January 11, 200521 yr Arizona's Vazquez may still be a viable option Arizona's Vazquez may still be a viable option By Juan C. Rodriguez Staff Writer Posted January 11 2005 Although Javier Vazquez landed in Arizona as part of the Randy Johnson deal, that might not be the right-hander's final destination. According to industry sources, the Marlins are among the teams that have spoken with the Diamondbacks about Vazquez. While Vazquez can't force or reject a trade, the Puerto Rico native has made it clear he would prefer to pitch on the East Coast and in the National League. His representatives were due in Arizona early this week to discuss the team's plans for the pitcher. With the Phillies, Orioles and White Sox among the other clubs interested in Vazquez, the Diamondbacks might choose to trade him now rather than take a potential distraction into the season. Vazquez, 28, went 14-10 with a 4.91 ERA in his lone season with the Yankees. He has averaged 220 innings and 13 wins over the past five seasons. Getting Vazquez from the Yankees would have meant dealing A.J. Burnett, but the Marlins are exploring ways to keep both in the rotation. Acquiring Vazquez would almost certainly mean losing Class A lefty Scott Olsen, the Marlins' top pitching prospect (No. 2 overall) according to Baseball America. The Diamondbacks might also insist on Double-A first baseman Jason Stokes, rated the team's fourth-best prospect. Vazquez is owed $34.5 million over the next three seasons, but the Diamondbacks received $9 million from the Yankees in the Johnson trade. The Marlins would likely ask Arizona for cash as well to bring Vazquez's remaining commitment down to around $21 million, which is what they offered Carl Pavano. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and other front office members saw Vazquez at his best in Montreal. The Expos' owner before purchasing the Marlins, Loria might not hesitate to make a multi-year commitment similar to the one Pavano rejected. PERISHO RE-SIGNS Three weeks after non-tendering him, the Marlins agreed to a one-year, $475,000 contract with left-handed reliever Matt Perisho. "I feel like my contract was pretty much where I wanted it to be," said Perisho, who last season held lefties to a .207 average. "They were fair and I was fair. They obviously deserved first shot over everybody because of what they did for me last year." Perisho made the club out of spring training as a non-roster invitee and appeared in 66 games, going 5-3 with a 4.40 ERA.
January 11, 200521 yr Our rotation is ready so I don't think we should trade our ace (debatable) for an overpaid guy. I'll pass.
January 11, 200521 yr I'd do a Burnett-Vasquez trade because I have little faith that Burnett will be back here next year, where Vasquez is locked up.
January 11, 200521 yr Marlins Guru what Ace are you talking about ? If your talking about AJ, I think the story is getting Vazquez WITHOUT giving up AJ. If they were talking about trading AJ for Vazquez which they are not , I would whole heartedly agree with you.
January 11, 200521 yr I'll deal for Javy if we give Ish and a mid-level prospect.....AJ's gotta stay.
January 11, 200521 yr Author Our rotation is ready so I don't think we should trade our ace (debatable) for an overpaid guy. I'll pass. 653179[/snapback] I'd do a Burnett-Vasquez trade because I have little faith that Burnett will be back here next year, where Vasquez is locked up. 653180[/snapback] You guys took reading comprehension courses right? The idea is to get Vazquez for two or three prospects w/o giving up AJ. Read the article!!! :banghead
January 11, 200521 yr If we could get Vazquez without giving up any major leaguers... how would this staff look?: Burnett Beckett Leiter Vazquez Willis DAMN. This would mean we probably can't possibly get Delgado though... but if we did manage to get Delgado, this is what our lineup would look like: Pierre Castillo Cabrera Delgado Lowell Lo Duca Conine Gonzo This team would have to be the favorite in the National League.
January 11, 200521 yr Interesting, well I have to think that if they went through with this that would mean AJ is all but gone after this coming season. I'm not really liking the getting rid of Olsen though. I'd rather give AJ an extension and have Olsen and AJ both in rotation for a couple of years. I wouldn't mind the trade all that much and if we got Delgado I would almost be dissapointed if we didn't win it all that's how sick of a team we'd have.
January 11, 200521 yr This makes no sense. Our rotation is complete. When Vazquez was coming practically paid for by the Yankees it was a good deal, paying him $7m a year when he hasn't come close to earning that is not a good idea.
January 11, 200521 yr Author This makes no sense. Our rotation is complete. When Vazquez was coming practically paid for by the Yankees it was a good deal, paying him $7m a year when he hasn't come close to earning that is not a good idea. 653197[/snapback] Yes, and losing Burnett in the process right? Are you nuts! And, besides, he wasn't going to come to the Marlins "practically paid for" by the Yankees. We would have probably received the amount of money to make up the difference between the 21 to 24 million we have available for Pavano and that's it. The Diamondbacks would have to make up for the difference too. If you can sign Burnett you can have a solid rotation for the next three years with someone from the monors taking over Leiter if he retires. If you can't sign Burnett, you can always sign the likes of Ismael Valdez to be your 5th starter and deal Burnett by the trading deadline. But you need a 4th good starter if you are going to loose both Burnett to FA or trade and Leiter to retirement after this year. It makes complete sense. Now, if only we can do this and sign Delgado too .... :whistle (Dream On... )
January 11, 200521 yr We can only respond to the story as written but it apears the Marlins are attemptng to do what other winning teams do - add depth to their starting rotation. For quite some time I've taken the position that the Fish need six pitchers capable of starting if they want to weather the ups and downs of a 162 game season. If this story has any truth to it obviously the FO concurs. I also wonder if bringing in Vazquez (I still subscribe to Gammon's account that he didn't go to LA because it was too far away from PRand DePodesta understood that) might help in acquiring Delgado, both having homes in Puerto Rico. Just a thought.
