To me? Giving 2-3m on a 1 year deal would be comparable to signing a guy like Ruiz. Seems like many here are against any Suzuki signing, maybe it's that they want Salty back at about any cost, or some other reason.

Myself? He does an adequate job at blocking calls and calling games, throws out runners (before last year) at about the same frequency as Salty, not the best, but is fair and would be decent enough as a 1y bridge to Vazquez.

Sometimes it's more about allocating the money in appropriate places and not wasting money where it doesn't belong.

I offer this up for your viewing pleasure and as part of the discussion (click to blow this up). Here's the final tally for Vazquez on his K and BB rates, extended out to this year. Looks like the drop in strikeouts is real, with more walks than Ks in 2013. Is that the result of a change in approach? He finished up with a decent OPS of .771, though he's only slugging around .400 so not much consistent power yet. That said there are episodes when he gets hot and clubs the ball. See the write-up here on SoxProspects as a reference.

This is one of my favorite players going back to when he first came into the system. I'm hoping he makes an appearance in a Sox uniform during the regular season in 2014.

I think they're going to give Butler a shot at making the team out of spring training. Let's not forget Lavarnaway, either, although I think there's a high likelihood he gets moved. It would not surprise me at all to see them carry 3 catcher types next year. Yes, I think Ross and Butler are two of those guys, but I have no idea who the third one is. I doubt the team does either, at least till the all the off-season options play out.

Norm, I don't disagree with you that Butler could at least hold the position down, but I don't think they'll go that route. I say this because you'll have a rookie at SS (albeit a stud); a young, and heretofore unproven 3B and potentially 500ABs from a rookie CF. I doubt the Sox go with 3 rookies starting in the lineup as well as another youngster like Middlebrooks.

I think in order, these are the Sox options:
1. Re-sign Salty for 3 years.
He'll probably get better offers elsewhere and walk.
2. Sign McCann.
He'll get a 6 year contract elsewhere. They likely wouldn't want to go higher than 4 years.
3. Sign Ruiz.
He's older so it would only take 2 years on a slight overpay to get him.

I think #3 is the eventual "solution" because Ross walks after 2014 allowing you to bring up Butler for your defensive minded catcher. After Ruiz walks in 2015 they'll have a better feel for Vazquez and Swihart and can make the decision of whether one should be the primary catcher in Boston.

Well, that's the thing, isn't it. The Sox are, for better or for worse, in the midst of a transition period. This means that they'll have to break some new guys in sooner or later. Looking closer at Butler, he's 27, so even though he's a "rookie," he's an older, presumably more mature guy, so I won't be as reluctant to plug him in as I would a 21-year-old. Plus, if this year is any indication, he wouldn't have to handle the pressure situations, because Ross can do it. The only downside I see is that you're rolling the dice that he won't be a noticeable drop off from Salty. So, maybe he's not the best available option, but I would certainly add him to the list as #4.