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Now that he's joined the Yankees, Javier Vazquez wants to stick around New York for a while.
The agents for the 27-year-old right-hander started talks with the Yankees on a long-term contract, and he's hoping for a four-year deal.
``I want to be
a Yankee for more than a year,'' Vazquez said Thursday, two days after his trade
from Montreal was finalized. ``Right now, my agents are handling that, Sam and
Seth Levinson. They know whatever is best for me.''
New York made another trade Thursday, sending out-of-favor left-hander Chris
Hammond to Oakland for two minor leaguers, right-hander Edwardo Sierra and infielder
J.T. Stotts.
New York also is sending cash to the A's to cover part of Hammond's contract. He has a $2.4 million salary next season, and his deal includes a $3 million team option with a $200,000 buyout.
And while there was no announcement, the Yankees finalized their $7.25 million, two-year contract with right-hander Tom Gordon and their $6.4 million, two-year deal with right-hander Paul Quantrill, adding both to the team's 40-man roster.
The moves leave the Yankees payroll at about $150 million for 20 signed players. That doesn't include left-hander David Wells, outfielder Kenny Lofton and infielder Miguel Cairo, whose contracts have not been finalized, and four players eligible for salary arbitration: Vazquez, second baseman Alfonso Soriano, and outfielders David Dellucci and Karim Garcia.
Vazquez, 13-12 with a 3.24 ERA and 241 strikeouts last season, is looking forward to pitching in Yankee Stadium. He remembered when David Cone pitched a perfect game against Montreal and beat him 6-0 on July 18, 1999.
``I think it was as much fun as I had losing a game in my career,'' he said. ``The atmosphere of that game was unbelievable.''
While some pitchers have thrived in New York, others have struggled. The Yankees traded Jeff Weaver to Los Angeles last weekend after 1 1/2 unhappy seasons in which he became a target for fans.
``I'm sorry to see him go, but I thought it was necessary that he go somewhere else,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said. ``He threw a home-run ball in (World Series) Game 4 that he got a lot of criticism for. If he had a bad inning or a bad game, he would have been pounded, and I think it would have been very tough for him.''
Vazquez knows pitching in Montreal, where the stands were largely empty, was different than the scene he will face in Yankee Stadium.
``I don't know what happened to Jeff Weaver,'' Vazquez said. ``I know being a Yankee, you have that pressure to win, the organization is all aboutwinning.''
Notes
Gordon gets $3.5 million this year and $3.75 million in 2005. Quantrill receives $3 million in each season, and the Yankees hold a $3.6 million option for 2006 with a $400,000 buyout. ... Free agent LHP Gabe White is likely to accept the Yankees' offer of salary arbitration on Friday. ... The Yankees settled the grievance filed by Bubba Trammell. He was put on the restricted list June 30, with the Yankees saying the move was made because he left the team without permission due to unspecified personal reasons. New York then terminated the contract, and the players' union filed a grievance over the restof his $2.5 million salary.