According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, Javier Vazquez is interested in pitching for a team on the East Coast, including the Nationals.
Vazquez, 34, would prefer to play for a team on the East Coast because he wants to be closer in proximity to his family in Puerto Rico. The veteran right-hander had a limited no-trade clause in his most recent contract, blocking deals to AL West and NL West teams.
Vazquez suffered through the worst season of his career in 2010, posting a 5.32 ERA in 31 games (26 starts) with the Yankees while averaging just 6.92 K/9 and a career-high 3.72 BB/9. The velocity on his fastball checked in at a career-low 88.7 mph and he complained of a dead arm during the season.
He won’t come anywhere close to the $11.5 million salary he earned in each of the last three seasons, but assuming he’s actually healthy, Vazquez could make sense for any number of teams as a bounceback candidate, especially if he returns to the National League. We know that the Nationals intend to go out and add starting pitching this winter, so assuming they’ll be unsuccessful in their efforts to sign a big-ticket item like Cliff Lee or even a second-tier starter like Jorge De La Rosa, Vazquez would be a pretty good fit.