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
BOBBI DUD
December 22nd, 2009
12:59 pm
Shock! Total Shock! Think I will go back to the Yankees as a fan! Braves are a joke! Will never win anything again! Back to the 70’s and 80’s !
Three Jack
December 22nd, 2009
1:00 pm
Prospects traded to White Sox for Vazquez last year — Brent Lillibridge, Tyler Flowers, Jon Gilmore, and Santos Rodriguez.
Lillibridge probably never goes past utility player;
Flowers set to takeover catching duties as early as this coming season
Other two yet to get past Single A, but both are decent prospects.
Nice move Braves….give up on four to get one, then give up one to get a bum outfielder and two mediocre pitching prospects…can’t find the good in this set of transactions (remind anyone of Texiera boondoggle?)
sam
December 22nd, 2009
1:00 pm
wow, Frank Wren is taking the Braves back to the 80’s. Please bring back John Schuerholz
DawgInDC
December 22nd, 2009
1:01 pm
wow..this is a very bad deal, even worse than the Johnny Estrada for Millwood deal…go ahead and pencil the braves in for 3rd of 4th place next year…thanks alot frank wren!
Opinion
December 22nd, 2009
1:01 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?
ATLBravesFan
December 22nd, 2009
1:02 pm
reply: Zeus
Well instead of Jason Giambi playing first how about Hank Blalock from Texas that sounds better.
Fire Frank Wren
December 22nd, 2009
1:03 pm
This would have been a good trade if it was lowe and not vazquez. Why wouldnt we eat any money from lowe. we could have eaten 12 million of the 45 left and we still save more money. Trading vasquez we clear 11.5 mill then with cabreas abritraion that goes down to about 9 million. So instead of clearing 33 million Wren decides to clear only 9. Wow what big bat we getting for 9 milllion. Vasquez was supposed to get us that not a overpriced fourth outfielder. Great job moron
Frank Wren
December 22nd, 2009
1:03 pm
Hey guys, now don’t beat me up to bad. I wanted to send Bobby out the way he came in.
ATLBravesFan
December 22nd, 2009
1:03 pm
Greg Norton lol I would officially stop being a braves fan if they resign Norton.
NORRIS
December 22nd, 2009
1:03 pm
This is why: The Braves got rid of 11, 500,000. They replaced it with 1, 500, 000. This frees up a bunch of money. They got a solid outfielder and the #3 prospect in the Yankees farm system.
The Braves will now make a bid on a power bat. They now have the money to do so and they still have one of the best starting rotations in the national league.
Frank Wren
December 22nd, 2009
1:04 pm
Come on guys, don’t beat me up too bad. I plan on bringing back Bob Horner and Dale Murphy. I wanted to make this a retro 80’s team..
GOSOX!!!
December 22nd, 2009
1:05 pm
Heres a interesting tip, Wren is holding a press confrence today at 3pm!!! That will be fun!!!
what???
December 22nd, 2009
1:05 pm
we have nate mcClouth matt diaz and melky cabrera,there will have to be a trade if you want bay , holliday jermaine dye. Matt Diaz has earned his everyday spot, melky will be a better center fielder than nate and nate will be good left fielder what bout jason heyward if he rakes in spring training?? i am just so confused!! If you were going to trade javier you could have at least got nick swisher would have been a little easier to swallow but melky you had to have one helluve brain fart!!! and i cant believe anyone else was on board or backing frank wren with this move.
Ed
December 22nd, 2009
1:07 pm
This Vazquez trade is sickening. Why trade OUR BEST PITCHER for something worse than keeping Ryan Church???? Wren gives away our best for NOTHING in return. This turns my stomache. I now believe that all AJC sports reporters have no clue as to what is happening.
JB
December 22nd, 2009
1:07 pm
Gwinnett Braves > Atlanta Braves
Braves Fan Since "80
December 22nd, 2009
1:07 pm
I am not going to speak against this….Vasky had a great year and only 1 year remaining….history says he will be down….. We have Lowe under contract and history tells us he will be better….Milkey is a hard nose player that is 25 and can be an anchor player….not slow and would be a better option in center and leadoff than McClouth…..but it gives us a mediocre out field
morris dupree
December 22nd, 2009
1:08 pm
mark you fell to understand..this is business-ball…one pitcher cant be the team (its not as if he havent been injured), and you never know what can happen. his past performances doesnt ring as a top rated pitcher (how many teams have he been on). melky brings a outfield and extra bat who have been on that pressure platform. plus we need another outfield since schafer and the platoon brothers are the best we got (like nate though). for someone who gave mike woodson time, give wren some time and lets see. if i’m not misteaken we almost made the playoff last season. the only real problem i had was the treatment of glavine, he need to get glaive back in the team in some corporate position.
