Free agent catcher Christian Vázquez has agreed to terms on a three-year deal worth $30 million with the Minnesota Twins, according to Betsy Helfand of the Pioneer Press. Vázquez will replace free agent Gary Sanchez as Minnesota's starting backstop.
Vázquez, 32 years old, split last season between the Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros. He hit .274/.315/.399 (99 OPS+) with nine home runs in 119 games. For his career, he's posted an 85 OPS+ in more than 730 contests.
Vázquez becomes the latest notable catcher to change teams. Last week, Willson Contreras signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. On Monday afternoon, meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves pulled off a three-team trade with the Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics that involved Sean Murphy, William Contreras, and Manny Piña.
Vázquez entered the offseason ranked by CBS Sports as the 26th-best free agent in the class. Here's what we wrote at the time:
Good catchers are difficult to find. Vázquez was too following the midseason trade that sent him to Houston. He started just 23 of the Astros' remaining 59 games, as manager Dusty Baker seemingly preferred Martín Maldonado's familiarity with the pitching staff. Don't hold that against Vázquez, who remains a skilled defender. He's an above-average receiver with a strong arm and one of the quickest transfers in the league. Vázquez has also finished with league-average offense (or thereabout) in three of the last four seasons, giving him two-way value.
With Vázquez signed, the Toronto Blue Jays would seem to be in control of the catching market. The Blue Jays have been known to be open to moving from their collection of Danny Jansen, Alejandro Kirk, and Gabriel Moreno.
