The Astros hunt for catching help is over, as they announced an agreement Monday night to bring in Christian Vazquez from the Red Sox. Prospects Enmanuel Valdez and Wilyer Abreu are headed to Boston in return.
Vazquez, 31, will now join just the second organization of his career, as he’s been with the Red Sox since being drafted by them in 2008. Since that time, he’s reached the majors and established himself as a solid regular. Though he’s never been an All-Star, Vazquez has played in 407 games for the Red Sox from 2019 to the present, slashing .272/.321/.424 for a wRC+ of 97. If not for a dismal season last year, those numbers would look even better, as he’s posted a wRC+ of 102 or higher in 2019, 2020 and here in 2022. This year, he’s hitting .282/.327/.432, 111 wRC+. Combined with his defensive contributions, he’s produced 6.4 wins above replacement in that four-year stretch, according to FanGraphs.
He and the Red Sox agreed to a three-year extension in early 2018, which came with a club option for 2022. That option was eventually exercised by the club, with Vazquez now just a few months away from reaching free agency for the first time. Boston looked like contenders for much of the season but had a dismal showing in July, going 8-19, dropping to the basement of the AL East and 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. Given all of those factors, the Sox began entertaining offers and evidently found one to their liking.
For the Astros, they’ve been an obvious fit for a catching addition for quite some time, with both Martin Maldonado and Jason Castro struggling at the plate this year. The Astros have shown themselves to be quite fond of Maldonado in terms of his game calling and clubhouse presence, but he’s hit just .173/.239/.342 on the year for a wRC+ of 66. Castro has been far worse, slashing .115/.205/.179 for a wRC+ of just 15. He also landed on the IL a month ago with a knee injury, only increasing the need for reinforcements behind the plate.
The Astros are clear buyers, sitting on a record of 67-36 that gives them a 12-game lead over the Marines in the AL West. Vazquez is the second pick-up of the day, as they also brought aboard Trey Mancini earlier today, bolstering their lineup for the final months of the season and the postseason.
As for the Red Sox, they are in a much more nebulous position, sitting outside the postseason picture but close enough that the season isn’t exactly pushing up the daisies just yet. With their recent slide, questions have been raised about how they will approach the deadline, with many impending free agents that could conceivably be moved if the Sox are willing. Vazquez was one such name, with J.D. Martinez and Nathan Eovaldi among the others. It seems there won’t be a tidy answer, with the club trying to walk a line between buying and selling. Shortly after the Vazquez deal was announced, the club also reportedly acquired impending free agent Tommy Pham from the Reds, but then also reportedly traded Jake Diekman to the White Sox. With less than 24 hours to go until the deadline, there are likely many more moves to come.
In the immediate term, they add a pair of interesting young players to the farm system. Valdez, 23, is an infielder who is having a breakout season in the minors. Splitting his time between Double-A and Triple-A, he’s hit .327/.410/.606 on the year. Based on that showing, he jumped into the Baseball America list of top Astros’ prospects at their midseason update, coming in at #12. Abreu, 23, is an outfielder with a similar helium-backed trajectory. He’s hit .249/.399/.359 for the year, jumping up to the #21 slot in the Astros system in the BA midseason update.
Mark Berman of Fox 26 was first to report the Astros were acquiring Vazquez in exchange for two prospects. Alex Speier of the Boston Globe was first to report the Red Sox were receiving Valdez and Abreu.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Perfect fit
Unlike Christians clothes. Hope they don’t get him on the scale during the physical.
Have to agree @Remove… The picture above (courtesy US Today) has him looking a vision in lemon yellow – yamping the bases like a demented tellytubbie….
Hi nice UK A’s fan! That is one of the most excellent comments I’ve ever seen around here!
His best that I’ve seen.
I was obviously wrong in thinking Bloom would not deal with Houston. Such suggests to me the return has potential. As for Vasquez, he’s a catcher having a very good season. He’s a free agent to be and deserves to see what others think of him. He could even return to Boston after the season. Wouldn’t surprise me.
