Talking Chop

Who Else Should the Braves Sign

2009-12-31T14:43:26Z

Since the next 24 hours will likely be a drunken blur I suppose I best get a post up that can stand the test of time. I've been thinking for several days about who else the Braves should sign to fill out their roster. They reportedly still have anywhere from $7 to $9 million to spend on a free agent or free agents, and there are several interesting names still on the board. Here's the list in alphabetical order:

Rick Ankiel - He's a Boras client with moderate pop, though he took a huge step backwards last year. That off-year could have him searching for a one-year get-right contract at a discount.

Rocco Baldelli - The picture of unfulfilled potential, perhaps Atlanta could be the right fit. We know that the Braves have historically had interest in him.

Marlon Byrd - He's more of a fourth outfielder who got real lucky playing in a hitter friendly stadium last year. Every time I hear his name all I think about is Garry Mathews Jr.

Johnny Damon - A solid above average performer. If he would take a one-year deal he might be a nice addition who brings good power and speed. If Wren signs him, he must insist that Damon grows his Jesus beard back out.

Jermaine Dye - He started his career in the ATL, perhaps he'd like to finish it here. His bat still has some pop, and he's still only 36.

Eric Hinske - He would be more of a bench bat, but perhaps a very good bench bat. If we go the route of signing a couple of guys to platoon and pinch hit, then he would likely be an inexpensive option.

Reed Johnson - Like Hinske, Johnson would be another low cost swing guy on the bench, though he probably doesn't have enough power to add any value to the Braves roster.

Xavier Nady - I thought he'd be a Brave already, but the team went with Troy Glaus instead. They could still come back around to Nady, but Boras may be asking for too much.

Gary Sheffield - Oh yes, I went there. At this point in his career he may not be much better than Garret Anderson, but Sheff always seemed his most comfortable in Atlanta, perhaps there's still some mutual interest here.

Randy Winn - He's probably too much of a light-hitting option than we would want, and he's not getting any younger.

So those are the options as I see them. Feel free to bring up anyone else you think would make a good fit (within the realm of sanity). Other than that, have a Happy New Year!

Where Does Arodys Vizcaino Rank in the Braves System

2009-12-29T22:56:29Z

It's time to rank the newest Atlanta Braves prospect, newly acquired from the Yankees, Arodys Vizcaino. There are some glowing reports around baseball about this young kid, who most people compare to the Braves' Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado.

In last year's Baseball Prospect Book, John Sickels said Vizcaino "could emerge as one of the best pitching prospects in the game." MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo says that Vizcaino can throw his fastball as hard as 96 mhp to go along with a "hammer curveball." And Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus said this year that Arodys has the highest ceiling of any pitcher in the Yankees system.

Baseball America ranked him third in the Yankees system this year, and Goldstein ranked him second, labeling him a four-star (out of five stars) prospect.

We now know he was the centerpiece of the Javier Vazquez trade from the Braves perspective. So where does he rank among our elite prospects? I'm going to make the assumption that he will not rank ahead of Jason Heyward, and I'm also going to assume that he's in the top-10. Vote in the poll below by the end of the year, and once we have the result we'll add him into our Talking Chop 2010 Community Top-25 Prospects (and kick poor Benino Pruneda out).

If you need a reference of the top-25, look on the left sidebar on the main page, near the top there is a section that lists our top-25 prospects. (That actually remains there year-round for reference sake, FYI.)

Poll

Where does pitcher Arodys Vizcaino rank among the Braves' top prospects?

Melky's Highest Value to the Braves would be in a Trade

2009-12-28T20:58:55Z

Like many fans who were not a fan of the recent Javier Vazquez trade between the Braves and the Yankees, I was most incensed with our acquisition of Melky Cabrera. This clone of Jeff Francoeur resembles our former right fielder in so many ways, including the adoration that doting homer Yankees fans have for him. His hype, his "smile," his penchant for late-inning heroics while dismissing the more numerous failures of the other seven or eight innings; yes, in so many ways are they alike. And it is this likeness to Francoeur that makes me cringe when I think that we got him in the trade, even if he wasn't the centerpiece.

