Christian Vazquez On Trade Rumors: 'My Goal Is To Retire Here'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Like most players on the Red Sox, Christian Vazquez has seen his name pop up in trade rumors. He knows it will likely ramp up ahead of Monday's 4 p.m. trade deadline, but Vazquez made it clear on Tuesday that he doesn't want to go anywhere.
A handful of contending teams would love to add a talented backstop like Vazquez at the deadline, and Chaim Bloom will be listening to any and all offers to help build up the team's farm system. Vazquez has been one of the few bright spots on the 10-20 Red Sox, and given his solid defense behind the plate and affordable contract -- guaranteed $6.25 million in 2021 with a $7 million club option for 2022 -- teams will no doubt be calling about the Boston backstop.
Ahead of Tuesday night's 9-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Buffalo, Vazquez told reporters that he doesn't let the trade rumors bother him. He can't control what happens at the deadline, but if the Red Sox are listening, he would love to stay in Boston for the entirety of his career.
"It's going to be sad if I left Boston because all my career was here. I've been here with one organization. My goal is to retire here," said Vazquez. "That's my goal in my career, being part of one organization. Have one jersey on my chest for my career. But we don't control that. We're baseball players who come here every day to play and play hard and do our best to help the team win."
Vazquez has always been a great defensive catcher, but he's added some pop to his bat over the last few seasons. He hit a career-high 23 homers in 2019, slashing .276/.320/.477. He started 2020 off hot, but has since cooled off, hitting .255 with four homers and 12 RBIs. Behind the dish, he's thrown out seven of the 18 runners trying to swipe a base against him.
