Let's just hope this works out better for Atlanta than it did for Yankees. He probably didn't like the Yankees, either.Jon Gilmore and Santos Rodriguez seem to be in the throw-in territory. Gilmore did fine in Danville, but it's not like that is a tough league. He then struggled when he came up to Rome (Low A) for 30 games. Rodriguez seems to have a big arm with 45 K in 29 IP, but that was in rookie ball. Again, I don't see these guys as more than good A-ball prospects that really aren't anywhere near ready, and they may not even be that.
Brent Lillibridge and Tyler Flowers are the real headliners, if you can say that, in this deal. Lillbridge struggled in AAA this season, but I believe he's due for a bounce-back, and I'm thinking he's a nice fit in the 4 hole for the White Sox making them younger and faster. Flowers gives them an heir-apparent at catcher, and he should have bright future. I'm sad to see him go, but with McCann back there, the Braves can afford to draft another catcher and bring him along in time to replace McCann. No real worries there. Still, I wonder if he couldn't have been part of a better deal.
Vazquez is better than people think. His career FIP is 3.93, and a return to the NL and a chance to pitch in a neutral park should help out his very unlucky 4.67 ERA (a whole run higher than his FIP). His strikeout and walk rates are also pretty good and should translate well to Atlanta. As for Boone Logan, his 5.95 ERA was horrendous, but he was also unlucky (.393 BABIP, 15.2% HR/FB). He's also only 24 (next season) and is under control for four more years. His splits were pretty even from righties to lefties last season, but they are a bit bigger for his career.
Is this a good trade? I believe so. Neither Gilmore nor Rodriguez are great prospects (even though I liked Gilmore). Lillibridge lost a huge amount of stock this season, and the Braves already have the middle infield sewn up for at least the next three seasons. As for Flowers, let's not buy too much into his incredible performance in the AFL. He was amazing, and he is, to me, the highlight of the deal for Chicago. However, he was only in High-A last season and anyone can get hot for a few weeks. With McCann in Atlanta for the forseeable future, he is not a huge loss, just a regrettable one. Vazquez gives Atlanta a solid no. 2 guy as long as he bounces back (which I think he will), and Boone helps out the bullpen and might be a possible late-inning guy (obviously with improvement). Vazquez is also only on the hook for two years, so it's like a nice signing. Boone is in Atlanta for four years at a relatively cheap price. As for Chicago, they get some nice prospects to deepen the farm system for a guy most people really didn't like all that much.
What does this mean for the teams? Chicago may need an additional starter (bargain time!) to make up for Vazquez, but nothing should really change too much for Chicago. As for Atlanta, this still does not preclude them from trading for Peavy, unless Furcal flies off the market (in which case, no one could play short), and it gives them much more flexibility with free-agent pitchers. They don't need to sign two anymore, and this frees up enough money to make a tough offer to Burnett (while possibly getting fewer seasons of him). It also gives them more leverage against the Padres should things start up again. On another note, it does probably mean that Ohman is gone and/or that negotiations weren't going well with him (he might have found some better offers). I like this trade for Atlanta. A good starter and possibly good reliever (I like cheap relievers who average 92 mph from the left side) for a few prospects, two of which I think might do something in the majors (one of those could be a star, but who cares about the future when you have now?).
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