Boston Red Sox veteran catcher Christian Vazquez has been on the trade block for some time now. Despite this, he joined the rest of his team to start a series against the Astros in Houston on Monday.
At least, that’s what Vazquez thought. Less than 24 hours before the MLB trade deadline and fewer than two hours ahead of the opening pitch in Houston, Vazquez has switched teams. Literally.
The veteran was reportedly traded from Boston to Houston Monday evening. You read that right. He’s going to go from the visitors clubhouse to the home team’s clubhouse. In fact, the World Series champion was pulled away from reporters by Red Sox’ officials as they attempted to confirm the trade. The scene was surreal inside Minute Maid Park.
As for the trade itself, Houston adds another big-name player to the mix mere hours after it acquired Trey Mancini from the Baltimore Orioles in a three-team trade.
Related: Updated MLB trade rumors
Christian Vazquez gives the Houston Astros a veteran backstop
Current starting Astros catcher Martin Maldonado is hitting a mere .173 with a .581 OPS on the season. Backups Jason Castro (.115 average) and Korey Lee (.160) haven’t been any better. Needless to say, Vazquez is a major upgrade here.
- Christian Vazquez stats (2022): .282 average, 8 HR, 42 RBI, .759 OPS
An impending free agent and a member of the Red Sox 2018 World Series champion team, Vazquez will now join an Astros squad that has championship aspirations of its own.
In return from Houston, the Red Sox were able to acquire two top-30 prospects from the Astros’ farm system.
That includes infielder Enmanuel Valdez (28th) and outfielder Wilyer Abreu (29th). Valdez is currently in Triple-A and has smashed minor league pitching this season. In between Double-A and Triple-A, the 23-year-old has hit .327 with 21 homers, 77 RBI and a 1.016 OPS in 82 games. Abreu has hit 15 homers while sporting an 858 OPS in Double-A.