Rick
December 22nd, 2009
1:08 pm
Soriano for nothing. Vazquez for nothing. Maybe we could trade Wren, Escobar, McCann, and Heyward for a roll of toilet paper.
Stumpknocker
December 22nd, 2009
1:08 pm
I can’t believe we traded Javy V for Milkey. Makes me want to puke!!!! Will someone PLEASE buy the Braves from Liberty.
MiltonDawg
December 22nd, 2009
1:08 pm
you can blame Liberty Media all you want but it boils down to the fans at the stadium. Less $$ for payroll because Turner Field maybe sells out half their seats- look at the Hawks & Thrashers too: SIMPLE: No Fans= no $$ for big name athletes. C’mon fans, start showing up to your home teams games!!!
Bob LaBlah
December 22nd, 2009
1:08 pm
Hey Norris.. why don’t we get rid of Escobar too.. that’d free up money also. Hey we keep only players that are paid under $1million.. that’d free up a lot of money.
Definition of solid outfielder– Avg player with limited talent and limited upside… oh boy Im so excited.. you mean like the outfielder (church) we just had that no one was interested in so we dumped him?
Zeus
December 22nd, 2009
1:09 pm
reply: ATLBravesFan
Yes, Hank Blalock does sound better. Would you care to offer an alternative to old man Dye as well?
Wait, I know…. We play Melky in left, keep McClouth in center, and trade Lowe to the Mets to get Franceour back. Then we call up Tino Martinez to come out of retirment and play first base. Sound good?
Hoochblues
December 22nd, 2009
1:09 pm
This is the most ridiculous trade I have ever seen. Wren is a complete incompetent. And it is unfair Braves fans are saddled with him.
What was he thinking? Maybe he thought it was the other M. Cabrera???
Ed
December 22nd, 2009
1:09 pm
Norris. Where are the braves freeing up all that money? Will Melky play for nothing??
the real Andy
December 22nd, 2009
1:09 pm
i am freaking out a little too, but before we crucify wren, remember that he got us Jurrjens for a washed-up Renteria, didn’t overpay to keep Smoltz, got us McClouth at a bargain, and he was the guy that brought us Vazquez in the first place.
let’s just see where the chips fall. patience is a virtue, supposedly
Opinion
December 22nd, 2009
1:10 pm
Frank Wren = Chan Gailey knows how to ruin a proud team
armchair
December 22nd, 2009
1:11 pm
A top pitcher for an blah outfielder who hit 13 home runs, and pitching prospects? Somebody ’splain this one to me! Vasquez was the Braves MVP last year, IMO–an absolute workhorse. This is the best that Wren can get for him–Melky “freaking” Cabrera?
Bob LaBlah
December 22nd, 2009
1:11 pm
MiltonDawg, why don’t you regurgitate more 790thezone talk. Most revenue is taken in from memorabilia sales and tv contracts… Koolaid anybody?
MiltonDawg
December 22nd, 2009
1:12 pm
agreed Andy- it’ll be this time next year before we can tell who got the better end of the deal. Vasquez was great in the National League cause it was his first stint in the NL- he wasn’t so hot in the AL.
FoxNoise.net
December 22nd, 2009
1:12 pm
I like Matt Diaz but if the Braves aren’t willing to give him a starting slot why did they trade a staff ace for his Yankee clone?
TROTTINGHOME
December 22nd, 2009
1:12 pm
pathetic artical mark. shoddy opinion. reactionary at best.
typical lawyer response when looking to create chaos to protect a guilty client.
didn’t even bother too capitalize to emphasize insignificance of this article.
Reptillicide
December 22nd, 2009
1:12 pm
MiltonDawg: you’re an idiot. Full stadiums follow winning teams, not the other way around. Ballparks don’t sell out for teams that trade away their best players for salary dumps. See Pittsburgh.
Bob LaBlah
December 22nd, 2009
1:12 pm
Opinion Ga tech was never a proud team.
JB
December 22nd, 2009
1:13 pm
A big thanks to all of you out there who are trying to rationalize this trade. Thanks! Most of us are simply clueless and need your unique, enlightened perspective and expertise to show us the merits of this trade.
A turd is a turd is a turd. This trade sucks.
Ron Mexico
December 22nd, 2009
1:13 pm
Frank Wren = Epic Fail – That was hilarious Mark, and yeah so much for watching baseball next year. What kind of idiots do we have over there that let Frank Wren do these stupid trades. Can’t wait to hear more talk about the Braves fans not supporting their team, cause we don’t want to watch a pathetic bunch of MLB players get killed everyday.
