MLB Rumors: Red Sox Get Minor League Catcher From Cubs

The Boston Red Sox have acquired Jhonny Pereda from the Chicago Cubs, the player involved in that past January trade involving Travis Lakins. The 23-year-old was hailed as a Gold Glove Award from Rawlings but is not on the 40-man roster of the Red Sox.

At Double-A last season, the Venezuelan catcher threw out 44 of 88 potential base stealers and had a .996 fielding percentage in 85 games, the Chicago Tribune reported. He also holds a .248 batting average in seven minor-league seasons.

Pereda was once ranked as the Cubs' no. 26 prospect and was seen as a potential backup catcher with some offensive promise. Unfortunately, things did not work out well between him and the Cubs. Chicago was hoping to get some mileage out of Lakins by passing him off waivers and then trying to retain him without committing to a 40-man roster spot. All those plans went up in smoke when the Baltimore Orioles claimed the 25-year-old pitcher just 10 days after he was acquired. Lakins is now part of the Orioles 40-man roster.

Even with the departure of Pereda, Chicago has plenty of minor league catching options. Among the ones on their end include Miguel Amaya and international signees Ronnier Quintero and Brayan Altuve.

As for the Red Sox, another concern would be the plight of some players moving forward. With the 2020 MLB season on shallow water, the future of five players set to hit free agency will be interesting. The players are Jackie Bradley Jr., Brandon Workman, Kevin Pillar, Collin McHugh and J.D. Martinez. Of the names mentioned, Martinez holds an option to opt-out of his deal, Masslive.com reported.

What makes their cases a bit complicated is if the MLB would be forced to cancel the season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Like other sports leagues, talks need to be held to address compensation and their current deals.

According to the New York Post, one of the union's recent proposal is that players would receive full-service time for the 2020 season for as long as they reach certain time criteria in 2019. The initial plan was at least 60 days of service. MLB countered that a full-service year (normally 172 days) would be credited for 130 games or more and that after that players would receive credit for actual days played.

If the season would be reduced to 110 days, players would get the 110 days of service. If this were the case, the players mentioned would be eligible to hit free agency. For his part, Martinez can choose to opt-out of his contract for the second straight offseason in a row.

This is just one of the issues that the MLB has to face due to the COVID-19 problem. Further discussions are expected as teams and players try to figure out what the future holds for them during these trying times.