After Acquiring Diego Cartaya, Should Twins Trade Christian Vázquez or Ryan Jeffers?

On Thursday, the Minnesota Twins made their first splashy (ripply? Breeze-across-a-placid-lake-y?) move of the offseason, acquiring Los Angeles Dodgers catching prospect Diego Cartaya for right-handed pitching prospect Jose Vasquez. A week ago, Cartaya was designated for assignment by Los Angeles to open a 40-man roster spot for recently signed Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) star Hyeseong Kim. Minnesota was proactive and avoided potentially losing Cartaya to another team during the waiver process by shipping a lottery ticket arm in Vasquez, who has yet to pitch in a competitive setting above the Dominican Summer League (DSL).

A consensus Top-20 prospect before the 2023 MLB season, Cartaya's stock has dropped over the last two years. He is no longer a Top-100 prospect on credible rankings, and had dropped to the mid-20s in most Dodgers top prospects lists before the trade. The diminished perception surrounding Cartaya stemmed from offensive struggles in the high minors, evidenced by him hitting .221/.323/.363 between Double- and Triple-A last season. That said, the 23-year-old is an exceptional defensive backstop, causing many to believe he could still generate a respectable MLB career even if he struggles to hit at the major-league level.

Despite not making his MLB debut yet, Cartaya has the defensive prowess to step in as a viable backup catcher immediately. Minnesota already has two starting-caliber catchers on their 26-man roster in Christian Vázquez and Ryan Jeffers, meaning Cartaya is slated to begin the 2025 season at Triple-A St. Paul. That said, things could quickly change.

For the better part of the offseason, those who have speculated and hypothesized which moves the Twins front office could make to accommodate ownership-friendly payroll limitations had been operating under the assumption that the team's payroll was actively hovering around $140 million. Assuming this was the case, the suggestion of trading Vázquez ($10 million) or Chris Paddack ($7.5 million) had become such standard practice that it became the expectation. Many wondered when and where the team would trade Vázquez and/or Paddack—not whether they would do so at all.

However, it is unclear where Minnesota sits in terms of that need to trim money, as a recent report from The Minnesota Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale insinuated the front office may have already met their needs in that regard. Even if they aren't required to cut net salary, though, they still need to part ways with a veteran player. It's the only way to shed the salary necessary to sign a veteran corner outfielder, left-handed reliever, and/or first baseman. That being the case, Vázquez (or his tandem partner Jeffers, who signed a one-year deal for $4.5 million) could be on the way out.

At first glance, Vázquez feels like the obvious candidate. He has one year left on the three-year, $30-million deal he signed before the 2023 season, meaning the veteran backstop’s time in Twins Territory could conclude sooner rather than later. Vázquez is a superb defensive catcher, fresh off posting the 15th-best Defensive Runs Above Average among players with at 700 innings played. However, he has significantly struggled at the plate during his time with Minnesota, hitting .222/.264/.323 with a 63 wRC+ over 670 plate appearances the past two seasons. Most of a catcher’s value resides in his prowess behind the plate and ability to gameplan with starting pitchers, which is why the 34-year-old has been able to carve out a 10-year career despite being offensively deficient. Nevertheless, signs point to Minnesota trading away Vázquez to clear the budgetary space necessary to pursue low-tier free agents like Mark Canha or Austin Hays. That, however, is not the only possibility.

Jeffers, 27, is under contract until the end of the 2027 season. He's blossomed into a terrific slugger for his position, with a stellar 137 wRC+ in 2023 and a 107 mark last season that easily clears the standard for catchers. However, he's far inferior defensively. Last season, Jeffers ranked 100th in the aforementioned defensive metric among players with 700 innings played. (Again, Vázquez ranked 15th.) The 27-year-old particularly struggled with blocking and framing, which are Vázquez’s two greatest areas of strength.

Interestingly, Jeffers has historically generated a quicker pop time and throws the ball harder to second base than Vázquez. While this skill is essential (especially with base stealing on the rise in contemporary baseball), a catcher's ability to manage a pitching staff, block, and frame are insurmountably more critical. Even though Vázquez excels at these ever-important qualities, any argument for keeping him and his bloated, expiring contract over the seven-years younger, $5.5-million cheaper, and vastly offensively superior Jeffers falls flat.

Perhaps, if you're in an optimistic mood, Nightengale's aforementioned report makes any consideration of moving Vázquez or Jeffers moot. If the Twins are already hovering around the ceiling placed upon them by ownership, the front office could ride out the final year of Vázquez's contract and maintain what has been one of the most formidable catching duos in baseball. Doing this would permit Cartaya further time to develop at Triple-A, with hopes of him blossoming into Jeffers's partner in 2026. Also, if Vázquez or Jeffers miss extended time next season (something that didn't happen in 2023 or 2024), Cartaya would function as an intriguing depth piece who could step in as a defensively skilled plug-in until either returns.

Jair Camargo isn't a viable MLB catcher and shouldn't be viewed as anything more than organizational depth. He could easily be designated for assignment later this offseason to make room on the 40-man roster for a veteran free-agent signee or trade acquisition. Mickey Gasper isn't a real catching option and should be viewed merely as an emergency guy, similar to the role Kyle Farmer occupied the previous two seasons. Acquiring Cartaya as a more credible backup option who could blossom into a starting catcher with time was a wise move for a salary-restricted front office. That said, expectations for the one highly-touted prospect's impact on the 2025 team should be tempered as long as Vázquez and Jeffers maintain a spot on the 26-man roster, which seems much more likely after Nightengale's recent report.