The Padres and Twins have discussed a possible trade that would send the veteran catcher Christian Vazquez San Diego, according to Dan Hayes and Dennis Lin of The Athletic. There is no sign that a deal is imminent. In fact, Hayes said conversations have “slowed down” recently, but that doesn’t mean the two sides won’t continue talking in the coming days.
Vazquez is both a logical trade candidate for Minnesota and the obvious fit for San Diego. Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said last week that the team’s trade talks have begun to heat up. While Falvey did not reveal the specific players being discussed, Vazquez is arguably the most obvious candidate. He is entering the final season of a three-year free agent contract. he has time with Ryan Jeffers Two years in the Twin Cities.
Over the past two seasons, Jeffers has a .246/.328/.456 batting line in 800 at-bats. Vazquez hit .222/.265/.322 in 670 games. Still, coach Rocco Baldelli insisted on an even distribution of playing time last year. Each player made 81 starts. Jeffers played 720 1/3 innings and Vazquez played 719 innings.
Jeffers obviously brings a higher offensive ceiling. Vazquez is a great defender. While Jeffers has struggled with his catching skills, Vazquez has long been a solid pitcher. He is also an excellent blocker. Last year, Vazquez was charged with just one pass and had 19 wild pitches behind the plate. Jeffers caught three passes and allowed 28 wild balls.
Despite Vazquez’s defensive upside, the Twins may prefer to give Jeffers an additional 15-20 starts to keep his bat in the lineup. This is especially true when considering financial circumstances. Vázquez’s contract will pay him $10MM per year. That’s a lot for a part-time catcher. Minnesota’s front office has been troubled by the budget for the second straight offseason. The Pollard family ownership group has been reluctant to raise wages as it explores selling the franchise. Minnesota did not sign any major league free agents this winter. Their biggest move is deep trading Mickey Gaspar and former top prospects Diego Cartaya.
The Padres are in a very similar situation. While ownership does not sell the franchise, there are lawsuits among the Seidler families fighting for control. San Diego itself has cut payroll for the second year in a row. They haven’t signed any major league free agents or made any significant trades.
Padres president of baseball operations AJ Preller is tasked with addressing needs in multiple areas on a limited budget. Catcher may be the biggest issue as far as position players go. san diego hope Luis Campasano He will continue in this job through 2024.
Campasano relinquished the starting job to Higashioka Kyle Along the stretch line. Higashioka signed a two-year free agent contract with the Rangers, making Campasano the default starter. Brett Sullivan is the only other receiver on the 40-man roster. San Diego recently added Martin Maldonado on a minor league contract. He appeared in 48 games for the White Sox last season and hit .119. Chicago released him in July.
Vazquez, 34, would provide a major defensive upgrade for Campasano. While he hasn’t been great at the plate in Minnesota, he is a league-average hitter between the Red Sox and Astros in 2022 (.274/.315/.399). The hope of getting something offensive there is greater than it is now if they pick up Maldonado’s contract.
San Diego will not be responsible for Vazquez’s entire salary. He is comparable Jacob Stallings ($2.5MM) and Austin Hedges ($4MM), each of whom signed one-year bargains as free agents this offseason. The Padres could push Minnesota to eat up at least half of that money to facilitate a trade. Hayes and Lin wrote that the Twins were unwilling to pay too much in transaction fees. Their main motivation for trading Vazquez was a salary cut. They may also need to set aside a few million dollars to hire veterans to support Jeffers (e.g. Elias Dias, Yasmani Grandal). The other receivers on their 40-man roster — Cartaya and Jair Camargo — Has five combined MLB games of experience.
Minnesota looking for replacement first baseman Carlos Santana. They are also looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder. In addition to Wazux, Chris Paddack ($7.5MM) is their clearest trade candidate to create a little cap space. To be clear, there’s no indication the Padres are interested in reacquiring Paddack. Justin Turner, Anthony Rizzo and Ty France is one of the unsigned first basemen. Mark Canha, Austin Hayes and Randall Grichuk Several right fielders remain on the open market.
Beyond their catch-up, San Diego needs backend rotation help and replacements Jurikson Profal In left field. It’s unlikely they can achieve all of these goals without taking a salary cut through their own trade. Dylan Seth It is their biggest trade chip. He will make $13.75MM in his final year of arbitration. Trading him would be a huge blow to an already thin rotation, but they would receive help from MLB in return while creating considerable short-term cap space.
According to The Athletic, the Twins are one of many teams that have shown interest in the suspension. Vazquez obviously wouldn’t be a key piece in a deal of this size, although he could serve as a supporting piece in a larger deal. For comparison, Higashioka might be considered San Diego’s fifth most valuable player returning from the Yankees. Juan Soto at the time of the transaction.
