On Friday, Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke felt compelled to tell one of his players to ignore the fact that his name had appeared in trade rumors.
It wasn't because the player would never be traded, Roenicke said, but to assure him a particular rumor wasn't true.
"I will never tell a player, 'Hey, there is no way in the world you're ever going to be traded,' because that's not my job," Roenicke said. "I just know that I need them to focus. If they have families that are concerned about, 'Oh no, we're going to have to get up and move,' I think they have a right to know when things are not true."
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Though Roenicke did not specify which player he was referencing, it was almost certainly catcher Christian Vazquez, whose name had come up that afternoon in a segment on the MLB Network. The only other Red Sox mentioned in trade talks that day were relievers Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree, and both ended up being shipped to the Phillies that night.
So if Roenicke felt compelled to address anyone — after double-checking the rumor with assistant GM Zack Scott — it was probably Vazquez, who happened to be celebrating his 30th birthday. And that leads to an obvious question: if Vazquez isn't on the market, should he be? And if so, where might he land?
Drafted in 2008 and developed as a rocket-armed, defensive-minded catcher, Vazquez has made considerable offensive strides over the last two seasons. He slammed a career-high 23 homers in 2019 and was off to a hot start this year before slumping. One week into this season he looked like a top-five offensive catcher, with four homers and a 1.500 OPS. He has hit just .229 with an OPS of barely .500 since.
That said, there's still a lot to like if you're a contender in need of starting catching, and there just happens to be a perfect match on the West Coast in the city suddenly known as Slam Diego.
The Padres won their seventh straight on Sunday, following a sweep of the Rangers with a sweep of the Astros. They've made headlines — and spawned a catch phrase — with a series of grand slams, but they're much more than a curiosity.
Only the 22-win Dodgers own more victories than San Diego's 18 in the National League. The Padres are led by breakout superstar Fernando Tatis Jr., who seems to alternate between tape-measure home runs and acrobatic plays at shortstop. Blessed with one of the game's deepest farm systems and a nice mix of veterans and youth, the Padres are on the ascent in the NL and a definite World Series sleeper.
They rank second in the NL in runs and fifth in ERA, but their lineup includes one glaring hole, and that's at catcher. Padres backstops rank 29th out of 30 teams in batting average (.116) and 28th in OPS (.471).
Starter Austin Hedges is hitting just .152 and backup Francisco Mejia is on the injured list with a bruised thumb. In his place, the club summoned 24-year-old Luis Torrens, a lifetime .169 hitter.
If the Padres want to challenge the Dodgers in the NL West, they're likely to prioritize a catching upgrade, and Vazquez would certainly qualify. He's in the middle of a reasonable three-year, $13.5 million extension that includes a $7 million team option for 2022. He perfectly fits San Diego's contention window, which is just opening, with the added bonus that he knows what it's like to beat the Dodgers in the playoffs, earning a ring at their expense during the 2018 World Series.
He'd be the perfect veteran presence for a rotation that will soon integrate left-hander MacKenzie Gore — widely considered the best pitching prospect in baseball — as well as right-hander Luis Patino, who's currently working out of the San Diego bullpen at age 20.
What might the Red Sox receive in return? The obvious name to consider is catcher Luis Campusano, MLB.com's 54th-ranked overall prospect, though the Padres are loaded across the board.
Campusano was named California League co-MVP last year after hitting .325 with a career-high 15 home runs at High-A Lake Elsinore. He projects to hit for both average and power, but his glove and game-calling remain works in progress.
Campusano might not help the Red Sox for three or four years, but Bloom has stressed that his priority is making the proper long-term moves to return to the team to sustained contention.
It's possible Vazquez will never have more value, which is the best time to deal him. So while the Red Sox may not have been planning to move their starting catcher last week, a lot can change between now and the Aug. 31 trade deadline.
Perhaps a call with the Padres is in order.
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Tomase: Padres need a catcher — could it be Christian Vazquez? - NBC Sports Boston
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