Ryan Lavarnway’s absurd offseason adventure continues
Just before Christmas we alerted you to the already absurd offseason Ryan Lavarnway was experiencing. After spending each of his six seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization, the veteran backup catcher ended up changing uniforms three times in a span of 18 days, before ending up on the Baltimore Orioles 40-man roster on Dec. 23.
It’s a remarkable travel log that we examined in greater detail three weeks ago, but here’s the cliff notes version.
• Designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox on Nov. 25 to make room for Pablo Sandoval.
• Claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Dec. 5.
• DFA’d by the Dodgers on Dec. 11 after acquiring catcher Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes in separate trades.
• Claimed by the Chicago Cubs on Dec. 19.
• Waived by the Cubs within hours after signing David Ross.
• Claimed by the Baltimore Orioles on Dec. 23.
While the holidays served as a reprieve of sorts for Lavarnway and his family, his wild journey was meant to continue. On Friday, he was designated for assignment by Baltimore, meaning they’ll have 10 days to trade, release or place him on waivers with the hope of keeping him and sending him to the minors. In all likelihood, he’ll be moving on again, leaving him to hope the fifth team will finally be the charm.
While playing in the big leagues come with its share of perks, it also comes with more unpredictability and less stability for guys like Lavarnway, who are often on the roster fringe. Case in point, we speculated that Lavarnway would have a decent chance to stick around in Baltimore with the status of catcher Matt Wieters still in limbo following Tommy John surgery. Then the Orioles went out and signed another veteran catcher in J.P. Arencibia to a minor-league deal on Wednesday and officially added Delmon Young back to the roster on Friday, meaning Lavarnway was the low man on the totem pole once again.
As for prospective suitors, catchers are a little like relief pitchers in that teams are always looking to add depth. According to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks are actively seeking a veteran in a trade. That could be a fit for Lavarnway to be paired with one of Arizona’s young catchers, though they’re probably looking for an option with a career line better than Lavarnway’s .201/.249/.315.
There will definitely be another team and another opportunity for Lavarnway. For his sake, though, let’s hope the next one lasts long enough for him to relax and enjoy a few weeks of his offseason, and also prove that he belongs.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
