Why Javier Vazquez Should Be Traded by Yankees Right Now
May 7, 2010 · Leslie Monteiro · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Joe Girardi refused to endorse Javier Vazquez. This was in response to his lousy outing last Saturday afternoon.
Not surprisingly, Girardi skipped Vazquez’s turn last night. The Yankees manager realized Boston was not the place for Vazquez to fix his mechanical issues.
The beleaguered Yankee starter will start Tuesday evening against the Tigers.
The Tigers are salivating at that thought. Even the Twins feel optimistic about their chances against Vazquez when they play at New York next weekend.
When the opposing teams have that feeling, it’s time for that starter to be out of the rotation. In Vazquez’s case, the Yankees must trade him.
There’s no reason to keep him when the manager gave up on him.
That’s right. Girardi gave up on him by skipping his turn. If Girardi truly believed in Vazquez, he would have started him last night.
The Yankees are in good shape. If they lost to the Red Sox last night, it wouldn’t be a big deal. They can sacrifice a game just to see Vazquez work out his issues.
It’s hard to get anything for him, but at this point, a live body would be considered a good return for the underachieving starter.
What was Brian Cashman thinking when he acquired Vazquez this winter? Only he knows.
The guess is that Cashman wants to prove he is capable of making good trades. That’s one of his weak points as a general manager.
He wanted to demonstrate that his gut instinct on Vazquez was right the first time when he first acquired him in December of 2003.
He acquired Vazquez in response to the Red Sox acquiring Curt Schilling that year. The pundits thought Cashman was wise to get a young starter who was not entering the prime years of his career.
All signs indicate that it would work out when Vazquez pitched well enough to be an All-Star in his first and only season as a Yankee.
Then, Vazquez struggled in the second half.
In the 2004 offseason, the Yankees relegated him to Arizona for the surly Randy Johnson. Neither trade panned out for these teams. Johnson was hurt and ineffective while Vasquez was nothing special in Arizona.
The Diamondbacks traded Vazquez to the White Sox in the 2005 offseason. He struggled for the White Sox. It got to the point where Ozzie Guillen questioned his mental toughness and his ability to pitch in the American League.
Everyone thinks Guillen has no credibility, but in this case he’s right. Vazquez gives up easily as soon as he walks batters or gives up hits. Other teams detect that, and they realize he can be beaten.
In the American League, his command is terrible. It’s not surprising that he is failing in his second stint with the Yankees.
The Yankees thought he would give innings to his team and that he would do well with the run support he would get. It hasn’t happened.
Vazquez pitched in the fifth inning three times this season. He went three innings in his last start against the White Sox.
If he is going to lose games, he should at least go deep in games by going six or seven innings. Girardi could avoid overworking his relievers that way.
When a team scores many runs in one inning, it’s the starter’s job to go throw zeroes on the scoreboard for the next few innings. Whenever Vazquez receives runs to work with, he gives it up by giving up more runs.
This has gone on too often. It has gotten to the point that he is unreliable.
ESPNNewYork.com’s Wally Matthews made a good point about Vazquez dragging the Yankees down with his inability to pitch. That’s not a good thing. If his teammates are tired of watching him pitch, something has to be done.
One wonders if Vazquez was happy to go to New York. He knows fans haven’t gotten over his Game Seven performance against the Red Sox in the ALCS. In that game, Vazquez relieved starter Kevin Brown in the second inning, and was just as unsuccessful.
During his introductory press conference last year in Atlanta, he talked about looking forward to pitch without distractions. He talked about pitching with a proper frame of mind.
He did well in Atlanta. He pitched against an inferior league. Most importantly, no one was there to bother him.
In New York, that’s not the case. New Yorkers hate underachievers. The inquisitive New York media ask questions when guys struggle.
There’s a reason players don’t embrace playing in New York. That seems to be the case with Vazquez. He doesn’t look like a happy person.
Of course, losing does not make anyone happy, but this troubled pitcher is rattled right now.
The Yankees owe it to Vazquez to trade him. They owe it to Vazquez’s teammates.
Most of all, they owe it to us.
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