8:08pm: The Diamondbacks and Giants are also in the mix for Vázquez, Abraham reports (on Twitter). The Boston Globe writer also suggests he’s likely to find at least three years and floats the possibility of a four-year pact materializing.
4:07pm: Christian Vázquez is the second-best catcher available in free agency this offseason, the top option for teams not willing to meet a much loftier asking price and surrender a draft choice for Willson Contreras. It’s little surprise the two-time World Series winner is generating a fair bit of attention from clubs, with Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic reporting the Padres, Guardians and Twins are all in the mix. Rosenthal also lists the Cubs and Cardinals — each of whom has been previously linked to the veteran backstop — and the incumbent Astros as teams in the bidding.
None of the new suitors is all that surprising, as they could each stand to upgrade behind the dish. That’s arguably not as pressing a concern for San Diego as it may be for some other teams, as the Friars do have Austin Nola and Luis Campusano as a viable catching tandem. Neither player should necessarily be a roadblock to surveying the market for a team as aggressively motivated to win now as San Diego.
Nola, 33 this month, has spent two-plus seasons in Southern California. He looked like a late-blooming breakout player with the Mariners in 2019-20, leading San Diego to acquire him at the 2020 deadline in a now-regrettable swap that landed Ty France, Taylor Trammell and Andrés Muñoz in Seattle. Nola’s offensive production has dropped off since the trade, and he owns a .254/.327/.348 line in 665 plate appearances as a Padre. That’s fine production for a catcher but it’s not overwhelming, with Vázquez coming off a superior .274/.315/.399 showing. Campusano is a longtime top prospect with a strong Triple-A track record, but he has all of 28 MLB games under his belt.
Pursuing Vázquez could also be a way for the Friars to more indirectly upgrade their roster, as signing a catcher would free them up to market Nola or Campusano in trade talks. The 24-year-old Campusano still has six seasons of remaining club control and would have a fair bit of value on the trade market, able to appeal to win-now clubs and teams with further off contention windows alike. Nola has three seasons of arbitration-eligibility and is projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a $2.2MM salary next season. He’s not as appealing as Campusano but could still attract some attention if the Friars made him available.
The Guardians, meanwhile, are certain to add a catcher this offseason. Austin Hedges hit free agency, leaving the unproven Bryan Lavastida and Bo Naylor as the only backstops on the 40-man roster. Naylor is a highly-regarded prospect, but turning everyday reps behind the dish over to a 23-year-old could be too risky for a team looking to defend their AL Central title. The Guardians have been one of the more frequently mentioned suitors for A’s backstop Sean Murphy, who seems highly likely to be dealt. Vázquez isn’t that caliber of player, but he wouldn’t force the team to surrender any young talent to add him. A highly-regarded game-caller with consistently strong defensive metrics and a plus arm, Vázquez would be a sensible target for a Cleveland team that has prioritized catcher defense.
The Twins have made no secret of their desire to add another catcher to pair with 25-year-old Ryan Jeffers. Both president of baseball operations Derek Falvey and GM Thad Levine have spoken of the appeal of bringing in another catcher capable of starting 100-plus games to take some of the responsibility off Jeffers. They’re not so much trying to supplant their internal catcher as find a strong complement to him. Vázquez would surely qualify, although it’s unclear if the Twins are prepared to offer him as many at-bats as he’d like.
Late in the season, Vázquez suggested to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe he’d prioritize finding a primary job in free agency. A longtime #1 catcher in Boston, he took a bit of a backseat to Martín Maldonado during his final couple months in Houston, starting just 23 games in the season’s final two months.
That desire for playing time would seem to reduce the chances Vázquez ends up back in Houston. Maldonado is under contract for another season and beloved for his ability to work with the pitching staff. The Astros have been wary of usurping him as their top catcher, and Rosenthal suggests they’d pursue a Vázquez reunion as part of a broader playing time split with Maldonado. Houston has been strongly linked to Contreras a few times this winter, with the thought that the longtime Cub’s bat plays well enough he could see extended time at designated hitter or in left field in addition to his time behind the plate. That’s less appealing for a glove-first player like Vázquez, who’s a good hitter for a catcher but a below-average offensive threat compared to players at less demanding positions.
