[image title="javier-vazquez-230x300" size="full" id="13388" align="center" ]MLBTR reports that the Yankees will acquire Javy Vazquez for Melky Cabrera, Michael Dunn, and Arodys Vizcaino. They will pay the entirety of Vazquez’s 11.5 million dollar salary.
I’m at work, so this will have to be pretty brief.
Melky leaving clears the way for some kind of left field situation involving Brett Gardner. Dunn being traded pretty much commits the Yankees to only having one lefty out of the bullpen. Arodys Vizcaino is a very good prospect, but also an entirely expendable one.
Overall, its a great trade for the Yankees. Vazquez was an ace last year, and will be at the least very healthy. He was 4th in the majors in strikeouts last year (his 3rd straight year with at least 200 Ks), and has a lot of experience working in the NL. While new Yankee Stadium won’t be kind to his homer-happy ways, I think that we can expect a much better go-around this time with Vazquez.
And the Yankees could easily have their young players replaced in the draft next year. If he has a decent year, he’s a pretty good pick to be offered and decline arbitration. Two draft picks could come the Yankees way, which should be able to find someone of Vizcaino’s caliber.
The Yankee pitching staff looks pretty set. Now, will they stand pat at left field? I feel like a Johnny Damon reconciliation is coming. However, if the Yankees are indeed on a budget, how much more is Hal Steinbrenner willing to give Cashman? RAB has our payroll at 208 million now.
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33 Responses to Yankees Acquire Javy Vazquez for Melky, Dunn, Vizcaino
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TIQ IQ
i love this trade. vazquez numbers have been great … even if they are in the NL. This time around we aren’t asking him to be our number 1 … all he has to be is a number 3 or 4. It’ll be interesting to see what this means for hughes/joba … one of them will be in the pen and after the past few years of saying they will be in the rotation I wonder if they finally changed their mind on someone (joba?) oh well.
It’s really a win win when it comes to javy next year. they get him for cheap, 11.5 million, if he has a good year he’ll be a type A free agent and they will have to offer him arbitration. which should get us a few draft picks.
it’s just my opinion, but cashman as something up his sleeve for LF, no way they are going to have gardner start in left without either an agreement with damon or holliday/bay … Hal I’m sure is given him the green light on something otherwise why would they do this trade ?
another steal for cash$
I’m not sure about Damon. If he is willing to take the 2 year, 14 million deal, I think he comes back. If not, they will make do with Gardner. They had Melky play everyday last year and survived. They may really just go pitching and defense.
If Gardner is the starting LF coming out of spring training, I will be astonished. The Yankees see him more as a fourth outfielder.
I heard that for Damon to come back it wold take a 1 year deal at 5 million.
I also heard Cashman say on the MLB Network after the Melky trade that Damon wasn’t an option and that they had “moved on”.
I think that it would be ideal to sign damon to a 2 year contract now even if it is 2 for 20. Then next year you have him DH say goodbye to Johnson and bring in crawford that it seems as though Cash is setting his sights on to play left.
Or you could make do with Gardner and sign Adam Dunn to DH next year.
Giving up the Viz stings a little, but considering how far away he is, it’s hard to be too upset. It’s great to be able to upgrade the rotation without taking on a terrible contract, a health risk, or giving up Hughes/Joba/Montero.
Melky goes off into the sunset with a ring, thanks for the memories Melk Man.
I don’t think they’re giving up on one of Joba/Hughes. Andy P can’t pitch forever, can he ? If Javy goes after a year, we could start 2011 with both in the rotation with (hopefully) one having had a full season behind them, so less risk.
Does anyone think the Yanks will sign Chapman ?
I like the deal also. It deepens the rotation with a solid, dependable 200-inning workhorse and pushes Pettitte down to the #4 spot where he probably belongs, given his tendency to have achy elbows during the year.
Just a few points:
1) The Yanks are not likely to offer Vazquez arbitration. He’s making $11.5M in 2010 and with a number of free agent starters available (Lee/Cain/Beckett, not to mention Pettitte, who may or may not awnt to come back again) the Yanks would be foolish to commit $13M or so to Vazquez when he can be replaced via free agency. The draft picks are always nice but it hasn’t been Cashman’s M.O. to offer arbitration and give up the potential flexibility.
2) In 2009, the Yanks won the World Series with, essentially, three starters. The third of these starters — Andy Pettitte — pitched a shade under 200 innings (194.2) and provided a shade above league average performance (103 ERA+). I expect Vazquez to be no more than a league-average starter in the AL and in the hitter-friendly conditions of Yankee Stadium. Having said that, considering the Yanks just won the World Series with a league-average #3 starter, there’s no reason why this trade should be anything but good for the team. They just added a younger league-average starter at #3 and extended their rotation to move Pettitte down to #4. Vazquez will be solid in most of his starts, rough in a few, and spectacular in a few. That alone is all the Yanks needed.
