I, along with roughly 75 percent of the Braves fan base, was quite taken aback when I fired up the old Blackberry this morning and realized that Atlanta was in serious discussions with the Yankees about Javier Vazquez.
Perplexed may be the best word for how I felt when the deal was finalized.
The Braves traded their best starter from 2008 for outfielder Melky Cabrera (a career .270 hitter), a left-handed rookie pitcher in Mike Dunn, and a prospect. Hardly seems like the Braves got the better of the deal.
However, after looking deeper into the situation, I am actually quite happy with the move.
It's obvious that no one wanted to take on Derek Lowe's ridiculous contract. It's even more obvious that Atlanta GM Frank Wren could not construct the team he has envisioned while keeping both Lowe and Vazquez—so he traded Vazquez.
But the thing about this deal is that it sets thing up rather nicely for the Braves to make another deal.
That "throw-in" prospect just happens to be Arodys Vizcaino, who was the Yankees No. 2 prospect. Vizcaino is a right-handed fireballer who has a 95-mph fastball to go along with a devastating curve.
Now, if the Braves are so high on their own prospects that they cannot see parting with one of them for a bat, here's a perfect opportunity to make some GM's listen up.
Maybe the Braves are high on Vizcaino and it gives the Braves some wiggle-room to trade one of their own highly touted prospects in a deal for a slugger.
The bottom line is that this does not even come close to signaling the end of the line for the Braves this offseason.
By dumping Vazquez's salary you open up $11.5 million immediately. If they trade Lowe, they probably dump half that since no one wanted to take on his entire salary. Including Boone Logan in the deal rids the Braves of another $1.5 million. Add in Cabrera's $2 million and it's a net savings of roughly $11 million.
Now the Braves not only have salary flexibility, but they have added to an already deep farm system with a top pitching prospect. In addition to Vizcaino, Mike Dunn was the No. 6 prospect in the Yankees farm system last season. Dunn is more seasoned and should be ready to make the big league club out of spring.
I promise you that this move is only a precursor to bigger and better things.
I realize that it's always tough to lose your best pitcher from the previous season, but if you look into his career a little deeper, you will clearly see that Vazquez has never handled prosperity very well.
He has been largely inconsistent his entire career and there's at least a 50/50 chance that he would have reverted back to that this season. To get what they got for him is incredible to say the least.
Whether any of those players stay in the Braves organization is anyone's guess, but I am confident that this will not be the last we hear from Frank Wren this offseason.
A slugger is on the way. I don't know when, where, or how. The flexibility and depth that the Braves just added amounts to the handwriting on the wall.
A big-time deal is on they way. Stay tuned.
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