Yankees Acquire Vazquez; Melky To Braves
The Yankees and Braves agreed to a trade that solidifies New York's rotation and gives Atlanta enough payroll flexibility to pursue a bat. The Yankees acquire Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan in exchange for Melky Cabrera, cash (according to ESPN.com) and prospects Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino. We first heard of the trade talks from Buster Olney, Joel Sherman confirmed that the Yanks were after Vazquez and Jon Heyman provided the details. Check out an in-depth chronology of the trade here.
The Yankees re-acquire one of the better, more durable strikeout pitchers in the game. Vazquez has pitched 198 innings or more every year of this decade and he's struck out at least 150 batters in every one of those seasons. You can make the argument that he was one of the best pitchers in the NL last season, whether you like advanced stats (6.6 WAR) or simple ones (2.87 ERA, 238 Ks).
The Yanks also obtain Logan, a 25-year-old lefty who has been hittable so far in his major league career, and the chance for compensation picks after 2010. If Vazquez becomes a Type A free agent (he would have been one this year) and turns down the team's offer of arbitration to sign elsewhere, the Yankees would get two top picks.
As Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says, the Braves obtain a decent outfielder who's getting paid less than what he's worth and a prospect with significant upside (Vizcaino), all while saving $8MM or more (I'm guessing Melky makes $2.5-3MM next season). The Braves dealt from strength and the pitchers they obtained have lots of potential, if you ask MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
Yankees Will Try To Trade Gaudin Or Mitre
Now that they're set to acquire Javier Vazquez, the Yankees have a surplus of pitching. Joel Sherman of the New York Post says (via Twitter) that the Yanks will try to trade Chad Gaudin or Sergio Mitre before Spring Training ends to free up some money.
Both pitchers will become free agents after the season. Mitre earned $1.25MM last year, striking out 32 batters in 51.2 innings for a 6.79 ERA (5.40 FIP). Gaudin earned $2MM, striking out 139 in 147.1 innings and allowing just 146 hits for an ERA of 4.64 (4.16 FIP). Gaudin would figure to have some value on the trade market.
Jason Bay Rumors: Tuesday
9:45am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post says (via Twitter) that Bay, Johnny Damon and Matt Holliday remain too expensive for the Yankees.
8:49am: There were indications that Jason Bay and his representatives were active yesterday, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. The Mets, who are bidding against themselves at the moment, are hesitant to expand their four year offer unless they know which other teams are interested.
The Red Sox never budged from a four-year offer because of concerns about Bay's shoulder and knee, Silverman says. They're not frontrunners to re-sign the left fielder now, but it's too early to rule the Red Sox and Yankees out completely.
Yesterday, we heard that the Mets' offer to Bengie Molina may hinge on their negotiations with Bay, so Bay's decision will influence more than just the outfield market.
Pirates Sign Javier Lopez
The Pirates signed left-hander Javier Lopez, as first noted by a team press release on December 18th. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the deal is worth $775K with another $550K in appearance-based performance bonuses.
Lopez struggled through 14 appearances with the Red Sox last year, but enjoyed prior success in Boston. The 32-year-old pitched to a 2.70 ERA from 2006-08, allowing fewer hits than innings pitched. That ERA may be a little deceptive, given his strikeout rate (5.8 K/9) and walk rate (4.2 BB/9) during the three-year period, but Lopez does have major league success to build on in Pittsburgh.
Kovacevic notes that Lopez is the only lefty reliever on the Pirates' 40-man roster. Talking to Lopez, Kovacevic learned that part of the appeal of Pittsburgh was the opportunity to pitch to both righties and lefties and possibly toss multiple innings per appearance.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
Red Sox, Rangers Considering Mike Lowell Trade
SATURDAY, 11:59am: Lowell is flying to Texas today to meet with the Rangers' front office and medical staff, and to take a physical according to ESPN's Jayson Stark. Lowell saw a hand specialist in Arizona earlier this week.
FRIDAY, 3:30pm: The Rangers will have their medical staff look at Lowell this weekend, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. We should know by the end of the weekend if the trade is going to go through.
TUESDAY, 1:22pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the deal has a better than 50-50 chance of going through, though it's still not a lock.
8:40am: Peter Gammons tweets that Lowell may require thumb surgery.
MONDAY, 12:03am: According to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, the Rangers will take a look at Lowell's thumb in-person at some point this week. Meanwhile, Boston is looking into the condition of Max Ramirez's wrists, which gave him problems in 2009.
Cubs, Mariners Swap Bradley For Silva
The Cubs and Mariners swapped bad contracts today, with outfielder Milton Bradley heading to Seattle and pitcher Carlos Silva to Chicago. SI's Jon Heyman first reported the reignited trade talks, and then Larry Stone of the Seattle Times broke news of the agreement. According to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan, the Mariners also sent $9MM to the Cubs.
Bradley is owed $21MM over the next two seasons, while Silva will earn $25MM. The Cubs net $5MM overall. Silva missed most of the season with a shoulder injury; he hasn't had big league success since the '07 contract year. His ability to contribute anything in the next two seasons is highly questionable. Bradley we know can hit; he had a .378 OBP for the Cubs even in a down year. The Mariners are the clear winners here, noting the big caveat that they must keep Bradley from becoming a distraction.
