Boston Red Sox Acquire Catcher Tyler Heineman in Trade With New York Mets
The New York Mets have traded catcher Tyler Heineman to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations, the teams announced Friday afternoon.
New York designated Heineman for assignment on Tuesday, two months after they acquired him off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays.
To make room for Heineman on their 40-man roster, the Red Sox have designated right-handed pitcher Max Castillo for assignment.
Heineman has been on his fair share of teams over the years, starting with when the Houston Astros drafted him out of UCLA back in 2012. Starting with when the Milwaukee Brewers purchased his contract in 2017, Heineman was on a new team every single year.
The catcher was a member of the Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies from 2017 to 2021, but he only logged five MLB appearances with the Marlins and 15 with the Giants in that span. Heineman returned to the big leagues in 2022, appearing in 10 games for the Blue Jays before the Pittsburgh Pirates nabbed him off the waiver wire.
Heineman played 52 games for Pittsburgh to round out that season, plus an additional three contests early in 2023. The Blue Jays re-acquired Heineman via trade in April, and he made 19 appearances in Toronto over the course of the season.
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In 104 career games, Heineman is a .218 hitter with one home run, 15 RBI, a .579 OPS and a 0.5 WAR. The 32-year-old is a defensive specialist behind the plate, boasting five defensive runs saved and a 0.8 defensive WAR in his limited taste of MLB action.
As for his track record in the minors, Heineman is a .276 hitter with a .752 OPS in 689 career Triple-A games.
Boston was set to enter 2024 with a platoon of Connor Wong and Reese McGuire at catcher, as they did in 2023. McGuire was banged up for long stretches of last season, however, so bringing in Heineman gives the Red Sox another backup option if injuries plague the veteran again this year.
At worst, Heineman has proven he can serve as a reliable hitter and backstop for Triple-A Worcester.
