Worst thing I saw all year? This Vazquez-Cabrera trade!
I guess it’s not a bad a year when it takes until Dec. 22 to happen across something really awful. And that was our lot in Atlanta sports. Even with Willie Martinez and Dave Wommack misdirecting defenses; even with Jason Elam developing a case of the yips; even with Greg Norton whiffing and Paul Hewitt wrangling timeouts … even then, it took until the penultimate week of the calendar year to find something that made you throw a shoe at yonder wall.
And here it is, and here goes said shoe.
Javier Vazquez for Melky Cabrera. The Braves’ best pitcher for the Yankees’ eighth- or ninth-best player. The anchor of a good rotation for a guy who isn’t really a big bopper.
I’ll have more to say on this later and at greater length, but for now I leave you with these words:
Frank Wren = Epic Fail.
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797 comments Add your comment
Reginald Terry
December 22nd, 2009
4:48 pm
I am not surprised at the latest trade.This organization has no plan to win and never has since Ted Turner included the Braves in the Time Warner deal.This has continued through Liberty Media with the same goal.The goal is when we get a good player get rid of him and hopefully our childhood team the Yankees can get him and continue to win the world series.Remember where Sheffield and Farnsworth went after Atlanta.The people that own the Braves are not in the best interest of Atlanta nor the fans but that of New York.
ATLien4Life!
December 22nd, 2009
4:49 pm
Frank Wren must go. Period.
Erik
December 22nd, 2009
4:50 pm
True. Point well taken.
They say apples dont fall far from the tree! Schuerhltz and Wren still work togther right?
Brendan
December 22nd, 2009
4:52 pm
Can not believe they did this, Lowe(contract) for Melkey, yes, Javy for for Melkey, bad move.All I can hope is that they have something else up their sleeve, we need offense and Cabrera isn’t the answer. He will be Garret Anderson with better defense. Come on Braves, were so close to putting a great squad together. GET A BAT STAT !!!!!!
Mark Bradley
December 22nd, 2009
4:53 pm
Oh, yes. They’re big pals.
yeamat728
December 22nd, 2009
4:54 pm
Frank Wren is turning Tuner Field into “Tooner Field” literally, because you would have to be a cartoon character in order to trade away arguably your best pitcher for a career utility outfielder. Thanks Frank Wren, Thanks
BravesFanSince1961
December 22nd, 2009
4:55 pm
Guys, guys, guys . . calm down. Melky is a PIECE of the trade, but not the MAIN return. Arodys Vizcaino is the main return. Picture if you will a starting roation of Jurrens, Hanson, Vizcaino and
Julio Teheran. Melky is a place holder till Jason Heyward is ready. Add in Freeman at 1B and the Braves look pretty good down the road. And if Schaeffer ever turns his hitting around the OF of the future looks nice as well.
Shane
December 22nd, 2009
4:55 pm
Go tot he Yankee sites. They hate this trade too. They loved Melky and like most fans realize Javy had a career year last year that he is no likely to approach again.
Plus we got two of their best prospects.
I say again if the trade were so one sided why are Yankee fans up in arms over the deal?
yeamat728
December 22nd, 2009
4:56 pm
you make me miss Pete Babcock
Ted Williams Head
December 22nd, 2009
4:58 pm
Melkey Cabrera !!!
I predict Bobby Cox will nickname him “Cabby”.
Sneakers O'Toole
December 22nd, 2009
5:00 pm
I’m not a fan of this trade either BUT, lets wait and see what happens before we start to bury FW. This can’t be looked at as Braves give up a top line starter for a 4th outfielder. It is Braves trade top line starter for a 4th outfielder AND whatever the 9.5 million in savings will buy. Also, any of the 3 new peices aquired could be used to make a big move later. FW is not done with this lineup, get off of the ledge, the sky is not falling.
Erik
December 22nd, 2009
5:00 pm
Mark,
Who would you like to see Atlanta get?
Boneyard Randy
December 22nd, 2009
5:04 pm
Vasquez is gonna suck next year anyway. Hawks @ Minnesota tonight – gotta get this game #2 of 4 on the road. terrible loss to the bulls the other night. GO HAWKS! January 8 vs. Celtics @ The Factory…gonna be CRAZY!!!
Shane
December 22nd, 2009
5:04 pm
Sneakers O’Toole
Hey sneakers take your sneakers off !!!
UGAX
December 22nd, 2009
5:04 pm
Are you fricking kidding me?. Looks like I’ll be spending more time in the yard this summer……….dumbest move in baseball. Let’s go ahead an trade Freeman and Hayward for Milton Bradley.
don
December 22nd, 2009
5:04 pm
Frank Wren should be fired. His track record is disgraceful. Obviously he couldn’t trade Lowe. He was the only moron who would offer Lowe such an outrageous contract and then can’t understand why he can’t trade him.
I( have reached the obvious conclusion that Wren is a prostitute. He continually gets screwed by other GMs.
