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Newly signed David Ross joined Ryan Lavarnway and Jarrod Saltalamacchia as Red Sox catchers, increasing the likelihood that one of the incumbents will be moved before the start of the 2013 season. 

Getting rid of Saltalamacchia is not only the best move the Red Sox can make, but it may also be key in helping the team improve next season.

Saltalamacchia has the misfortune of being a catcher who is neither a good hitter or defender. Fans may be drawn to his occasional power, but it’s a mirage that masks his other deficiencies.

Saltalamacchia hit 25 home runs last season, but there was little else he did of offensive value. His .222 batting average and .288 OBP were both well below the league averages of .255 and .320. His 1.8 oWAR was still below replacement level despite his homers.

Now six years into his major league career, Saltalamacchia has a proven track record when it comes to his offensive ineptness. He has career marks of a .239 batting average, .720 OPS and strikes out once every 3.4 at-bats.

Saltalamacchia’s failure to make contact is his major downfall at the plate. ESPN.com’s Tristan Cockroft explained how the average major league BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play) usually is in the .290-.300 range. According to FanGraphs.com, Salty’s career BABIP is .309, meaning that when he puts the ball in play he is a little bit better than average. Unfortunately his all-or-nothing approach at the plate severely diminishes his effectiveness.

As a switch-hitter Saltalamacchia has another false sense of value. He is such a bad right-handed hitter (.203 batting average and .256 OBP for his career) that it’s a wonder he hasn’t given it up as a lost cause by now. He has especially struggled from the right side during the last two seasons with Boston, evidenced by his .196 batting average.

Never known for his defense, Saltalamacchia started receiving more plaudits for his play behind the plate in 2012 after finally wrestling the starting job away from Jason Varitek. MLB.com’s Ian Browne referred to Saltalamacchia in the New England Baseball Journal as a “defensive threat,” and cited his improved defensive work. Unfortunately the numbers simply don’t support such claims.

In 2011 Saltalamacchia threw out 30.8 percent of base runners and had a .992 fielding percentage. This past season he fell to 18.4 percent caught stealing and a .991 fielding percentage.

It also appears that Saltalamacchia struggles calling of games. In 2011 Red Sox pitchers had a combined 4.62 ERA when he caught them, as opposed to 3.61 with anyone else. Last season, pitchers had a 4.84 ERA with Salty, but that dropped to 4.51 with the other catchers.

Giving Saltalamacchia some at-bats as a first baseman has also been discussed as a way to maximize his power. That would be a big mistake. He has appeared in 40 games at first during his major league career and committed a staggering 11 errors. Granted, it’s a position he rarely plays, but if the Red Sox want to win, experimenting with a player of Saltalamacchia’s caliber at different positions isn’t going to help.

Saltalamacchia made $2.5 million in 2012 and is arbitration-eligible, likely putting him in line for a raise next season. The Red Sox can’t afford to allocate that kind of money to a player with so many holes in his game.

Since Lavarnway is ready to play and they now have Ross, the Red Sox should see what they can do about trading Saltalamacchia. Lavarnway has a chance to be above average with his bat and Ross is already one of the best defensive catchers in the game. Boston shouldn’t expect that they will get much in return for Salty, but the team may find that moving him would be addition by subtraction.

Many fans have grown fond of Saltalamacchia since he joined the Sox, but that isn’t a reason for keeping him around. If the Red Sox want to return to their winning ways they need much better play out of the catcher position. The time has simply come for Salty to go.

Statistics via BaseballReference

Follow @historianandrew

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Nearly two years ago at the trade deadline, the Boston Red Sox sent two minor league players to the Texas Rangers for catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

The initial thought of many, including my own, was, “Isn’t that the guy who can’t throw the ball back to the pitcher?” Yes, that was him.

He had only played in two major league games with the Rangers that season, spending most of the year in Triple-A. After the trade, he only played in 10 games with the Red Sox and didn’t make much of an impact.

Now, he’s making a huge impact behind the plate in Boston.

Starting the game on the bench tonight against the Tampa Bay Rays, Saltalamacchia was just looking for a shot to shine. He got that shot in the bottom of the ninth, down 2-1 with Daniel Nava on second base. Facing Rays closer Fernando Rodney, who had only let up one run the entire season, Salty stepped into the box. He would then crush a Rodney pitch deep to right-center field and over the fence for a two-run walk-off home run.

