NEW YORK -- There's a chance Felipe Vazquez has nailed down his final save for the Pirates.
And no, funny person, not because they'll never win again.
He'll be, beyond a doubt, the No. 1 relief target of contenders across Major League Baseball as the Wednesday trade deadline approaches and, already, Neal Huntington's acknowledged having received multiple inquiries. Now, Huntington has repeatedly denied that he's shopping Vazquez and he did so again Sunday, saying on his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan that any return would have to "significantly improve the team."
The Dodgers, both rich in prospects and desperate for relief, have been at the forefront of most reports, but others have surfaced.
I approached Vazquez after the Pirates' 8-7 loss to the Mets Sunday at Citi Field to take his temperature on this, and it probably won't surprise anyone that he's pretty cool.
"I'm not thinking about it," he told me. "I'm really not."
With all due respect, I came back, I wasn't buying that.
"There's people talking about it, starting stuff. I know that," he proceeded. "Whatever happens is gonna happen, whether I want it or not."
He grinned broadly.
"I'm still here."
He sure was. Joined the team on the bus to the airport, too, for the flight to Cincinnati, where the Pirates will face the Reds right through that Wednesday deadline. We'll see about his next stop.
Oh, and Vazquez's last actual save, for the historically inclined, came a dozen days ago in St. Louis. He didn't pitch at all here this weekend in the Mets’ three-game sweep.
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