Boston Red Sox Still Have Three Catchers. Does Anyone Know Why?

The trade deadline has come and gone and the Boston Red Sox still have three catchers. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the starting catcher but has been slumping. Kelly Shoppach backs him up but has health issues. And now Ryan Lavarnway is up from Pawtucket.

According to the Boston Herald, Lavarnway is expected to be a starting catcher now. That makes sense for the Red Sox, who should be concentrating on 2013 instead of any ill-conceived and unlikely run at the playoffs this season.

The team is playing younger players like Will Middlebrooks and Pedro Ciriaco, each getting experience for next season. And no doubt Lavarnway is getting broken in for the same reason.

So why are the Red Sox, filled with holes and question marks, carrying three catchers now? How could they not have made a deal for a young player or a future considerations revolving one of their catchers? Or include one in a package deal?

The Red Sox needed to act in a way similar to the Phillies and Marlins, two other teams with big expectations that fell short. Neither of those two teams were too proud to shed salary and wave the white flag on this season.

And today, after the waiver deadline had passed, the Nationals made a deal for Athletics catcher Kurt Suzuki.

And yet the Boston front office stayed pat, with excessive depth at catcher and lack of depth almost everywhere else.

The Red Sox resemble a home in desperate need of repair but with a state of the art dish washer. It is a nice luxury but excessive for their needs.