There should be more than enough interest for Vázquez to find a #1 job again if that’s indeed his priority. He also looks in position to land a solid payday, as Rosenthal writes he’s likely to find a three-year commitment. At the start of the offseason, MLBTR predicted the MDR Sports Management client for a three-year, $27MM contract.
Good decision by ‘Guards. They need to pivot away from Murphy who is going to get too high a package for a very good catcher but just a good player. I still think guards should stay in house and get a couple minor league invites for catchers. We got to the playoffs with hedges who couldn’t hit water if he’ll fell off a boat. Their is no catcher available who is an offensive powerhouse and guards need more offensive help than just one player.
As accurate as your statement is there may be another reason for a pivot away. I heard the Rays were in on Murphy and pursuing him. Not too many farm systems will be able to match / top what the Rays can offer with theirs, without completely depleting them.
At this point, I have the Rays as sneaky favorites to land him, the Cards in second.
Covid has pitched to me 4 times. How come I have no offers for catcher?
Beejesus Curly I hope you are kidding haha. I really hope you haven’t got the rona 4x mate!
The Guardians are the second leading favorite to land Vasquez per Las Vegas odds
Clipper… There’s also no other team that can fleece another team like the Rays.
Narvaez seems like the best fit for Cleveland. Damn, I wish they’d have gone with Spiders
Narvaez hits left handed. Bo Naylor hits left handed. They’re already left handed heavy in the lineup. I don’t see the fit.
@Forest City Spiders
Vazquez can also help Bo Naylor speak Spanish! Bo’s been working on the language to better communicate with his Latin teammates.
@Forest City Spiders
Hear, hear! Vazquez will only cost money, and the difference between what he gets over the next three years and what Murphy gets in arbitration is peanuts compared to the dollar value of prospects the A’s are seeking from CLE. Again, this team won 92 games with black holes at catcher, centerfield, and RHH first base, why is anyone desperate to part with decades of control for Sean Murphy? He’s very good, but CLE can get better at catcher in alternative ways. He’s not a Johnny Bench type of difference maker unless you think the A’s would have lost 110 games without him!
Avory;
I know they’d like a veteran catcher that bats RH.
But they have a lot of very good young players, many of whom are going to be there for years and will deserve decent raises. I believe they expect to contend for 5 years (when the new minority owner has an option to buy the team). They need to assure they have enough money for salaries those 5 years.
It’s hard to see them paying a veteran catcher either in cash or prospect capital to pretty much block Bo Naylor…not that he’s guaranteed to work out. I thought they’d resign Luke Maile.
One poster talked about them trading with the Marlins for Jacob Stallings (C) and Garrett Cooper (RH 1B). Wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. I can see them doing something along those lines. McCann of the Mets as a part-time catcher. If it looks like Bo won’t work out they can try for another catcher next year.
You’re probably right about Vazquez the way the market is heading for him.
Wilson Contreras would like to have a word with you.
Astros need to just have Maldonado groom Corey Lee as his successor. Get a legitimate outfielder for when Yordan is not out there. Fielding defense has been as much of a prerequisite in their system as offense has been.
Isn’t Lee a highly touted catching prospect anyway? Forgive my ignorance if that’s untrue, but it seems that’s exactly what the Astros would want to do instead of blowing prospect capital or money on a another contract for a catcher.
He’s their #3 prospect. I totally agree. Offense has come in the form of running a great pitching staff from that position. This would be the perfect opportunity to keep that scenario going for years to come.
They’ve done nothing but make the right decisions regarding personnel, so I don’t doubt they will do what’s best here.
Lee didn’t impress. He went from highly touted to an afterthought much like Pedro Leon. Hope he works hard and becomes the catcher they thought he’d be for 2024 though. Roberto Perez would make a nice platoon for 2023-2024
i doubt the astros will ever pass on catching duties to a young guy. astros will be in win now mode for a while. they won’t risk putting the game in the hands of a rookie. they have money and will spend it on a solid veteran.