He is pathetic.
mike
December 22nd, 2009
5:05 pm
frank wren is an disgrace
possed off derek lowe and then trades or best pitcher for a lousey outfeilder! that the yankees dont want! frank you SUCK
It's all about the Money.
December 22nd, 2009
5:05 pm
I keep posting, with little interest from other posters, that it is all about the money. Major League Baseball Owners proved that they were Whores when they approved Liberty Media. It is for a TAX BREAK. That is it. When the TAX BREAKS are over, the Braves are gone. You just can’t win with this kind of Ownership. I’m really not sure how Frank wren is doing. You can’t tell, because you don’t know what he is being instructed to do to keep the payroll down. that is the way it is, and i am sick of it.
Sneakers O'Toole
December 22nd, 2009
5:06 pm
I’m not taking my sneakers off, I am Sneakers O’Toole
wendell
December 22nd, 2009
5:07 pm
this was a give away deal ! i don’t see it’s worth u give away a great starting pitcher . in return at bet a #4 outfielder why pull the gun so quickly i’m sure we could have gotten more . makes me sick
Shane
December 22nd, 2009
5:07 pm
Go tot he Yankee sites. They hate this trade too. They loved Melky and like most fans realize Javy had a career year last year that he is no likely to approach again.
Plus we got two of their best prospects.
I say again if the trade were so one sided why are Yankee fans up in arms over the deal?????
WTFrankWren!
December 22nd, 2009
5:08 pm
Listenin 2 790 the zone…It Could Be A Part 2 of the Vazquez-Cabrera deal…
Jim Osteen
December 22nd, 2009
5:09 pm
Other than to drive web traffic, what is the point of dissecting a move which very likely is merely a precursor to other more substantial trades?
Dejay
December 22nd, 2009
5:10 pm
While I’m hearing about how this trade frees up $$$ to get a big stick in the lineup, I’m not so convinced. Did you guys learn anything from last year when the Braves were leveraged by just about EVERYONE in free agency? Remember Griffey? How about Rafael Furcal? Because of that, their hands were forced into giving ridiculous multi-year contracts to Lowe and KK to begin with. Now you’re expecting Wren to get it right this time around?
The Braves need a bat in the worst way; a REAL ONE, not some Rico Brogna lookalike who once hit 18 homers back in 2001. If they are in the business of competing in the NL East with Philly, who just traded for Roy Holliday, they can’t possibly tell us that Melky Cabrera is the best they could do, can they?
They better not be counting on Jason Heyward or Freddy Freeman to come bailing them out in 2010. They need a proven hitter; NOW.
Win,lose, or tie bravos til i die
December 22nd, 2009
5:11 pm
so we get melky cabrera to essentially replace garret anderson, well just check there average, home runs, and rbis. there the same and garret anderson was horrible in my opinion. plus we lose our ace. might as well hand the yankees their trophy right now
GTSteve
December 22nd, 2009
5:11 pm
JackLackey…now that was funny
Ryan in Mcdonough
December 22nd, 2009
5:11 pm
This trade is even worse than the trade to get Texeira. The dynasty is over and our new GM is incompetent. Wonder if we could trade Frank Wren for a dozen baseball bats (i.e. Kerry Ligtenberg)
yankees#27
December 22nd, 2009
5:13 pm
we say the same thing about having Vasquez back with the Yankees!! ugh!!
i hope to God and Lucky Lou Gehrig that Vazquez can hack it when he comes back…fingers crossed
Sons of Rick Matula
December 22nd, 2009
5:14 pm
The best we can get for an over-achieving pitcher is an under-achieving 4th outfielder. The Yankees had no use for Melky – they wanted to replace him with McLouth. They tried Brett Gardner. They got Granderson. The Yankees wind up with Vazquez & Granderson – the Braves get two light-hitting OF. Plus with Melky, you get an attitude problem. He was thought to be a bad influence on Robbie Cano. The less Melky played the better Cano performed. This is a disappointing move. Only thing worse is having Chip Caray doing 145 games.
Ted Williams Head
December 22nd, 2009
5:17 pm
Not saying last year was a fluke, but I doubt Vasquez will ever have another season where he pitches that well.
Jeff
December 22nd, 2009
5:18 pm
I couldnt agree more. When I saw this headline I just thought to myself: “Werent we trying to imrpove our rotation?” . It seems just when it looks like we may have done that this deal goes through. I couldnt have said it better than you Mark Bradley. Frank Wren=Epic Fail
Take Your Skirt Off Tom Brady » Blog Archive » Braves Trade Vazquez, Hopes, to Yankees
December 22nd, 2009
5:27 pm
[...] a universally acclaimed move*, Atlanta Braves GM Frank Wren has traded Javier Vazquez to the Yankees for a sub [...]
Braves Bungle
December 22nd, 2009
5:30 pm
The braves blow it again with another bad trade. It will do nothing to address their problems, and they will miss the playoffs, once again. I should have stayed in Philly—-the moves they make down here are beyond dumb.
