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.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
797 comments Add your comment
Opinion
December 22nd, 2009
12:40 pm
Now my turn………I will trade Frank Wren for any blind squirrel you have in your forest
Jack
December 22nd, 2009
12:40 pm
Yes, young Joshua, if all those guys pan out, it could be a miraculous trade, though 1 in 100 prospects makes a mark in the big leagues. If Wren signs a great free agent with the Javy money, that’s another positive. But that’s a lot of ifs. As of today, we just swapped our top pitcher for a whole lot of hope … which by the way is down on the NASDAQ.
atlsouthside
December 22nd, 2009
12:40 pm
Atlanta Hawks have the best chance in franchise history to make the ECF. The future of this team rides heavily on what happens in the postseason this year. I hope we keep Woody & Joe, but I also think we have key pieces in place that will allow us to succeed even if both decide to go elsewhere… Joe Johnson is my dude, but he can be replaced…. So can Woody…
Gumby
December 22nd, 2009
12:41 pm
Vasquez to the already richest club in baseball. Really? And for Melky Cabrerra. How the hell does that make baseball better.
MLB team salaries are so out of whack that if I was Kennesaw Mountain Landis (I do live in Kennesaw so I could be Kennsaw Mountain Gumby) I would have the World Series consist of MLB Allstars vs the Yankees. That might be fair.
j
December 22nd, 2009
12:41 pm
F U Frank Wren! I hope he is fired soon. This trade makes less than no sense. Who negotiated this for the Yankees? George Costanza? Who did we have negotiating? Kramer?!
Next time just kick me in the nuts and make it easier!
Reptillicide
December 22nd, 2009
12:43 pm
Cabrera is a career .269 hitter who is good for MAYBE 8 home runs in a ball park like Turner Field, and 60 RBI’s. He’s not going to steal more than 10 bases a year. He isn’t even an upgrade over Ryan Church. The pitcher, Mike Dunn, is one of their best starter prospects, but can any of you tell me the last time the Yankees used a starter from their farm system? Javy Vazquez was our best pitcher, the ace of our staff. Even if he only pitched another year for us, it would have been worth it. And who knows, we may have been able to sign a new contract with him.
Those of you trying to say this wasn’t a bad trade need to wake up. The ONLY positive side of this trade is that we now have 9 million dollars more to work with, but I doubt it’s going to get you what you want.
Opinion
December 22nd, 2009
12:43 pm
I now have that sick feeling in my stomach like I had when Chan Gailey was running the show at Tech
Expat Tom
December 22nd, 2009
12:43 pm
Wow! What a Christmas present for us fans … sure makes me want to go out and buy some tickets.
Let’s see, we give up a top of the line starter who gives you a ton of innings. OK, got that.
And for the power right-hand bat we get what, light hitting centerfielder? Am I missing something here?
Now, who plays left? Who plays right? I ask because we don’t have a first baseman either unless Diaz will play both positions simultaneously.
EEJacket
December 22nd, 2009
12:43 pm
“Frank Wren = Epic Fail.”
Bark Madley is officially the most interweb-savvy old guy I know.
Bob LaBlah
December 22nd, 2009
12:44 pm
Hey bama jack, send a xmas postcard to SMU thanking them for taking the death penalty bullet that your program so deserved.
j
December 22nd, 2009
12:45 pm
Joshua,
REMOVE HEAD FROM BUTT. 4th best pitcher in NL for absolutely nothing! Yeah..Great trade. Now go home you Yankee fan!
Gen Neyland
December 22nd, 2009
12:46 pm
Amen, Mark. I see this as a Lowe blow…
Opinion
December 22nd, 2009
12:47 pm
WWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
About melky cabrera, braves, javier vazquez, yankees | Find me About
December 22nd, 2009
12:47 pm
[...] Got Melky? The Braves now do. And I’m not exactly jumping for joy. (AP photo) 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 …Read Original Story: Worst thing I saw all year? This Vazquez-Cabrera trade! – Atlanta Journal… [...]
