Free agent Victor Caratini could provide insurance as a backup catcher for the Red Sox

Welcome back to the 2025-26 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Today we look at a catcher who shows versatility and power at the plate.

Who is he and where does he come from?

He’s Victor Caratini. He’s bounced around the league in recent years but most recently was an Astro for two seasons. He also served as a catcher on the Cubs directly after their drought-breaking World Series win, the Padres and Brewers.

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Is he any good?

Yes and no. He’s definitely better than any replacement level catcher (read: Connor Wong). He has some ability to drill the ball, as his isolated power was .145, placing him squarely in the “yeah, that works!” category in the metric. And he had 12 home runs last year, placing him 22nd in the league amongst catchers and doing so with fewer at-bats (386 in 114 games) than all but four of those in front of him. To optimize opportunities where he’d be able to come off the bench behind a budding Carlos Narvaez or just provide an insurance option, he also switch hits. Plus he’s patient: Baseball Savant puts his chase rate (23.5%) in the top twenty percentile, and his strikeout rate (16.8%) and whiff rate (19.8%) land him just outside it.

He’s definitely not the quickest option, though. He’s in just the second percentile of sprint speed. That lack of speed extends to his arm, where he threw out just 5 of 46 attempted base-stealers. That puts him among the very worst in the league, and for a team that needs defensive outs where they can get it, it feels like a missed opportunity. It was the worst he’s done at this throughout his career, and, at 32 (turning 33 in August), it would not be a stretch to suggest it may get worse in 2026 and beyond. He’s not in total shambles defensively, though: his .998 fielding percentage with just two errors was tied for second at the position.

TLDR; just give me his 2025 stats.

.259/.324/.404, 12 HR, 35 RBI, 2 E

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Why would he be a good fit on the 2025 Red Sox?

The Red Sox have reportedly kicked the tires on signing J.T. Realmuto earlier this offseason, and whether or not that was an “interest kings” trope, Caratini is cheaper than him, albeit a downgrade. Even with signing a new deal, many might be uneasy knowing that Connor Wong is trotting into 2026 Opening Day as a lock as a backup catcher. Carlos Narvaez had a meniscus tear that was ailing him at the tail end of 2025, leaving Wong to pick up more at-bats and many (myself included) to close their eyes during those at-bats. Caratini provides more power, switch hit versatility, and a much lower strikeout rate should he be thrust into that role.

Why wouldn’t he be a good fit on the Red Sox?

Newly acquired Willson Contreras played catcher for nine years before a forearm injury plagued his pop speed and overall ability behind the plate, but he could be a good “break glass in case of emergency” option. Plus, as Mike Carlucci recently wrote, the Red Sox are just one of two teams alongside the Colorado Rockies to not make a free agent signing this season, and Caratini would cost money, as Fangraph’s crowdsourced AAV estimator places his value at about $6 million a year. For a guy who’s surely on the 26-man roster, that’s not bad, but for a replacement, it might make the hairs on John Henry’s wallet wrist stand up.

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Show me a cool highlight.

This ball probably shouldn’t have been hit for a home run, but it was.

Smash or pass?

It’s a pass at this moment, but a conditional one. If Connor Wong proves to be expendable to this 2026 team (LOL) and Caratini is still available, it could be worth kicking the tires. While Caratini won’t be the quickest guy on the roster, he does offer a defensive floor to a team that needs it while providing some power to a team that lacks a quantity of guys that can provide it. Carlos Narvaez is a Gold Glove candidate and could be a starter for years to come, but it can be important to have a guy with a starting pedigree as your backup catcher, and Caratini provides that.