MLB: Yankees Deal for Javier Vazquez
The New York Yankees have acquired Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan from the Braves for Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn, and $500,000 in cash. It is an interesting deal for the Yankees, to say the least, and I am kind of torn on whether it is a good move for them or not.
On the one hand I like the move in the sense that he gives the Yanks some depth in the rotation in the event that Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain do not win a spot in the spring or if Andy Pettite has nothing left to give them. One begins to wonder if Hughes is even going to be given a shot at winning a spot in the rotation this spring with the addition of Vazquez. They now have six potential starters for five spots.
The reason I do not like the move is Vazquez pitched for the Yankees before, was rather unimpressive, and did not seem to be able to handle the pressure of pitching in New York. Is it any co-incidence that he has been an overwhelmingly better pitcher in the National League as compared to the American League? At the very least he will probably give the Yanks 200 innings but will he be any more effective than say Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes would have been in that spot in the rotation? It seems somewhat debatable that he will be.
The other reason I do not like the deal is Vazquez is a fly ball pitcher and the way the new stadium plays in the Bronx one would think the Yanks would be wanting to acquire more ground ball oriented pitchers.
This basically amounts to a salary dump for the Braves who were desperate to dump one of their higher priced starting pitchers to cut payroll back. With Nate McClouth already established in center field Cabrera will likely be moved to one of the corner outfield positions.
The two other pitchers changing hands, Mike Dunn and Boone Logan, are basically throw-ins that will likely have little to no impact on their new teams next season. Logan should compete for a spot in the Yankees bullpen but do not look for him to be that guy who is used to setup Mariano Rivera.
Vazquez was really good with the Braves last year. I’m wondering what the Braves are telling their fans by trading one of their pitchers before the 2010 season starts? Are they waving the white flag?
Not necessarily, with Tim Hudson coming back they had six starters, so, one was expendable in their eyes. They wanted to deal Derek Lowe but nobody was interested in a pitcher with a 4.67 ERA and is still owed $45 million over the next three years.
They wanted to dump one of their higher salaried starters and Vazquez was the most tradeable pitcher they had that was due to make over $10 mil next season. They are supposedly taking the money they saved in this deal to go out and sign another bat or two.