Javier Vazquez seeks trade closer to family

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PONCE, Puerto Rico-- Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Javier Vazquez filed a trade demand to make it easier for his family to visit him during the baseball season.

Vazquez said Wednesday during a visit to his hometown that it was easier for his family to visit him when he played for the Montreal Expos and New York Yankees.

"What I said to Arizona is that I would like to be on a team that's on the East Coast and, if possible, on a winning ballclub," he said.

If the Diamondbacks don't deal Vazquez by March 15 and he doesn't withdraw the trade demand, he would become a free agent. However, he would forfeit the final $24 million he is owed from the $45 million, four-year contract he agreed to with the Yankees in January 2004. That deal gives him salaries of $11.5 million in 2006 and $12.5 million in 2007.

If he can't find the right team, "then I will play again for Arizona," he said at a news conference to announce his sponsorship of a Dec. 3 celebrity golf tournament.

Under baseball's labor contract, Vazquez has the right to designate six teams he cannot be traded to.

The right-hander plans to play for Puerto Rico in next year's inaugural World Baseball Classic. Other players in the golf tournament include Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and retired boxer Felix "Tito" Trinidad, he said.

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press

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