Run To The Other Blog
December 22nd, 2009
1:13 pm
GO SOX
What will be fun about Wren’s press conference? No one in ATL will ask him any tough questions like, “Don’t you think you should have received more in return for your best pitcher than prospects and an extra outfielder from the Yankees?”
TampaGator
December 22nd, 2009
1:14 pm
All of baseball is the minor league system of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, didn’t you guys already know that. Major League baseball has become a joke. It is no longer worth watching unless they split the league into 2 divisions. 1)Yankees, Boston, Philly, and LA. 2) The rest of the teams in baseball. At least, that way only one of the four money teams (NYY, Boston, Philly, and LA) can win everything, every year. How would you like to be a fan of the KC Royals? Well, the Braves are quickly becoming the KC Royals of the East. No wonder Bobby is retiring. BASEBALL IS A JOKE!!!!!
Gwinnett Braves Fan
December 22nd, 2009
1:14 pm
I am getting exited about some AAA basesball. Cheap entertainment. Who cares about Atlanta Braves now???? FIRE WREN NOW….
NORRIS
December 22nd, 2009
1:15 pm
melky is only making 1.5 million. We just got rid of 11.5 million.
That is a lot of money guys!
Fire Frank Wren
December 22nd, 2009
1:15 pm
Also heres how much power cabrea has 9 of his 13 homers came at the hitter friendly yankee stadium so we can expect about 265 avg 6 Hr 53 RBI next year and the not so hitter friendly turner field wow i think im just going to watch my 95 world series tape next season
MiltonDawg
December 22nd, 2009
1:15 pm
Bob- i cannot stand 790 the Zone, but it is what it is. just stating the facts and i highly doubt memorabilia sales and tv contracts make up for all the $$ paid to the players. What, you think FSS is paying top dollar for the Braves? Maybe you should be drinking the koolaid. It is us fans who pay their salaries. What do you think kept the 90s Braves around for so long??? We had a packed house every night and the best talent around. Logical right?
kirkinga
December 22nd, 2009
1:15 pm
Mark you are correct except you left out one part: Liberty Media=Epic Fail!
Payroll constraints dictated who was traded just as much as any other factor. Had Liberty been willing (we know they have the ability) to eat some of Lowe’s contract, he would have been gone and we would not have traded Vasquez for another defensively-challenged outfielder who is a career .269 hitter, and some prospects.
Habersham Dawg
December 22nd, 2009
1:16 pm
Great deal! First, the Braves are shedding salary. This gives us room to spend on a bat. Second, the best part of this deal is Arodys Vizcaino. This guy is a beast. He was rated the Yankees #3 prospect. Go Braves!
NORRIS
December 22nd, 2009
1:16 pm
rumors are now that the braves will go after possibly Bay, or damon.
crazy
December 22nd, 2009
1:16 pm
This will go down to one of those MLB network specials the ten worst trades of the decade of coarse you know who will be number 1 !!! Frank better have a plan with this move or i dont see him being back with the Braves. He will have to move out of state if this falls through,such a glorious franchise for along time until Frankenstien Wren! If he has a plan i dont see yet i will be the first to apologize for being short sighted I dont see anything on the horizon!!
TampaGator
December 22nd, 2009
1:16 pm
You simply don’t trade your best pitcher, and one of the best pitchers in baseball, for a teams back up outfielder and some prospects that know one has ever heard of!!!! Cabrera is the best you could get for Vasquez??? Then, don’t make the trade!!!! Oh, you have no intention of paying him past next year so you need to dump him. As I said, BASEBALL IS A JOKE!!!
MiltonDawg
December 22nd, 2009
1:17 pm
Reptard- read the fine print, you tell me what team is this city has a packed house win or lose?
brucemac
December 22nd, 2009
1:18 pm
Mark, I felt the same thing when I first heard about the trade. Then I went on the Yankee blog and they are disgusted with the Yankees trading what they consider to be their most clutch player. I know he doesn’t hit homeruns and that is what we need but maybe the big bopper is the next to come. If so, speed kills and lord knows we need a clutch hitter. I am thinking lets give Mr. Wren a chance to finish before we decide this wont’ work. I never thought trading Lowe was a good idea, he will eat innings and produce 15 wins a year for three more years. Vasques was a flash in the pan and a free agent.
Jim
December 22nd, 2009
1:18 pm
This trade makes no sense to me other than Frank Wren has bailed on the Braves for 2010. I for one will not visit the Ted this year. The only thing that this team needs is power– so Wren trades his best pitcher for a singles hitter?????? What a crock of crap. No wonder attendance keeps going down in Atlanta.
NORRIS
December 22nd, 2009
1:18 pm
who knows. Vazquez could go back to his old self next year. We took a chance when we got the guy to start with. His career ERA is not that good.