Red Sox trade rumors: Boston shopping Ryan Lavarnway

The Red Sox have made catcher Ryan Lavarnway available, according to CSN New England's Sean McAdam. The club has veterans A.J. Pierzynski and David Ross manning the plate at the major league level and Christian Vazquez and Daniel Butler at Pawtucket, so Lavarnway has become expendable.

The 26-year-old has seen some time at first base as well, however, he is most valuable as a catcher.

He hit .299/.329/.429 last season in 82 plate appearances.

Lavarnway was once considered the future at catcher for the Sox, but after a disappointing start to his career -- .208/.258/.327 batting line in 291 plate appearances -- it appears as though the club is willing to move on.

Vazquez looks like the future now, and with good reason. He has a lightning fast pop time -- 1.77 seconds. It's actually "about as fast as humanly possible," according to some, so the Red Sox are understandably optimistic. They also Blake Swihart in their system, and the veteran depth at the top makes Boston's catching situation a strength.

To be fair to Lavarnway, 291 plate appearances is not enough to get a good idea of what kind of hitter he can be. However, an American League evaluator told McAdam that "most teams now see him as a No. 3 catcher. He could play a little first and DH, and be available if you needed someone behind the plate."

Lavarnway's slight versatility could be helpful for Boston as they shop him around, but they might not be able to find a trade partner who values him as much as they do.