Vince Velasquez of the Philadelphia Phillies just threw an absolute gem by tossing a complete game, three-hit shutout with 16 strikeouts against the Padres. He’s one of two pitchers, along with Jaime Garcia, to toss a complete game so far in the young season.
While the right-handed fireballer is 2-0 on the season donning Philly red, he was nearly wearing a different uniform this season. A Yankee uniform.
During the offseason, the Yankees’ acquisition of Aroldis Chapman sparked trade rumors involving 2015 closer Andrew Miller. There were several teams on the contact list with the Bronx Bombers, including the Houston Astros, who at the time had Velasquez on their roster.
The Astros were looking for a dominant closer to complete their bullpen, and they targeted Miller. However, Miller was not the only closer on Houston’s radar. The other was hard-throwing righty Ken Giles of the Phillies.
The Yankees were looking for other pieces in a potential trade than the Astros were offering, leading the team to hold off on making a deal, according to Jeff Passan who appeared on WFAN this morning with Evan Roberts and Joe Benigno.
The trade that sent Giles from Philadelphia to Houston was in fact the same trade offer the Astros extended to the Yankees, according to Passan. The trade chips in the deal to Philly were Velasquez, RHP Mark Appel, RHP Harold Arauz, LHP Brett Oberholtzer, and Thomas Eshelman.
New York was reportedly looking at starting pitcher Lance McCullers in a deal involving Miller, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. McCullers threw to a 3.22 ERA in 22 starts in 2015, while Velasquez had not burst onto the scene yet. So far this year, it has been a different story for Velasquez.
The 23-year-old starter has pitched 15 innings so far this year while not allowing an earned run. He has struck out 25 batters while allowing just six hits.
The Yankees stood pat with Miller in the bullpen to form a trio of Dellin Betances, Miller, and Chapman, although Chapman isn’t due back until early May.
It remains to be seen how Velasquez will fare throughout the course of an entire season, but so far so good in Philly.