But the Melk-man has some value to the Braves, but that value has a very short shelf-life. Right now he still has that Yankee hype, that Yankee cache. For the same reason that Braves pitching prospects are often overvalued by other clubs (okay, maybe just the Royals), just about any and every Yankees prospect seems to be overvalued. The hype that Melky Cabrera receives is no where near equal to the production that he produces on the field. That's why we need to hurry up and move him this off-season.

Up to around March 1st is probably the shelf-life of Melky's Yankee aura. After that, he'll be seen for what he is, and not for the pinstripes he no longer wears. Trade the man while we can still exact some type of value from his Yankee pedigree.

SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets this tidbit this afternoon:

if braves will consider trading melky, as atlanta j-c suggests, they should talk to cubs, who'd love him for CF.

Yes, please, beautiful. The Cubs are probably the least sabermetrically inclined team... I'm sure they would love him for center field. Surely there is some Cub or another that the Braves would be interested in. After all, the last time we traded with them it worked out pretty darn well -- throwaway walk-a-lot rookie arm Jose Ascanio for Will Ohman and Omar Infante.

Yes, I know that Melky might realize more of his potential, yada yada yada, but aren't we tired of waiting for guys who might reach their potential. This is a game of right now, and the Braves are a team being built to win now, so only the studs among us should get a chance. Frank Wren needs to keep making moves, and one of those includes moving the Melk-man... we have better internal options.

A Bad Week for Atlanta Braves Fan Confidence

2009-12-28T14:59:06Z

While the Atlanta Braves front office is moving to try and improve the club through trades and free agent signings, the fans of the team don't seem to be real happy with the moves. The Atlanta Braves Fan Confidence, measured every two weeks in the off-season, plummeted this week from 72% to 65%. This marks the third straight fortnight of decline for this measurement.

Since we at Talking Chop have only been running this poll since the beginning of last season, we don't have another off-season to compare these measurement to. One generally thinks of Braves fans as fairly optimistic, but the results of this poll seem to fly in the face of that optimism.

One factor could be the record voting for the poll this week. There were 1966 votes, nearly double the next highest weekly total. Could it be that the site just had an influx of new and disgruntled fans? Perhaps the idea of the poll was not totally clear to these new folks. While it focuses on the major league team, it also takes into account the strength of the minor league system, and that strength was certainly boosted by the acquisition of Arodys Vizcaino, but perhaps not enough to off-set the loss of Javier Vazquez.

It will be interesting to see if the team can make any more significant moves and what impact those moves will have on the Fan Confidence. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. After all, look at how many ups and downs the season had. Why should our off-season be any different.

The Moves are Not Over for the Braves

2009-12-28T03:17:28Z

This evening we get a recap of the past week's events from AJC reporter David O'Brien, and with the last paragraph of his column he speculates about some moves that the Braves may make in the coming weeks:

The Braves probably have at least $7 million left in their budget, maybe closer to $9 million (they won’t say exactly) and are still considering adding another hitter, possibly a left fielder (Xavier Nady?) who can also play first base. Or maybe a second baseman (slugger Dan Uggla?), if they decide Martin Prado could still be in the lineup regularly at a mix of positions. The Braves could use Cabrera or another outfielder in a trade for Uggla or another slugger.

We keep hearing the Dan Uggla rumors, and O'Brien is one of those who won't let it die. Certainly another bat seems like it would be in the cards, what with the extra money we're supposed to have. It would also be nice to have some insurance and depth against injuries. I don't want to kick Martin Prado out of his rightfully earned second base job, but putting him back on the bench in a utility role and replacing him with Dan Uggla might add a lot more power to the lineup and a lot more depth to the club, as Prado could fill in at first, second, and third.