Of course, this is only one sample of him succeeding but he has been consistent the entire season.

Through 36 games this year, he’s hitting .274/.314/.575 with 18 extra-base hits (10 doubles, eight home runs), 21 RBI and 16 runs. Now tied for the lead among catchers in home runs, Saltalamacchia is well on his way to passing his career-high of 16 set last season. He’s also been good defensively, ranking in the top 10 among catchers in fielding percentage and has yet to encounter issues with throwing the ball back to the pitcher.

Saltalamacchia might not be Matt Weiters or Alex Avila but he’s been a big contributor to the Red Sox this season. A selection to the All-Star game is still very far off but he does deserve some credit for what he’s been doing.

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It’s been 93 years since the Cubs played in Fenway Park. I bet they wish it was longer. 

On the first night of the week without rain, Boston poured it on the Cubs starter Doug Davis with eight hits and seven runs in 3.2 innings. The barrage continue with relief pitcher Scott Maine immediately giving up a two-run bomb to Kevin Youkilis. Maine lasted one-third of an inning while giving up two home runs, five hits and three runs, all earned.

Lefty reliever James Russel came on and put the fire out for three innings, allowing only two hits. If only he could have finished things up for the Cubs. Righty reliever Jeff Samardzija finished things off giving up five runs, three earned with two walks.

Boston starter John Lester scuffled some, allowing 12 hits and five runs, with two walks and five K’s. Scott Atchison pitched the three perfect innings with three K’s to close things out for the Sox. Save for Mike Cameron, all the Sox starters had at least one hit, with Adrian Gonzalez leading the way with four hits and four RBI. Kevin Youkilis (8) and Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2) homered for Boston.

Saturday will be a prime time affair with Alfredo Aceves (1-0, 2.60) making the start for Boston. He will be opposed by Cubs righty Carlos Zambrano (4-2, 4.89). Tonight’s game will  feature a stab at nostalgia with both teams wearing replica uniforms from the Cubs’ last visit to Fenway, the 1918 World Series.

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The “Texas Red Sox Massacre” of this past weekend was not the opening series that Red Sox fans had dreamed about since December. Buchholz surrendered almost half as many home runs as he did all of last season, Lester made it clear that he knows which month this is and Lackey’s ERA is now sitting just north of 22. The bullpen wasn’t much better, as every reliever pitched and only Reyes, Albers, and Jenks failed to surrender a run. Still, serious concerns at this point are unnecessary- the team is bound to win at least a game before the season is out.

In all seriousness, though (opening series notwithstanding) the Red Sox look loaded. The additions of Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez make the lineup borderline ridiculous, and GM Theo Epstein also significantly improved on last season’s greatest weakness, the bullpen. But, as with any team, some questions linger. Here are five entities on whom the team is, to one degree or another, crossing its fingers.

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It’s that time of year again. The time when managers pull out their stat sheets, turn on the computer and enjoy the smell of virtual hot dogs, peanuts and beer (okay, maybe not that).

It’s fantasy baseball season.

My focus here today is on two players, Jed Lowrie and Jarrod Saltalamacchia of the Boston Red Sox, and what their potential fantasy impact could be in 2011.

Neither are particularly leviathan in their projected fantasy outlook for next season; they aren’t at the top of anyone’s cheat sheet.

Moreover, the pair are interesting bubble candidates; not necessarily players you should draft, but players you should certainly keep an eye on.

For starters, they share a number of desirable fantasy traits. They both play in shallow positions (shortstop/second base for Lowrie, catcher for Saltalamacchia), and they both figure to be part of one of the better offenses in the game, giving them a greater chance at accumulating runs and RBI.

However, there are a few things that separate the two. Let me start by examining Lowrie.

Injury-plagued season after injury-plagued season, the-26 year-old Lowrie finally showed why exactly the Red Sox have so much faith in him.

The beneficiary of a depleted team falling fast in the playoff race, Lowrie got ample playing time during the final two months of the 2010 campaign.

In 197 PA, he finished with 9 HR, 24 RBI and a .287/.381/.525/.907 slash line. The sample size is small, but he certainly did a number of great things at the plate.

For starters, he improved his career HR/PA ratio from 1.1 percent (2008-2009) to 4.4 percent in 2010. That’s going from a HR every 96 at-bats during his first two seasons to a HR every 22 at-bats last year.

