The Boston Red Sox reportedly are avoiding arbitration with one of their veterans.
Boston has a handful of players who were arbitration-eligible this offseason and Thursday is the deadline for Major League Baseball clubs to come to terms on deals to avoid arbitration.
The Red Sox reportedly did just that by agreeing to a one-year deal with veteran catcher Reese McGuire, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
"Reese McGuire and the Red Sox agree on a 1-year deal worth $1.5 million," Morosi said.
This move isn't too surprising. McGuire doesn't cost much at just over $1 million and pencils in as Boston's backup catcher right now unless another move is made. Boston has been linked to a plethora of players this offseason -- including former New York Yankees All-Star Gary Sánchez -- but there's no way to know what their plan is.
Boston hasn't given much indication as to what it wants to do this offseason. There's still plenty of time to make other moves, but it wouldn't be too surprising to see McGuire spend one more year with the club.
The 28-year-old was acquired by Boston in 2022 and has been steady since. He appeared in 36 games with the Red Sox in 2022 and slashed .337/.377/.500 with three home runs and 12 RBIs.
Last season he appeared in 72 games and hit one home run, drove in 16 runs, and slashed .267/.310/.358. He may not be the catcher of the future for Boston, but he could be a stop-gap for the club until elite prospect Kyle Teel makes the jump to the big leagues.
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