Wednesday, at least at the moment, ended up being a two-trade day for Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.
The Red Sox grabbed headlines when they first acquired Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet for four prospects. Breslow’s second deal later in the day wasn’t as noteworthy, but still filled a position of need for Boston.
The Red Sox announced they acquired catcher Carlos Narváez from the archrival New York Yankees in exchange for minor league pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and international bonus pool space. To clear up room on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox also designated Enmanuel Valdez for assignment.
Narváez, 26, could compete to be Boston’s backup catcher next season after Danny Jansen signed with the Tampa Bay Rays in free agency and the Red Sox traded top catching prospect Kyle Teel in the deal for Crochet.
Narváez has just six games of big league experience under his belt with it all coming last season with the Yankees. He batted .231 with no homers and no RBIs while also walking twice. He threw out one base runner and allowed one stolen base.
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The Venezuela native, who signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in 2015, did generate some solid results at the plate with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2024 by batting .254 with 20 doubles, 11 home runs and 58 RBIs. He also displayed defensive versatility by making 58 starts at catcher, 23 as a designated hitter and 12 at first base. Narváez has limited experience playing third base, too.
The Red Sox selected Rodriguez-Cruz in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, but in three seasons of minor league ball, the right-hander never made it past High-A Greenville.
This is the second trade the Red Sox and Yankees have pulled off in consecutive offseasons. One of Breslow’s first moves with the Red Sox last year was trading Alex Verdugo for three pitchers.
Featured image via Brad Penner/Imagn Images
