On Monday, it was confirmed that Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez will serve as the catcher for Team Venezuela at the upcoming World Baseball Classic, to be played in March of 2026.

Perez will be a leader on a Venezuelan team that figures to be very strong and could include the likes of Ronald Acuna Jr., Eugenio Suarez, Anthony Santander, Andres Gimenez and Jose Altuve.

However, his decision to play again could have an impact on one member of the Boston Red Sox: Catcher Carlos Narvaez.

The Narvaez file

Now 26 years old, Narvaez was acquired last offseason from the New York Yankees, and he became a big part of why the Red Sox advanced to the American League playoffs for the first time since 2021.

He hit .241 with 15 home runs in 118 games, also smacking 27 doubles and bringing in 50 runs. He became one of the better hitting catchers in the American League and would make for a nice addition to Venezuela's roster.

About the WBC rosters

It should be noted that Venezuela carried three catchers during the last WBC, which was played in 2023.

The question at hand

Each year, the World Baseball Classic gives certain players a dilemma. For Narvaez, does he want to potentially represent his country, but serve in a clear backup role? Or, does he want to get consistent at-bats and consistent work with the pitching staff, especially knowing that he'll enter the 2026 season as the Red Sox starter at the position?

Other choices for Venezuela

Assuming Venezuela carries three catchers again, they will have options to choose from: Narvaez, William and Willson Contreras are all from Venezuela. Both the Contreras brothers are All-Stars, though Willson doesn't catch much anymore for the St. Louis Cardinals.

William is one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball, as he hit .260 with 17 home runs this past season. He's a two-time Silver Slugger.

Other Red Sox and the WBC

This is certainly informed speculation, but all of the following players have been linked to the WBC already OR would make ideal candidates for their nations.

--Garrett Whitlock, Team USA (P) COMMITTED

--Garrett Crochet, Team USA (P)

--Trevor Story, Team USA (SS)

--Marcelo Mayer, Team Mexico (INF)

--Wilyer Abreu, Team Venezuela (OF)

--Ceddanne Rafalea, Team Netherlands (OF)

--Jarren Duran, Team Mexico (OF)

--Masataka Yoshida, Team Japan (OF/DH)

--Brayan Bello, Team Dominican Republic (P)

It should be noted that Yoshida and Duran played in the last WBC, and it should also be noted that there's a chance neither player is on the Red Sox roster come spring training. As noted by Chris Cotillo of MassLIVE and Shawn Spradling, Aroldis Chapman has also expressed interest in playing for Team Great Britain.

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