Thank you @I Astros (above) I can only imagine Vazquez angst when first presented with the new yellow uniform. Wouldn’t be altogether surprised if he requested the trade himself or a crafty ruse in the F.O to move him along a bit.
@Fink – I think you might be confused be with the lunatic fringe (A’sfaninUK) who is mercifully quiet at present – probably chained to something. It comes to something when you have to mute fellow A’s fans.
@Fink – any of you seen NYY Ducky n the board? Much missed.
As for my best – try…
Matt Kemp….
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/07/rockies-to-sign-matt-kemp.html#comments
Got em!!
Thanks Chaim
Great pick up for the Trashros. Since nobody hates the Yankees more then him.
Yankees cheated first. Deal with it you whiney little wimp
That’s like comparing a parking ticket to premeditated murder.
If it was a parking ticket level offence why did they go to court and have the documents sealed so nobody could see them? Probably in an attempt to save face after crying that was the sole reason they lost lol.
Because , like any organization, one doesn’t want negative publicity.
If you think what the Yankees did was comparable to what the Astros did , you’re just not getting it.
Everyone hates the junkees when they cheated to win multiple WS!
Everyone hates the junkees when they cheated to win multiple WS
Cheated to win WS?
If you think the Yankees didn’t do exactly what Houston did I’ve got ocean front property in Arizona to sell you.
Lol you’re obviously not smart enough to own any property so…. Feel free to show me trashcan proof!
Or show me anyone, involved in baseball in any way…. that even bothered to compare the two.
Baseball people, not wacko- clueless fans.
@bass86- whiney little wimp? And your still crying about how you were robbed by a better Mets teams in 1986. Your team was trash back then, and they continue to be so now. You’ll never get over that, fool.
No.. no it’s not.. same end result. Unlike your stupid comparison
You’re right it’s not because the Houston Astros when caught owned it. Cooperated. Confessed. The New York Yankees continue to this day to lie about their role in this scandal and what they did. Don’t think that everyone else in the league isn’t aware of the fact that the main person involved in the Astros cheating scandal came from the New York Yankees the year before and told everybody that they had a lot of catching up to do when it came to stealing signs
You live in a fantasy land. Own it. Your team cheated.
Nobody’s crying about the 1986 NLCS. If that’s the best you’ve got then… You and your Yankees need to work a little bit harder. It’s time to start cheating. Because you can’t seem to win when you’re playing the Houston Astros.
Trashros… hilarious and original… keep up the quality quips.
Junkees cheated!!
Junkees cheated!
I like your loony-bin style chant to yourself, very effective.
Lame
Why is it lame?
Let the sell off begin
Funny….coming a fan of a first place team that sold off their closer today.
If the jays could get that deal the brew crew got for Romano (hometown kid to boot) I’d doo it in a heart beat
Comparing Romano to Hader is some real homer talk
Okay… guys currently a top 5 closer in the league and isn’t a FA until 2026. No he’s not hader but value wise he’d be comparable on the trade market
Why would the jays do that? Lol how would that help them. Trading comparable players for less control. This is why fans would make the worst gms.
So am I asking too much or too little one person saying they’d never get that package and another saying it’s dumb. Personally it makes sense for the jays because they need bullpen arms. For them outside of Romano they don’t have any good late inning power arms. Cimber is their 2nd best reliever and he throws 89.
Hader: 4.24 ERA, 3.47 FIP, 0.6 fWAR, 0.0 bWAR
Romano: 2.33 ERA, 3.07 FIP, 0.8 fWAR. 1.4 bWAR
And Romano pitches in a much tougher division.
Hader has a 6.23 ERA against >=.500 teams.
Romano has a 3.77 ERA against >=.500 teams.
Laaaaaame!
