Christian Vasquez agrees to deal with the twins

MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins filled one of their most pressing offseason needs by agreeing to a three-year, $30 million deal with the veteran catcher Christian Vasquez pending completion of the physical, a source told MLB.com on Monday.

The club has not confirmed the deal, which was reported by MLB Network insider John Heyman.

Under manager Rocco Baldelli and the team’s current leadership, the Twins have shown a strong preference for timeshares running behind the plate, and in Vazquez, 32, Minnesota has found a respected Spanish-speaking veteran to partner with former prospect Ryan. Jeffers – who brought four seasons of playoff experience, including a pair of world championship titles.

Although Vasquez spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Red Sox, becoming Boston’s longest running player, he was traded to the Astros at the trade deadline last season and appeared in six post-season games as part of Houston’s run to the championship. Vasquez was behind the plate for the Astros’ no-hitter against the Phillies in Game 4 of the fall classic.

Vázquez and Jeffers both hit right-handed, meaning it wouldn’t be a true platoon, as the twins have done in the past with Mitch Garver working alongside Jason Castro and Alex Avila. But with Jeffers still seeking offensive consistency, Minnesota has been open about wanting another catcher to split time following the departures of Gary Sanchez and Sandy Lyon to free agency.

Vasquez has been lauded for his readiness behind the plate and his impress on the clubhouse, and he will join three fellow Puerto Ricans – Jose Miranda, Jorge López and Giovanni Moran – on the Twins roster that will count on big contributions from young Latin American pitchers like Jhoan Duran and Jorge Alcala.

A middling in games, Vasquez was rated in the 55th percentile for MLB last season, but he was worth an 11 Defensive runs saved, tied with JT Realmuto for fourth best among catchers. He also brings a top five speed in his exchanges when sacking runners, which helped him rank in the MLB’s 71st career percentage in Pop time Last season.

Club attendance and preparation would be what drives the Twins over the next three seasons, as Vasquez has been a solid but unspectacular hitter throughout his career, with a 0.695 OPS across 2,633 appearances. His best season, by far, was in 2019, when he smashed 23 teammates in 138 games, but this is the only year he’s reached double digits.

This move makes the shortstop the only bright hole on the Twins’ roster as they are He continued to wait for Carlos Correa’s decisionthough there are still plenty of paths forward for them to pursue impactful additions, perhaps through forward line pitchers or right-handed hitters.

Even with Vázquez in the mix, they still have plenty of payroll flexibility to continue their free-agent endeavors in a fast-moving market, areas of depth from which to trade to a major league roster, if necessary, even though their farm system is It’s still relatively drained by the frenzy of last year’s business acquisitions.