What accounts for this surge in power? In my opinion, it’s the fact that his wrist (which he’s struggled with during his professional career) was finally healthy, allowing him to fully drive the ball.

Lowrie also posted a .381 OBP and a 12.7 BB percentage, which are more in tune with his career minor league averages (.380 OBP, 13.3 BB percentage) over a much larger sample size.

But what do all these numbers really mean? When it boils down to it, Lowrie proved last season he can be comfortable in his approach on the big league level, and given a clean bill of health, he can be very effective.

For fantasy purposes, Lowrie is invaluable in the sense that he’s qualified in two scarce positions (second and short) and could be qualified in another two (first and third) before the season’s end.

This year, shortstop is a nightmare (especially in AL-only formats); unless you happen to own Troy Tulowitzki or Hanley Ramirez, nothing is guaranteed. Jose Reyes, Jimmy Rollins and Derek Jeter form the barely-palpable second tier of shortstops, and none of those three inspire much confidence in their owners.

There will be many owners looking to pass on spending a high pick on a shortstop this year and rightfully so. Other than Tulo and Han-Ram, investing a pick in the first four or five rounds on a shortstop could prove to be a big mistake.

So, naturally, there will be many a manger looking to scrape the bottom of the barrel when it comes to value.

Considering the lack of depth at the six hole, Lowrie could certainly be a dark horse candidate for value pick of the year. The only thing standing in his way is the incumbent shortstop in Boston, Marco Scutaro, and questions of how exactly the Sox plan on using Lowrie.

It seems as if he’ll at least start the season as the team’s super-utility man, filling the void left by Bill Hall. But, given his production during the final months of 2010, it might be hard to justify not having his bat in the lineup on a consistent basis if he were to replicate last year’s success.

If an injury were to open up consistent playing time for Lowrie, or if he just flat-out wins the job, I think he should be considered “ownable” in all formats. His position eligibility makes him a nice late-round flier in deeper formats and a definite watch-list addition in all formats once the season starts.

Saltalamacchia, on the other hand, differs from Lowrie in that we know he’s going to get the majority of the starts behind the plate for the Red Sox this year.

And if you are unable (or unwilling) to nab the Mauer’s, Posey’s and V-Mart’s of the fantasy world, you could also find yourself looking for a bargain behind the plate.

This spring, Salty has been busy developing relationships with the members of his team, especially the staff for which he will be responsible. Everything I’ve heard and read from the players is full of nothing but praise for his work ethic and improvements behind the plate.

Yet, while Salty might be a solid player for the Red Sox in 2011, that doesn’t necessarily mean his fantasy impact will be better or worse than expected.

Maybe it’s a cop-out, but I think it’s nearly impossible to predict what Salty will do offensively in 2011, as he’s never really been in a situation like this before.

His MLB service time has been sporadic at best, and he’s never been outright handed a starting job like he has with the Red Sox.

He could take the job and run with it, finally living up to (or at least exceeding) everyone’s expectations for him. He could be hitting .230 in July, but we just don’t know because his situation this year is so radically different than any other he’s been in during his career.

We do know this, though: he’s 25 and still young. He’s a switch-hitter who is going to get a career high in at-bats (barring injury), near the bottom of what will likely figure to be one of the best lineups in baseball. 

He seems to be having a great camp so far, and expectations for him offensively will be relatively pressure free.

I’m not predicting a break-out season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what happened. I think in his case, it’s best to take a wait-and-see approach. If you want him in a fantasy draft, he’ll be available to you (he’s ranked 1032 in Yahoo fantasy baseball leagues). In all likelihood, he won’t be drafted in most formats, so he’ll be available on the waiver wire once the season begins.

I think most managers should at least keep an eye on Salty. His youth and his stake in the Red Sox make him a definite player to watch during the 2011 season.

Dan is a Boston Red Sox featured columnist. Follow him on twitter @danhartelBR.

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The catcher position in fantasy baseball is typically thought of as a weak link, primarily due to the fact that most catchers are slow and lack power, thus limiting the ability to provide help at two of the five main statistical categories. 

Although catchers may not help much with stolen bases and home runs, they are a vital part of a successful team. 

