Yankees Enhance Depth With Vazquez

The Yankees are truly relentless. While most teams would be pleased with their recent acquisitions, New York continued to upgrade as it shipped Melky Cabrera plus two other pieces to the Braves for Javier Vazquez and reliever Boone Logan. Vazquez is the second former Yankee to return to New York in recent days, joining Nick Johnson for another stint in the Bronx.

Atlanta was not fleeced here, but this is a major victory for the Yankees. Given that Atlanta could not reach a new deal with the 33-year-old right-hander, they figured to lose him to free agency after 2010, so receiving an experienced outfielder like Cabrera, and two power arms like Mike Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino has to be considered a victory for them as well.

Brian Cashman has long been known to be fond of Nick Johnson. He brought him back. He was also known to be hesitant to deal away Javier Vazquez the first time he had him. Now he is back as well.

In doing so, the Yankees give themselves nearly unmatched quality depth in their starting rotation, as they can go four deep with Sabathia, Burnett, Pettitte, and Vazquez. The fifth starter, whether it's Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, sure doesn't look bad either.

Yankee fans can be highly critical, so obviously there are immediate questions about Vazquez and his troublesome second half in his one and only season in New York back in 2004. That tough second half makes it easy to forget his impressive first half in the same season, and that many attributed his problems that year to shoulder issues.

Ever since that year, things have been much better for Vazquez, and with his ability to eat innings and miss bats he should now get more opportunities to tally some wins.

In perhaps the best year of his career in 2009, he became a different pitcher. The season wasn't a fluke. There were real changes made in his game that took him to another level. He used the slider more than he ever did in his first go-around with the Yankees and mixed the change-up much more effectively. Vazquez threw fewer fastballs in 2009, and in turn was a much more complete pitcher.

If he can maintain those adjustments in 2010, there is no reason he shouldn't enjoy success back in New York. He has four legitimate pitches to turn to and he should be slightly less prone to the home run now that he is less reliant on the fastball and 12-6 curveball. Don't expect the dazzling ERA from 2009 to carry over to the heavy-hitting AL East, and he will give up his share of home runs, but regardless, the Yankees are getting a vastly improved, healthy, and experienced pitcher. He also will be asked to only carry a share of the load given the outstanding depth of the Yankee pitching staff.

From a Braves standpoint, they did what they had to do. Vazquez's value was never going to be higher, and it was clear that they believed they'd lose him after the 2010 season. With that in mind, flipping him for a potential everyday outfielder and two power arms has to be viewed as a shrewd move. Cabrera figures to compete for the left field job, and he will probably win that job. He is not a star player, but the strides he's made since arriving in the majors have been noticeable. He gives the Braves' lineup good plate discipline and the bat control that should translate well to National League baseball. As a left fielder, he would be a well above-average defender with a plus arm.

Following the acquisition of Curtis Granderson and the assumed departure of Johnny Damon, it appeared that Cabrera had a shot to be the Yankees left fielder in 2010. With him now on the way to Atlanta, it looks like the Yankees are poised once again to go shopping for a big-ticket player. It's unlikely that they'd hand either Brett Gardner or Jamie Hoffman the job. Either they'll now make an effort to retain Damon or there is one more big acquisition on the horizon. We'll have to wait and see.

Although Cabrera is a very helpful addition, the most exciting names in this deal for Braves fans are Vizcaino and Dunn. Dunn struggled with his control in his brief stint in the big leagues in 2009, but his arm is very impressive. Armed with a lively 92-96 mph fastball and a sharp slider, he profiles as a valuable lefty at the back of a bullpen. He's a converted position player, and is still very raw, so he's far from a finished product.

Vizcaino, a 19-year-old right-hander, could end up being the gem of the entire deal. It could take a few years for that to come to fruition, but he has that type of ability. He has an easy, live fastball that has reached 97 mph and sits 91-95, with the potential for a plus breaking ball. With his wiry frame, he figures to add some strength and a little more velocity in the coming years. The Braves have long been superb at spotting young, high-upside arms, and they now have another one in Vizcaino.

There were no losers in this trade. Braves fans may be unhappy with the lack of big-league-ready, star-level prospects they got for Vazquez, and Yankee fans may point to Vazquez's past failures in New York, but the reality is each team accomplished what it needed to do.

The Yankees got a pitcher who was a Cy Young contender in 2009 without emptying their farm system, and Atlanta got a player who can contribute immediately along with two highly-talented arms in return.

Both clubs should be very pleased with their early Christmas presents.

Frankie Piliere spent the last three seasons working as a scout, most recently in the professional scouting department for the Texas Rangers in 2009. He now serves as the National Baseball Analyst here at FanHouse.