Just be honest. Interested simply because they lack the resources to acquire that idiot Murphy.
they have the pieces if they want to get him but why pay that cost for Murphy? No sense for ‘Guards
Phillies signed Trea Turner
Where are the Cardinals on this?
Read the first paragraph.
CyBieber;
Skimmed over it.
Too many times reading the same story.
Luis Campusano come on down, you’re the next contestant on “The Padres can’t develop MLB talent”
It is strange how long he’s been ‘the catcher of the future’. At some point you either have to go with him or trade him, but it seems way overdue. They did similar with Hedges iirc.
The Padres (and lots of teams in general) are way more concerned with getting a catcher that can hit than they should be. Even before Campusano they tried making the Mejia square peg fit in the round hole. Obvious hesitation to give these guys the full time job, and it’s pretty easy to see. They suck at actually playing catcher.
Nola seems to have developed himself into a pretty good catcher, Very curious to see if they try to shove him aside for another offense first “catcher”
Have to keep Nola – he brings his brother Aaron to SD next year so he can catch him every 5 days as opposed to batting against 1-2 times / year.
What brothers wouldn’t go for that –
Padres will need him, Snell’s money drops (I know that’s only part of it).
He’s the player I want most right now.
1. We need a better catcher than Stassi
2. We need a platoon partner for Walsh
3. Walsh might be toast.
For one guy to to be able to help I’m 3 ways, he’s valuable here.
Feels like that’s what Urshela is going to do.
Vasquez is a huge upgrade to C. I’d leave him there.
Trey Mancini wouldn’t be a bad addition either to cover 1B platoon and a corner OF slot in a pinch but they’re dropping $10MM on Urshela so that feels like a no:
I see Urshela as both Rendon and Walsh insurance.
Vasquez catching is ideal.
HalosHeavenJJ;
The Angels just traded a starting CF – incredibly hard to find – for
a ML-ready young catcher.
Very much doubt their going to sign a free agent catcher for 2-4 years.
It takes 2-3 catchers to get through a year.
The Angels chronic problem is a lack of depth. Once one player goes down he’s replaced by a replacement or worse player.
It won’t happen but Vasquez would catch a few days, play first vs a lefty and occasionally DH vs a lefty in my plan, leaving plenty of time for O’Hoppe.
Logan O’Hoppe could be the real deal – hated to lose him in the Marsh trade, even though Marsh is a real upgrade for the Phils with some upside if they can work on his approach at the plate. Logan is a very good defensive catcher with all of the prerequisites to become a terrific game manager / pitcher whisperer. And his bat appears to have considerable upside at this point. Watched him play quite a few times and really wanted him to be the backup to JTR starting next season. Angels might have a really terrific anchor.
I hope so. Looked good here.
O’Hoppe may become a very good catcher and he will still only be behind the plate 90-100 games. Signing Vazquez brings in a veteran presence who is good with the bat. It gives the Angels much needed quality depth and versatility.
Stassi is done. He has had his bell rung one too many times.
Vasquez is fine but isnt really an improvement on Nola or Campy. Pads like to go into season with 3 catchers though so maybe it makes sense.
There are enough Alfaro’s out there for organizational depth at catcher that bringing on a relatively expensive Vazquez on a multi-year deal is not an ideal solution for the Padres at backup catcher.
Vazquez and Nola are extremely close on offense and Vazquez’s only advantage on defense is in pitch framing which will not be a very valuable skill starting in 2024. Campusano has a better bat than either of them.
This one doesn’t make sense unless the Padres have already packaged Nola in a trade.
Vazquez throws out base runners at a significantly higher rate than Nola, too which will be extremely important next season
It’s time for Padres to play Campusano at the MLB level. He has nothing left to prove in AAA, they should let him go into the season and split time with Nola.
