Wait, what? Were the Braves really this far away from landing Jake Peavy via trade that they had to settle on Javier Vazquez?
Pending a passed physical from Vazquez, that's exactly what has happened. Boone Logan is headed to Atlanta with Vazquez, while the package headed back to the White Sox includes Jo-Jo Reyes and Brent Lillibridge. Reports indicate an unnamed "top prospect" is going to Chicago as well.
The trade has been in the works for a few days, and rumors were no secret. It should be noted that neither Reyes nor Lillibridge have been the centerpieces in talks by the Braves to acquire Peavy. On the other hand, we know the Braves are interested in signing either Derek Lowe or A.J. Burnett.
I'd be pretty surprised if the Braves traded these two young players, inked a Lowe-type contract, and traded the required windfall to net Peavy.
Thus, the significance of this deal -- to me -- is that it effectively eliminates the Braves from the Peavy sweepstakes.
In Vazquez, the Braves get an experienced innings-eater. He's thrown at least 198 innings in nine straight seasons, making him one of the most durable pitchers in the bigs. While his ERA has fluctuated, the strikeouts and innings are always there. He should benefit from a move back to the NL, where he enjoyed three of his four sub-4.00-ERA seasons.
Logan is a left-handed relief specialist. He got knocked around a lot last season, so the Braves seem to be hoping a change of scenery will help. The fact that he'll only be 24 shows there is still plenty of time to become a quality major league reliever.
Jo-Jo Reyes got beat up as a starting pitcher for the Braves for most of the season, but he did flash some good stuff in a handful of quality outings. He's only 24, and was always solid in the minors.
Brent Lillibridge, 25, is a light-hitting shortstop (.638 OPS in triple-A last season) with speed and defensive range. He struck out 23 times in a brief major league stint for the Braves last season, with only 16 hits and three walks in 80 at-bats. To be fair, he was a much better hitter in the lower levels of the minors, but never anything spectacular.
UPDATE: The third player on his way to the White Sox is power-hitting catcher prospect, Tyler Flowers. He will be 23 this season. In 413 at-bats last season, Flowers hit 17 homers and drove in 88, to go with his .921 OPS. Of course, this was all in high-A ball. It's possible Kenny Williams is looking a bit ahead to a possible A.J. Pierzynski replacement, while the Braves are planning on Brian McCann being around for quite a while.
UPDATE AGAIN, 12/3/08, 12:42 PM EST: Jo-Jo Reyes is not involved. There are four players going to the ChiSox for Logan and Vazquez. Lillibridge and Flowers are the top two. The others are Jon Gilmore (20 year-old 3B) and Santos Rodriguez (20 year-old lefty flamethrower).