Of course, maybe we're just seeing this as perceived power with regards to Uggla. Yes, he can hit 30 homeruns, but Prado actually had a higher slugging percentage than Uggla last year, .464 to .459. This also begs the question that if the Braves wanted more power at second why didn't they just keep Kelly Johnson? Or was he too erratic for their liking. Another knock on Uggla is his strikeouts. He strikes out at a rate (22.7%) twice that of Martin Prado (11.6%).

So while that move may be good for our depth and homerun hitting ability, I'm not a big supporter of removing Prado from the lineup only to add an expensive second baseman with two more arbitration years. Prado is a terrific number-2 hitter in the lineup who excels at moving folks over and doing the small things that a player in that position generally should do.

Hopefully the Braves will look for other more creative moves to bolster the team more before the season starts. I would not be too keen on a move to acquire Uggla.

The Atlanta Braves Weekly Wrap

2009-12-27T20:05:00Z

More photos » by Henny Ray Abrams - AP

I still can't believe that we acquired Melky Cabrera...

Browse more photos »

Here's a look at the major stories in the world of the Atlanta Braves for the week ending on December 27th, it was a BUSY week:

In the Press...

Chip Caray will officially replace Boog Sciambi next year in the Fox telecast booth.
We started the week off thinking that the Braves would be interested in Dan Uggla and Nick Swisher... boy...
That night the Twitter rumors were swirling about the Yankees actively looking for a starting pitcher.
By the morning, the leading candidate for the Yankees was Javier Vazquez.
And then in the next half hour the other shoe dropped and Vazquez was traded to the Yankees for Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn, and Arodys Vizcaino.
David O'Brien told us that the Braves were not interested in Jason Bay or Matt Holliday, despite saving a ton of money by trading Vazquez. I suggested that the Braves would only acquire players with one year contract obligations because of how much the team owes to its players in 2011.
The next move the Braves made was to sign Troy Glaus to play first base.

At Talking Chop...

My initial reaction to the Vazquez trade was to bemoan the acquisition of Melky as just another Jeff Francoeur clone.
The pitching prospects the Braves got in the deal make the move easier to handle.
We measured the reactions to the trade from around the interwebs, and took a poll of the fans' reaction.
After the Troy Glaus signing, I filled out the Braves 25-man roster.

Notable FanPosts and FanShots...

mvhsbball is conducting a lineup contest, be sure to get your submission in.
HansonTheGod asked if the moves we've made are enough to get Cox a World Series.

Royals Sign Two More Ex-Braves

2009-12-26T19:24:24Z

Royals Sign Two More Ex-Braves

OF Damon Hollins, who was a Braves prospect a long time ago, and LHP Nelson Payano, who pitched for the Braves a few years ago in the minors. The blogger at the other end of the link above even makes fun of the Royals for signing former Braves players. Apparently the Royals also sign a lot of former White Sox and Mariners players.

Manuel Ranks Braves Heyward 2nd

2009-12-25T22:21:34Z

Manuel Ranks Braves Heyward 2nd

Baseball America's John Manuel gives out his personal Top 20 prospects in Baseball, part of the list that will go into making the final BA Top 100 prospect list, and he puts the Braves Jason Heyward at number 2, right behind Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg.
Kind of odd that he doesn't even have Freeman on there, especially since he was ranked 12 on BA's mid-season Top 25. His second half didn't ruin his prospect status that badly. Of course, he puts the older pitcher above the younger hitter for the first 2 spots, which is unusual since usually hitters get preference because of playing every day and having less chance of injury.

Merry Christmas Talking Chop

2009-12-25T14:00:20Z

Thank you all for another wonderful year here at Talking Chop. It's been fun. It's been a passion. I hope everyone has a happy holiday time with whomever you spend it with, be it family or a bottle of Jack.

All I want for Christmas is for number-24 to be in the opening day lineup, and deservingly stay there all year.