I don’t understand why the Sox are selling one of their most important pieces when they’re only 3.5 out of a wild card. This move makes them a lock to miss the playoffs
I don’t get it either…
It’s 3.5 games out but have you watched them play? Every team in the East is better and we haven’t won a single series in our division. We literally have no chance of getting out of the first round if we were to make the playoffs.
Honestly, though, I will miss Vazquez because I did like the guy a lot.
I liked Vasquez a lot. I hope they try to re sign him as a FA, but they never seemed to value him.
pwndroia: He could be back in Boston next year.
Valid point but I’m not sure that’s Bloom’s intention to bring him back.
We never cared about winning this year. Off-season moves (and lack thereof) prove that
They’ve had an awful month and playoffs aren’t likely but I guess my issue is they have nobody to replace Vazquez with. You can make a better case to trade Eovaldi/JD. But the return is also uncertain at the time of this comment…a solid catching prospect in return would make sense, but I doubt that’s what another catcher-needy team is going to send over
Wong could be good in the future
Wong
Because they’re over the luxury tax and don’t look like a contender whatsoever, really not that hard to get.
Except the trade to acquire Pham adds more money to the luxury tax calc than what they saved from trading Vaz. So no, it’s not about saving money.
6-17 skid, and just how awful they’ve looked for a long stretch just didn’t give Bloom enough confidence going forward this year to make a run at a playoff spot.
Haven’t won a series against any AL East opponent this year, plus they have to leapfrog 4 teams just to get to that 6 seed. Postseason doesn’t mean much to the Sox if they get bounced early. Just a quick retool and reload for 2023
This trade means the Sox want to win this year.
It all depends upon what they got back. If they got a proven starting pitcher who is under control for 4 to 5 seasons I think that’s a really good deal for you guys. Houston has a ton of starting pitching depth right now.
It does depend but I think anything is better than nothing. This would’ve been the guy I wanted to keep out of the trade pieces though. He’s solid.
Because they never planned on winning this year in a serious way. Traded Renfroe, no serious SP moves especially after Sale went down, no attempt to sign Schwarber, no 1st baseman and no closer. Playing a bunch of guys out of position hoping it would work. It didn’t. Disastrous offseason led to a terrible season.
I think we did try to win, just failed at doing it.
Then why no effort to get a guy like Rizzo at 1B? No closer? You really think they had faith in Matt Barnes figuring it out? Even the Story signing looked like desperation.
Said the same thing about Lester
I think Bloom has played the fine line. He manages to buy and sell simultaneously. Not saying it works.
$$$$$ cut payroll, compete perhaps in 2024
Then why no effort to get a guy like Rizzo at 1B?
=========================
Because Dalbec was better than Rizzo last year?
Idk maybe because they had about 4 wins in July and are sinking fast
Even if the Sox somehow won the 3rd spot in the wild card they are toast….look at their record in the AL East and against Houston….They might have a shot against Seattle, Cleveland, or Minnesota because those teams are flawed too and not going anywhere. Management knows this, nobody expected their run last year they know this is regression to the mean. Toronto, New York, Houston, and Tampa are clearly better than them with Baltimore and Seattle looking clearly as good. Sometimes it’s better to call it for what it is and begin building for next year.
Going to miss him! Wish him well.
Maybe he will leave the glitter belt for Plawecki.
Every good team getting better let’s go dodgers
Houston isn’t playing around. looks like it’s the Yankees and Astros and then everyone else
Astros to the World Series. Sorry Yankees !!
I really think it’s the Yankees’ year this year. Dusty Baker is cursed.
Way to dismiss the team that’s actually the best… the Dodgers.
Yah..sooo… I don’t know if you’ve noticed but… Houston making the world series or the Yankees making the world series would not prevent the Dodgers from making the world series since they play in two separate leagues.
LOL!
Dodgers were the best team for six years and have only one World Series win, the one which had an asterisk tacked to it.
