The Houston Astros on Monday acquired first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini from the Baltimore Orioles and catcher Christian Vazquez from the Boston Red Sox.
The Mancini deal is a three-team trade that also involved the Tampa Bay Rays. Besides Mancini, the Astros received minor league right-hander Jayden Murray from the Rays, who are acquiring outfielder Jose Siri from Houston. The Orioles received minor league right-handers Seth Johnson (from the Rays) and Chayce McDermott (from Houston).
The Red Sox received infielder/outfielder Enmanuel Valdez and minor league outfielder Wilyer Abreu from the Astros in exchange for Vazquez.
Vazquez, 31, has a .759 OPS with 8 home runs and 42 RBIs this season and will provide an immediate upgrade over the Astros’ current starting catcher, Martin Maldonado. The Astros also needed depth at catcher with backup Jason Castro out with a knee injury and rookie Korey Lee filling in.
Maldonado has been credited for aiding the success of Houston’s mostly young pitching staff, but he’s hitting just .173 this season, making Vazquez a significant upgrade offensively.
The New York Yankees have acquired right-handed starter Frankie Montas and closer Lou Trivino in a deal with the Oakland Athletics, the Yankees announced Monday.
The A’s are receiving left-handers Ken Waldichuk and J.P. Sears, right-hander Luis Medina and second baseman Cooper Bowman from the Yankees. Waldichuk, 24, was the fifth-highest-ranked prospect in the Yankees’ farm system, according to MLB.com.
The American League-best Yankees have had a busy deadline, acquiring outfielder Andrew Benintendi and rookie reliever Scott Effross before solidifying an already strong rotation and bullpen with the acquisitions of Montas and Trivino.