I’m assuming the plan if they signed Vasquez would be to trade Campusano for another need like pitching or OF help, but why not just sign a pitcher or OF instead and keep Campusano? At a certain point they need cost controlled pieces with how many big contracts they’ve given out. 6 years of control on Campusano is a lot of time.
Padres have no DH so Camp could DH If they sign a catcher. 40 man sits at 34 right now.
Not a given that there is a trade.
A lot of Camusano’s value comes from positional fit since catcher is offensively weak.
Fangraphs projects him for a .246/.308/.410 line, which would an OPS of .718 and that plays great behind the plate, but it’s not enough to DH.
There’s other options available for DH who can provide more offensive output. Even if Campusano isn’t considered a great defensive catcher, his ability to play the position shouldn’t be wasted DHing either.
Campusano needs to play every day Hitting is a rhythm and timing dependent activity. Playing once a week won’t help him develop.
Put that kid in the lineup daily like they did in El Paso either behind the plate or at DH and see how he does. His stats after the Padres called him back up in August are much more indicative of his promise as a hitter. From that and watching him play quite a bit in the minors, I think he will have a breakout season as long as he gets to play regularly.
Twinkies “have interest” in EVERY Single Free Agent,
Until the player’s agent starts talking contract terms.
Then they scream poverty, small market team and
the “El Cheapo” Pohlad family has mislaid the keys to the family war chest of loot.
The team then tells their fans, “We Tried”
True all that but there’s an “in” with the PR community.
Are the Padres NOT interested in anyone according to the MLB insiders? Next we are going to hear they are interested in Judge and Contreras?
Nola is pretty much Vazquez in terms of offensive performance and he is a whole bunch cheaper than Vazquez will be. He is also Darvish’s chosen catcher.
Unless they are planning to trade Nola, this makes no sense for them.
Yeah and darvish had a different chosen catcher last year. Means nothing
breaking news, “Padres interested in entire league”
Is Preller just throwing everyone off by attaching the Padres to every position that we don’t need…? SS and now catcher…? How about 1B, LF and pitching…? Nola and Campusano is a good combo. Only reason I see any interest in Vasquez for the Padres is if Preller is dangling Campusano out there. I know Preller looks at building his club in multiple ways so maybe he’s close in making a trade possibly for someone like Bryan Reynolds for Campusano, Azocar and some prospects…? Otherwise, we don’t need another catcher.
Vasquez would be an enormous upgrade for the Twins but I doubt they will do much signing until they find out whether Correa will re-sign.
Hey Anthony! Don’t compare multi-year stats to single season stats. And don’t compare stats that are not park adjusted. That is totally misleading and not something a writer on a baseball site should be doing. Compare apples to apples.
Offensive production 2021 and 2022
A – .258/.327/.344/.671 and a 95 OPS+ and 93 wRC+
B – .265/.311/.374/.685 and a 87 OPS+ and 87 wRC+
Which one is better offensively over the last 2 seasons? Dang close when you compare apples to apples, isn’t it?
Tough one for the Guardians. Do they drop all their money on Judge or Vasquez…
Vasquez will be a Cardinal.
One thing Mark Shapiro taught Chris Antonetti was how to play the press in the off-season. No team ‘kicks as many tires’ as Cleveland. No team misses out on as many big name players as Cleveland. But, they got that big haul with Nick Swisher and Michael Bourne that one time.
And with that compensation pick for swisher the Yankees got judge, so we sure missed biting that bullet thank god.
@basquiat
.
Cheap shot. Just another thing every single fan base says about their team, but you actually think is clever because it’s applied to Cleveland.
Hardee-har-har. Oh, what a knee-slapper.
Hope he does well in FA. He’s a great clubhouse presence for sure.
I would love to see where Vazquez ends up. Houston will not use Lee. They will get someone. Verlander is gone so maybe someone and move Maldy to back up as he is a free agent after upcoming season. Curious where Contreras will end up even. Guess will see in next day or two what will fall. Judge, Nimmo, Contreras, Correa, Swanson, Rodon, Benitendi of names out there