The Braves: Serious about saving $$$, less so about winning
Melky Cabrera: The latest in a series of cost-cutting imports. (AJC photo by Jason Getz)
The Braves just traded the man who might well have been their Opening Day starting pitcher for an outfielder who might not start on Opening Day. Think about that.
Think also about this: The Braves just traded a man who finished fourth in the National League Cy Young voting because he was making too much money. And here’s how much Javier Vazquez is scheduled to make in 2010 — $11.5 million. That’s not even half what CC Sabathia, his new Yankee teammate, will earn. And that tells us all we need know about the Braves.
They keep making noises about contending for division titles, but it’s just noise. They can’t afford to do real business any longer. From the day the 2009 season ended they were looking to dump a starting pitcher, ostensibly to add a power hitter, but Melky Cabrera isn’t a power hitter. He was the eighth-best position player on the Yankees. He might not beat out Nate McLouth in center field here. He might wind up in a platoon. And he’s what the Braves got for the man who was their best pitcher last season.
“A perfect fit,” Frank Wren called Cabrera, speaking on a teleconference Tuesday, but the only thing perfect about this trade was how completely it detonates the Braves’ claim to being serious players. You don’t trade an ace unless you get a big bopper in return. The Braves got a guy who hit 13 home runs with 68 RBIs last season.
Yes, there’s more to the trade than Cabrera. Mike Dunn should help in the bullpen and Arodys Vizcaino is a young power arm, but the cold truth is that the Braves just played what they deemed their trump card — a surplus of starting pitching — without improving their run production one whit. And don’t fool yourselves: That $11.5 million they saved on Vazquez won’t allow them to splurge on Jason Bay or Matt Holliday. Those guys are out of price range, out of sight.
“We’re very fortunate to be able to make a deal like this,” Wren said. Then this: “We’ve been focused on [finding a run producer] all offseason, and we were waiting on the right match. And we’re still waiting.”
But Vazquez is gone. Can’t trade him twice. And the Braves can’t trade Derek Lowe because they’re down to five starters. So the best that can be reasonably hoped is that they find a Marlon Byrd or a Xavier Nady or — knowing as we do that the Braves love recycling old favorites — a Mark DeRosa or a Jermaine Dye. Except none of those players will make them better in the way that losing Vazquez makes them worse.
Loading ...As someone who has defended Wren in the past, I have to say I’m stumped. Obviously the Braves’ salary constraints are worse than we’d been led to believe if they had to make this sort of deal so soon — Santa Claus hasn’t yet come and Javier Vazquez has left the building — but even more puzzling is Wren’s contention that this enabled him “to improve our club.” Maybe it improves it in 2012, when Vizcaino is ready to join Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens. But the way the Braves operate those pitchers will have been sold off by then.
Nothing about this offseason suggests that the new Braves are any better than the ones who finished third in the NL East. Is Billy Wagner an upgrade over Rafael Soriano? No. (But he’s cheaper. And also older.) Is Takashi Saito better than Mike Gonzalez? No. (But he’s cheaper. And also older.) Is the new first baseman … oh, wait. They don’t yet have a new first baseman.
For all this motion — Wren is forever in a hurry — the Braves will enter January 2010 a lesser team than in September 2009. That’s not the way it’s supposed to work. But that is, sad to say, the way it works here, where $11.5 million for a big-time pitcher is considered too much, where the drive to win is trumped by the need to scrimp.
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748 comments Add your comment
Baba O'Riley
December 22nd, 2009
7:15 pm
We need an outfield bat and a first baseman. We got NEITHER and our GM says Melky is a ‘nice fit”. He may be a nice fit, but he’s in the wrong puzzle.
Brian In Vegas
December 22nd, 2009
7:16 pm
Mark Bradley,
You are a complete dumba**! Do you know anything about baseball at all? The knee jerk reaction reminds me of what a woman would say about this trade. Wish your editors were as skeptical as you are so that I may never read one of your articles again!
Nick
December 22nd, 2009
7:16 pm
As a Braves fan living in NJ, Melky was never liked by Girardi in turn led to his exit. Cabrera just made the OF younger and Wren got rid of over $10 million. Yeah, Javier was an innings eater and made over 30 starts but was only 15-10 in the NL. All NYY fans remember is Game 7, 2004 ALCS. I don’t see it translating well to the AL again. Besides, the uncertainty regarding Jaba & Hughes starting forced Cashman on this deal. Have a feeling Wren is going to make a play for Adrian Gonzalez.