Atlanta Braves Fan Confidence Poll

2009-12-24T13:06:41Z

Every other Friday this off-season Talking Chop presents the Atlanta Braves fan confidence poll. This poll and therefore your confidence level should encompasses several areas of the team. These areas include, but are not limited to, the team’s ownership, current management, talent, minor-league system, general playing ability on the field, and of course during the off-season, how our off-season is going. The poll will stay open for 48 hours, and then the results will be posted and graphed against the previous weeks. To get ahead of the Christmas holiday, I'm posting the FCP a day early and leaving it open for an extra 24 hours, though Sunday.

Poll

On a scale of 1-to-10, with 10 being "100 percent confident," and 1 being "no confidence at all," how confident are you in the Atlanta Braves organization?

10

87 votes

9

162 votes

8

454 votes

7

477 votes

6

284 votes

5

200 votes

4

123 votes

3

80 votes

2

40 votes

1

59 votes

1966 votes | Poll has closed

Operating in a Middle-Budget Market

2009-12-23T20:12:29Z

Operating in a Middle-Budget Market

This is a fantastic post by CD over at Rowland's Office. Makes me love independent blogs so much more than those attached to major papers. Especially after reading another day of whining by AJC blogger Mark Bradley. Make sure you read the Rowland's Office piece first. If the Office is not on your list of daily must-read Braves blogs, it should be.

Raul Mondesi is a rising star again -- in Dominican Republic politics

2009-12-23T19:50:44Z

Raul Mondesi is a rising star again -- in Dominican Republic politics

Remembering back to the last time the Braves filled their roster with veteran stop-gaps, one of them being Raul, the other was the second-go-round with Brian Jordan. That led to the Baby Braves. Could 2010 turn into a Braves Braves Boomlet?

Filling Out the Braves 2010 Lineup Card

2009-12-23T18:43:33Z

More photos » by Al Behrman - AP

Troy Glaus is the final piece of the Atlanta Braves off-season puzzle -- a solidifying force in the middle of the order.

Browse more photos »

With the expected signing of Troy Glaus, and the recent trade of Javier Vazquez for Melky Cabrera, the holes on the roster that the Braves entered the off-season with seem to have been filled. With that in mind, I fill out the lineup and the rest of the 25-man roster:

Lineup
1. Nate McLouth, CF
2. Martin Prado, 2B
3. Chipper Jones, 3B
4. Troy Glaus, 1B
5. Brian McCann, C
6. Yunel Escobar, SS
7. Matt Diaz, RF
8. Melky Cabrera, LF

Rotation
1. Tim Hudson
2. Derek Lowe
3. Jair Jurrjens
4. Tommy Hanson
5. Kenshin Kawakami

Bench
1. David Ross, C
2. Omar Infante, IF
3. Brooks Conrad, IF
4. Brandon Jones, OF
5. Mitch Jones, OF

Bullpen
1. Billy Wagner, LH
2. Takashi Saito, RH
3. Peter Moylan, RH
4. Eric O'Flaherty, LH
5. Kris Medlen, RH
6. Jesse Chavez, RH
7. Mike Dunn, LH

That's a pretty solid lineup with Glaus in the middle. I'm assuming the Braves will take the Tommy Hanson approach with Jason Heyward and let him get some time at triple-A first, but if he does make the team I would expect him to hit 7th between the right-handers Escobar and Diaz. But I think it's more important for Heyward to get a first footing at triple-A before he's promoted to Atlanta. With the lineup above, there's really no reason to rush Heyward. Yes, he would make it stronger, but it's pretty solid the way it is and burying Melky in the 8th spot obscures his underwhelming bat.

The rotation is strong, and of course any of those guys could be swapped around. They're all right-handed, so order is not really that important.

The bench will probably have a lot of competition, and there's still a chance the Braves could sign someone else to fill out a pinch-hitter role. As it stands we would have to rely on young players like Conrad, Jones, and Jones who don't have much experience pinch-hitting. They are also all free swingers and the Braves would probably prefer at least one other pinch-hitter who is more of a contact hitter.

