You might not know it, but Javier Vazquez has been one of the most dominant pitchers in Major League Baseball since 2000.
He has pitched for the second-most innings with 2,320.1 innings, and is second in strikeouts with 2,122.
Vazquez cost the Yankees $11.5 million with the most awful year of his career this season: 10-10, 5.32 ERA, 157.1 IP, 32 HR.
With the Atlanta Braves in 2009, he was fourth of the National League Cy Young Award voting. He looks to regain that form by rejoining a rebuilding National League team, perhaps the Washington Nationals.
First of all, with the stats he had with the Yankees, he probably won’t get more than a $4 million-per-year contract. The Nationals certainly will be able to get him even with one of the smallest budgets in the league.
Second, he will be 35 years old heading into next season.
A contending team certainly would not want a home run happy, aging pitcher with less guarantee than a younger arm.
The Washington Nationals are far from contenders, and they need a durable starting pitcher. However, will they want a pitcher with an ERA of five that wins 10 games a season? They’ll accept him gladly.
Vasquez himself stated interest in pitching in the Nation’s capital. Two words: perfect fit.
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