Free agent catcher Christian Vazquez has agreed to a three-year contract worth $30 million with the Minnesota Twins. According to Pioneer Press’ Betsy HelfandVazquez will replace free agent Gary Sanchez as Minnesota’s starting backstop.
Vazquez, 32, split last season between the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros. 399 (99 OPS+) and in 119 games he hit 9 home runs. In his career, he has scored 85 OPS+ in over 730 contests.
Vasquez becomes the latest featured catcher to change teams. Wilson Contreras signed with the St. Louis Cardinals last week. Meanwhile, on Monday afternoon, the Atlanta Braves completed a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics, including Sean Murphy, William Contreras and Manny Piña.
Vazquez entered the offseason ranked as the 26th best free agent in his class by CBS Sports. Here is the article from that time:
Good catchers are hard to find. Vazquez also followed a midseason trade that sent him to Houston. started only 23 of the remaining 59 games. Don’t hold it against Vasquez, who remains an accomplished defender. He’s an above-average receiver, a strong arm, and one of the fastest transfers in the league. Vazquez also delivers a two-way value, as he’s finished with league-average (or so) offense in three of the last four seasons.
With Vazquez signing, the Toronto Blue Jays will appear to be dominating the capture market. is known.