That's it? That's all the Atlanta Braves got for ace Javier Vazquez -- a non-slugging outfielder named Melky Cabrera (left) from the New York Yankees?
Geesh, Vazquez was fourth in the Cy Young Award voting. In some seasons, he could have won it with his numbers.
Cabrera sounds like a stopgap until minor league sensation Justin Heyward is deemed big-league-ready. He's not the power guy the Braves have talked about acquiring. The swap does free up about $10 million for more spending. Vazquez, with a year left on a contract that pays him $11.5 mil, had to be dealt because Derek Lowe's contract (three years left, $45 mil total) rendered him onto a least wanted list. Cabrera comes in at $1.4 million. You'd think the Braves could have done better. Maybe they see an uncut diamond in the person of 19-year-old pitcher Arodys Vizcaino, the brightest prospect in the multi-player swap. A better guess is, they just saw dollars helping out the books. Vazquez was a Brave for one shining season. Javy, we barely knew ye.
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