Opinion
December 22nd, 2009
7:17 pm
why can’t we get all prospects for Vasquez……..we need at least 4 prospects just to cover what we gave up to get him from Chicago when he was a losing pitcher with a over 4 ERA
Smooth move Franky
gp
December 22nd, 2009
7:17 pm
Don!:
Is it against the law to get value for value in a trade?? If this were August and we were out of it, go ahead a trade Teixeira for Kotchman. You don’t make the same trade in December.
If all you can get for JV is a nobody like Melky, YOU WAIT!!!!!
If you want to go to Turner Field next year and watch interest accumulate on the $8MM, be my guest. I was hoping we could watch good baseball instread.
Opinion
December 22nd, 2009
7:18 pm
Just Give a way the whole team why don’t ya……..we’re not going to get to the playoffs with this team
lanier
December 22nd, 2009
7:18 pm
im offically thru with the Braves. Ted aint commin back so they are now offically a mid market team and never will play in the postseason again under these owners. check back in 2017
NAMTAF
December 22nd, 2009
7:19 pm
@ Mark Bradley
Don’t forget your life vest as you jump off the ship.
Get a clue buddy.
Mad as he!!
December 22nd, 2009
7:19 pm
“nice fit” huh Franky. I’d like to see if my foot would fit up Frank’s hind parts
the real Andy
December 22nd, 2009
7:20 pm
howzabout Schafer and the two new pitchers we picked up (one of whom the Tigers supposedly coveted in the Granderson trade) for Miguel Cabrera?
BRADLEY IS AN IDIOT
December 22nd, 2009
7:20 pm
If the Braves get off to a hot start he will start writing about how great they are. What a loser.
This kid Arodys Vizcaino is the key to this trade. Once the Yankees included him the Braves had to make the deal. In about 3 years when he’s in the big leagues you all will talk about how great this trade was. Also, there are about 5 or 6 decent pitchers still out there a lot cheaper than Derek Lowe so don’t be surprised if they still trade him. Everyone is so hung up on a power hitter but let’s face it, there’s none available. Cabrera is a good ball player and a heck of an outfielder, he only made 3 errors last year so that alone makes the Braves better.
Jeff
December 22nd, 2009
7:21 pm
OMG WTF are they doing!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jake
December 22nd, 2009
7:21 pm
WTF just happened!? I hope Wren was included with the trade. 2010 season is already over and they got rid of a picture who actually enjoyed being in Atlanta and was the glue to their chemistry…
Mel
December 22nd, 2009
7:23 pm
Too many among us have forgotten 1991, where there was no true star/booper (check Terry P’s stats and remember he was MVP). Atlanta has been spoiled by 14 years of winning (less the last 3 years) but ashamed with only one WS to show. If you are still upset, please check the Cubs record and trades. Remember, they have twice as much money as we and still not having made it back to the WS in quite some time. Only the Yanks have a Ka-Jillian dollars to spend.
Baba O'Riley
December 22nd, 2009
7:24 pm
He is not ‘a heck of an outfielder”. he’s middling as far as CF’s go. Ranked 12-15 out of 26
Baba O'Riley
December 22nd, 2009
7:25 pm
Mel- MLB is a lot different now than it was in 1991.
Driver 8
December 22nd, 2009
7:25 pm
Is it true that the Yankees made us throw in Brook Jacoby and Rick Behenna too? I’m getting deja-vu on this one.
NAMTAF
December 22nd, 2009
7:25 pm
Let me guess, none of you liked the Doyle for Smoltz trade over 20 years ago? Clowns.
RA
December 22nd, 2009
7:26 pm
I’m a third generation Braves fan. My grandfather rooted for the Boston Braves, the Milwaukee Braves, and the Atlanta Braves. My dad lived and dies with Milwaukee and Atlanta, and I love the Falcons and the Hawks, but the Braves will ALWAYS be my team, but I never thought I’d see the day when I was ashamed to be a Braves fan, it’s here.