The bullpen is more than solid from top to bottom. Actually, this is likely the best I've felt about our bullpen in years, and there's still some other guys who could sneak into the mix like Luis Valdez, Jeff Lyman, and Lee Hyde. Too many bullpen arms is a good problem to have.

Overall I like our 25-man roster the way it is constructed above. Glaus really solidifies the lineup for me. He was the true missing piece and the right piece to add. Now everyone just needs to stay healthy so we can put that same lineup out there for 120-plus games.

Braves Sign Troy Glaus to Play First Base

2009-12-23T17:17:29Z

More photos » by Bill Boyce - AP

Browse more photos »

After yesterday's questionable trade (see fan poll here), the Braves front office pulled off a signing I highly approve of. The Braves have signed Troy Glaus, formerly a third baseman, to play first base. Glaus is coming off of shoulder surgery which kept him out most of last year, but the Braves feel confident he is healed and can come back at 100 percent.

This is a signing that I had called for repeatedly. Glaus is a masher when healthy, someone who averages 35 homeruns and 100 RBI a year. He's the true middle-of-the order right-handed bat that our lineup needs, and he's still only 33 years old, so he should still have some monster season left in him.

This is exactly the kind of deal I suggested yesterday that the Braves would make for the remainder of the off-season -- one-year deals to fill holes. I had mentioned that the Braves would choose Xavier Nady to play first, but Glaus is a much better option (and not a Boras client).

Some more info from ESPN's Jerry Crasnick:

Glaus will have to undergo a physical exam before the deal is complete. The physical is more than a formality because of Glaus' injury history, and is not expected to take place until after Christmas and possibly New Year's, so no announcement is imminent.

FoxSports.com, which was first to report the pending deal, said Glaus will receive a one-year contract with incentives.

Sources said Braves manager Bobby Cox played a significant role in bringing Glaus to Atlanta. Glaus played third base and Cox was the manager on a U.S. touring team that traveled to Japan in 2000, when Glaus was with the Angels, so the two had a previous connection.

The "Bobby connection" is something that the Braves only have one more year to milk. Of course, he will remain with the organization in an advisory capacity, so perhaps he'll take an even more active role in the off-season recruiting of players for the Braves.

Braves Not Interested In Big Name Outfielders

2009-12-22T21:22:06Z

A couple of disappointing and revealing tweets from David O'Brien about the Braves direction post Vaz-trade (first):

[Matt Holliday is] too pricey for Braves, but there's at least a slim chance they make a run at [Jason Bay].

And second:

Scratch that Bay possibility for Braves. I was just assured that Braves are out of that pursuit.

"Assured!" Nuts! This just puts the dagger further in this already disappointing day. We've got the dough to go after Bay... well, that's only somewhat true. I've taken a realistic look at the Braves salary situation, and we've got the dough this year to go after big-money free agents, but after this year we start to get hamstrung with our salary commitments. In 2011, Yunel Escobar, Martin Prado, and Jair Jurrjens all enter their first arbitration year. That same year, our currently signed stars, Brian McCann and Nate McLouth, see big raises in their salaries. All of this with virtually no money coming off our books from any other players.

If there's one thing we're about to learn from the way in which the Braves conduct themselves throughout the rest of this off-season, it's that they are very aware of this fact, and they're not going to commit any more long term money to free agents. I believe all that we're going to get this off-season are one-year stop gap fillers until Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman are fully ready.

This is why I expect the Braves to sign Xavier Nady before the end of the year, and maybe one other small to medium sized free agent, but we're not getting into the big names or even the second tier names since the players in both of those categories would require deals of more than a year.

It's a cold reality Braves fans, but we pretty much have our team, save for one or two more folks, none of whom will be big names.

