The Boston Red Sox have made their first big move of the 2022 trade deadline.
And it’s certainly a ‘sell’ move from Chaim Bloom, as the team has sent Christian Vazquez to the Houston Astros in exchange for two minor-league prospects. Word of the Vazquez trade was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
The Houston Astros are finalizing a deal to acquire catcher Christian Vázquez from the Boston Red Sox, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 1, 2022
The Red Sox are playing in Houston tonight, so Vázquez presumably will just walk around the stadium to join his new teammates. And the Sox's sale begins.
A career-long Sox talent, Vazquez has spent eight years with Boston, and departs the organization in the midst of one of his best seasons, with a .282 average to go with eight home runs and 42 RBIs in 84 games.
Vazquez ranked second among all catchers in batting average (minimum 290 at-bats), his 20 doubles were tied for the second-most among catchers, and his 42 RBIs, meanwhile, were the fourth-most among all catchers in 2022.
The 31-year-old Vazquez, who will be a free agent at the end of the year, was the team’s starting catcher during their 2018 run to a World Series championship over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The trade will also see Vazquez play the role of 2004 Doug Mientkiewicz, as the Red Sox are in Houston for a series, meaning Vazquez will simply walk down the hall to join his new team. It appears that word of the trade became known to Vazquez while he was taking batting practice with his teammates prior to Monday’s meeting at Minute Maid Park.
Christian Vàzquez just went out to stand with Xander Bogaerts, his best friend on the team. pic.twitter.com/DvzYegZsEk
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) August 1, 2022
Here he is walking in after finding out. Consoled by Matt Barnes pic.twitter.com/3FAHZs4DBK
— Julian McWilliams (@byJulianMack) August 1, 2022
As for the return on Vazquez, the prospects coming back to Boston are infielder Enmanuel Valdez and outfielder Wilyer Abreu, according to a report from The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
Going to the Red Sox in the Vazquez deal, per sources: Enmanuel Valdez and Wilyer Abreu.
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) August 1, 2022
The 23-year-old Valdez has split his time between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land, and has hit .327, and posted a 1.016 OPS, along with 21 home runs and 77 RBIs in 82 games this season.
Abreu, meanwhile, has hit .249 with 15 homers and 54 RBIs in Double-A this season.
Valdez and Abreu were listed as the 12th and 21st-best prospects in the Astros organization in their last update.
With Vazquez out of the picture, Kevin Plawecki and the freshly-acquired Reese McGuire will presumably split duties behind the plate for the Red Sox.
Click here for 98.5 The Sports Hub’s complete coverage of the Red Sox.
Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.