Jeff
December 22nd, 2009
7:27 pm
Worst part of all this is that Heyward will be blocked from starting at the beginning of the year, because Wren will have to justify Melky’s existence for at least a few months. Look how it worked out this year by not bringing up Hanson, who pitched like a stud and would’ve delivered several more victories and gotten us into the playoffs. Braves were one of the best teams after the break, so what do they do, get rid of all the guys that made them finally good.
gp
December 22nd, 2009
7:27 pm
Yes Mel, I’m sure Melky is the missing piece. I’m equally sure that Wren is the missing link.
Make room for another trophy.
NAMTAF
December 22nd, 2009
7:27 pm
@ RA
Your ancestors would be ashamed. Go root for the Mets.
g.h
December 22nd, 2009
7:27 pm
I wish baseball operated on Mark Bradley’s terms. Then you could just trade Derek Lowe for Albert Pujols and all of your problems would be solved. Unfortunately, the game and the business of real baseball are a little more complicated than your average 12-team fantasy league. People like Frank Wren, who have the full support and trust of John Scheurholtz, take steps and make moves that don’t always make sense to AJC columnists. Whether it’s releasing Tom Glavine, signing Derek Lowe, or trading for Adam Laroche, Wren gets criticized for every move he makes. Guess what, we were a better team last year because of the moves he made so let’s just see how this shakes out before we make more hasty judgments.
ben
December 22nd, 2009
7:27 pm
Another great Wren trade! At least the Yanks are happy.
the real Andy
December 22nd, 2009
7:27 pm
i personally don’t mind being a mid-market team. much rather that than be in the odious group of fat cats that are destroying baseball. I don’t want to outspend everybody.
our problem isn’t budget (entirely) but allocation of budget. First Wren tried to give a 5 yr/80 mill deal to Burnett, a 32 yr old who had thrown more than 200 innings twice in his career, and when that failed he panicked. He overpaid for Lowe, whose nearest offer was 3yr/36 mill. We gave a 4 year contract to a 36 yr old pitcher, and paid $24 mill more than the closest bidder.
I hope Lowe bounces back, but i fear that signing is going to hinder us for years to come. for goodness sake, until this morning, he was our 6th starter, and making 15% of the payroll.
FartsALotDawg
December 22nd, 2009
7:28 pm
The hole thing just stinks.
Pete and Repeat
December 22nd, 2009
7:29 pm
ArkyTech
December 22nd, 2009
6:52 pm
Baba, you conveniently left off a few stats in your 4 year comparison:
Church AB-1344/R-179/H-368/2B-102/3B-3/SB-17
Cabrera AB-1904/R-249/H-514/2B-90/3B-12/SB-44
Arky do you realize that quoting those stats only prove that you are a know nothing baseball fan? In over 500 more at bats, Melky only has 12 more doubles than Church? 70 more runs a few more triples and stolen bases? That’s an entire season, man!
The bottom line Arky, you idiot, is that you had a guy in the fold who could produce the same amount of offense and maybe better defense and he didn’t cost you your best pitcher!?
Geez guy, get a clue! The more you post the more you show your lack of knowledge!
It was a salary dump, plain and simple. You got a guy in return in Melky that you already had in your camp in Church!
Pete and Repeat
December 22nd, 2009
7:31 pm
NAMTAF
December 22nd, 2009
7:25 pm
Let me guess, none of you liked the Doyle for Smoltz trade over 20 years ago? Clowns
NAM is the one wearing the red nose! LMAO
sleeze
December 22nd, 2009
7:33 pm
Funny, Mark, but in reading espn.com, si.com, mlb,com, etc, most of the baseball experts state this was a prettyy good trade for the Braves. But then, compared to your extensive baseball knowledge, they probably don’t know very much, huh? Starting center fielder for the world champs who batted .275 last year and can play all 3 outfield positions extremely well, along with the Yankees #3 prospect?? Not bad considering Vasquez has already had one stint with the Yankees and they were less than impressed,, so much that they quickly shipped him off to Arizona for a lot less than the Brave got this time. But the fans of Atlanta are the real lucky ones, because we’re the fortunate ones who get to look forward to reading another “gem” from Mark Bradley tomorrow. Big whup..
Clowns
December 22nd, 2009
7:33 pm
NAMTAF:
What? You are equating Melky Cabrera to John Smoltz-or are you suggesting that Doyle for Smoltz was one of Wren’s better moves?
