Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan traded to Braves for Tyler Flowers, Brent Lillibridge, Jon Gilmore, and Santos Rodriguez

[trwi7]

Link

Seems like the White Sox are going into a rebuilding mode. Pretty nice haul for Vazquez imo.

[piccione88]

Rosenthal is reporting that Jo-Jo Reyes is not the pitcher involved. It is Lillibridge, possibly catching prospect Flowers, and a third player most likely a pitching prospect. I wonder if this means they have given up hope on aquiring Peavy. In that same article Rosenthal says they are after Burnett, because of the Peavy discussions breaking down.

[sheetskout]

Good deal for the Braves. A truly underrated pitcher.

 

Didn't give up Hanson, Heyward, Freeman or Schaefer. Nice job.

[MillerParkSouth]

I understand that our hands were tied with the whole CC thing, but I really would have liked to see us make a run at Vazquez and Swisher when the Sox were selling.

[Brian the Automator]

Isn't Javier Vazquez just Jeff Suppan with a few more K's instead of ground balls?... Just seems like an innings-eater to me.

[thebruce44]

Soup's VORP - IP:

08 - 3.1 - 177.7

07 - 23.0 - 206.7

06 - 27.0 - 190.0 (for Stl)

 

That averages out to a VORP of 18.17 over 574.4 innings of work the last 3 years in the NL.

 

Vazquez'a VORP - IP:

08 - 23.8 - 208.3

07 - 51.1 - 216.7

06 - 22.8 - 202.7

 

That averages out to a VORP of 32.9 over 627.7 innings of work the last 3 years in the AL.

 

Combine that with the fact that the Sox HAD to trade him this offseason due to their front office and Chicago media throwing him under the bus for not being "a big game pitcher", and he could have been had for cheap. Mac, Jurko, and Harry ripped on the guy every day for over a month this summer with every southside fan calling in to confirm how much he sucked.

[Ennder]

Isn't Javier Vazquez just Jeff Suppan with a few more K's instead of ground balls?... Just seems like an innings-eater to me.

Nope, Vazquez is a pretty big step above Suppan, especially after you neutralize things for park, team and league. Suppan is a mediocre groundball pitcher who put up ok stats for the best defensive team in the league in a pitchers park, those seasons of his for STL were a product of the team not the pitcher.

[JohnBriggs12]

Vazquez is a step above Suppan but he performed much like Suppan down the stretch for the Sox. He was awful.

 

As more and more stories come out about the economic situation depressing free agent salaries, the Sox positioned themselves nicely by jettisoning $44 million in contracts combined in the Swisher and Vazquez deals.

 

That $44 million could go a lot farther this year than it has in previous years should they choose to spend it.

[TooLiveBrew]

It seems this is a deal the White Sox made because Vazquez had a handful of bad starts (3 in Sept. 2008). If more organizations operated in this manner, each offseason would be pretty chaotic. I like ATL attempting to capitalize on what is basically irrational frustration on the part of CWS. If nothing else Vazquez should be able to be flipped if ATL can't stay in the hunt in 2009.

[Pudster13]

link

http://www.ajc.com/braves...braves_trade_vazquez.html

 

Official:

The Braves trade C Tyler Flowers, SS Brent Lillibridge, 3B Jon Gilmore, LHP Santos Rodriguez to Chicago White Sox for Javier Vazquez and LHP Boone Logan.

 

I think the Braves got a good value in Vazques. Flowers is the key piece coming back to the White Sox.

[ILuvDaBush]

I wonder if Brent Lillibridge is being considered for their vacant shortstop position. There has been a lot of talk about moving Alexei Ramirez to short, but Alexei doesn't have the arm for short.

[cwolf2012]

Holy cow is Tyler Flowers going to be good. He took 98 walks in 122 games last year, and only K'd 102 times.

 

I wish we could get a guy like that. .290 hitter with a .427 OBP in minors.