Catcher Christian Vázquez's deserved appreciation for his leadership, his ability to manage the pitching staff and his positive energy during his three seasons with the Minnesota Twins. However, his on-the-field performance during his time with Minnesota was subpar.
The Twins signed Vázquez to a three-year, $30 million deal during the 2022-23 offseason. He never lived up to Minnesota's expectations, as he was worth exactly 0.0 bWAR with an awful .215/.267/.311 slash line in 884 plate appearances across 260 games during his three years as a Twin.
Still, Vázquez can be a valuable backup catcher for a team in 2026. He just isn't worth $10 million per year, and he shouldn't be starting more than once or twice per week.
Houston Astros interested in Twins free agent catcher Christian Vázquez, who failed to meet expectations in Minnesota
Victor Caratini has been the Astros' primary backup catcher over the past two seasons. After the Twins signed Caratini to a two-year, $14 million deal, Houston is seeking a new catcher to back up Yainer Diaz, who has shown he can be among the league's best backstops.
On an episode of the Crush City Territory podcast, The Athletic's Chandler Rome reported that the Astros are interested in signing Vázquez, 35, to replace Caratini.
The Astros are already familiar with Vázquez, as they acquired the catcher from the Boston Red Sox on August 1, 2022, for outfielder Wilyer Abreu and second baseman Enmanuel Valdez. He had 108 plate appearances across 35 regular-season games for Houston, slashing .250/.278/.308 (68 OPS+) with one homer and 28 RBI. He went 4-for-17 with three RBI and one walk during the 2022 postseason and earned his second World Series ring when the Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the Fall Classic. He won his first World Series in 2018 as a member of the Red Sox.
Would it be wise for Astros to reunite with Twins free agent catcher Christian Vázquez?
Diaz was behind the dish as a catcher 113 times last season. As long as the Astros plan to continue having Diaz catch 110+ games, signing Vázquez to an affordable one-year deal wouldn't be the worst idea, even with his struggles.
When the Twins signed Vázquez, they had planned to use him nearly equally to Ryan Jeffers behind the plate. That plan clearly didn't work out. At this point in his career, Vázquez is likely viewed throughout the league as a backup catcher who shouldn't start more than 50 games in a season. Still, given the veteran presence he can bring and his reputation as a well-liked player, Vázquez deserves to be on an MLB team in 2026.