Boston Red Sox Make Somewhat Surprising Decision with Connor Wong

THURSDAY, 1 p.m. ET: The Red Sox and Wong have avoided arbitration, settling for less than the $1.6 million projection. He has signed for $1.375 million. This means that he’ll be tendered a contract, but it doesn’t mean that he can’t or won’t be traded at some point during the offseason.

THURSDAY, AM: Major League Baseball’s non-tender deadline is coming up on Friday night, and MLBTradeRumors wonders if the Boston Red Sox could move on from catcher Connor Wong.

A reminder: Only arbitration-eligible players can be non-tendered, meaning that the Red Sox would simply be making the choice not to tender him a contract for 2026. Players are non-tendered either because of performance or salary relative to performances. Once they are non-tendered, they become free agents.

Wong is certainly not guaranteed to be non-tendered and could remain on the roster as a backup to breakout catcher Carlos Narvaez, who finished as a finalist for the American League Gold Glove Award.

The last link to the ill-fated Mookie Betts trade, Wong was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. Now 29 years old, he’s a five-year veteran of the Red Sox. He was the team’s primary catcher in 2023 and 2024, actually playing reasonably well.

He hit .280 in 2024 with 13 homers and 52 RBIs, also stealing eight bases, but he regressed massively in 2025, hitting just .190 with no home runs and seven RBIs.

He’s clearly the backup to Narvaez, and do the Red Sox want to pay him the projected $1.6 million to stay in that role?

*The Red Sox also acquired Alex Verdugo and Jeter Downs in the Betts deal.*

Familiarity is big and it always will be. He knows the organization, he knows the pitching staff, he knows pitching coach Andrew Bailey and he knows the expectations from manager Alex Cora.

Furthermore, $1.6 million is not a make-or-break sum for the Boston Red Sox and shouldn’t preclude them from keeping a guy who brings all the benefits listed above.

Also, he’s been a productive offensive player before who could find it again next year, and the Red Sox don’t have upper-level minor league depth to come in and replace him. There are no other catchers on the 40-man roster.

If you think that the backup catcher really won’t play much in 2026, then is it worth $1.6 million to have him on the roster? Can you just find his kind of performance anywhere for cheaper? That will be the question that the Red Sox have to ask themselves.

The Red Sox could elect to non-tender Wong and then try to bring him back on a minor league deal or a deal at a reduced price.

SMALL DEAL: The Red Sox traded lefty Chris Murphy to the White Sox on Tuesday. Here’s what they got back. CLICK HERE:

POLANCO A FIT? The Red Sox have been linked to free agent infielder Jorge Polanco, but does a deal really make sense? CLICK HERE:

A DURAN DEAL: Here’s what the Red Sox are reportedly seeking in a deal for the outfielder. CLICK HERE:

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