More Notes and Reactions from the Braves - Yankees Trade

2009-12-22T20:52:38Z

I just got off the con-call with Frank Wren about today's trade which brought Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn, and Arodys Vizcaino from the Yankees to the Braves in exchange for Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan -- the second straight year in which Vazquez and Logan have been involved in the same trade. Here are some highlights of that call, all rough quotes of Frank Wren:

"We knew that we would have an extra pitcher that would allow us to improve our club in other areas."
They liked Melky's "versatility to play all three outfield positions."
The Braves had a "lot of interest in Arodys when he was an international free agent."
Going forward to fill the open spots on the team, specifically first base, Wren is "open to what may be out there." It sounds like they won't rush any move.
Wren has already talked with Derek Lowe after he made those comments to MLB.com, and it sounds like they've smoothed things over.
There was no magic to the timing of the trade, they just "felt like they had a real good match," with the Yankees after exploring their options over the last two months. Talks began over the weekend.
Wren made it sound like Melky will play all three outfield spots, spelling the starters as sort of a super-fourth outfielder who will get into 130-140 games.

Overall I didn't get any indication that they have anything else brewing, and Wren didn't tip his cap in any way, even though David O'Brien did a good job of trying to get him to.

As a side note to the trade, I'd like to mention that I called this back at the beginning of October:

The odds are best that Vazquez is the guy to go.

Okay, I'm done tooting my own horn. Here are some reactions to the trade:

Mark Bradley of the AJC thinks this is the worst move in Atlanta or Georgia sports all year.
Over the Monster, a Red Sox blog, thinks the Yankees one-upped the Sox.
River Avenue Blues believes that this gives Vazquez a second chance to get it right in New York, but he may have to face the demons of his last game in pinstripes in his first start.
Dave Cameron of Fan Graphs says not to hate this deal for Atlanta, that we came out okay.
Pinstripe Alley likes the new look of the Yankees stacked rotation.
Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus tweets "Any headline on this trade that does not mention Arodys Vizcaino is totally missing the point."

I think it's time for a poll, now that we've had a chance to digest the news.

Poll

Is the Javier Vazquez / Melky Cabrera trade a good trade for the Atlanta Braves?

A great trade for the Braves

97 votes

A good trade for the Braves

659 votes

Meh

751 votes

A bad trade for the Braves

729 votes

A terrible trade for the Braves

629 votes

2865 votes | Poll has closed

The Pitching Prospects the Braves Got in the Vazquez Deal

2009-12-22T18:39:50Z

I reported early this morning that the Braves had received Arodys Vizcaino as one of the pieces in the Javier Vazquez - Melky Cabrera from the Yankees. They also received lefty Mike Dunn. Here are some scouting report snippets about the two. First up is Vazcaino, here is Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com:

Vizcaino gets hitters to swing and miss with a fastball he can crank up to 96 mph. He's got a hammer curveball, a power breaking pitch that could be a plus offering in time. Like with many young pitchers, the changeup lags behind the other offerings. It needs development, but it is emerging as a third pitch for him. He'll make his full-season debut in 2010 at age 19 and looks like a high-end rotation prospect with a ton of upside.

It looks like the Braves have another talented young Latin hurler to add to their stable of young Latin hurlers that already includes Julio Teheran, Randall Delgado, Dimaster Delgado, Robinson Lopez, and Andy Otero. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus ranked Vizcaino as the number-2 prospect in the Yankees system, saying this about him (after the jump):

Vizcaino's ceiling tops that of any pitcher in the system, by a significant margin. It will take time, but the skills are there for him to become an All-Star starter.

Baseball America's John Manuel passes along this information about Vizcaino, whom he ranks as the number-3 prospect in the Yankees' system:

Vizcaino received the largest signing bonus the club has given a pitcher in [the international] market, signing for $800,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2007. He dominated the short-season New York-Penn League last summer before a muscle strain in his back ended his season in August.

