Ex-Red Sox Homegrown Core Player Reportedly Placed On Trade Block

Boston could see a former fan favorite moved this winter

Scott Neville | Nov 24, 2023

Ex-Red Sox Homegrown Core Player Reportedly Placed On Trade Block /

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Could one of the more notable trades this winter include a player who spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Boston Red Sox?

One member of the previous core reportedly is on the trade market this offseason and likely will be dealt.

The Minnesota Twins already have "aggressively tried to move" catcher Christian Vázquez in an effort to reduce payroll, FanSided's Robert Murray revealed on Foul Territory on Wednesday.

Vázquez hit .223 with 19 extra-base hits including six home runs, 32 RBIs and a .598 OPS (65 OPS+) in 102 games last season.

The 33-year-old catcher has declined rapidly since leaving the Red Sox at the 2022 Major League Baseball Trade Deadline.

Vázquez hit .262 with 183 extra-base hits including 54 home runs, 266 RBIs and a .700 OPS (86 OPS+) in 698 games for the Red Sox.

The steady-handed backstop was a core player for Boston for the 2018 World Series Championship season and 2021 playoff run.

Since then, however, Vázquez has not played up to par. He's owed $20 million over the next two seasons. For Minnesota to move that contract, they'd likely have to eat part of the deal.

It would be intriguing to see Vázquez return to Boston, where he'd likely see an uptick in play. However, Connor Wong has established himself as the primary catcher heading into 2024 and Reese McGuire completes a perfect platoon split -- for much cheaper.

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Published Nov 24, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu