The Guardians Should Add This Catcher To Their Trade Deadline Targets

The Red Sox are reportedly open to moving some of their veterans and Christian Vazquez could be an option for the Guardians.

There is still a lot of speculation and mystery over what the Guardians will do before the deadline. If they were going to make a move to improve any position it would not be at catcher. 

They have been linked to rumors about the Athletic's Sean Murphy and the Cubs' Wilson Contreras. Murphy is a clear fit and makes the most sense for the short and long term. Contreras would be a massive upgrade but doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense considering he would only be a rental. 

However, a new option may have just hit the market. It's been reported that the Red Sox are now open and listening to offers for some of their veterans after plummeting to last in the AL East. One player they may be open to moving is Christian Vazquez.

Vazquez is having a solid season with the Red Sox. He is batting .283 and has an OPS of .759. He has eight home runs and 41 RBI too. This is exactly the kind of offensive production the Guardians are looking for if they were to trade for a catcher.

He is not the best defensive catcher though so this offense would come at a price. Baseball Savant has him ranked him in the 45th percentile in framing and the 74th percentile in pop time. 

The only potential issue with this trade is that Vazquez is a free agent after the season. It's pretty hard to see the Guardians making a big trade such as this one that doesn't have implications into 2023. But can they convince him to sign a contract extension once he gets to Cleveland? Just something to think about. 

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