Sox scouting Javier Vazquez on Friday

According to an industry source, the Red Sox are slated to scout right-hander Javier Vazquez when he pitches for Caguas of the Puerto Rican Winter League on Friday. Vazquez is pitching against Santurce in the third game of the playoffs for Caguas as part of the 12-game round-robin postseason tournament on the island. News of the Sox' scouting undertaking was first reported by Victor Ramos in Puerto Rico (via twitter [1]). The veteran has been showing fastball velocity of 92-93 mph in recent workouts. 

Vazquez, 36, last pitched in the big leagues in 2011, when he went 13-11 with a 3.69 ERA in 192 2/3 innings for the Marlins. He struck out 7.6 batters per nine innings while issuing just 2.3 walks per nine. The 14-year veteran has a career 165-160 record and 4.22 ERA, enjoying considerable success with six teams. However, in his only two years in the AL East (pitching for the Yankees in 2004 and then 2010), Vazquez struggled to a 5.09 ERA.

Still, he's been durable, having recorded 14 straight years of at least 25 starts, and he's featured swing-and-miss stuff and good command throughout his career. Though he sat out 2012 in order to spend time at home in Puerto Rico, the right-hander recently told ESPNDeportes.com [2] that he'd like to return for a chance to win a World Series. 

(Hat-tip to Chris Cotillo of CLNS Radio for surfacing the report [3].)

For more Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox [4].