Christian Vazquez hints at Red Sox return in free agency

Just days after being traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Houston Astros, Christian Vazquez is already thinking about a return.

Vazquez took leaving Boston hard — perhaps harder than most around him thought he would. In the days leading up to the deadline, Vazquez confidently stated how he knew this was all part of the business.

Considering the backstop was in a contract year, he was all but guaranteed to be moved if the Sox found themselves out of the AL playoff race this time of year. Surprisingly enough, that’s exactly what happened.

As a result, Vazquez was traded to Houston — a team in desperate need of catching help. Martin Maldonado simply will no do, as he’s hitting well below the Mendoza line.

Red Sox: Could Christian Vazquez return to Boston?

We’ve seen it happen before — players can be traded before the deadline and eventually return to the team which traded them in the first place. Of course, those are very unique circumstances.

Said seller must have a good relationship with the player. That trade candidate must then understand that they were merely used as trade bait to acquire young talent. And then the seller must become a buyer, thus using the money saved to sign the aforementioned trade candidate to a long-term contract.

Boston is a good example of a team that could fulfill that promise. Despite Chaim Bloom’s sell-off, the Red Sox are frequently among the best teams in the AL East. Bloom is not starting a rebuild, he’s merely selling off the Sox assets in contract years.

If Vazquez is open to coming back, there’s no reason that can’t happen.