The Boston Red Sox should be all set behind the plate thanks to the addition of Adley Rutschman, but it sounds like the club is at least considering adding another backstop.

If the 2027 season began today, Rutschman would be Boston's starter and Connor Wong would likely still be the backup. If not Wong, then the next option would be veteran Riley Adams, who landed with the organization already this offseason. Still, it sounds like the Red Sox aren't leaving any stone unturned and the New York Post's Jon Heyman called Boston a "surprise pursuer" for free agent catcher Ryan Jeffers.

"The Red Sox are a surprise pursuer of star free agent catcher Ryan Jeffers since they just traded for star catcher Adley Rutschman," Heyman wrote.

On Wednesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan called the idea of signing Jeffers the "perfect transaction" for Boston to make this offseason.

What Should Boston Do?

So, two prominent insiders have at least mentioned Jeffers' name for Boston, but that arguably shouldn't be the case. The biggest reason for this is the fact that he has the qualifying offer attached to him. If he declines it and signs elsewhere, then the team that lands him will lose a draft pick. Boston absolutely shouldn't lose itself a draft pick to sign an expensive backstop who isn't even better than the one that Boston has in Rutschman. Jeffers is a good player. In 2026, he slashed .256/.353/.461 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs in 92 games played.

If the Red Sox want to bolster the backup catcher position, someone like Gary Sanchez, Kyle Higashioka or even Austin Hedges would make sense. There's going to be competition out there for Jeffers. So, his price tag likely won't end up being cheap by the time all is said and done. Plus, again, the team that signs him will lose a draft pick. The only reason it would make any sense to target Jeffers is if he would get significant time as a designated hitter. But even if that is the case, there are better offensive options out there, like Seiya Suzuki.

The Red Sox have been a bit unpredictable when it comes to adding to the roster under president of baseball operations Craig Breslow. The deal to acquire Rutschman, for example, came as a shock. So nothing can be truly ruled out at this moment. But Boston should steer clear of Jeffers.