Marlins, Javier Vazquez Agree To One Year Deal

[emkayseven]

the no trade and arbitration stuff probably pulled his price tag down big time (as did garland's contract)

fantastic deal, hopefully it won't turn out leiter-esque but I think he'll be fine back in the NL

[lou]

the no trade and arbitration stuff probably pulled his price tag down big time (as did garland's contract)

fantastic deal, hopefully it won't turn out leiter-esque but I think he'll be fine back in the NL

Which is what smart franchises do. Offer players things like no trade clauses (which they waive 95% of the time) and lower the price. It's about time!

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

Why is he gone at the end of the year? You no longer need to offer arbitration to retain negotiation rights.

First, let me preface this by saying that I'm withholding judgement on this signing until we see if last year was a fluke or not.

By guaranteeing that we won't offer him arbitration, Vazquez guarantees himself that he will be a free agent again next year. Yes, we still get to try to sign him first but I believe that window is now 5 days. The reporters have been talking about Vazquez only wanting a 1-year deal so he can prove to all 30 teams that last year was a fluke so he can get a bigger deal next year. If he does have a good year, he'll likely price himself out of our budget, even with the new stadium revenue.

Thus he'll be likely be gone at the end of the year.

[emkayseven]

so? we don't need a 35 year old next year, we should hopefully have some more mlb ready pitchers

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

I wasn't complaining. Simply pointing out that he's not likely to be here next year.

[Swifty]

First, let me preface this by saying that I'm withholding judgement on this signing until we see if last year was a fluke or not.

By guaranteeing that we won't offer him arbitration, Vazquez guarantees himself that he will be a free agent again next year. Yes, we still get to try to sign him first but I believe that window is now 5 days. The reporters have been talking about Vazquez only wanting a 1-year deal so he can prove to all 30 teams that last year was a fluke so he can get a bigger deal next year. If he does have a good year, he'll likely price himself out of our budget, even with the new stadium revenue.

Thus he'll be likely be gone at the end of the year.

No, he guaranteed himself that he will be a free agent again next season by signing a 1 year deal.

Offering him arbitration is irrelevant to whether or not he is a free agent again, and only influences what other teams are prospectively willing to spend assuming he becomes type 'A' after the season (thereby costing $ + a 1st round pick).

Moreover, even if we were to offer him arbitration, he would have to accept it to return to the Marlins. The offer of arbitration in and of itself does not bind Vazquez to the Marlins.

Lastly, the 5 day window is gone (for the record, it was essentially 10 days between the start of non-exclusive free agency and the arbitration deadline). The rules have changed, you can negotiate with your own free agent without having to offer them arbitration. The Yankees offered arbitration to neither Jeter nor Rivera, yet they continue to negotiate with both players and expect to re-sign both.

[Miamarlin21]

The only thing about us not being able to offer arbitration to him is we won't get a draft pick if he goes elsewhere.

[Metes]

Which is something we never do anyway.

[HUGG]

If Vazquez grows a beard, I'll like this deal even more.

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

No, he guaranteed himself that he will be a free agent again next season by signing a 1 year deal.

Offering him arbitration is irrelevant to whether or not he is a free agent again, and only influences what other teams are prospectively willing to spend assuming he becomes type 'A' after the season (thereby costing $ + a 1st round pick).

Moreover, even if we were to offer him arbitration, he would have to accept it to return to the Marlins. The offer of arbitration in and of itself does not bind Vazquez to the Marlins.

Lastly, the 5 day window is gone (for the record, it was essentially 10 days between the start of non-exclusive free agency and the arbitration deadline). The rules have changed, you can negotiate with your own free agent without having to offer them arbitration. The Yankees offered arbitration to neither Jeter nor Rivera, yet they continue to negotiate with both players and expect to re-sign both.

I'm not saying that we couldn't negotiate try to resign him outside the exclusive window. What I'm saying is that making sure that he won't be offered arbitration keeps his options wide open instead of potentially scaring off a team or two that doesn't want to go after him because they don't want to give up a draft pick.

[Party]

The teams that will be trying to sign Javier Vasquez next year will not really care about a pick. The vast majority of those teams will sign him to make the playoffs in '12.

[Miamarlin21]

Which is something we never do anyway.

True.

[Swifty]

I'm not saying that we couldn't negotiate try to resign him outside the exclusive window. What I'm saying is that making sure that he won't be offered arbitration keeps his options wide open instead of potentially scaring off a team or two that doesn't want to go after him because they don't want to give up a draft pick.

Except you said that not offering him arbitration guarantees he'd be a free agent, which is of course completely wrong.

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

How badly did the Marlins want starter Javier Vazquez? They dispensed with one of their fundamental tenets of contract negotiations to get him.

According to a source familiar with the deal, the club and Vazquez on Sunday agreed to a one-year, $7 million contract that includes a no-trade clause. Hanley Ramirez didn't get one. Neither did Josh Johnson or John Buck or any other player this front office has signed to a one-year or multi-year contract. The Marlins have held fast to their policy of not budging on no-trade provisions until now.

Giving Vazquez the peace of mind he would be a Marlin for all of 2011 likely was the only way to fit him into the 2011 budget. The right-hander reportedly turned down some two-year offers to play for the Marlins and Puerto Rican countryman Edwin Rodriguez.

Vazquez, whose deal will become official sometime this week, joins a rotation that already features All-Star Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez and Chris Volstad. Back in the National League where he's enjoyed the most success, Vazquez is the innings-eating veteran the Marlins have lacked in recent years.

The front office, Rodriguez and pitching coach Randy St. Claire all know Vazquez well. Both from the city of Ponce, Rodriguez watched Vazquez pitch in Puerto Rico as a teenager. Vazquez played for the Jeffrey Loria-owned Montreal Expos in 2000-01, when both President David Samson and President of Baseball Operations Larry Beinfest were running that organization before they joined Loria in South Florida.

St. Claire was Vazquez's pitching coach in 2002-03, the two seasons he topped the 230-inning mark. From 2000-09, Vazquez totaled 200 innings each year with the exception of 2004, when he fell two innings shy of that plateau as a member of the Yankees.

The Yankees re-acquired him from the Braves last offseason, but Vazquez struggled. He went 10-10 with a 5.32 ERA, the highest single-season figure since his 1998 rookie year with the Expos (6.06). With the Braves in 2009, Vazquez was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA and finished fourth in the National League Cy Young balloting.

Vazquez, who doesn't turn 35 until June, is a far better pitcher in the NL. He's averaged 208 innings over his eight seasons with NL clubs with a 4.02 ERA. In five AL seasons (three with the White Sox and two with the Yankees), he owns a 4.65 ERA.

Against the Marlins' four NL East opponents, Vazquez for his career is 30-28 with a 3.74 ERA in 76 starts (508 innings).

Marlins and veteran starter Vazquez agree on 1-year deal

[Mainge]

DColts brought up some solid points about his velocity being down by about 3 MPH and I wonder how much that had to do with his awfulness last year. I know he complained about dead arm but what do y'all think about it and how it might effect him?