Javier Vazquez Wants to be Traded

Vazquez can demand a trade from the Diamondbacks and Arizona would have until March 15th (beware the ides of March) to trade him. Otherwise he's a free agent and they get nothing but a draft pick in return.

What is Vazquez worth? Well his contract pays him $11.5 million next year and $12.5 million in 2007. For his career he's 89 and 93 with a 4.28 ERA. Basically Vazquez got his big contract on the basis of his great 2001 season where he went 16-11 with a 3.42 ERA for the Expos.

It has to be said that Vazquez is a horse. He hasn't had fewer than 32 starts in a season since 2000 and in that span he's averaged 219 innings pitched per season over that stretch. He also strikes out a lot of batters but he also gives up a lot of home runs.

Vazquez is just 29 and if he can get his home runs down - his numbers are very good. Would the Diamondbacks go for a Matt Clement for Vazquez swap? The two players had very similar numbers in 2005:

Vazquez - 11-15/ 33 GS/ 215.7 IP/ 192 K/ 4.42 ERA/ 1.25 WHIP
Clement - 13-6 / 32 GS/ 191.0 IP/ 146 K/ 4.57 ERA/ 1.36 WHIP

Vazquez has more K's but how many of those were against pitchers in the NL? Clement had a higher ERA but he had to face DH's in the AL.

Clement is due $9.75 million in 2006 and $9.5 million in 2007. So the Damondbacks would save $4.75 million in the deal. Sounds pretty fair to me. Vazquez wants to play for a team in the eastern time zones to make travel for his family in Puerto Rico easier while Clement may not be suited to the pressure of playing in Boston (but could flourish in the desert).

So let it be written - so let it be done.