I like Christian Vazquez.
You need a good catcher or else you will have alot of passed balls.
Just from watching the sox pretty much every game this year, Vazquez calls a good game and frames ok but he allows alot of stuff to hit the backstop. I could look it up, but won’t, just a gut feeling. He was better in his early days as far as defense, he goes through slumps throwing guys out and isn’t as agile, like most at the position, as he once was. He’s been known more for his offense(streaky), big game experience, and game management more than anything else. Just one man’s opinion
Chaim Bloom should just get a job in AAA. Always enjoyed Vazquez – good luck in Houston.
JD next
Astros shore up their one offensive weakness. Incredible lineup now.
Cf is still pretty weak. However you can’t have two of Yuli, Machete, or Myers/Siri starting in a playoff game. Maldonado is still the starter, I would assume. Probably similar to what they did last year in the playoffs with Castro being the better hitter and finishing the games.
he wont make houstons offense any better, you need to look at his numbers.
I think you need to look at the offensive numbers for the Houston catchers. This is a comparison to what you had and what you got now instead. Pretty much anyone would be an improvement offensively.
He has a 108 OPS+. 8 HR, 42 RBI in a half a season. Have you seen what the rest of the Astros catchers have been hitting?
Specifically the backup position. It was bad.
Maldonado is an automatic out. Vasquez is league average with the bat. That’s a big improvement.
Even if Maldy starts a playoff game, that means you have another solid bat on the bench to pinch hit.
CV – .282/.327/.432/.759, 42 RBI in 294 ab, .814 OPS vs. Left, .739 OPS vs Right, .750 OPS w RISP
MM – .173/.239/.342/.581, 30 RBI in 237 ab, .703 OPS vs. Left, .530 OPS vs Right, .619 OPS w RISP
Compared to what the Astros have yeah he’s a huge upgrade and he’s better defensively also.
Nooo!
JD Martinez next
Noooooooo!!!!!!
Wow big moves wonder who is going to catch for Boston now
They are giving up, so it really doesn’t matter
Plawecki, Wong, and Hernandez I would imagine.
And now Reese McGuire it appears.
Brings “jacked one into the stands” to a whole new level
Good move. He should pair well with Maldonado and can also play some first base.
I’m hoping JD gets moved now. Vazquez I felt was more of a keeper than Martinez or Eovaldi. Hopefully more is to come.
They can always sign him again this off-season if Wong/Hernandez don’t impress.
Isn’t he under control for one more year?
Nope. Rental.
Nope. Impending FA.
Whoa. I was hoping that one wouldn’t happen. Vazquez can be annoyingly good.
Hope Redsox get two good prospects
Who is the catcher to grab in deep fantasy leagues? Does plawecki become everyday starter or a 50/50 platoon with someone?
Plawecki and Wong could split time. Unless they want to bring up Ronaldo Hernandez and see what they have there. He Ks a lot but has great power and a strong arm behind the dish…. unless another shoe drops like Sean Murphy which I doubt
Thank you
The Astros are dealing and the Red Sox are selling! This also leaves the Cubs with one less suitor for Willson Contreras.
Astros were not really in on WC anyways-
Mets or Guardians. Brewers have Catchers to that are availble.
Astros weren’t kidding when they said the price was too high for Contreras and Bell. Take that Rizzo and Hoyer.
Does anyone else remember the ferocious debates about whether Vazquez or Swihart should be the long term catcher of the future?
Gonna miss that guy, he’s an underrated, well rounded player. I was hoping he would get extended a couple years.
Well rounded .. yes at the waist.
I remember ferocious debates about whether Saltalamaccia or Lavarnway was going to be the catcher of the future. I remember thinking Swihart was destined for 1b and Vasquez clearly the superior catcher.
