The Red Sox Swindled The Yankees Out Of A Potential All-Star Catcher

If you were to rank all the trades from this offseason by which generated the most headlines, the Kyle Tucker trade would probably be first. The deal that sent Carlos Narváez from the New York Yankees to the Boston Red Sox wouldn’t be dead last if only because of the two teams involved, but it would be close to the bottom. Since that humble transaction, he has blossomed into one of MLB’s best catchers.

In 37 games this year, Narváez is hitting .291/.357/.480 with five home runs. He went 3-5 with a pair of doubles and a walk in yesterday’s 19-5 dismantling of the Orioles. His 132 OPS+ indicates his overall offense has been 32% better than the league average, and his 1.9 WAR (Baseball-Reference version) is tied for second in MLB among catchers.

He has shined behind the plate just as much as in the batter’s box. He is credited with 2.5 Framing Runs by FanGraphs, and his eight Defensive Runs Saved are tied for the MLB lead by a catcher. He’s also atop the American League leaderboard with 10 runners caught stealing.

Narváez was never as heralded as his older cousin, Omar Narváez, who has played parts of 10 MLB seasons. He signed with the Yankees as a 16-year-old amateur from Venezuela in 2015, and progressed slowly through their system. He finally made it to New York last year at the age of 25, playing six games and going 3-13.

This offseason, the Yankees were in a crunch for 40-man roster spots. They sent him to their Boston rivals for 21-year-old right-hander Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, who is currently pitching for Hudson Valley in High-A.

This proved to be short-sighted, not only because of Narváez’s emergence, but because they sent established backup catcher Jose Trevino to the Cincinnati Reds a few weeks later. As a result, the Yankees have struggled to find production out of the catcher position this year. Starter Austin Wells has a .268 on-base percentage and backup J.C. Escarra is hitting .175/.306/.325. They’re also both left-handed hitters, so the club is really missing out on a strong right-handed bat like Narváez.

While he will receive All-Star consideration, making the team isn’t a certainty, especially since several catchers around the league are enjoying an offensive renaissance. Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners is the best catcher in MLB by far this season. The reigning Platinum Glove winner is tied with Aaron Judge for the American League lead in home runs with 17. Logan O’Hoppe of the Los Angeles Angels isn’t far behind with 14 homers, but he trails Narváez substantially in on-base percentage and on all advanced defensive metrics.

The most famous trade between the Yankees and Red Sox sent Babe Ruth to New York in 1920, and Boston will never live that down. They also shipped a handful of other Hall of Famers to the Yankees in subsequent years, such as Herb Pennock and Red Ruffing, before the two teams practically ceased trading with each other altogether.

The Narváez deal was an exception to the embargo. It hardly counteracts the Ruth trade, but the Red Sox hoodwinked the Yankees out of a star backstop from the one of the most minor transactions of the offseason.