Jorge Alfaro was best remaining catcher
The Red Sox need power.
Gone are J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts. Trevor Story wont' be around for a while. It's unfair to bank too heavily on rookie Triston Casas. And who knows what Masa Yoshida is going to supply.
So, that's why Jorge Alfaro has entered the mix.
The Red Sox agreed to terms on a minor-league deal with the 29-year-old one-time top prospect, having the opportunity to make $2 million if he makes the big-league club. Alfaro also will have the opportunity to opt-out of his deal with the Sox on both June 1 and July 1. (MassLive.com was first to report the deal.)
Alfaro's presence is intriguing far beyond just the image of his 6-foot-3, 230-pound frame and impressive head of hair. The righty-hitting catcher represents a power bat in a lineup that surely needs one.
He was one of the top prospects in the game while first coming with the Rangers and Phillies. Alfaro was a key figure in the 2015 trade of Cole Hamels to Texas and Philadelphia's 2019 move to get J.T. Realmuto.
Alfaro simply hasn't shown the ability to make consistent contact during his stints in the major leagues, striking out 566 times in 1,542 big-league at-bats. His best season came in 2019 when he played in 130 games for the Marlins, totaling 18 homers and a .736 OPS.
Last season with the Padres, Alfaro appeared in 82 games, hitting .246 with a .667 OPS and seven home runs.
Reese McGuire and Connor Wong are the only catchers currently on the Red Sox' 40-man roster.