DawgDad
December 22nd, 2009
12:48 pm
The Vazquez trade is a salary dump, pure and simple. Cabrera is another Ryan Church. The Dunn kid has some potential as a relief pitcher, but those two and $500,000 does NOT add up to Javier Vazquez. This MIGHT be an even trade if the $500,000 Yankee cash was $5,000,000 instead.
Well, now they have some money. I’d like to see them re-sign LaRoche and sign Jason Bay, but I think that’s wishful thinking. If they don’t plug first base and get a big time slugging left fielder they’d have been better off not making this trade, looking elsewhere or going into spring training overloaded on pitching.
Essentially, Wren and Cox decided they’d rather have Hudson than Vazquez. Big risk, even considering Javier isn’t likely to repeat last year’s performance.
UGAFriesen
December 22nd, 2009
12:48 pm
lets wait and see how this pans out. we could simply use this trade to free up cash and put together a package deal for a guy like Dan Uggla who i think would be a huge asset. Melky is not a power hitter, and is a CF so this trade doesn’t totally make sense, which makes me think Wren isnt done. To say he is a total “epic failure” is a little bit of a stretch. In my opinion, he’s done a good job overall. maybe need to better our dealings with players in how we trade them or cut them though (Smoltz, Glavine,etc).
Three Jack
December 22nd, 2009
12:48 pm
Is it Wren’s fault? Or is it Liberty Media deciding to cut payroll?
If Wren made the trade because he thinks it improves the Braves chances of winning in 2010, then he should go.
But I would bet it is more about payroll, i.e.:
- No attempt to re-sign Laroche…instead they sign the all time minor league HR king
- Sign old farts Wagner and Saito(?) instead of Soriano and Gonzalez
- Despite glaring need for power in the lineup, no moves to sign top power free agents.
Now that they cleared almost $12M from the payroll in this deal, will they attempt to sign Holliday or Bay?
Are you freakin kidding me!!!
December 22nd, 2009
12:48 pm
ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! WTH!!!!!!!!!! I normally give the head office a break or two but this is unbelieveable!!!! Just when I thought Frank Wren had a freakin brain he trades away one of our best pitchers for a nobody! The Yankees have got to be dying laughing about right now! I can’t wait to see how that make fun of the Braves now.
Opinion
December 22nd, 2009
12:48 pm
This just in: Frank Wren has been traded by the Braves to the Albuquerque Isotopes for 1 truck load of dirt for the infield
Zeus
December 22nd, 2009
12:48 pm
I mean the guy gells his gray hair, we should have known he’d suck as a gm.
Frank Wren=Obama of the Braves
disappointed
December 22nd, 2009
12:49 pm
I am really let down by this,this makes no sense what so ever!!! He better have a plan B to the plan A for a blockbuster trade that will open my eyes and have less doubts bout his managerial skills or i will make it a point to put my size 15EEE in his ass if i ever see him on the street!!!! stupid, just stupid!!!
Buzz29
December 22nd, 2009
12:50 pm
I just saw Tim Hudson at a McDonalds in Peachtree City. I shoulda asked him if he wanted a crappy trade to go along with those happy meals.
Bob LaBlah
December 22nd, 2009
12:50 pm
Joshua, I hope you’re kidding. If not, you’ve exposed yourself as the dumbest sportsfan in Atlanta history. My grandmother is an upgrade over Church. Who trades the best pitcher on our team for a utility outfielder… Wow the 3rd rated prospect from the Yankees farm system… the yankees always trade their prospects and their farm is bare.. who cares.. we want to win the series not wait for some cuban 19 year old to make the team in 2015
Carl
December 22nd, 2009
12:50 pm
If only John Schuerholtz were alive, this would never have happened.
Mark in Woodstock
December 22nd, 2009
12:51 pm
This might be one of the worst trades I’ve ever seen…..give up quite possibly the Braves best pitcher for a guy that probably would not have started for the Yankees this upcoming season. Frank got himself in this position with his dumb moves last year…he gave deals to Lowe and KK that no one else would have because he panicked after the after 2008 season….then he tries to trade away Lowe and finds that everyone else is wiser than him and no one is going to take his mistake. Way to go Frank….you make one mistake and then make another to try and fix the ballclub.
