Red Sox trade Christian Vazquez to Astros
BOSTON -- The sale in Boston is underway.
Prior to their game in Houston on Monday night, the Red Sox worked out a trade of catcher Christian Vazquez to the Astros, as 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.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale said the Red Sox will receive two prospects in return.
Vazquez, whose contract expires at the end of the season, figured to be one player on the move out of Boston before Tuesday's deadline.
The 31-year-old Vazquez has only played for the Red Sox in his big league career, which dates back to 2014. He was a ninth round pick of the Red Sox in the 2008 draft out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy. He had been the longest-tenured player in the organization.
This season, Vazquez is batting .282 with a .759 OPS. In his career, he's a .262 hitter with a .700 OPS.
The Red Sox entered Monday in last place in the AL East, though they are still alive in the wild-card race -- a spot which should lead to them selling some players on the final year of their contracts while retaining enough talent on the roster to continue to compete over the season's final two months.