It’s been another quiet offseason for the Minnesota Twins, but fans might finally start to feel some heat from the hot stove. Historically, mid-to-late January is typically when Minnesota starts to make moves and it seems like the annual tradition will continue as usual.
Rather than a big splashy trade like we saw with the team moving Luis Arraez for Pablo Lopez two years ago, the Twins are reportedly looking at something a little smaller but a deal that could help massage the payroll a bit. According toThe Athletic’s Dan Hayes, the Twins and Padres have had discussions about a trade that would send Christian Vazquez to San Diego.
Hayes notes that the talks have slowed down, but the fact that the Twins are engaged with the Padres suggests they might have finally found a taker for Vazquez’s contract.
Padres trading for Christian Vazquez would do the Twins a $10 million favor
Like most things with the Twins, that’s what this all comes down to: money. Vazquez has $10 million left on the final year of his contract, and it’s an amount that Minnesota would be more than happy to move.
It’s not that Vazquez was bad last year, rather he’s an offensively challenged catcher who doesn’t fit into the team’s frugal budget. He hit .221/.248/.327 with seven homers and 27 RBIs last season including a walk-off homer that served as one of the highlights of his time with the Twins. What he lacks in offense he makes up with high-end defense, which is a combo that clearly interests the Padres.
However, one hurdle slowing the deal from reaching the finish line seems to be money. Much like the Twins, San Diego is dealing with a bit of a payroll crunch and taking on all of Vazquez’s contract would put them in a tricky spot. This shouldn’t be new for Minnesota, though, as all along one of the stipulations regarding any trade rumor involving Vazquez was the fact that the team would likely have to eat some money to make a deal happen.
That seems as though it will be the case here if something comes together.
It might not be a major trade that nets the Twins any key pueces, as it will probably be more of a salary dump than anything else. However, it is worth noting that Dylan Cease's name was mentioned and Minnesota might have San Diego over a barrell in terms of the Padres wanting to move money as badly as the Twins do.
At the very least, what it will do is free up a spot alongside Ryan Jeffers on the depth chart, which could mean another sot for Jair Camargo to earn his keep or a chance for the newly acquired Diego Cartaya to finally make good on his former Top 100 prospect potential.
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