Goodbye Ben Sheets (and Justin Duchscherer). Nice of you to have delayed long enough to let Ninja Cashman do his work.
This is exactly how I feel about this deal. People expecting ace-like performance are going to be disappointed, but I think he’s a good bet to be a good 3.
another one year. How much money is going to be freed up by the end of 2010?
LF seems open again. Brett could push Granderson to left but I would love for Damon to come back. I’m not sure Damon can expect to get better offers that what Cash put out there. Maybe this time the 2/14 looks more realistic to Boras/Damon.
I also wonder if Derosa becomes cheap enough that might be an option as well. I think they are still going to try to take it easy with A-Rod so that might be something they consider. I would definately prefer Damon though.
Are you kidding me w this trade? The dude sucked for us the first time and completely bombed in the postseason w a 10 era for us. the next time he went to the postseason he had a 12.5 era. I mean we also gave up a promising reliever in Dunn and leche who plays hard for this crap? The guy had a good era bc he played in the nl! Oh man, we should have just signed sheets or even bedard over this dumb idiotic move… I swear Boston and the entire AL is prob laughing at us now.
Didn’t CC Sabathia suck in the postseason too? How’d that one work out for us?
Wow that was some rant haha. I have to agree with MJ 100%. We can’t be thinking playoffs at this time of year, think about what we just got for the regular season run. We’re not asking this guy to be an ace, we’re asking him to go out and pitch into the 7th while keeping us in the game and giving our offense a chance to work. Once playoff time does roll around we can evaluate where we are from a health perspective and ride the hot hands. If that means bumping pettite up to #3 in October I certainly wouldn’t complain, but if we’re going to ask Pettite to go out and pitch 200+ innings as a number 3 the liklihood of him being fresh in October is a lot lower. If having Javy can keep Pettite’s innings around 175 I love our chances in October.
My point is we could have simply signed a pitcher instead of trading for one. We weakened ourselves offensively and also in the pen, where I saw Dunn competing for a spot. We are not exactly loaded with relievers. Sure we have Robertson, Marte and Rivera- and maybe even Melancon. What happens in the bullpen?
What happens in the outfield, does Gardner replace Melky? We’ve already lost 2 of our offensive threats in Matsui & JD as is, and melky has some pop that can be valuable late in games.
Fine, I may have overreacted, but I still am not thrilled about this move. Okay, say Vazquez does fine in the regular season, do you trust him in the playoffs if we make it there? What is Cashman up to w these moves? Is he just being frugal now because he has a payroll limit or is he looking at next offseason in making moves for big free agents? Do we even sign any free agents w some of our own coming off the books?
If you were to tell me right after the season ended that we would let Matsui go to the Angels and sign injury prone NJ instead for nearly the same amount, no JD and trade for Vazquez- and that the Sox would get Lackey & Cam- would you be thrilled?
Well one of Hughes/Joba probably winds up in the ‘pen, so that is a big improvement
None of the pitchers available via free agency are realistically as reliable as Vazquez. Sheets might be a better pitcher when he’s healthy but the fact is that he’s never healthy. Vazquez is realistiaclly no worse than around a league-average starter that will provide 200 innings of work. Sheets, Duchscherer, Piniero or anyone else on the free agent market can make that claim.
As for Dunn, he sports an unsightly 4 BB/9 in 300+ minor league innings. That’s just not going to get it done in the big leagues. I’d have been fine giving him a chance but the reality is that Dunn is no great shakes. Pitchers with good stuff, good velocity and bad control are a dime a dozen.
I’ll definitely agree with you there, only insofar as our depth is concerned. Gardner as the starting LF with Hoffmann as the primary OF backup is frightening, especially when you consider how Nick Johnson is Mr. Unreliable given his injury history. I like to think that this opens the door back up for Johnny Damon. If Damon is back, the Yanks are essentially looking at an off-season which saw them trade only Melky Cabrera and Hideki Matsui from their World Series winning 25-man roster and replace them with Gradnerson, Johnson and Vazquez.
What’s not to like about that?
If we stay with Gardner why not play him in CF and play Granderson in LF? To me that presents one of the better defensive outfields out there. The weak bat in the 9 hole might be acceptable based on how strong that would make the team defensively. For the life of me I can’t figure out why he can’t become proficient at slapping the ball to the left side of the infield. Seems like he could steal a bunch of hits doing it with his speed.
It is fascinating to watch the Yankees and Red Sox go at it during the off-season — the rivalry is now as intense in winter and in summer. What now, Theo?
