Folks, I'm starting to lose my patience. I know, it's still December and a lot can happen between now and the start of the 2023 season, but the Cubs have lost out on another one of their free agent targets.
According to Jon Heyman, veteran catcher Christian Vázquez is signing with the Minnesota Twins.
Vázquez has been on the Cubs radar since the beginning of the offseason, connected to the two-time World Series champion by local and national media. After losing Willson Contreras to the St. Louis Cardinals, a giant hole opened up on the Cubs roster and we all knew Vázquez was one of their preferred targets to come in and provide a lift defensively as well as providing an above average bat as a catcher.
Vázquez is reportedly signing a three-year contract with the Twins.
The 32-year-old catcher will earn $30 million over the next three years from the Twins.
That contract doesn't appear to be anything wild when taking into account the context of this free agent period and really begs the question on how much the Cubs were offering Vázquez. Who knows, maybe he just liked his situation better in Minnesota, but at this point Cubs fans are tired of the excuses.
Now? Well, now Jed Hoyer has to go down the free agent list, with Omar Narvaez as a possible free agent signing. The Cubs have also been linked to Tucker Barnhart. Other than that the Cubs must seek an upgrade at catcher through the trade market.
Sean Murphy was traded to the Braves, in a deal that included the Brewers as well. The return for the A's has been heavily scrutinized and is another point of frustration for Cubs fans. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays remain a potential trading partner for the Cubs, as Toronto has three quality catchers and are reportedly not shy when it comes to dealing one of them.
So, how will Hoyer and the Cubs react now after missing out on Vázquez? It has to be something good because Cubs fans aren't just getting restless, they're beginning to demand Hoyer to be fired if he doesn't deliver a winner fast. He definitely has the pressure coming from ownership and the business side, as leaks and public interviews have put Hoyer on the hot seat this offseason.
I mean, who knows, maybe it's possible the Twins turned their attention to Vázquez now because they got tired of waiting for Correa to make up his mind. Or maybe they know they're out on Correa and are focusing in on other moves.
Or, you know, they're signing good players to surround Correa with.
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