Everyone remembers the Garrett Crochet blockbuster as the highlight moment of the Boston Red Sox’s offseason. But Boston actually made two trades that day.
Several hours after Crochet became a Red Sox, Boston acquired a new backup catcher. They send minor-league right-handed pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz to the arch-rival New York Yankees for 26-year-old backstop Carlos Narváez.
Narváez only got 13 at-bats for the Yankees in the majors before heading to Boston. But thanks to Connor Wong’s fractured finger, he’s been thrust into the starting role quickly. Fortunately for the Red Sox, he’s making the most of the opportunity.
Though Narváez isn’t a superstar in the batter’s box, he’s more than made up for it with his defensive contributions. He’s been one of the best blockers and pitch-framers in the league, and he’s been worth 0.8 bWAR so far through his first 23 games.
On Friday, MassLive’s Sean McAdam sang Narváez’s praises, calling him the “unsung hero” of the team through the first month of the season.
“It might seem silly to award this to someone who’s hitting .218. But that doesn’t begin to tell the story of Narvaez’s contributions,” McAdam said.
“Thrust into the starting catcher’s role when Connor Wong (broken finger) went down for more than three weeks, Narvaez has been superb behind the plate, where he’s been credited with six defensive runs saved — a tribute to his receiving and blocking skills. He’s also earned raves for his game-calling and handling of the staff. As a bonus, he’s run into three homers.”
Not only has Narváez helped keep the Red Sox afloat, but he’s earned the right to play more even when Wong comes back, which is expected to happen this weekend. Manager Alex Cora said earlier this week that Narváez has earned the right to get more playing time than he had when Wong was healthy earlier in April.
The Red Sox have been getting the best of the Yankees when it comes to trades of late, as the Alex Verdugo deal for Richard Fitts and Greg Weissert looks like a win now. If Narváez continues to shine, New York might think twice about dealing with the Boston front office again.
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