The Cubs are now out $8.5MM a year for Silva due to GM Jim Hendry's Bradley folly. It was said Bradley badly wanted to come to Chicago, but Hendry paid full price at three years and $30MM. Bradley was signed in part to bring fire to the Cubs' clubhouse, but a year later they were desperate to unload him. Talking to Sullivan, Hendry took responsibility, but added "no one could have really predicted how it turned out."
Hendry now has to add an outfielder to replace Bradley. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported that Scott Podsednik could be the Cubs' choice, though the Royals and Giants are also interested. The Cubs were tied up with the Bradley situation and unable to move on the top free agent center field option, Mike Cameron.
This post has been rewritten by Tim Dierkes.
Odds & Ends: Treanor, Barton, Damon, Kelly Johnson
More links as the weekend draws closer…
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers signed catcher Matt Treanor to a minor league deal. The former Tiger struggled to stay healthy this year.
- The Dodgers signed outfielder Brian Barton to a minor league deal, according to Hernandez. The 27-year-old has hit just .268/.354/.392 in 179 big league plate appearances, all coming in 2008.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson has learned that the Nationals are not interested in Johnny Damon because they're trying to improve their defense.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets that Damon has some interest in signing with the Braves. The outfielder would have to be willing to take a pay cut to join the club, in O'Brien's opinion.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the D'Backs have made Kelly Johnson an offer. The details aren't clear, but Piecoro guesses it's a one-year deal worth $2MM.
- Dodgers' GM Ned Colletti said that any talks with Cincinnati are "all but dead," according to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times. Yesterday we heard the two teams were exploring an Aaron Harang trade.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Tigers, Giants and Royals have interest in Jack Cust. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says the Mariners may be the favorites to sign Cust.
- Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com hears that Jose Contreras is narrowing his options down and preparing to sign. His agent says "there are some interesting opportunities in the bullpen."
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says that with his options dwindling, Miguel Tejada might have to slide over to third to be rewarded with a contract.
- Claudio Vargas' deal with the Brewers is worth $900K, says Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel. The righty could also earn another $400K in incentives.
- O'Brien mentions that Adam LaRoche said there's been no contact from the Braves that he knows of. Earlier we learned that some teams were put off by LaRoche's asking price.
- Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that the Padres have named Jaron Madison scouting director. Madison spent the last two years working as the assistant scouting director in St. Louis.
- Venezuelan reporter Efrain Zavarce says that Kelvim Escobar has signed with…a Venezuelan Winter League team. He'll pitch in relief tomorrow, and the Rays will have someone in attendance.
Yankees Rumors: DeRosa, Damon, Matsui
Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News hears that Scott Boras and Johnny Damon talked with the Yankees yesterday and would have considered a two-year deal. The New York Times' Tyler Kepner says he would've taken $20MM, while Newsday's Ken Davidoff says the Yanks' best offer was $14MM (both links via Twitter). Now it appears that Damon's tenure with the Bombers is over. Damon will have other suitors, but leaving the Yankees behind won't be easy.
"I know there are some teams interested," Damon told Feinsand. "But the Yankees are the best organization I've been a part of so far in my career."
One source suggests to Feinsand that Damon could land in San Francisco. Nick Johnson was a rumored Giants target until it became apparent that the Yanks were nearing a deal with him. Johnson will make less than Matsui next year, but Feinsand says the Yanks' decision to let Matsui walk has more to do with the DH's knees than his salary demands.
The Yankees' next moves? Starting pitching and a look at Mark DeRosa, according to ESPN's Buster Olney and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. For now, the Yankees are unwilling to meet DeRosa's $18-21MM asking price over three years (understandably). Rosenthal says the Giants, Cardinals, and possibly Braves are other suitors.
Olney On Gonzalez, LaRoche, Holliday
ESPN.com's Buster Olney asked an "independent evaluator" to guess what the Red Sox would have to give up to obtain Adrian Gonzalez. Olney's source says the Padres need to acquire Ryan Westmoreland and Casey Kelly, plus other highly-touted prospects. Gonzalez is under control for two more years at $10.25MM. He'd probably be worth $40MM-plus over two years on the open market, so the Padres have some serious bargaining power. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- The A's are interested in Adrian Beltre, but "only in an Oakland economy size financial package."
- Some teams bristle at the idea of paying eight figures for Beltre.
- Some teams have been put off by Adam LaRoche's asking price.
- The Orioles checked out of the Matt Holliday derby when they learned that he's asking for considerably more than $75MM.
Phillies Offer Eyre Deal; Park Likely To Leave
The Phillies would like to add relievers. Here's the latest on their search:
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Phils offered Scott Eyre a minor league deal. The lefty wants more, so he hasn't accepted the offer. The Yankees have some interest in Eyre, but have yet to make him a formal offer.
- Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. tells Scott Lauber of the News Journal that he doesn't expect to reach a deal with Chan Ho Park. "I just don't think Chan Ho and the Phillies are going to be able to bring the marriage together," Amaro said.