Love that Lavarnway is still chugging at it though. Seems to get the call up for a few games for a different team every year. Must love the game. He’s a Yale guy or something like that if I remember correctly, so I’d imagine he has a fall back.
bye christian, as a red sox fan i can truly say you will be remembered for doing absolutely nothing.
Amanda, stick a sock in it.
Go back to working the streets, Amanda. You have nothing to contribute here with your factless comments.
You might be a little damaged.
Career average is .262. He was a great teammate as well. Abysmal comments on Vasquez Amanda.
why will you miss him? he hits barely 210 every season with at the most 5 home runs, what are you gonna miss when you truly think about it?
He hit a walk off to advance the team to an ALCS appearance, for one. He was the primary catcher for a World Series winner, for two. There’s more but that’s not absolutely nothing…
Take the sox logo off your profile. Your ignorance shows you never have seen Vazquez. Elite pitch caller, elite throwing guys out, pitchers love working with him, great in the community. Solid framer. He’s a .210 hitter? That’s ABSURD ignorance. He’s a career . 260 hitter with a career OPS over .700 as a catcher! And he hit 23 homers in 2019.
Wait, so because she doesn’t know baseball — then she can’t root for the Red Sox?
You Sox fans are an elitist bunch huh?
No, because she talks this way on every Red Sox post. She/he’s a trollll. — To flip that question, because she’s a girl you have to come to her defense?
It doesn’t even have to be about the stats or the accolades. He was the longest tenured Red Sox – he signed as an amateur ***14 years ago*** – he’s one of the core, most well liked members of the clubhouse. Like at any other workplace, those kinds of things are ***not nothing***, and I wouldn’t want to work somewhere where they ***are*** nothing.
He’s a good, underrated player. I hope he wins another ring this year. Maybe there’s a chance he comes back in the offseason. We’ll see.
Even if Amanda’s numbers were accurate, you can like players for whatever reasons you want. Boston *loves* Tacko Fall. Was he the team’s leading rebounder or scorer? It’s okay to like people. Let people like things.
How do you know she’s a girl?
Amanda hugandkiss
DragBunt2 hours ago
Wait, so because she doesn’t know baseball — then she can’t root for the Red Sox?
==================================
She pretty much says something negative about every RS player.
Where do you get your stats? He barely hits .210 every year? I don’t want to be rude or anything cuz you appear to be a woman but that’s just dumb. That is not true. He had a couple of bad years and he also didn’t play a lot those years. I don’t know what happened you probably do. I assume you’re a fan just not a very educated one. I’m thinking maybe he was injured those seasons? Either way when the guy plays he really hits quite a bit better than that. There’s this website called baseball reference.com. Check it out. It has all his stats and will keep you from saying stuff that’s not true.
this is just move 1, god willing by tommorow half the team will be traded
Hate to see him go. Solid. I hope they have a succession plan. He was a good Red Sox player.
Maybe you guys sign Contreras next year. Maybe the Red Sox despite technically being in the playoff hunt right now aren’t your typical playoff team. They don’t really care about making the playoffs. They care about winning world series and maybe they know they don’t have what they need to get that done this year. So they trade a few pieces. Pick up some prospects. Whether to use them or trade them later on to improve a team that they feel good about going all the way with.
1 less team in the Contreras bidding..
um isn’t Boston the last team to go from last place to the WS? So I gotta believe that they will be very competitive next year
All’s you need to know in regards to Boston’s competitiveness next year is they’re going to spend about $250 million on their players. They should be competitive every year with that kind of money being thrown around.
@bass86### they are going to be well below 200 mil in salary for 23. bloom was brought in to get costs under control. This being year three of a five year plan to be fiscally responsible and draft and develop players, I wouldn’t be getting my hopes up that an imminent retool is on the horizon. I hope you’re correct. I have reservations.