Talk about your non-sequiturs.
Hey, you love Wren-that’s cool. He seems like an A-hole to me.
Mel
December 22nd, 2009
7:34 pm
Baba, It is? Since when does HRs mean more than hitting the ball, catching the ball, throwing the ball? Manny is a very good HR hitter, has LA been to the WS with him? The Tigers had/have some very good HR hitters…have they been back to the WS since they got their Cabrera? Remember, before the Yanks spent a Ka-Jillian dollars on personnel and had some of the best players they were the best on paper. Unfortunately, we don’t play the game on paper.
Glen
December 22nd, 2009
7:34 pm
To the wait and see Wren apologists…he spent a ton of money last winter on Lowe, Vasquez and Kawakami. From that he produced one gem and two overpriced duds. Barring a miracle, going into 2010 we are left with the duds…the gem being shipped out for a guy who couldn’t hit for average in front of Jeter and could not hit homeruns in Yankee Stadium. How could Wren be so shortsighted, coming back only 1 year later and having to essentially dump his best pitcher. You wait, here comes Jermaine Dye on a 1 year 10M deal. Nice job Frankie baby…oh and what do we have left here for Frenchy and Tex?
NAMTAF
December 22nd, 2009
7:35 pm
Pete and Repeat (the modern ambiguously gay duo),
Were you even alive during that trade? Yes, please remind us all that it was a salary dump deal for someone the team already has (statistically speaking) but all of this knee-jerk reaction to one trade is absurd. You sound like a Mets fan.
Braves Fans Kool Aid Drinkers
December 22nd, 2009
7:35 pm
You morons deserve what you get. All the Braves managment has to say is “hes a perfect fit” or the Bobby Cox line of “he only made a couple of bad pitches” and you stupid azzes buy it!
Why should they spend money or attempt to put another winner on the field with you jock sniffers eating up their inferior product?
NAMTAF
December 22nd, 2009
7:36 pm
@ clowns
There is no connection to the Cabrera/Smoltz trades. All I was getting at was just wait until the dust settles and then make reaction then.
Baba O'Riley
December 22nd, 2009
7:37 pm
sleeze- If we had great bats and just needed an average guy to play CF for us, Melky would suffice. We are not the Yankees. We need more from our CF than just “average”.
abravefan
December 22nd, 2009
7:38 pm
Everyone that is being so negative needs to chill out. You dont know what is going to happen this upcoming season. Maybe Javy pitches great maybe he doesnt. I didnt want to see this trade happen but realistically what were you expecting to happen. We all know we dont have Ted Turner as the owner so we cant spend money. So i think we all need to take a deep breath and move on.
Ben
December 22nd, 2009
7:39 pm
Mark, you said it better and more concisely in your other blog post: EPIC FAIL
I can only hope that this is all part of a grander plan to bring in a big stick but if not then this can be seen as nothing more than a payroll dump after no one wanted Derek Lowe and his dead albatross contract.
I find it pretty telling that if you check out all the national media outlets that they ALL talk about how this helps the Yanks and not a single mention of what it means for the Braves other than Melky being a “dependable” player.
Then again, the economics of modern baseball are such that the rich get richer and the poor STAY poor. Baseball is broken.
NORRIS
December 22nd, 2009
7:40 pm
Mark you are wrong in a few areas:
Soriano is gone and this is a plus. The guy scared me everytime he stepped on the mound. Wagner is not a young man by no means but he showed last year that he is ready to play and he will be an up grade from Soriano.
Gonzalez gave me nausea everytime he pitched. he walked 2-3 hitters each outing before he would even get an out. The guy is scary and not what we want on the mound.
Saito is a veteran and has a proven track record. Something gonzo did not have.
The trade today is a different story. I am not sure how I feel about it until I see if we are going to do anything with the money. If there is no significant move from here then todays trade was pointless.
We do still need a first baseman and the longer we wait the worse our chances are of landing a quality bat.
Our lineup at this point for next year is just like it was. We have NO home run hitters. Mccann is our biggest offensive threat and he doesnt even play everyday. Chipper is next and he doesnt play every day either.
Once again we have a lineup with no pop and the starting pitching is a little worse.
