The Cubs are expected to make a hard run at signing Vazquez to be their #3 starter
Beyond Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano, the rest of the Chicago Cubs starting rotation is unclear. Randy Wells, who had a strong rookie season, fell off the map a little during his sophomore campaign as he had a record of 8-14 with an ERA of 4.26. Despite the poor season, Wells figures to remain in the rotation. Leaving two spots open, one which will probably be filled by a veteran free agent.
During his radio show “Talkin Baseball” on ESPN Radio 1000, Bruce Levine reported that the Chicago Cubs are expected to make push to sign Javier Vazquez over the next month. With the Yankees this past season, Vazquez struggled as he had a record of 10-10 with and ERA of 5.32.
Despite his struggles with the Yankees, Vazquez in my opinion is still a very good mid-rotation starter. Especially if he returns to the National League, where in his only year in the NL with the Atlanta Braves in 2009, Vazquez was a Cy Young candidate as he had a record of 15-10 with an ERA of 2.87.
The Chicago Cubs are an ideal fit for Vazquez, considering what the Cubs are looking for. The Cubs are looking for a mid rotation starter, who can pitch deep into games, and Vazquez typically goes over 200 innings pitched per season for his career. For the most part, Vazquez is a strikeout pitcher as he has a K ration of 8.07/9 for his career.
Whether or not the Cubs have enough money to afford Vazquez is a different story. The Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, and Baltimore Orioles are among teams along with the Cubs to express interest in Vazquez. The expectation is that Vazquez is that he will likely get a short term deal with low money, almost as to improve his stock after a poor year with the Yankees. If that is the case, the Chicago Cubs should be able to afford him. For what it is worth, the Nationals are expected to make an offer to Vazquez this week.
In a separate report, MLB Daily Dish is reporting that along with Vazquez, the Cubs have expressed interest in Jeremy Bonderman, Kevin Millwood, Jon Garland, and Vicente Padilla. They suggest that the Cubs will likely choose Padilla, considering that he may be the cheapest option of the five mentioned. However, the Chicago Cubs already have Vicente Padilla on their roster in the form of Carlos Silva.
The best options for the Cubs are either Vazquez or Garland. Both have the capabilities of being a #1 pitcher of a rotation in the National League. Garland had a very good season with the San Diego Padres, as he pitched 200 innings and had a record of 14-12 with an ERA of 3.47. I’d imagine that these are the top pitching targets for the Cubs, if they miss on both, they may look at Bonderman as a backup option.
Tags: atlanta braves, baltimore orioles, bruce levine, Carlos Silva, carlos zambrano, chicago cubs, colorado rockies, florida marlins, javier vazquez, Jeremy Bonderman, Jon Garland, Kevin Millwood, New York Yankees, randy wells, ryan dempster, san diego padres, Talkin Baseball, Vicente Padilla, washington nationals
I am currently in my first year at Elgin Community College. I intend to go to ECC for the remainder of 2012, and the spring semester of 2013. After that, I plan to transfer to Northern Illinois University. As of now, my intention is to major in journalism but that may change to education.
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Not liking any of these options all that much. Vasquez will become cheap if no one else is interested and it looks like that’s not the case already. Garland won’t draw interest, but I don’t see him as a great fit at Wrigley.
We can afford to wait though because we dont need a lefty. I’d rather wait for one of these guys to slip through the cracks than join the scrum for Jorge Delarosa.
I agree with you Joseph. Unfortunately when working with the budget constraints the Hendry has, these are the options we have been cornered into looking at. The question will be who to pick out from this group of middle rotation guys. Hopefully the “depth” of arms available in this category will help keep prices down, but this may also drag out the decision making process for the Cubs as they work for a bargain.
Mr. Campbell, did you forget about his years with the Expos and D-Backs? If I remember those correctly, they were much like his years on the Southside, enigmatic with flashes of brilliance once in a blue moon. No deal. We already have one of those guys in Big Z. I want a more reliable starter. Wish we could resign Lily.
That is what you are getting with all of the mid-rotation starters that are available. None of them, really stand out on a level that makes the Cubs want to sign them. In my opinion, Vazquez and Garland are the best of the mid-rotation starters the Cubs are looking at.