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Christian Vázquez was signed during the 2022-23 offseason to a three-year, $30-million contract, which looked like a solid value for a backstop coming off a season in which he hit .274/.315/.399 and was worth 2.1 WAR. Notably, he was brilliant with the Red Sox in the first half of the season (.759 OPS, elite defensive metrics) before falling off after being dealt to Houston at the trade deadline (.585 OPS, middling performance behind the plate).
Nevertheless, he was one of the best catchers on the market, and the Twins made a bet that his sluggish second half in 2022 was an aberration, rather than an omen for what was to come. They gave him one of just three multi-year deals handed out to catchers that winter (Willson Contreras and Yan Gomes being the others), and handed him the starting job out of spring training in 2023.
From there, Vázquez has done the opposite of “running away with” the starting gig, splitting playing time perfectly evenly with Ryan Jeffers in the latter half of 2023 and throughout this year. After posting a -0.5 WAR combined over the past two seasons, he finds himself on the trade block once again.
The Case For Trading Christian Vázquez
Unlike some of the other, more productive players in this series, there aren’t a whole lot of reasons as to why the Twins should want to keep Vázquez. Jeffers, despite some calls to trade him, too, is younger, more productive, and has two years of team control remaining. Vázquez can be a valuable defensive catcher, which is an all-important skill for a backup backstop, but at his $10 million price tag, he just isn’t worth the cheddar for the penny-pinching Twins.
It’s true that Minnesota simply won’t get a lot for Vázquez—this may just end up being a pure salary dump. Nevertheless, the catching market is drier than the Sahara this winter, and Vázquez was well-regarded around the game just a few years ago. With Travis d’Arnaud and Austin Hedges already off the free-agent board, that leaves Kyle Higashioka, who will be 35 years old on Opening Day, and Danny Jansen (.658 OPS in 2024) as the options on the market. Behind them is… Gary Sánchez? Yasmani Grandal (he still plays baseball?)? Suffice to say, it’s a seller's market for catchers, even if that catcher is Christian Vázquez.
Of course, any prospective partner would need to have two things to complete this swap with Minnesota: money and a need for a defensive-minded catcher. Vázquez is both expensive and still solid with the glove, mostly thanks to his 84th percentile skill as a framer. He also possesses above-average pop times and blocked ball rates, giving him the kind of profile that most young catchers don’t have.
Looking at similar trades from the past, it’s easy to see that the Twins won’t make out like bandits in any potential Vázquez deal. Six years ago, the Cleveland Guardians traded a 31-year-old Gomes to the Washington Nationals for Jefry Rodriguez, Daniel Johnson, and a player to be named later (Andruw Monasterio). There’s a reason you haven’t heard those names since.
If you’re willing to go further back, in 2010, the San Francisco Giants traded multi-time Gold Glove winner Bengie Molina (at the trade deadline) for Michael Main and Chris Ray. His brother, José Molina, was traded from the Angels to the Yankees in 2007 for Jeff Kennard. More recently, in 2022, Christian Bethancourt was dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays (from the Athletics) for Christian Fernandez and Cal Stevenson.
Are you starting to get the picture? Even if the Twins do convince a trade partner to part with a prospect or two, they’re going to be nothing more than blind dart throws. Still, the salary relief that will come from offloading Vázquez—as well as any potential developmental benefits with Jeffers taking over full-time behind the plate—will be worth it.
Potential Trade Partners
The Chicago Cubs stand as perhaps the most obvious suitor for Vázquez, what with their need for a veteran partner for Miguel Amaya and the fact they were very likely the runner-up for Vázquez back in ‘22. They have plenty of payroll space to accommodate him, though the Twins could swallow some extra salary to get at a high-upside flier in the Cubbies’ loaded farm system.
The San Diego Padres, who could lose Higashioka in free agency as they focus on retaining players like Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim, would also make sense as a destination for a veteran receiver on a one-year deal. Their pitching staff is loaded with experienced pitchers, including Yu Darvish and Dylan Cease, each of whom would probably prefer to work with an established catcher with proven defensive bona fides. Unlike the Cubs, the Padres don’t have ample room to take on Vázquez, so the Twins would have to be comfortable eating a large portion of his contract.
Elsewhere, the Tampa Bay Rays (looking for an upgrade over Ben Rortvedt), Boston Red Sox (in need of a backup for Connor Wong, drafted Vázquez in 2008), and Chicago White Sox (in need of literally everything) all could call Derek Falvey with an offer. However, each of those teams is facing some fundamental issue—be it payroll concerns, bigger roster needs, or general competitive spirit—that could hamper their interest.
Of course, a mystery team could always enter the mix, but unless Minnesota is really willing to eat a majority chunk of Vázquez’s salary in 2025, the list of suitors will remain limited.
Conclusion
Christian Vázquez has failed to live up to the size and scope of the contract he signed a few years back, and the emergence of Jeffers gives the Twins another option as they shop around the veteran in an attempt to slash payroll this offseason.
Vázquez remains a solidly above-average defensive catcher, which will matter to teams who invest heavily in their run-prevention units like the Cubs, though his miserable, declining bat will keep the Twins from acquiring anything other than a low-level flier in a trade. The best-case scenario for Minnesota is probably having to only eat $1-2 million of Vázquez’s salary next year.
Still, enough teams are in need of a catcher that someone should present a fair offer, once they strike out on signing Higashioka or Jansen in free agency. It won’t do much to help the roster, but a trade of Vázquez should help the Twins free up some valuable space on the payroll.
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- Cory Engelhardt and PatPfund
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