The Houston Astros are finalizing a trade that would land them Christian Vazquez of the Boston Red Sox. According to ESPN. The Astros were previously linked to Chicago Cubs backstop Wilson Contreras, among others, looking for an upgrade behind the plate over Martin Maldonado and Corey Lee. The Red Sox hope to get two minor leaguers.infielder Emmanuel Valdez and outfielder Villar Abreu in exchange.
In a strange coincidence, the Red Sox are set to take on the Astros starting Monday night. Vázquez, then, just needs to change clubhouses before the game.
Vázquez, 31, is an incoming free agent. He batted .282/.327/.432 (108 OPS+) with eight home runs in 84 games with the Red Sox. Historically, he has been considered an above-average fielder in both framing and throwing. Statcast’s framing metric has him a hair below average this season, for whatever that’s worth.
Vázquez is the second notable addition the Astros made to their roster on Monday. Earlier in the afternoon, Houston acquired first baseman Trey Mancini as part of a three-team trade with the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays. The Astros, who entered Monday with a 12-game lead in the American League West, are in no danger of losing their grip on the division. However, it’s clear that James Click and company are looking to upgrade the place where they can before a potential World Series run.
As for the Red Sox, they entered Monday in last place in the AL East at 51-51. Chaim Bloom’s team may be only 3 1/2 games back in the wild-card race, yet it appears he’s willing to trade incoming free agents if the return is true.
Valdez, 23, is hitting .296/.347/.560 in 38 Triple-A games this season. Baseball America recently ranked him. as the 12th-best prospect in the system, noting that he has a “best first-base profile.” Abreu, meanwhile, is a 23-year-old outfielder who ranked BA 21st in the system based on his power and on-base skills.
