MLB rumors: 3 things to watch at Day 3 of the 2022 MLB Winter Meetings

MLB rumor: Catching market heating up

There have been plenty of talks about how MLB teams can land Sean Murphy in a deal with the Oakland A’s, or where Willson Contreras may end up as a free agent (including Houston, with Astros manager Dusty Baker explaining on Monday why his team didn’t pull off a trade for him last season). Now it appears that the market for former Astros and Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez could be heating up as well.

Like Contreras, the 32-year-old Vazquez is a free agent this offseason and, while considered behind Contreras in terms of capabilities, he offers a cost-conscious alternative for those teams looking to improve at catcher. Eight teams have been linked to Vazquez recently, meaning he is drawing plenty of interest after slashing .274/.315/.399 last season with nine home runs and 52 RBI in 426 plate appearances between Houston and Boston.

Vazquez has two World Series rings to his credit (one each with the Red Sox and Astros), showing that he can bring postseason experience to any team as well.

Look for the rumors around Vazquez, Murphy, and Contreras to continue to heat up as the MLB Winter Meetings continue.