Angel
December 22nd, 2009
12:51 pm
???? I hope Lowe has a good season … and JJ … and KK … and Huddy .. and …????
Hopefully I am wrong, but unless we can get the hitter we are looking for, it might be a looong summer.
Opinion
December 22nd, 2009
12:51 pm
No wonder Bobby Cox wants to retire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No wonder Bobby Cox wants to retire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No wonder Bobby Cox wants to retire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No wonder Bobby Cox wants to retire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No wonder Bobby Cox wants to retire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No wonder Bobby Cox wants to retire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No wonder Bobby Cox wants to retire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No wonder Bobby Cox wants to retire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No wonder Bobby Cox wants to retire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Blackberry Cobbler
December 22nd, 2009
12:51 pm
Trading Vasquez is a pure dumb @$$ move. The Braves haven’t done a damn thing yet that makes this 2010 team any better than 2009. Frank Wren and Company needs these @$$es kicked.
Extremus
December 22nd, 2009
12:52 pm
Ouch. At least that’s what I feel when I look over this trade. Unless that prospect pitcher (Vizcaino, if I spelled it correctly) turns out to be a big future asset, this is an absolute steal for the Yankees on the scale that Scheurholz used to pull off during the early to mid-90s for the Braves. Cabrera is at best a stop-gap player; he is not the power-and-RBI type guy we need in that underwhelming outfield. My guess is that the Braves will use the remainder of what they would have paid Vasquez plus the $500,000 they got from the Yanks to go after a true starting outfielder, first baseman, or both. And I’m sure in the back of their heads they’re hoping Jason Heyward and possibly Mitch Jones will be able to step up and provide the needed pop (by the way, if Jones had hit 235 home runs in the minors, someone please tell me why he was still in Albuquerque after ten years? Is there something about his fielding or clubhouse presence that’s that bad?). But then again they might just fail to get the producer they are hoping for, just like they failed to find interest for Derek Lowe and his fat contract with suitors, and just like they failed to attract many potential contributors last offseason. If that turns out to be the case, we will all look back on this being one of those moves that would have been best left not made at all. Brett Butler and Brook Jacoby for Len Barker, anyone?
Lank
December 22nd, 2009
12:52 pm
Did Wren confuse Melky Cabrera with Miguel Cabrera?
Joshua
December 22nd, 2009
12:53 pm
It is kind of funny how our “top of the line” starter is going to be the #3 or #4 man in NY. You are all basing these absurd opinions on the fact that Vazquez had a good year last year without considering he HAS NEVER had 2 such seasons in a row in his career. Combined with the fact that he has a reputation for choking under pressure, he certainly is not worth $11 million. So this is a good deal. You are all mad because we didn’t get a 30HR guy out of it, which is beyond absurd. The Braves offense WAS NOT THAT BAD last year. We scored more runs than the Cardinals, and they won their division and 93 games. And if you think we aren’t going to upgrade even more, then it is no wonder you have these flagrantly idiotic opinions. WOW JUST WOW. Now we sign Roachy and hopefully Marlon Byrd and all of a sudden we are set. But I don’t expect any of you to understand that. Why don’t you go back to our 14 consecutive division titles and see how many times we scored more than 735 runs in a season during that stretch. We have the pitching and a solid lineup with few easy outs who will all work the count deep. This is a good baseball team that just got better. But yea, it is hard to understand all that so I am not surprised by the pissing and moaning here. Just know that the Yankees fans are as pieved about this as all of you, which means we must have gotten something decent here.
Bob LaBlah
December 22nd, 2009
12:53 pm
FRANK WREN is actually STAN KASTEN’s PUPPET!!!
GSU Eagle 91
December 22nd, 2009
12:54 pm
I’m shocked with the trade…No, floored is more like it…Our best pitcher for an outfielder that hit 13 homers? Lame…Very lame….
Greg Norton may beat him out for the final roster spot….
Dawg Fan, you’re high…10-2 for UGA is a “pipe” dream allright. Maybe 8-4 or 7-5….
ATLBravesFan
December 22nd, 2009
12:55 pm
The Braves needed to trade either Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez in order to free up some money. Melky Cabrera is a serviceable player I think he will be even better with the braves than he was with the yankees cause he want have as much pressure on him. The Braves can now go after free agent first basemen Jason Giambi and try to sign Jermaine Dye and hopefully he can play left field.
Opinion
December 22nd, 2009
12:55 pm
I think Frank Wren must be secretly working for the Phillies
LostCause
December 22nd, 2009
12:56 pm
I guess this is why you write about sports intead of actually working the deals. A fair switch hitting outfielder, and two prosects is a lot better than they were going to get for Lowe.
GWH Rich
December 22nd, 2009
12:56 pm
Agreed, this is not a great move. Let’s face it, we signed Lowe to a deal he couldn’t pass up, and now we can’t get out of, without paying him to play elsewhere. Still, Vizcaino may be a nice piece in a couple of years.
http://timdix.blogspot.com/2009/12/odd-man-out-for-braves-not-lowe-as.html
JB
December 22nd, 2009
12:56 pm
Bradley,
1) Will there be a news conference introducing Cabrera? I’d like to see Wren answer some questions (if someone will ask them).
2) This isn’t the worst thing the Braves did this year. That was actually bringing back Chip Carey. AmIRight? AmIRight?
Say it again: this team exists right now because the top tier teams simply have to play somebody.
myra
December 22nd, 2009
12:57 pm
I have to tellyou the worst deal Atlanta made was to bring back CHIP CAREY. If u watch Bravos on TV u have to listen to this geek. ALL DAMN YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Worst signing ever.
Bob LaBlah
December 22nd, 2009
12:57 pm
Yeah Eagle it has been so unusual for UGA to win 10 games. never happens does it.
Opinion
December 22nd, 2009
12:57 pm
So let me get this straight Frank Wren traded 4 good prospects for a pitcher with a losing record and +4 ERA from the white sox………in return we trade a Cy Young possiblity for Melky Cabrera and a baseball to be named later.
What an idiot
GOSOX!!!
December 22nd, 2009
12:57 pm
Are we doing this to just “clear money” or are we goin to be serious about getting a bat? I like LaRoach, but we got to grow some and get a bat!! Plz Frank dont make me put more intrest into my home town team The RedSox, then the team in my current city i live in!! Frank Wren in Washington was fired for a reason!!!
myra
December 22nd, 2009
12:58 pm
Jb— u are right sir.
Zeus
December 22nd, 2009
12:58 pm
Jason Giambi? Hahahahaaaa. Thanks ATLBraves Fan, needed a laugh.
Run To The Other Blog
December 22nd, 2009
12:58 pm
I could run on over to that OTHER blog where about a third of the people posting as well as the guy who hosts it are doing the typical Braves spin of “what a great deal we made.”
I ain’t buying that and thanks MARK for having the guts to call it!
papadawg
December 22nd, 2009
12:59 pm
Worst trade? Reminds me of the one involving Butler & Jacoby for WHO
Opinion
December 22nd, 2009
12:59 pm
First Chip Carray and now Vasquez…………..what next………..new multi-year deal for Norton?
First Chip Carray and now Vasquez…………..what next………..new multi-year deal for Norton?
First Chip Carray and now Vasquez…………..what next………..new multi-year deal for Norton?
First Chip Carray and now Vasquez…………..what next………..new multi-year deal for Norton?
First Chip Carray and now Vasquez…………..what next………..new multi-year deal for Norton?
Mark Lemke
December 22nd, 2009
12:59 pm
Wow! Who were they getting offered for Lowe? The bat boy?
Jack
December 22nd, 2009
12:59 pm
Giambi and Dye. That’s a joke right?
Bob LaBlah
December 22nd, 2009
12:59 pm
ATLBravesFan is the type of person that gets slapped in the face and then wonders what they themselves did wrong.