Connor Wong Gets Ominous Prediction From Red Sox Insider

On Friday, Sean McAdam predicted that the Red Sox would keep searching for backup catching help, even if that means signing someone like Vázquez to a minor-league deal with a non-roster invite to spring training next month.

"The best guess is: yes," McAdam wrote, in response to whether Boston would "look to upgrade" at the backup spot. "They’ve kicked around several acquisitions in the last six or so month, including an attempt to re-acquire Kyle Teel. Meanwhile, it’s clear that Connor Wong wasn’t fully healthy for much of the season after suffering a broken bone in his hand early last season.

"Increasingly, teams view the catching spot as a job-share and the fact that Narváez wore down in the second half is further proof of how important it is to have a solid No. 2 catcher."

Wong also has a minor-league option remaining, which could have emboldened Boston to grab a catcher on a major league deal while there were still worthy candidates out there. Now, it's at least a discussion for someone to try and beat him out during spring training if they come in on a minor-league deal.

There aren't necessarily big-name trade candidates readily available at the position, but that's something to monitor as well if the season starts and Wong and/or Narváez are struggling at the plate. As great as the latter was last year, it's not as though he showed so much on offense that he's guaranteed his job for the next five years.

But Wong is clearly the man in the crosshairs at the moment, and even if he's not cut or traded, getting sent back to Triple-A would be a real career setback.