It certainly seems that the Braves got themselves a talented young prospect in this deal. Mike Dunn may prove to be more talented than originally thought, and more than just a LOOGY. Once again here is Jonathan Mayo, and his analysis of Dunn:

The 24-year-old lefty does have a power arsenal that could work well in the back end of the bullpen if he can refine his control. He's got a big fastball that tops out at 97 mph and a nasty power slider that he throws up to 91 mph with depth and quickness.

Dunn was a draft-and-follow player out of Southern Nevada Community College, where he was a two-way player. He apparently tried his hand at hitting after being drafted before switching to pitching two years ago. If his college sounds familiar, it is the same school that Braves catching prospect Braeden Schlehuber was drafted out of.

The Braves seemed to view Boone Logan as a lost cause who was arbitration eligible, so acquiring Dunn gives them a higher upside lefty reliever who has more potential than as just a LOOGY, and a player they control for many more years.

Braves Re-Acquire Jeff Francoeur... in the form of Melky Cabrera

2009-12-22T16:32:36Z

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

For better or worse, Melky Cabrera is now a member of the Atlanta Braves.

Browse more photos »

This is going to be a trade that's talked about for some time, along with the moves the Braves have made over the past year. If there is one constant in the moves the Braves have made in the past year, it is all about trimming money from the payroll.

In today's deal the Braves sent Javier Vazquez and his one-year $11.5 million salary to the Yankees along with Boone Logan and his $1.5 million likely arbitration figure. In return they get a rookie left-handed pitcher in Mike Dunn, an A-ball prospect in Arodys Vizcaino (two no-cost players), and outfielder Melky Cabrera, who will likely make around $3 million in arbitration. Ryan Church was scheduled to make around $4 million in arbitration, but by most accounts he's a better player than Cabrera. He's certainly not as highly thought of, but when healthy he hits for much more power than Cabrera likely ever will.

This begs the question, "did we trade away Jeff Francoeur (.743 career OPS) last year to acquire the better Ryan Church (.787 career OPS), only to release Church, and trade for Melky Cabrera (.716 career OPS), who is likely not as good as Francoeur?" Seems to me that the Braves end up on the short end of that outcome. Of course Cabrera is probably still "projectable" as a major leaguer, but how long did we say that about Francoeur?

There are two ways in which this trade will look good. First is in the money we will save and have available to potentially get a free agent bat that we've been needing. A rough total of the Braves salaries for next season currently comes to around $80 million (we only have one arbitration eligible player left, that's Peter Moylan). That would leave us with around $15 million to spend on a big bat... a nice sum, which should get us a good bat. The second way this trade will look good is if Arodys Vizcaino pulls his own version of Neftali Feliz in two or three years. We could also use him to acquire that big bat via trade, that would be an alternate way in which the trade would look good.

As it stands now, the Braves pattern the past year has been to strip salary. Kelly Johnson and Ryan Church were non-tendered, instead of being paid around $4 million a piece. Boone Logan was swapped for the cheaper Mike Dunn. Tim Hudson was re-signed at a more affordable salary than the now-traded Javier Vazquez. Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito will make less than Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez.

All of this salary conservation has led up to this final purge from the books, and now the team must make a move that brings a big bat here, and they should have the salary room to do so. Perhaps with $15 million to spend, they can aim higher than Johnny Damon or Xavier Nady, and zero in on Jason Bay or Matt Holliday. For some fans, that's the only way the team will win them back after another tumultuous off-season of questionable moves.

Braves Trade Javier Vazquez to Yankees

2009-12-22T14:42:16Z

Holy crap! That was fast. Lots of early morning rumors surrounding Vazquez and now multiple confirmation about a deal:

Mark Feinsand:

The Yankees have agreed to trade Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn and a minor leaguer to the Braves for Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan.

Jon Heyman:

#yankees, #braves deal will send vazquez, boone logan to ny for melky, lhp mike dunn and a prospect. si.com story up soon

More to come...

