Astros Have Decision to Make In Bringing Back Christian Vazquez

Christian Vazquez struggled down the stretch and enters free agency.

Houston Astros catcher Christian Vazquez (2) Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Astros have a decision to make on free agent Christian Vazquez. After signing a minor league deal and making the major league roster, the Puerto Rican born catcher played well early in the season, but his offensive numbers faded down the stretch.

Hot Start in April

Houston Astros catcher Christian Vazquez (2) and pitcher Josh Hader (71) Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This regular season, Vazquez got off to a hot start with a .920 OPS by the end of April for the Astros. In 49 at bats, he had recorded 16 hits good for .327 average, two of those 16 hits were home runs.

Cooling Off

By the end of May, Vazquez was playing a lot more with Yainer Diaz on the IL. His performance dropped substantially after that. He posted a .520 OPS in the month with a .185 average again with two home runs. After struggling again in June with a .384 OPS, Vazquez played every fourth day or so for the remainder of the season.

After his strong opening month, Vazquez posted a .485 OPS with a .172 average and three home runs in 128 at bats. He finished the year with a .583 OPS and a .207 batting average with seven home runs in 86 games. This combined with his work behind the plate came out to a 0.4 bWAR.

2022 World Series Success

This was Vazquez second stint with the Astros. He played with the team in 2022 after arriving in a trade that sent Wilyer Abreu to the Red Sox. He won a World Series playing in six games including catching the combined no-hitter started by Cristian Javier. He also came through in game three of the ALCS with a two-run single. He provided a key insurance run in the clinching game six of the World Series against the Phillies. He singled in Alex Bregman after Yordan Alvarez’s famous home run to push the score to 4-1.

Time In Minnesota

After winning the world series and posting respectable numbers with the 2022 Astros, Vazquez became a free agent. He signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Minnesota Twins. He posted a .577 OPS with the Twins which was a disappointment. His bWAR came out to just 0.1 for his time in the Twin Cities.

2018 Red Sox Championship

Vazquez championship pedigree goes even deeper than his time in 2022. He was on the 2018 Red Sox and got the primary at bats and time behind the plate for the World Series winning team. That team faced and defeated the Astros in the ALCS that season. Vazquez didn’t get any at bats in this years AL Wild Card series against the Chicago White Sox as Yainer Diaz was playing well heading into the series.

Houston Astros catcher Christian Vazquez (2) Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The main upside to Vazquez is the way the team played when he was behind the plate. The Astros went 45-30 (.600) in Vazquez starts compared to 39-46 (.459) in Diaz starts. This is difficult to understand. Perhaps the pitchers just preferred pitching to Vazquez or maybe it had nothing to do with Vazquez and was just a coincidence.

Either way, the Astros may pursue a deal with the catcher as a back-up to Diaz, who remains a quality catcher. Vazquez will be 37 years old next season despite his low offensive output. He won’t command big money on the free agent market and may be perfect for a team looking for a proven winner who requires a low salary with veteran leadership behind the plate.