January 11, 200521 yr We can only respond to the story as written but it apears the Marlins are attemptng to do what other winning teams do - add depth to their starting rotation. For quite some time I've taken the position that the Fish need six pitchers capable of starting if they want to weather the ups and downs of a 162 game season. If this story has any truth to it obviously the FO concurs. I also wonder if bringing in Vazquez (I still subscribe to Gammon's account that he didn't go to LA because it was too far away from PRand DePodesta understood that) might help in acquiring Delgado, both having homes in Puerto Rico. Just a thought. 653235[/snapback] If we're trading Stokes, I think this deal would be done in the event of a Delgado signing. Like Stokes or hate him, right now, he is our firstbaseman of the future, but if Delgado's here for the next three years, he's tradebait.
January 11, 200521 yr If we could get Vazquez without giving up any major leaguers... how would this staff look?: Burnett Beckett Leiter Vazquez Willis DAMN. This would mean we probably can't possibly get Delgado though... but if we did manage to get Delgado, this is what our lineup would look like: Pierre Castillo Cabrera Delgado Lowell Lo Duca Conine Gonzo This team would have to be the favorite in the National League. 653193[/snapback] Best team in club history!
January 11, 200521 yr I don't know....I'd rather try to get Delgado....I'm happy with our rotation as it is, so losing two top prospects in a deal for Vazquez is not something I'm going to be a cheerleader for.
January 11, 200521 yr Author I don't know....I'd rather try to get Delgado....I'm happy with our rotation as it is, so losing two top prospects in a deal for Vazquez is not something I'm going to be a cheerleader for. 653271[/snapback] Remember that you never know with prospects. They might never make it to the majors. I think there are two kind of prospects: those you keep and those you use for trade bait. A Single A player is several years removed from the posibility of playing in the big leagues, so I will trade him before his value goes down. And for Stokes, we just need to sign Delgado... :whistle
January 11, 200521 yr The trade would be better if we would be able to trade burnett and not olsen. The problem is burnett most likely wont be here after this year so its best to get somehting valuable in return for him. Burnett/ stokes for vazquez and cash. throw ina n extra prospect by the d backs if it suits your fancy. With burnett we should either sign a long term deal (very risky) or trade him now so we cna get value for him.
January 11, 200521 yr I also wonder if bringing in Vazquez (I still subscribe to Gammon's account that he didn't go to LA because it was too far away from PRand DePodesta understood that) might help in acquiring Delgado, both having homes in Puerto Rico. Just a thought. 653235[/snapback] Marlins2003...I like your thinking! Vazquez's ties to the Loria regime along with Delgado's desire to be out of the AL East (how can even think of wasting away in Baltimore?) along with the PR connections have got me feeling good... C'mon Beinfest...get it done! :thumbup
January 11, 200521 yr I also wonder if bringing in Vazquez (I still subscribe to Gammon's account that he didn't go to LA because it was too far away from PRand DePodesta understood that) might help in acquiring Delgado, both having homes in Puerto Rico. Just a thought. 653235[/snapback] Marlins2003...I like your thinking! Vazquez's ties to the Loria regime along with Delgado's desire to be out of the AL East (how can even think of wasting away in Baltimore?) along with the PR connections have got me feeling good... C'mon Beinfest...get it done! :thumbup 653444[/snapback] Just the opposite. If they deal for Vazquez I think that totally washes out any chance at Delgado. They 11-12 mil per year they are throwing at Delgado would not be available anymore with Vazquez on the payroll. The ONLY WAY this could be plausible is if the D-Backs take Encarnacion AND Conine or Valdez in the deal as salary dumps and I don't see that happening unless we overpay grossly. So...It's either Delgado or Vazquez...not both.
