The Washington Nationals are among that teams that are
keeping tabs on free agent right-hander Javier Vazquez, according to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe.
Cafardo notes that Washington’s interest in Vazquez may be “piqued”
by Gio Gonzalez’s link to alleged PED clinic Biogenesis. MLB has yet to make its
ruling, but one possible outcome would be Gonzalez receiving a 50-game ban for
his connection.
While the Nationals have faith in young left-hander Ross
Detwiler, Vazquez would provide the team added depth. The right-hander is still
recovering from minor knee surgery and first wants to pitch in the World
Baseball Classic before deciding whether or not to return to MLB.
Vazquez decided to sit out the entire 2012 season after
posting an impressive 3.69 ERA with a 3.24 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 32
starts spanning 192 2/3 innings for the Miami Marlins in 2011. The 36-year-old
owns a career ERA of 4.22 with a 3.32 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
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