Sneakers O'Toole
December 22nd, 2009
5:30 pm
I’ll just keep repeating until it sinks in.
Not a straight up trade, can’t be judged until we see where the 9.5 million goes.
We also got some good prospects.
DangerousDan87
December 22nd, 2009
6:05 pm
This trade is just so wrong on so many levels. The Melk man is all Wren could get? So is he our left fielder or will it be the 30 year old AAA guy? The turnstiles will be spinning next year–NOT.
SemperFi
December 22nd, 2009
6:06 pm
Obviously, the bottom line is the bottom line. Vasquez is due to make more money than “Melky”. About 10mil more. “Melky” will probably hit better in the NL East than the AL East, not having to deal with the Sox (damn good pitching), Rays (good pitching), Blue Jays (Halliday).
Wren is not a moron. If he was, he would have never been Schuerholz’s asst. I think everyone will agree he was not a moron (as GM).
Then it comes down to Liberty Media. The men/women in suits have made a decree to parcel out the bucks. They give and we MUST RECEIVE. I’m not asking for the Yanks payroll, but if we cannot keep the best pitcher on the staff for financial reasons, then why are they in baseball.
In my oh-so-humble opinion, the Braves are a good team that just got worse with this trade. The Phillies, Mets, Marlins and Nats just got a Christmas present. And they know it.
Shady Kraft
December 22nd, 2009
6:26 pm
Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly far far away and please let there be more to this trade.
Mike D-O-double G
December 22nd, 2009
6:55 pm
I saw Wren at Wal Mart the other night wearing a pink Jeter Jersey
Sid Bream's Leg
December 22nd, 2009
7:42 pm
I’d reaaalllllyyyy like to know John Schueholz’s true feelings on this deal. I’m sure publicly he will say “I back our GM 100%”, but I’d like to hear the behind the scenes conversations.
Charles
December 23rd, 2009
9:32 am
Here’s a trade idea: Frank Wren for a case of used baseballs and a rookie ball player to be named later. Lowe at $15M per year, Kowakami, Kochman, LaRoche, Church, Garrett Anderson. This guy is a joke. Maybe Matt Millen could try his hand as a baseball GM, he can’t be any worse than Wren.
Dave
December 23rd, 2009
10:44 am
Right off the top of my head, I sincerely believe most everyone on this column is over-reacting to this trade.
It was, first and foremost, a salary dump. Now that might upset most Braves fans, but the simple fact of life is that the Braves CANNOT spend money like the Red Sox, Yankees or even the Phillies. They HAD to unload either Lowe (preferred) or Vasquez (last resort) to be able to sign the first baseman and/or a corner outfielder who can provide the power bat that is sorely needed.
I am sure Wren tried his level best to get rid of Lowe, but he could find no team who would take Lowe without the Braves paying at least SOME of Lowe’s salary.
When he could not find another team to take Lowe, that left Vasquez. Now, based on what I have read from most national baseball analysts, what Wren got in return for Vasquez seems to be two pretty solid pitching prospects plus a serviceable outfielder who will platoon with Matt Diaz.
Wren clearly needs to find a first basemen and a power-hitting outfielder. He has several outfielders and some pitching to trade, if necessary, and he now has some money to get a 2nd-tier free agent. I will reserve judgement on this deal and the rest of the winter until I see what Wren does prior to the opening of spring training.
bill
December 23rd, 2009
11:58 am
Arodys Vizcaino was one of their top prospects
guitarplayingBravesfan
December 23rd, 2009
1:05 pm
Mark, Vasquez for Melky now we sign Glaus, if you know where Frank Wren parks his car will you please cut his break line?
Andrew
December 23rd, 2009
3:58 pm
You can’t be more wrong. I’m a life-long Yankee fan, endured the lean years in the 80’s, Melky is a HUGE loss to that team of superstars, and I think the Atlanta media and fanbase should take a little more consideration into that fact that you’re being handed a 25 year old multi-fascited outfielder who’s been in the leauge for 6 years and is JUST NOW developing his power stroke. Not to mention what he brought to the clubhouse in New York the last few seasons. Be happy Braves, you just got yourself a stud in exchange for a #4 rotation guy who’s approaching the back end of his 30’s…
wreckmaniac
December 23rd, 2009
7:10 pm
Similar to the most infamous trade in Atlanta, or perhaps, sports history which was Brett Butler for Len Barker. I would still like to strangle the nitwit who cooked up that deal.
Trade thoughts: Vasquez/Cabrera « From Baseballs to Baselines
December 25th, 2009
12:17 am
[...] in the minority here. A lot of Yankees fans and blogs have been thrilled with the trade, and Atlanta blogs/papers are furious that the Braves gave up their “best pitcher for the Yankees’ eighth- or [...]
robert
January 3rd, 2010
9:09 am
igei,
it`s one of their better moves. next is a left fielder. i think &hope it is jermaine dye.