January 11, 200521 yr I also wonder if bringing in Vazquez (I still subscribe to Gammon's account that he didn't go to LA because it was too far away from PRand DePodesta understood that) might help in acquiring Delgado, both having homes in Puerto Rico. Just a thought. 653235[/snapback] Marlins2003...I like your thinking! Vazquez's ties to the Loria regime along with Delgado's desire to be out of the AL East (how can even think of wasting away in Baltimore?) along with the PR connections have got me feeling good... C'mon Beinfest...get it done! :thumbup 653444[/snapback] Just the opposite. If they deal for Vazquez I think that totally washes out any chance at Delgado. They 11-12 mil per year they are throwing at Delgado would not be available anymore with Vazquez on the payroll. The ONLY WAY this could be plausible is if the D-Backs take Encarnacion AND Conine or Valdez in the deal as salary dumps and I don't see that happening unless we overpay grossly. So...It's either Delgado or Vazquez...not both. 653467[/snapback] again, if we lose enc and brunett we can have vazquez and delgado. Vazquez will come with cash so we'll save money from the 8.5 million owed to burnett and enc combined. So in the end what we wont see if delgado, vazquez, and burnett together
January 11, 200521 yr Well, something nobody else seems to have thought of is that we could rid ourselves of Encarnacion pretty easily if we took on a little of his contract. Hell, I'd rather be paying some other team $1.5 Million instead of having Encarnacion on the bench for $4 Million...
January 11, 200521 yr Why not, I'll take a guess at this one. Encarnacion, Stokes and Olsen are moved for Vazquez...right? Why Olsen? with Tank and Vargas making a rapid climb up ladder, the organization could feel good about moving him and Stokes(blocked by the Delgado signing) for someone like Vazquez. Especailly with ammo they got going into this year draft (5 first round picks) Encarnacion would have to be included to make it work financially for the Marlins. Plus aren't the D-Backs looking for a CF since they trade Finley? Encarnacion would give them a CF....Yes he can play CF. What about if Delgado is not signed? They could still make the trade and included a couple more pieces. Remember this name 1B Shea Hillenbrand. The Marlins like him as a 1B, this could be Plan B, if things fall apart with Delgado...just a thought
January 11, 200521 yr What about if Delgado is not signed? They could still make the trade and included a couple more pieces. Remember this name 1B Shea Hillenbrand. The Marlins like him as a 1B, this could be Plan B, if things fall apart with Delgado...just a thought 653502[/snapback] meh, Shea is alright
January 11, 200521 yr Really can't see it happening especially if we signed Delgado, this would add at least another 3-4 million to the payroll.
January 11, 200521 yr I also wonder if bringing in Vazquez (I still subscribe to Gammon's account that he didn't go to LA because it was too far away from PRand DePodesta understood that) might help in acquiring Delgado, both having homes in Puerto Rico. Just a thought. 653235[/snapback] Marlins2003...I like your thinking! Vazquez's ties to the Loria regime along with Delgado's desire to be out of the AL East (how can even think of wasting away in Baltimore?) along with the PR connections have got me feeling good... C'mon Beinfest...get it done! :thumbup 653444[/snapback] Just the opposite. If they deal for Vazquez I think that totally washes out any chance at Delgado. They 11-12 mil per year they are throwing at Delgado would not be available anymore with Vazquez on the payroll. The ONLY WAY this could be plausible is if the D-Backs take Encarnacion AND Conine or Valdez in the deal as salary dumps and I don't see that happening unless we overpay grossly. So...It's either Delgado or Vazquez...not both. 653467[/snapback] again, if we lose enc and brunett we can have vazquez and delgado. Vazquez will come with cash so we'll save money from the 8.5 million owed to burnett and enc combined. So in the end what we wont see if delgado, vazquez, and burnett together 653473[/snapback] Reread the article...Burnett's name isn't involved in this rumor...the whole point of this deal from the Marlins perspective is to add a good 5th starter(Valdez is average at best). Trading Burnett defeats the purpose.
January 11, 200521 yr Why not, I'll take a guess at this one. Encarnacion, Stokes and Olsen are moved for Vazquez...right? Why Olsen? with Tank and Vargas making a rapid climb up ladder, the organization could feel good about moving him and Stokes(blocked by the Delgado signing) for someone like Vazquez. Especailly with ammo they got going into this year draft (5 first round picks) Encarnacion would have to be included to make it work financially for the Marlins. Plus aren't the D-Backs looking for a CF since they trade Finley? Encarnacion would give them a CF....Yes he can play CF. What about if Delgado is not signed? They could still make the trade and included a couple more pieces. Remember this name 1B Shea Hillenbrand. The Marlins like him as a 1B, this could be Plan B, if things fall apart with Delgado...just a thought 653502[/snapback] Exactly. I am wondering what is wrong with some people on this site. If the Marlins could acquire Vazquez for only Olsen and Stokes - YOU MAKE THAT DEAL. Quicker than you could say NL East Champs. If Burnett stays or not, you put Vazquez in this rotation and we have the best rotation, by far, in the NL East and even in all of baseball. That is 3 #1's gentlemen (and ladies). And Teal Shadow makes the excellent point that should be obvious - we have Tankersley and Vargas - 2 lefties that could (and should) rank higher than Olsen when the dust settles. As far as Stokes is concerned, I am surprised his value is still as high as it is. His wrist problems may continue to give him problems for the duration of his career. We have Conine right now, and if we could get a guy like Hillenbrand, that is more than adequate for a contender. And that is before we get Delgado - in which case, this is probably the most complete team anywhere in baseball. Make this deal and the Delgado deal and dare I say, we will be favorites.
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