We’ve all known for a while that the Astros have been in the market for a backup catcher. While a reunion with Victor Caratini would have made sense, it comes down to the money, as things of this nature mostly do. And Dana Brown didn’t seem like a general manager eager to enter a bidding war for a backup catcher’s services. Spoiler alert, he ultimately didn’t, with Caratini signing with the Twins later in the offseason.
Losing Caratini certainly stung, for as much as it can with a backup catcher. Defensively, there was room for improvement behind the plate, as both Yainer Díaz and Caratini don’t grade out particularly well in that department. But Caratini had arguably the best seasons of his career as a hitter in Houston, with a 108 wRC+ and 20 home runs across 660 plate appearances. For a lineup that has had its fair share of struggles in each of the past two seasons with underperformance and health, that was a valuable bat more times than not for those teams. Even if his defense wasn’t the best behind the plate, Caratini’s bat and positional flexibility at first base provided some additional value. There are certainly worse ways to spend $12 million over two seasons. Whether the bat will continue at that rate for the next two seasons is a credible thought, but losing that kind of production with no clear replacement in sight is still a loss to account for.
Caratini’s new contract with Minnesota confirmed one key aspect of the Astros’ search for a new backup catcher: the organization has a budget in mind, as Caratini’s new salary was only $1 million more per season than what Houston paid him over the past two years ($6 million in AAV). And that comes as no surprise, as the pitching staff required the most heavy lifting in the offseason. Even after the front office trimmed payroll through a variety of moves, including the releases of Ramón Urías and Chas McCormick and the trades of Mauricio Dubón and Jesús Sánchez, the savings were used to bring in multiple pitchers to shore up the staff, most notably Tatsuya Imai. It became increasingly clear throughout the offseason that the organization was looking for a bargain in their next backup catcher. As it stands now, the Astros are roughly $9 million below the first tax threshold of $244 million. Known for wanting some buffer for any possible trade-deadline acquisitions, if the right circumstances fall into place, it is easy to see why the organization has avoided adding more salary, at least for now.
The rumors about a reunion with Christian Vázquez, who was first acquired by James Click during the 2022 championship season, have been circulating this winter. His tenure with the Twins wasn’t particularly productive, at least as a hitter, with a 60 wRC+ in 884 plate appearances. Of course, Vázquez was never known for his offensive prowess. Instead, his value as a defender and game caller behind the plate primarily drives his value. In that regard, his defensive value is why he was still worth 1.8 wins across three seasons in Minnesota. Was it worth the $30 million over three years that he signed before the 2023 season? Certainly not. But, for backup catcher purposes, you can do worse than him. The Astros certainly think so, especially on a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training.
With only César Salazar and Carlos Perez in camp as the primary competition for the backup catcher job, it makes sense why the front office would extend an invitation to Vázquez. He is probably the favorite once he gets up to speed in camp. His past experience with some of the pitchers still on the staff doesn’t hurt matters. While the bat won’t make up for the loss of Caratini in that regard, it is possible that the Astros will improve defensively behind the plate with Vázquez. Of course, already 35, time will tell if any decline in Vázquez’s defensive abilities (framing, for example) would only accelerate in 2026. But, again, you can do worse than Vázquez as a backup catcher on a one-year contract if he makes the team.
Feature photo courtesy of Pixel Pete
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