Joe Mauer, Brian McCann and Victor Martinez are the top three fantasy catchers this year, with Buster Posey nipping at their heels as a possible stud in waiting. 

If you are not fortunate enough to grab one of the top catchers, here is a list of five possible breakout catchers who can be found late in drafts.

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Young players, whether they be mid-season call-ups or rookies who make the team out of spring training, tend to have a massive impact on their team’s success.

From players like Buster Posey and Jason Heyward to Neftali Feliz, more and more are young stars expected to produce immediately upon their arrival in the majors. 

Let’s take a look at who we can expect to have some of the biggest impacts on their team’s success in the 2011 season… 

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Max Ramirez is on his way to Boston, according to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan.

The move comes after the Rangers designated the former top catching prospect for assignment in order to make room for Brandon Webb and Arthur Rhodes.

Theo Epstein’s interest in the young catcher have been well documented. Ramirez was the player involved in the Mike Lowell deal that was and then wasn’t last offseason after Lowell failed the Rangers’ physical.

Ramirez, now 26 years old, was originally signed as an amateur free agent by the Atlanta Braves in 2002 and has also spent time in the Cleveland Indians organization.

In seven total minor league seasons, Ramirez has appeared in 563 games, making 1,989 at-bats while hitting .298/.396/.476/.872 with 72 HR and 358 RBI.

However, Ramirez has struggled mightily in his two brief Major League stints in 2008 and 2010. He’s just a .217/.343/.357/.699 hitter with four HR and 17 RBI in 115 MLB at bats.

Also, Ramirez didn’t have a great 2010 in the minors. He hit just .286/.373/.381/.754 with just three HR and 29 RBI in 189 at-bats while playing with the Texas Ranger Triple-A affiliate Oklahoma City Red Red Hawks.

Ramirez has typically been cast as a power hitting catcher with the ability to hit in the middle of a team’s lineup. However, his defense, arm strength and foot speed all leave much to be desired. 

Max was ranked as the No. 84 prospect in all of baseball prior to the 2009 season. However, he’s regressed in the eyes of many since that time after producing two lackluster seasons.

Ramirez now joins the throng of young catching prospects—including Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Ryan Lavarnway, Mark Wagner Luis Exposito and Tim Federowicz—who the Red Sox hope will produce an heir to Jason Varitek.

The group has a great deal of potential, but they lack the Jesus Montero-esque figure who is a lock to inherit the job in the future. The Sox seem to be taking the “law of averages approach,” in the sense that they’ve got to hit the talent jackpot on at least one catcher.

Just to be clear, there’s almost no chance Ramirez sees any time of significance in Boston this season. At this point, it’s hard to consider him little more than a “Theo Project.”

Dan is a Boston Red Sox featured columnist. For more news, stories, and opinion, follow him on Twitter at danhartelBR.

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The big news today is that Cliff Lee rejected the Yankees. Red Sox fans have every right and reason to be delighted by this news. However, the Yankees did quietly sign Russell Martin this morning. The ramifications of Martin going to New York are not nearly as intriguing as those of Lee not going to New York, however they are still of particular interest to Red Sox fans.

With Martin off the table, the job of starting catcher for the Boston Red Sox now lays squarely in the hands of Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Saltalamacchia may not be the Red Sox catcher of the future, but he will have the chance to audition for just that role in the upcoming 2011 season.

Salty’s opportunity comes on the cheap for Boston: a one-year, non-guaranteed deal that will pay out a maximum of $750,000. Without venturing too much into the realms of cliche and speculation, the Red Sox front office probably feels considerably more comfortable handing Salty the reins with a healthy Jason Varitek signed on for one more year, in what will likely be the final year of the veteran catcher’s playing career.

But what exactly do Theo and Co. see in Jarrod Saltalamacchia? His name, alphabetically cumbersome as it is, is a familiar one to savvy Sox fans; Salty had been on Epstein’s radar for the past couple of seasons before he eventually acquired him last July.

Every previous time Epstein had inquired about Saltalamacchia, the Rangers had asked for Clay Buccholz. Upon his acquisition last summer, Epstein remarked that “[Saltalamacchia] came with a real high price tag in the past, and we hope he’s someone we’re buying low on right now as he’s battling a few different issues.”

The “few different issues” that Epstein was referring to are a rash of injuries that have plagued Saltalamacchia the past few seasons, delaying his emergence as full-time catcher, talented or otherwise.

