Red Sox Pluck Catcher From Yankees Farm System In Minors Rule 5 Draft

The Boston Red Sox really tapped into the New York Yankees farm system during the Major League Baseball winter meetings.

The Red Sox on Wednesday selected catcher Mickey Gasper in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Gasper, a New Hampshire native who attended Bryant University, spent 2023 split between Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre of the Yankees’ pipeline.

While this might not be an earth-shattering move for Boston, it’s nevertheless notable because it further connects the Red Sox and Yankees, rivals who rarely deal with each other but were intertwined at the MLB winter meetings. The Red Sox traded outfielder Alex Verdugo to the Yankees on Tuesday night for three pitchers (Greg Weissert, Richard Fitts and Nicholas Judice). And Gasper caught Fitts while with Somerset last season.

The Yankees selected Gasper in the 27th round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He slashed .246/.361/.375 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs in 74 games (266 plate appearances) between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023.

Gasper was the Red Sox’s only selection in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. The Red Sox didn’t select anyone in the major league portion of the draft but acquired Triple-A right-hander Justin Slaten from the New York Mets in a post-draft trade. The Mets selected Slaten from the Texas Rangers.

The Red Sox lost left-hander Shane Drohan and right-hander Ryan Fernandez to the Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively, in the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft.