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
coach smith
December 22nd, 2009
1:19 pm
I think we need to hold judgement until we see if this is a precurser to another BIG move or two
Now the Braves have about 10 million freed up
Maybe the Braves send a package of players to San Diego for Adrian Gonzales
Maybe they take that 10 million and give some of it to Laroche and use AND some more of it to Xavier Nady
Picking up LaRoche, and Nady OR Gonzales along with Cabrera is great so I am waiting to judge
MiltonDawg
December 22nd, 2009
1:19 pm
and Bob, i can’t stand 790 the zone but it is what it is. maybe you should be drinking the koolaid. You think FSS is paying the Braves top dollar for their tv contract? Insane- it boils down to the fans, look at the Yankees- sell out every night and thats why they can buy the best talent around: Just like the Braves of the 90s.
TampaGator
December 22nd, 2009
1:19 pm
Habersham…the Yankees has traded away all their top prospects, so to be rated the 3rd best prospect for the Yankees is like being the 100 best prospect in the KC Royals farm system. The Yankees don’t need a farm system. They just steal everyone else’s best players. BASEBALL IS A JOKE AND NOT WORTH WATCHING ANY MORE!!!! PERIOD!!!! THE BRAVES ARE NOT THE KC ROYALS OF THE EAST!!!! WAY TO GO BRAVES!!!!
NORRIS
December 22nd, 2009
1:20 pm
With this being Bobby Cox’s last year. Do you honestly think that they arent going to try and put the best team on the field that they can.
Bob LaBlah
December 22nd, 2009
1:21 pm
Norris.. yeah who knows cabrera could win mvp this year..
Reptillicide
December 22nd, 2009
1:21 pm
Norris, I see you want to jump on the idiot train as well.
Vazquez’s “old self” is pretty damned good. He has a career 4.19 ERA, is a consistent 200-strikeout pitcher who averages 8.1 strikeouts per 9 innnings pitched, and has a career WHIP of 1.245.
I’ll take Vazqeuz’s “old self” over Melky Cabrera any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
ed
December 22nd, 2009
1:22 pm
I think that this is a great trade, Mark. That is why you are a sports writer and not a GM.
Bob LaBlah
December 22nd, 2009
1:22 pm
brucemac.. the most clutch hitter on the team??? BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! they have one of the most clutch hitters in the history of baseball on their team.. Jeter?? ring a bell?
JB
December 22nd, 2009
1:22 pm
And in other news, the Falcons have just traded Brett Fay-vor to the Green Bay Packers for the 19th pick in the NFL draft.
Sigh.
Furman Bitcher
December 22nd, 2009
1:23 pm
Just came over the wire that Wren has signed Biff Pocoroba to a multi year deal. We are back in business.
CharlestonBravesFan
December 22nd, 2009
1:24 pm
Talk about fail…consider the logic fail of every persons comment on this…including yours, Mark.
The trade was not Javy for Melky. The trade was Javy for Melky and a top 100 prospect and $9 Mil. A pithcer had to be traded, period. The Braves from office that includes Wren, Schuerholtz, etc. decided the great value was to trade Javy. I agree it’s a bog loss but the WARP between Lowe and Javy for 2010 is maybe a game. If we use the $9 Mil to pick up a bat that has a greater WARP that 1 game then the overal value works.
Most people on these posts love the Braves but are casual baseball fans and I believe Mark is too. For those of you who think we could have flipped some combination for AGon or someone of that level you are completely insane.
I say in 10 months that Lowe and Javy have similiar lines. 2011-2012 on Lowe will be a different story but that has nothing to do with Javy.
Bob LaBlah
December 22nd, 2009
1:24 pm
Hey geniuses.. how about this.. take over our payments on derek lowe and you can have him for free…. Money freed
NORRIS
December 22nd, 2009
1:24 pm
REptillicide?? he was pretty good. OK. That is why the yankees didnt want to keep him the first time. That is why the white sox didnt want him anymore. He came to the national league to jump start his career. He did but it remains to be seen what he does from here.
We have needs on our team and by freeing up the money we can do something.
Now if we dont do anything then yeah your right it was a dumb move…
Tremaine
December 22nd, 2009
1:25 pm
When I first heard about this trade I threw up in my mouth.
Chop Chop
December 22nd, 2009
1:27 pm
The way I see it, this may just mean that Adam LaRoche will return to the Braves. Thank God. We finally have the money to bring back Roachy.
I can see it now…
An outfield of McLouth, The Melk-man, and Diaz (until Heyward is ready)…
An infield of Chipper (Thurston P. Howell III when Chipper’s hurt), Yunel, Prado, and Roachy…
Mac at catcher…
Folks, this is a World Series-caliber offense. Stop hating.
(Am I being facetious? I don’t know, but I just ate ten tacos and my stomach’s a-rumblin’.)
brucemac
December 22nd, 2009
1:28 pm
That is what they are saying, not me. On paper he looks like a good not great player. I don’t know much about him. If Yankee fans like him that much he must be pretty good, I think they know there basball. Jeter is in league by himself that is for sure.
JB
December 22nd, 2009
1:29 pm
I agree with Bob LaBlah (you were great in Joanie Loves Chachi, by the way).
If the whole point is to free up money AND win, simply giving up Lowe to a taker willing to pick up his salary would work. You could keep Vazquez, lose the big Lowe contract and spend it elsewhere, and your overall team is better. Eliminate the middle man with all of these prospects that seem to ruin the deals. So simple, yet somehow too radical for anyone in MLB to take seriously.
Fire Frank Wren
December 22nd, 2009
1:29 pm
I keep reading that we traded vasquez to dump pay roll and get a bat. Why we didnt we just trade him for a bat and what bat can we get for about 9 million we saved. Dont forget we have to pay cabrea who’s 1.4 million salary is prob going up to 3.5 to 4 million in abritration
Cro25
December 22nd, 2009
1:30 pm
I am done with keeping up with the Braves until someone with competence is hired to replace the bumbling Frank Wren….I mean, are you serious? Vazquez for Cabrera? Really? I wouldn’t have traded our worst starter for him. Much less our best one. I really wonder how a trade like this can be justified, even in Frank Wren’s mind.
MiamiBrave
December 22nd, 2009
1:30 pm
So can someone please tell me exactly what the purpose was in resigning Hudson for $9 million a year resulting in us having to trade our best piutcher last year (Vazquez) for payroll purposes? It doesn’t make any sense. Wren just erased the only good pitching move he made last year. All we could get was Melky Cabrera? Are you freaking kidding me? Essentially we gave up our best power hitting prospect last year (Tyler Flowers) for Melky Cabrera. Nice move! Maybe if we hurry the yankees will take Heyward or Hanson off our hands for Swisher. Wren is an idiot! Hudson’s money should have gone to an extension for Vazquez.
Reptillicide
December 22nd, 2009
1:30 pm
Think about this, Norris:
Vazquez was coming off a career-best year, and all we got for him was Melky Cabrera and a pitching prospect who probably will never make our roster. Even if you don’t mind that Vazquez got traded (which is insane) you still can’t ignore the fact that Frank Wren practically gave away our Ace with a bow on his head.
nique
December 22nd, 2009
1:30 pm
horrible trade. wren is having a horrible offseason. he couldn’t have gotten any team to take Lowe for nothing? that would have been much more preferable than this garbage. javy was the heart and soul of the rotation last year and i’m sorry to see him go. bet we could have signed him for a discount as well after his contract was up.
TROTTINGHOME
December 22nd, 2009
1:31 pm
Mark,
Did I use the words ‘to’ and ‘too’ correctly while insulting you?
Presenting 5 leading storylines for Atlanta sports in 2010 | Mark Bradley
December 22nd, 2009
1:31 pm
[...] winning seasons have been attained. And the Braves? Well, after the events of today — Javier Vazquez for Melky Cabrera — we might be doomed to another summer of [...]
KENNY
December 22nd, 2009
1:31 pm
SOUNDS LIKE WREN’S MIND HAS FLOWN THE NEST!
uberVU - social comments
December 22nd, 2009
1:31 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by MarkBradleyAJC: Javier Vazquez for Melky Cabrera? Epic fail by the Braves. http://bit.ly/8XDRFu…
YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING
December 22nd, 2009
1:31 pm
What the F@#k is wrong with Wren, what an idiot….Javier gone for Cabrera…I Don’t think this Team will ever be in the playoffs again, I hope I’m wrong buy I doubt it. Especially with Liberty Media as Owners and Wren as GM. I think were doomed.
Braves73
December 22nd, 2009
1:31 pm
Absolutely HORRIBLE! I was shocked by this ridiculous move by Wren and I am one who has supported most of his moves. I don’t understand the logic in GIVING Vazquez away for the Melky…please say it ain’t so Franky. I can only hope that Wren is working on bringing in a bigger name/bat and this was only a “salary dump”.
TROTTINGHOME
December 22nd, 2009
1:31 pm
that would be my 1:12 post
wareaglerob
December 22nd, 2009
1:32 pm
That does it. Wren, you stupid incompetent impotent bastard.
Mel
December 22nd, 2009
1:32 pm
I guess I’ll join the ID 10 T group by adding in that even with Vasquez this year we were only a third place team. On paper, this appears to slant towards the Yanks AT THIS TIME. But we don’t play the game on paper. According to most (at least on this blog) Wren should be fired, hung, or castrated…but he did bring a respectable team back to ATL this year so let’s see what he can do with the money he saved. All must remember: God loves idiots, he made soooo many of us.
Nelson
December 22nd, 2009
1:32 pm
Moron Wren: You wasted your best card in the pocker game, punk.
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
FRANK WREN IS A DISGRACE!!!
Dallas
December 22nd, 2009
1:32 pm
Ugh, this disgusts me. It really does. I’ve been checking the Braves feeds 4 times a day for a month now waiting for us to make a move. Here’s a summery of this off season to this point…
1. We signed Wagner (38) & Saito (39) to replace Gonzalez (31) and Soriano (30)
2. Gave Soriano away for Jesse Chavez when he accepted arb
3. Continued our new tradition of poor player/management relations with LaRoche who we might still sign
4. Painted ourselves into a corner by tipping our hand and are now stuck with the newly disgruntled Lowe who has now been portrayed as a complainer/team cancer/jerk… guessing now it’ll go back to work horse/bounce back year
5. Traded our best pitcher from last year for… Melky Cabrera… WHAT THE EF YOU SEE KAY
We got prospects? Awesome. Lets trade Chipper and Hudson for some too well you’re at it.
This organization is falling apart. We’ve got overachievers in Prado and Infante who will undoubtedly jump ship for a pay day we’ll never provide. Yunel is a black sheep who will also cash in else where I’d assume. A .260 average leadoff hitter. McCann, our “star” seems to have hit some sort of ceiling. Ugh.
I’m being dire, but this was a horrible trade. Is this really all we could get for a pitcher who received Cy Young votes?
nique
December 22nd, 2009
1:32 pm
completely agree with miamibrave.
CJ
December 22nd, 2009
1:33 pm
Goal last season: build pitching staff….Goal this season: destroy pitching staff
Rusty
December 22nd, 2009
1:33 pm
Idiot’s. No way could John Scherholtz have any thing to do with this. If he does, check him for dementia! I’m a couch potato from SC and I could run the Braves better than they’ve been run the last few years.
GOSOX!!!
December 22nd, 2009
1:33 pm
I see thsi coming FROM A MILE AWAY!!!! Liberty is goin to tell Frank we have to trade Cabreara for a couple of minor league guys……. I so see the them telling we have to cut more money and tell Frank we got what we got!! They take the money we saved and keep it for them….. Line up for 2010:
1. Nate
2. Melkey
3. Chipper ( Way Overated/ Sorry Guys!!!)
4. Mac
5. Schafer
6. Ecabar
7. Prado
8. Freeman ( just cause its his first year)
9. Pitcher ( Here is out power hitter)
I hate to be negative but we as ATL fans do need to get out and support our guys, but when managment puts us in GREY areas like this, its hard to get excited!!! My next question is what do Wagner and Saito thank about this?
Baba O'Riley
December 22nd, 2009
1:33 pm
If we are freeing up money to sign Damon, Wren should be fired immediately. Melky Cabrera…seriously? I get it…he plays for the Yankees, so he must be good. Montgomery Burns has a better arm than Johnny damon.
Sutton's 'Fro
December 22nd, 2009
1:34 pm
Maybe trading Vazquez frees up funds for Rochy…??? Does this lineup give us any more runs/wins than last year?