[UPDATE 9:55am] My first impression here is mainly that of a money dump for the Braves in order to sign someone else, perhaps a big bat. Melky Cabrera will earn under $3 million in arbitration, and Mike Dunn replacing Boone Logan should save the Braves another million in arbitration. Subtract Vazquez' $11.5 million salary and the Braves save around $9.5 million on this deal. That's good money to go out and get a decent bat. This trade may also look a lot better depending who the unnamed prospect turns out to be. With this kind of return I would think it would have to be someone pretty good.

Here is Joel Sherman on who the other player may be:

I am hearing #Braves also are getting RHP Arodys Vizcaino, who impressed at short season Staten Island

While he may be young, Kevin Goldstein just ranked him as the number 2 prospect in the Yankees system!

[UPDATE 10:00am] The trade is confirmed by the NY Post's Joel Sherman. Good work by him on getting the scoop on this deal.

so the trade is vazquez and boone logan to Yankees for melky cabrera, mike dunn and arodys vizcaino, that is now confirmed by Post

Prepare for backlash, Frank Wren. Even with a high-ceiling prospect in the trade, we are essentially swapping a power pitching ace for Melky Cabrera, who is barely a rung above fourth outfielder status, and might be a rung below Jeff Francoeur status. WTF?

[UPDATE 10:10am] David O'Brien chimes in with ths:

Braves are not going to pay any of Javier Vazquez money in this deal.

So this is clearly more of a desperation move to clear salary in just about any way possible.

[UPDATE 10:30am] Another update from DOB, shedding more light on the decision to move Vazquez vs. Lowe:

I’m told the Braves exhausted efforts to trade Lowe and didn’t think they’d be able to deal him now or later without eating a chunk of the contract. Thus, they reluctantly returned to moving Vazquez, knowing they could get plenty for him. Which they apparently are from the Yankees.

I kind of figured this was the case. Three years left on Lowe's deal at $15 million per is an albatross of a contract to try and move.

[UPDATE 12:15pm] Hey! Buster Olney says we also get $500,000 in the transaction... way to squeeze those Yanks for every red cent.

All Through the Night, not a Creature was Stirring, Not Even the Braves or Yankees... or were they

2009-12-22T14:22:35Z

The Christmas references just keep on coming. Last night looked like it was going to turn into a fruitful night for moving unwanted overpriced starters for the Atlanta Braves, but all we got was a Twittering whirlwind of New York Yankees rumors that ultimately culminated in the Bombers signing minor league catcher Mike Rivera.

But this morning the rumors just won't stop. Every Twitter-enabled NY journalist is chiming in that the Yankees are in hot pursuit of starting pitching. In fact, the NY Post's Joel Sherman thinks the Braves are in the lead with Javier Vazquez, not Derek Lowe:

Yankees working hard to re-acquire Javier Vazquez, I have learned, link to follow soon [...]

Braves have always liked Nick Swisher and Melky Cabrera, but haven't been able to determine yet who Yankees would surrender

These types of rumors are flowing out of NY faster than the snow drifts, faster than Stephen Colbert can skeleton down a mountain, faster than... you get the picture.

Vazquez would certainly yield more in return, and may be the only way for Atlanta to get the big bat it desires. The market for Lowe may also be non-existent, not hard to believe considering the money still owed him and the miserable finish he had to last season. If the Braves move Vazquez and keep Lowe, they'll have some feelings to patch up, but that should be doable. At least the Braves haven't come out publicly and denounced Lowe or his recent comments about the team. That leaves them on the high ground with the ability to still reach out to the embattled pitcher.

This story seems to be rapidly evolving, so there's no reason for anyone to stray too far away from a computer. Updates here as they happen.

[UPDATE 9:35am] Jon Heyman chimes in with more confirmation that Javier Vazquez is the Yankees' target:

yankees closing in on deal for javier vazquez, si.com learns.

He'll have a story up shortly. Remember that while the Yanks are trying to get Vazquez, it doesn't mean they're close. I'm sort of quietly salivating at what we could possibly get from the Yankees in return for Vazquez, who should net us a very good return.