Red Sox Acquire Prospect Jhonny Pereda- Where Does He Fit in the Organization?

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The Chicago Cubs have sent catching prospect Jhonny Pereda to the Red Sox in return for, essentially, nothing. Pereda is the 'player to be named later' piece from a trade that took place in January when Boston sent pitcher Travis Lakins to Chicago. The Cubs placed Lakins on waivers and he was subsequently claimed by the Baltimore Orioles just ten days after the trade.  

Pereda is a 23 year-old catcher from Venezuela. Mainly seen as a defense-first backstop, he won a Minor League Gold Glove in 2019 after throwing out 33% of base stealers. While he's not known for his bat, Pereda had a solid year at the plate in 2018 when he was a mid-season all-star with high-A Myrtle Beach, hitting .272 with a .710 OPS in 122 games. His offensive stats, especially his slugging, took a dip in 2019 when he hit .241 with a .641 OPS and just a .305 slugging percentage in 98 games with AA Tennessee. 

So, where does Pereda fit in the Red Sox organization? As of today, AA Portland has three catchers on their roster: starter Connor Wong, Austin Rei, and Charlie Madden. While there's a good chance that one of either Rei or Madden won't be in Portland by the start of the season, there still wouldn't be room for Pereda, who the Red Sox would presumably want to play as much as possible. There does, however, seem to be an opening in AAA Pawtucket. Right now, Jonathan Lucroy and Jett Bandy are the only two catchers on the Paw Sox roster. However, there is a strong possibility that Lucroy will be either the main backup catcher in Boston or at least share the duties with Kevin Plawecki. There is also a good chance Lucroy may simply be released if the Red Sox choose not to add him to the big league roster. This gives Pereda the opportunity to share catching responsibilities with Bandy in AAA.

While there may be an opening for Pereda in AAA this season, there are some concerns that he might not be ready for a promotion. He did win an MiLB Gold Glove in 2019, but his advanced framing metrics were not good according to Baseball Prospectus. At the plate, his slugging percentage was lower than his on-base percentage, which is never good. Whether or not 2019 was simply a down year remains to be seen, but it seems like the Red Sox are convinced that he deserves a high-level opportunity.