I think the general consensus (besides the one irate poster prior to me)is that this was a great and necessary move. Vazques isn’t the injury risk that every FA pitching option out there is. With him our pitching staff now at least somewhat matches Boston’s and the downgrade of Melky to Gardner isn’t anything we’re going to really miss. We may lose a lefty in the pen but he is immediately replaced by either Joba or Hughes now eating up a full inning. With Robertson also being amazing, our 7,8,9 though all righties will be just fine. Marte is always there for some tough lefties too. Now lets see if they have another move in them…
I think the Yanks plan is to have Joba be a starter and Hughes in the pen. Hughes seemed to like the idea and it worked out well last season, whereas everytime Joba is talked about as a releiver he gets annoyed. The Yanks will give Joba every chance and benefit of the doubt to be the #5 man (which does not entail a ton of pressure) and I think he comes through. I’m not sold on Vaz (probably because I remember him from 2004 and he pitched well in the NL before coming to us last time) but if he eats innings and is an average starter its an upgrade over mitre, et al.
I see the Yanks targeting Derosa now if they can get him for 2 years, 15 mil. With Nick Johnson already here, Damon is out of the picture. The Yanks don’t want him playing the OF everyday, and Derosa can play INF too.
I wonder how this Lefty Boone is…compared to Dunn’s raw talent/lack of control.
Boone stinks, that’s how he compares to Dunn. Frankly, Dunn sort of stunk too.
I’d seriously pass on Mark DeRosa, even for 2Y/$15M. For $5M more split over two seasons, you get a far superior lefty hitter in Damon.
If you sign Damon…then he either DH’s or plays LF. He sucks at playing LF, and you have a better defensive option in Gardner sitting on the bench. If you DH Damon, Nick Johnson sits on the bench and is a wasted asset. At least Derosa could fill in at 2B and 3B when you want to rest Arod or Cano AND he can play an everyday LF. So for 5M more, your actually getting less of a plyer (and you already have Granderson to bat in the 2 hole)
What about moving Johnson for some bullpen help if Damon is brought back? I’ve heard some very high level speculation on this before. He could hold some value to an NL team looking for a decent bench player who could contribute some at 1B (although admittedly he’d be an awfully expensive bench player so that’s probably a dumb thought), but I’m willing to bet there’s a team out there that’s got a need for a guy like him.
Can’t trade him until after the draft.
Good point sir. Either way, I’m not overly concerned about the pen right now. Relievers can be inconsistent year to year. If there is a glaring need for an additional lefty I’m confident they can get one before the trade deadline. A long way off from now anyway.
Damon’s defensive shortcomings are overblown. The Yanks won the WS with his crap defense in LF so why would it matter anyway? Damon is a productive enough hitter with a lefty swing that plays well to Yankee Stadium dimensions in RF. His offense makes up for his defense and his ability to play DH or LF makes him more valuable than having an exclusive DH in Nick Johnson.
Damon/Johnson is a better club than Gardner/Johnson.
BS!
Damon’s defense is not over blown the guy can’t play!!!
His offense this year barley made up for his poor defense and there is almost no chance he hits 24 HRs again and his defense will only be worse as he ages into 37 and 38, his value is 0 at DH once his HRs start to slip below 20 and I think he could hit less than 20 HRs this year on the Yankees and he will for sure hit less than 20 on another team.
Damon hit 24 HRs this year 17 of them at Yankee stadium all 24 went to RF and the short porch helped him get 17… Doesn’t that seem like quite a huge power split? 17 at home and 7 on the road? The likelihood he gets away with that again is almost 0 and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him hit 17 or 18 this year making his defense a bigger concern and making him a less likable choice to DH than Johnson.
Gardner’s D and Johnson at DH is better than Damon decreasing bat in LF and Johnson at DH.
I’d love Matt Holiday.
Hey, what happened to Xavier “Wavy Gravy” Nagy?
What’s he gonna do. Chop wood in West Virgineee?
Just a mediocre deal IMO.
They’ve know traded Coke & Dunn, arguably the toughest commodities to find, lefties who can get guys out and both IMO are on the upswing.DUNN himself will be a better player than Vasquez who will give up HR’s galore in Yankee stadium.
Melky wasn’t a favorite of mine, I never viewed him as a serious guy trying to get better but he played a big role last season.
Vasquez is pretty mediocre and the 2 youngsters will both be excellent relievers.
What happens to Nova and Macallister now? Brackman if he comes back 100%?
I assume this means they’re getting Chapman?
If it wasn’t 70 degrees and balmy here in Palm Beach and I didn’t shoot 85 today on a tough Golf course, I’d be really, really upset.
On the other hand, they do have Roster problems and needed to either pitch some of these kids or cut bait.
I would rather have pitched Dunn and made a different deal including other guys.
Hey Lefty -
Congratulations on smokin’ that course in Palm Beach. Sounds like you’ve got it made in the shade!
You make some good points – but, let’s face it – the Yankees will repeat. They’ll get the job done.
It’s just plain wonderful knowing that we are going to be great next year and that we are the best team in baseball.