The Red Sox traded Christian Vazquez to the Astros during batting practice and he looked utterly heartbroken over the news.
The MLB trade deadline can bring the ultimate excitement for teams acquiring new stars and players looking for fresh starts. At the same time, it can be rough on players sent this way and that on a whim.
Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez was the image of trade deadline shock after Boston worked out a deal to send him to the Astros. It happened as Vazquez and his teammates were taking batting practice in Houston ahead of Monday’s game between the two.
When reporters got a chance to ask the catcher about the trade, he looked dazed and heartbroken.
Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez had heartbreaking reaction to Astros trade
He looks like he's on the verge of tears. This sucks. https://t.co/0uACIOo0bx
— Gabrielle Starr (@gfstarr1) August 1, 2022
“It’s a business,” was all Vazquez could say before he was pulled away from the media by a Red Sox official.
Vazquez has been with the Red Sox organization for his entire career. They drafted him in 2008 and he worked his way up their minor league affiliates until making his MLB debut in 2014 at the age of 23. He won the World Series with the club in 2018 at 27. Now 31 years old, he’s going to have to start over with a new team.
The catcher is batting .282/.327.432 this season with an OPS of .759. He has eight home runs and 42 RBI. His WAR of 1.8 is the second-best of his career.
The Red Sox are in an interesting position as both sellers and buyers at the deadline. At the same time they shipped out Vazquez, they picked up Tommy Pham from the Reds.
In Vazquez’s case, the fact that he was heading for free agency at the end of the season created the urgency to get something in return for him now.