This Gets Old
December 22nd, 2009
7:40 pm
The AL is a hitters league and Yankee Stadium is a hitters park. Who cares if we got their “third best prospect”? The Yankees aren’t winning because they’ve got one of the best farm systems around. They win because they’ll either buy whomever they need or go get a starter from a Kansas City or an …Atlanta. The 90’s are dead and gone. The Braves of now are down and won’t win again for years. When the team is inevitably sold the farm system will have to be rebuilt and that takes years.
The same people who write that Vazquez was a one year wonder have this faith that Lowe will “come back strong” Says who? Getting another bat now isn’t as important because you don’t have the pitching and when we won we won because of pitching. If you’re a big hitter you’re not looking to come to a team that doesn’t have a real chance to win. Jake Peavy was right about the Braves last year and that is now the attitude throughout baseball. It’s always sad to be the last to know, ain’t it?
fieldofdreams
December 22nd, 2009
7:40 pm
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091222&content_id=7842450&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Pete and Repeat
December 22nd, 2009
7:42 pm
NAMTAF, you sound like someone who isn’t sure about your own manhood. Gay bashing? Is that the best you got? And yes, 55 years old and buying tickets to games with my own money when Doyle Alexander was a Brave. Which I would guess you probably never did.
?????
December 22nd, 2009
7:43 pm
if this is a prelude to another move then it should have been a three team trade for a bat and a pitching prospects,their is no guarantee the trade Wren is waiting for will be there in my opinion he is taking a gamble on prelimanary talks with other teams from the meetings but see frustrations in the future,i think this is a year to late if melky was traded last year for a kelly johnson?
This Gets Old
December 22nd, 2009
7:44 pm
It doesn’t matter how Vazquez pitches in Yankee Stadium next year. We saw what he was able to do in our park. That’s the issue
Mark Bradley's Fan Club
December 22nd, 2009
7:46 pm
Good article, Mark. Hard to see how this club is better right now than it was at the end of 2009. We just lost one of our best starting pitchers for prospects, basically. I don’t count Melky as the main part of the deal– it’s the young hot prospect the Braves got in return that was the main component on the Yankees side. He may or may not contribute in 2012 or so, but for 2010… the Braves got nothing.
AND the Braves don’t have a first baseman– not only do that not have a first baseman, but they’re very unlikely to get one that is as good as LaRoche is, either defensively or offensively. (LaRoche, as we all know, is too expensive, which is becoming a trend).
So the 2010 group is basically degraded. 3rd place finish here we come!
Why don’t we just go ahead and trade Chipper for a couple of hotshot prospective infielders?
bugman
December 22nd, 2009
7:47 pm
If I didn’t know better I’d think the Braves were owned by the Atlanta Spirit.
Ted, please come home and rescue us!
g.h
December 22nd, 2009
7:48 pm
I’m sitting here reading the comments that Mark Bradley has posted in response to his own article and I’m just AMAZED by how shortsighted and one-dimensional his understanding of the game is. I think he truly believes that Frank Wren just woke up today and said, “I’m gonna trade Javier Vazquez to the first team that makes an offer.” Question, Mark: Do you think Frank Wren would have traded Javier Vazquez for Adrian Gonzalez if that was an option? Do you think he would have dumped Derek Lowe for Dan Uggla if that was an option? There are mitigating factors with every trade that are obviously beyond your comprehension. But by all means, keep crying like an upstart fan who debates the complexities of baseball with his wife.
RA
December 22nd, 2009
7:48 pm
Can’t do it NAMTAF. The MIGHT be going down, but after three generations, I’m going with them. Now and forever GO BRAVES!!!
NAMTAF
December 22nd, 2009
7:50 pm
Pete,
Thanks for inquiring about my own manhood. Ask your wife about it.
As for your age; some of us expect more from people over 50, but maybe you’re mind is slipping.
Kaiser Sousse
December 22nd, 2009
7:50 pm
Awesome!! We just traded our best pitcher for “Mr. May”
This from the AJC…While Cabrera rarely dazzles, the native Dominican has earned a reputation as a useful player who does nothing great but most everything well. Braves fans will appreciate his flair for the dramatic; last year he had three walk-off hits in the season’s first seven weeks. He was named Major League Baseball’s Clutch Performer of the Month in May.