Astros acquiring catcher Christian Vázquez in trade with Red Sox

For the second straight deadline, Houston made a deal from across the field.

The Astros were in the process of finalizing a trade for Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vázquez prior to Monday’s series opener between the two teams at Minute Maid Park. Vázquez was scheduled to start the game behind the plate and hit fifth.

Boston’s return for Vázquez is still unknown.

As news of the trade leaked, Vázquez took pregame batting practice at Minute Maid Park while still wearing Red Sox gear. The longest-tenured Red Sox player shared hugs with a few teammates before meandering toward the dugout. A crush of reporters surrounded him.

Asked whether he’d been traded to Houston, Vázquez replied “I think so, yeah.” Pressed for more thoughts, the 31-year-old catcher said “it’s a business” before being whisked away mid-sentence by a Red Sox staffer.

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The situation drew almost identical similarities to last July, when the Astros acquired Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero from the Seattle Mariners during a three-game series at T-Mobile Park.

As an Astro, Vázquez figures to split time with fellow Puerto Rican Martín Maldonado. Maldonado should remain entrenched as the team’s everyday starter, but Vázquez affords a far better bat on the bench and a more well-rounded profile to play more than Jason Castro or Korey Lee.

Vázquez slashed .282/.327/.432 during 318 plate appearances with the Red Sox this season. His .282 batting average ranked second among American League catchers with at least 150 plate appearances. His .759 OPS ranks sixth among all major league catchers with at least 250 plate appearances.

Vázquez and Maldonado both rate as below-average pitch framers, according to Baseball-Savant, but both possess terrific throwing arms. Vázquez has caught 16 of 53 base stealers this season — a 30 percent clip. Maldonado entered Monday’s game having thrown out eight of 32 base stealers.

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