1. Prado – 2B
2. Escobar – SS
3. Jones – 3B
4. McCann – C
5. LaRoche – 1B
6. Cabrera – RF
7. Diaz – LF
8. McLouth – CF
9. Pitcher
McLouth hated leading off, but can you really push him down to 8th? Can Melky protect LaRoche better than Diaz? Doesn’t this lineup add up to about 120-150 homeruns max? Is Frank Wren asking any of these questions?
NORRIS
December 22nd, 2009
1:35 pm
yeah. we didnt get a lot of return for Javy. But we have the money to fill our needs. We have been setting here with no first baseman and no outfielder for months now. The season is getting closer and something had to be done. No one wanted lowe. so I guess we just jumped and went ahead and made the move. lets see what they do now with the money before we get to mad.
Yeah we could have kept Javy but we would still be looking at no first baseman and no outfielder.
something had to be done.
?????
December 22nd, 2009
1:35 pm
Charlston Brave if they would have traded Lowe they would have signed Javier to an extension and it has alot to do with Lowe you dont hear bout any other players being traded complaining bout trade rumors like Lowe this tells me one or two things he will have a chip on his shoulder this up coming year or he will say something else to force the braves to trade him because he cant leave his feelings at home so to speak this is a business and Frank Wren sucks at it!!!!!
Dallas
December 22nd, 2009
1:36 pm
“An outfield of McLouth, The Melk-man, and Diaz (until Heyward is ready)…
An infield of Chipper (Thurston P. Howell III when Chipper’s hurt), Yunel, Prado, and Roachy…
Mac at catcher…
Folks, this is a World Series-caliber offense.”
what
Ray Pugh
December 22nd, 2009
1:37 pm
Charleston,
Thank you for displaying a little common sense out the hundreds of ignoramuses posting on here…. People, do you really think Frank Wren is that inept? This is a precursor to another trade, or just a salary dump to sign Jason Bay. We had an excess of pitching so we moved the only player we could, and we still have one of the top 3 pitching staffs in the NL….
Wren is immeasurably smarter than you mouth-breathers, which still isn’t saying much…
Gwinnett Braves Fan
December 22nd, 2009
1:38 pm
we all just have to hope Wren has something else up his sleve. The more you think about this the worse you feel. This is freaking real. Sad day to be a Atl Braves fan.
Ben
December 22nd, 2009
1:38 pm
We were never looking for a big bat in a lowe or vazquez trade. The main reason we did this trade is the solid prospects. We got a future back of the bullpen lefty and a future top of the rotation pitcher. Considering the excess of pitching we have, the prospects we got, and the payroll we cleared in order to add a big bat this is not a bad trade at all. I wish we could have traded lowe or gotten a better big league outfielder in return but this trade needed to be done soon so the braves can get on with their offseason. Now as long as we don’t trade away two future all stars for a big hitting first baseman a la the teixeira I think it will have been an okay offseason for wren.
bvillebaron
December 22nd, 2009
1:38 pm
Wow the number of people jumping to conclusions about this trade is astonishing. Looke I am not exactly jumping up and down about Melky Cabrera, but let’s have a little perspective here. Vazquez was owed $11.5 million this year and becomes a free agent at year’s end. Despite his career year last year, Vazquez NEVER WAS AND NEVER WILL BE AS GOOD A PITHCER as Tim Hudson who the signed for 3 more years at $9.33 million per year. They also got a young pitcher who was the Yankees 3rd rated prospect. Most importantly, they freed up a substantial amount of money ($10 million if my calculations are correct)to now go out and hopefully sign a power bat. You fans are simply going to have to resign yourselves to the fact that this team works with a $95 million budget, not $140 like the Phillies or over $200 million like the Yankees.
For someone to write within a few hours of this trade that Frank Wren=Epic Fail given how he succesffully rebuilt the rotation last year and without waiting to see what other move(s) may be made is assine, simply assinine.
NORRIS
December 22nd, 2009
1:39 pm
word is that possibly trading outfielder for Uggla
Derek Lowe
December 22nd, 2009
1:40 pm
Uh, never mind. Forget I said anything.
?????
December 22nd, 2009
1:40 pm
Ray,
When that trade is not made or that big signing is off the market. You need to write on the blackboard 500 times. Frank Wren is an idiot !!!!
freddysomecomeday
December 22nd, 2009
1:41 pm
Stop with Jason Bay/Matt Holiday junk. We aren’t spending that kind of money… period!