The Boston Red Sox have quite a bit of work to do in the offseason after a last-place finish in the American League East, and they have shown interest in trading for Oakland A's catcher Sean Murphy.

The initial report emanates from Boston Globe columnist Alex Speier, and the move would appear to make sense for the Red Sox. They traded starting catcher Christian Vazquez to the Houston Astros at the trade deadline.

The 28-year-old Murphy demonstrated great durability last year for the A's, playing in 148 games and making 612 plate appearances. Murphy had a slash line of .250/.332/.426 while hammering a career-high 18 home runs and driving in 66 runs.

After Vazquez was traded to the eventual World Series champions, the Red Sox split the catching duties between Reese McGuire and Connor Wong. Both catchers performed well in the final months of the season, but neither projects as a starting catcher. McGuire slashed .337/.377/.500 in 97 at bats with the Red Sox.

The Red Sox face several questions as they prepare for the 2023 season, including the status of free agent shortstop Xander Bogaerts. They have professed a desire to keep him on the team, but negotiations have not been fruitful to this point.

Finding a slugging first baseman and a corner outfielder with power may also be among their top priorities.

Sean Murphy has shown improvement throughout his four big-league seasons. The 6-3, 228-pound receiver would seemingly be a good fit at Fenway Park with his right-handed power. His presence would fill a key hole in the Boston lineup.