It’s the Red Sox’ biggest strength as an organization, and it might be baseball’s most glaring deficiency.

The pool of talented major league catchers who can both handle the grueling defensive duties and swing the bat with some authority hasn’t been this shallow in years.

Buster Posey was the only catcher to be worth at least 4.0 WAR this season while the total value of catchers combined to be worth just 57.4 WAR, the lowest total since 2007, according to FanGraphs. Major league catchers posted a collective .678 OPS, the lowest it’s been since 1992.

Many teams have begun totally punting the position from an offensive standpoint. Defensive-minded catchers like Sandy Leon, who the Red Sox deployed as the backup for much of the season, are becoming the norm. While Leon’s .439 OPS might’ve been considered detrimental to the team 10 years ago, his ability to read hitters’ swings, frame pitches and throw out baserunners made him a major league player.

And he wasn’t alone. There were 18 catchers who recorded at least 100 plate appearances this season while posting an OPS below .600.

Major league teams are simply no longer willing to risk the health of players capable of providing offense. Not only is it demanding on the knees, but the risk of contact injuries remains strong, despite the elimination of the collision play at home plate. More and more of the league’s best-hitting catchers are now changing positions or moving into a two- or three-man catching rotation in order to stay healthy.

It’s why the Red Sox will have such a difficult decision this winter, as they figure out what to do with Blake Swihart, the rookie backstop who was summoned in early May and finished with the highest batting average among American League catchers (min. 200 plate appearances) at .274.

Swihart had to learn how to catch a major league staff, a long and grueling process that no contending team hopes to oversee during a playoff season. But once he became comfortable behind the plate, his offensive results improved.

He isn’t expected to hit more than 10-15 home runs per season, but many believe his switch-hitting approach will help him become a perennial .300 hitter.

The Red Sox have other options behind the plate, with Christian Vazquez expected to make a full recovery from Tommy John surgery, Ryan Hanigan entering his 10th year as one of the most trusted backup catchers in the game and Leon capable of lending a hand defensively.

When it comes to catching, the Red Sox are loaded.

What went wrong

Vazquez hoped for the best, but the Red Sox feared the worst when his right elbow began hurting in spring training. The 25-year-old had spent most of his childhood in Puerto Rico catching and throwing from a pitching machine and the wear-and-tear on his powerful right arm had finally become too much.

Unfortunately, he might’ve been the most irreplaceable player on the roster. The Red Sox scrambled to fill his spot, acquiring Leon from the Nationals shortly before the season began, but it’s hard to replace a player many in the organization feel could be the best defensive catcher in the majors.

He reads swings, frames pitches, controls the running game and can even hit a little bit, though his numbers haven’t reflected that yet.

The Red Sox had an inexperienced pitching staff that was going to rely on Vazquez to guide them through opposing lineups. Turning to Hanigan, a trusted veteran, wasn’t much of a downgrade. But Hanigan lasted just one month before his blue-collar style of play led to a broken hand and the Red Sox were in trouble.

What went right

Swihart was supposed to spend the season in Triple-A Pawtucket, but was called up on May 2 to make his major league debut. He went 1-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk.

It was immediately evident Swihart wasn’t going to be like most catchers. He could run well and was quick and athletic behind the plate.

His bat finally came around, too, and the final result was a 1.5 WAR player who ranked as the 18th-most valuable catcher in the majors, despite registering just 309 plate appearances.

The Red Sox had a 4.51 ERA when throwing to Swihart, a 4.59 mark when throwing to Hanigan and 3.50 when throwing to Leon. They had a 3.71 ERA when throwing to Vazquez in 2014 (keep in mind: Jon Lester, John Lackey and Jake Peavy were no longer on the team during the majority of Vazquez’ starts).

What to do

Are the Red Sox better off with three catchers to protect themselves? Are they confident enough in Vazquez, Hanigan and Leon to consider parting ways with Swihart as they search for an ace this winter?

If the Sox have money to spend, the easy solution is to keep all their catchers and sign a No. 1 pitcher. If they don’t, Swihart might be the most valuable and expendable trading chip.