Red Sox blew it by failing to reunite with former player who wanted return to Boston

The Minnesota Twins committed wholeheartedly to a rebuild at the trade deadline. After selling off almost 40% of their major league roster, the Twins threw in the towel on the season and positioned the team for future success instead.

One player that didn’t move was Joe Ryan, an ace pitcher who was the subject of Boston’s interest but the details of Craig Breslow’s efforts to acquire the hurler will likely leave fans scratching their heads. Even without the addition of a star-caliber starter to reimagine the Red Sox’s lineup, there was another player who could have made a difference at Fenway.

Amid a laundry list of players moved from the Twin Cities, Carlos Correa is a name that stands out in bold. Traded back to his longtime home in Houston, Correa will shift over to third base. Another former Astro wasn’t moved by Minnesota, but he was reportedly very much hoping to be dealt back to his own hometown team. Christian Vázquez was drafted by the Red Sox in 2008 and sent to Houston at the 2022 trade deadline as a rental (for Wilyer Abreu and current Pirate Enmanuel Valdez).

After the 2022 season ended, Vázquez was a free agent searching for his next home. The catcher was hopeful for a reunion with the only team he had ever known up to the trade deadline a few months earlier, and even reached out to the Sox before ultimately accepting a deal to play in Minnesota. Once considered the best catcher in the American League, Vázquez was motivated to return in 2023 and was linked to Boston this year, too.

Red Sox could've reunited with Twins catcher Christian Vázquez at trade deadline for catching depth

With Minnesota selling so intensely this year, it’s not crazy to think about what could have been if the Sox looked for catching support again in ’25. Vázquez can also line up at first when needed, a skill that Boston seems to be seeking in many of the team’s depth options around the infield.

Vázquez is an 11-year veteran and has called nearly 1,000 games since coming up to the Show in 2014. His three years in Minnesota haven’t been productive offensively, but an instructive example of his value can be seen in the time he spent with Houston. Vázquez played a backup role to Martín Maldonado, a .186 hitter that season sporting a 70 OPS+. Maldonado was painfully inept at the plate in the postseason, specifically, recording six hits in 11 games (and 11 strikeouts along the way). But he remained the primary catcher because of his defensive prowess and command behind the dish.

Vázquez was a 2022 World Series champ with Houston, and his time with Maldonado certainly would have played a role in shaping him to be an increasingly valuable asset defensively. With Connor Wong struggling so much with a bat in his hands this year, a veteran with solid defensive skills to support Carlos Narváez as a rookie breakout story could have added untold intrinsic value to a team high on potential yet still filled with too many question marks.