Report: Rays, Red Sox discussing Vazquez deal

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom might look to his old club for some much-needed pitching help.

With the trade deadline set for Monday, the Red Sox are discussing a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays involving catcher Christian Vazquez in exchange for pitching prospects, according to Eno Sarris and Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic.

Vazquez has spent his entire six-year career in Boston, hitting .260/.295/.430 with four home runs, five doubles, and 29 strikeouts in 28 games this season. The 30-year-old is coming off blasting a career-high 23 homers and posting a .798 OPS last campaign. He's also a solid defensive catcher, having thrown out an MLB-best seven runners in 2020.

Adding Vazquez would give the Rays an affordable long-term everyday catcher. He's owed $6.25 million next season with a $7-million team option in 2022.

Rays catchers are currently 22nd in OPS and 24th in WAR. Starting catcher Mike Zunino - a free agent this winter - has hit just .133 in 23 games and was scratched Friday with oblique tightness.

Boston needs all the help it can get with pitching. The club possesses the worst ERA (6.05) in the majors this season and doesn't have a single pitching prospect ranked among MLB's top 100.