Saltalamacchia’s brief stint with the Red Sox has been no different. Called up from Pawtucket on August 12, Saltalamacchia landed on the DL within a week with a leg infection. Once off the DL in September, Saltalamacchia’s left (catching) thumb began giving him trouble, and he had surgery later that month to repair ligament damage.

The Red Sox have always liked the way that Saltalamacchia can swing the bat. A switch-hitter, Saltalamacchia is regarded to have below-average contact but great plate discipline, along with plus-power from both sides of the plate.

This is the same skill set that Jason Varitek brought to the plate during his prime, during which he eclipsed 20 home runs three times and reached 70 RBI four times. Varitek’s contact issues have become decidedly more pronounced in recent season yet he’s retained his pop, as evidenced by his seven home runs last season over 123 plate appearances over 39 games. Epstein believes Saltalamacchia can find a similar niche with the bat at Fenway.

However, what has made Varitek so valuable over the years has been his ability to call games. This ability is often listed alongside Varitek’s skills as a clubhouse leader. However, it is important to distinguish the two in analyzing Saltalamacchia. The Red Sox are not looking for Salty to be their next team captain, they just hope he can handle a pitching staff as well as Varitek has been able to. There is an argument to be made that the only reason the 39-year-old Tek is back with Boston is for him to pass on those same qualities to Saltalamacchia.

2011 is Salty’s shot at inheriting Varitek’s mantle. If the Sox aren’t impressed with what they see come July, don’t be surprised to see a deadline deal for someone like Colorado‘s Chris Ianetta. The Red Sox are also keen on 23-year-old Ryan Lavarnway, who figures to begin the season at Double-A Portland. However, if Saltalamacchia stays healthy and plays well in 2011, a two-to-three year offer from Boston in the neighborhood of $10 million would not be out of the question for either the player or the organization.

Clearly, the hope is that Saltalamacchia still has the potential to be the player that Epstein thinks he can be. He’ll be turning 26 in May and is still, as the scouts would say, “pre-prime.” Judging by how Boston has addressed the catching position this winter, Epstein’s hopes for Salty also appears to be mixed with sufficient confidence.

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I keep thinking to myself that Boston Red Sox GM Theo Epstein has something up his sleeve. I keep thinking to myself there has to be a reason why he just Victor Martinez go without much of a fight.

I keep thinking these things to myself because with Martinez officially a Detroit Tiger, the starting catcher for the 2011 Red Sox is Jarrod Saltalamacchia. I have a hard time believing that a team with World Series aspirations and a team that has question marks at short, third, center, right and the bullpen will go with Saltalamacchia as their catcher in 2011.

Let’s call it like it is—Saltalamacchia has been a complete bust at the Major League level. It was Saltalamacchia, not Elvis Andrus or Neftali Feliz, who was the key piece in the 2007 trade that sent Mark Teixeira to the Atlanta Braves.

Because of various injuries and well, sucking, “Salty” hit just .243/.309/.383 with 19 HR in 721 PA in a Ranger uniform. Every time the Rangers gave Salty the ball, he would drop it like Jackie Smith in Super Bowl XIII.

Salty was traded to the Red Sox exactly four years to the day he was traded to the Rangers, and of course landed on the DL. He landed on the DL with a leg infection, came back and then landed back on DL with a torn ligament in his left thumb.

At some point, a player like Salty goes from super prospect to prospect to I can’t believe he never made it. Right now, Salty is in the “I can’t believe he never made it” phase of his career.

Salty will be 26 when the season starts, and the whole prospect thing has passed him by. I think the Red Sox are sorely mistaken if they think he can just all of a sudden blossom into a serviceable Major League catcher.

Unfortunately, the Red Sox don’t have a lot of options at catcher besides Salty in 2011. There is talk of bringing Jason Varitek back, and as much as I have enjoyed him over the years, that ship has sailed.

The other free agent options out there include Rod Barajas, Bengie Molina, Miguel Olivo and A.J. Pierzynski. Pierzynski is probably the best option out of that group, but I don’t see him anywhere else besides on the Chicago White Sox.

Epstein has really backed himself into a corner with his catching options for 2011. If Saltalamacchia doesn’t pan out, he will be just another in a long list of recent low-risk, high-reward players that didn’t work out in a Red Sox uniform.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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