I hope I’m not correct. For the record I think it is absolute BS that the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles dodgers spend 250 million dollars a year to pad their roster with top players in a league that’s supposed to be competitive. As an Astros fan who’s had to deal with all the stupid comments about them cheating in 2017 I find it extraordinarily ironic. What is more unfair? I think being able to buy the best players on the market while half the league can’t even get in the front door to make an offer to that player is far more unfair. Far more worthy of condemnation.
Almost all of the teams ahead of the Sox are getting better. Sox have to sell pieces. The only one who SHOULD be off the table is Devers. I think the FO is making a mistake trying to pretend they’re not rebuilding just for propaganda..
Houston been busy damn lol
Never fear Sox fans, your front office just traded for Tommy Phan to replace his production…
Go get that ring Vaz
I’ll take it.
For Red Sox fans: Valdez is in AAA and has plus power – can play all infield positions, but primarily 2B/3B. Abreu has been playing really well at AA with power and speed – an outfielder. These guys are not on any top 100 MLB list but they can play.
it’s official, the Red Sox are idiots.
To help out the team that cheated you out of glory, dear lord. Could there be a bigger insult to their fans?!
What next trade Devers to the Yankees?!
Considering how the Red Sox are currently being run, I finally have the one sentiment I never thought I would have for Sox fans, and that is pity.
What? The Red Sox beat the Astros in the 2018 ALCS and won the World Series.
The Red Sox beat my Stros in 2018, not like your Yanks whom we own by the way. You can live in your fantasy dream world of trash cans beating you while Altuve and Verlander will continue to torment your team. Red Sox fans do not need your pity.
Cheater cheater one title forever tainted, says every other fan base in baseball. Even Correa and Springer get taunted mercilessly
As opposed to living in your fantasy dream world where you play the victim.
Maybe not Devers, but I’ll take Evoldi back lol
How many ships have the Yankees won this decade? Is it the same as the Pirates?
True. But I’m not complaining. I like consistently being in the mix.
Unlike the Sox, who quit as soon as they suffer a few injuries…
The Astros system is not particularly strong right now, so players not even in their top 10 are not great gets. Then again, it’s a two month rental.
Those prospects are having strong seasons with the bat though. I think BOS did well.
so we loose Christian Vazquez is isnt that good in basically anything, and we get 2 excellent prospects, win for us id say
You’ll appreciate Vazquez much more when you see McGuire play.
For two months. We aren’t going anywhere this season anyway.
… is that you, Blake Swihart?
Excellent prospects, lmao
This is a truly pathetic move by the Red Sox. It’s not like they have ANY depth in catching. What the hell? If John Henry and clan believe Red Sox fans will continue to support a team in a sell off mode, they are very disillusioned. They did spend a lot of money on Fenway the past 10+ years or so making it a classy show piece but if you put crap on the field, it won’t matter. I absolutely will not renew my MLB TV package to watch a mediocre team in 2023. I am shocked and pretty po’d. They better take notice before they lose their fan base. We will not tolerate a bad product on the field.
The fans will come back. Pandemic, mookie trade, lester/lackey chicken bone incident, Carl crawford, hanley, panda signings. 99 day lockout. The fans will come back. We’ll even get through the Tommy Pham era. It will not happen next year either. This John Henry inspired direction is cost containment driven. More in tune with fan experience and entertainment value than anything else. It’s long term and home grown and it’s just the beginning. Find a restoration project that you can complete in 18 months and check back in when you’ve completed it. That should be just about the time this team will have any competitive relevance again. sit back, crack a cold one.
Get a grip on yourself. John Henry has won four World Series titles in this century, the best in baseball. His teams have finished last and come back to win a World Series the next year. The fans haven’t left the team and they aren’t about to leave over losing Christian Vazquez.
And by the way, who appointed you leader of Red Sox nation?
hmmm catching position for the astros requires quite the learning curve on that intricate set of signs. sure they’ll provide him a cheat sheet.
Like he said…..”it’s a business”!
OK. Al Avila for A QUARTER BUCKET OF DOOLYS’.
ANY TAKERS?