Diamondbacks in contact with Wieters, reportedly asked about Swihart
The Arizona Diamondbacks shed Welington Castillo's salary from the books earlier this winter, but don't rule them out of making a play for the best remaining free-agent catcher.
Matt Wieters has drawn interest from Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen, and could be an option for the club
"Anyone still left on the market makes sense in some circumstances," Hazen told Nick Piecoro of azcentral sports. "Matt's a really good player and a good leader. We've kept up on everybody on the catching market."
Wieters had spent his entire eight-year career with the Baltimore Orioles before hitting free agency this winter. The four-time All-Star hit .243/.302/.409 with 17 home runs, 17 doubles, and 66 RBIs in 124 games.
The Diamondbacks GM has also reportedly expressed interest in a pair of catchers from his former club, the Boston Red Sox. Hazen inquired about both Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart, though sources tell Piecoro that the Red Sox are unlikely to deal either player.
Both Vazquez and Swihart will head into spring training competing for the Red Sox starting catching job with Sandy Leon. Vazquez underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015 - Wieters underwent the same surgery in 2014 - while Swihart missed the final three months of last season after suffering an ankle injury while playing the outfield.
The Diamondbacks currently project to have Chris Herrmann and Jeff Mathis as a platoon pairing behind the plate.