Despite the fact that he has flamed out during two separate stints in the Bronx, the New York Yankees are one of several teams who have been watching Javier Vazquez during his winter ball outings in Puerto Rico, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported on Sunday. The Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals are among other teams monitoring the 36-year-old right-hander. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Vazquez is throwing in the 92-95 MPH range.
So far, Vazquez has recorded a 3.52 ERA with 30 strikeouts and six walks in 23 innings across six winter ball starts. He sat out the 2012 season after pitching for the Marlins in 2011, a season which included a phenomenal second half and gave some the belief that Vazquez might have finally figured out the flaws in his mechanics.
The Yankees will almost certainly bring in a veteran starter or two as the offseason wears on, even if only to fill a role as organizational depth. However, in light of Vazquez’s past struggles in New York, I cannot possibly see how they would justify bringing him back to the fan base, even if it were on a minor-league deal with his ceiling being a role that Freddy Garcia has filled over the past two seasons.
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