While the Boston Red Sox remain interested in free agent catcher Brian McCann, the cost to sign him will likely be too high for the team's tastes, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
Brian McCann free agency: Price tag too high for Red Sox?
McCann is expected to receive a big contract as a free agent and may be too rich for Boston’s blood.
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McCann, the best backstop on the free agent market, is expected to command a deal between roughly $75-100 million over five or six years. The Red Sox were an obvious candidate to sign McCann as their own starting catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, is a free agent and Boston does not appear overwhelmingly eager to re-sign him.
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Instead, the Red Sox may turn their attention to Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz, 34, is likely to receive a two or three year deal at a much lower average annual value than McCann. He is likely to be cheaper than Saltalamacchia, too. In addition, Ruiz may well be a better defensive player than any other catcher on the market. Despite a down year at the plate in 2013, he has shown a good ability to get on base in the majors and hit .290/.380/.448 from 2009-2012.
Ruiz has already received some attention on the free agent market with many teams seeing him as a cheaper alternate that is still an upgrade to many catchers around the league. The Rockies, in particular, have stated that they plan on making Ruiz a multi-year offer this week.
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