Tagged: AJ Burnett
Heatin’ Up
It may be cold outside (and snow-covered in just about all of the Northeast and more), but the hot stove of baseball is still heating up.
A couple moves were made from yesterday afternoon until now, and the biggest one affected the Yankees. Whenever the Yankees make a move, Red Sox fans everywhere (that includes me) race to the scene, hungry for another “buying-a-championship” move that we can insult them for. I hate to say it, but we overdo it sometimes. At least we don’t get angry like this kid.
This is a pretty famous picture, but I bet you didn’t know that this kid had just found out that this kid had just found out about some outrageous move the Yankees made.
In all seriousness, though, the Yankees made a move that will really change the shape of things for them pitching-wise. They sent Melky Cabrera, pitcher Mike Dunn, and pitcher Arodys Vizcaino as long as cash to the Braves for Javier Vazquez and pitcher Boone Logan. Vazquez is extremely talented and had a very good ’09 season, going 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA. It’s also worth noting that Vazquez was an All-Star with the Yankees in 2004. He can only add to New York’s already stacked rotation, which currently consists of Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettitte with Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes waiting in the ranks. Vazquez also happens to be a strikeout machine. Now, most teams have a guy that can strike out the side anyday, but AJ Burnett just happens to be a strikeout stud himself. So the Yanks seem to be left in a pretty good situation after this move. However, it’s not like they didn’t lose anything in this deal. Melky Cabrera, despite his only decent stats last year, actually brought 3 wins to the Yankees, hitting 3 walkoff hits. He wasn’t a superstar, but he had a clear value to the team.
The Yankees also gave away two pretty good pitching prospects in Vizcaino and Dunn. Vizcaino had a great ’09 season playing class A ball in Staten Island. Apparently, he’s the 3rd best Yankees prospect (according to Baseball America). On a side note, because of the Cabrera move, talks with Nick Johnson and Johnny Damon are likely to heat up even more.
The Nationals also made a deal with veteran pitcher Jason Marquis for a 2 yr. contract. Marquis had a good campaign with the Rockies last year, winning 15 games and making the NL All-Star team. Marquis has won at least 11 games in each of the last 6 years and is expected to serve as a mentor to #1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg, whom the Nationals have very high hopes for. Marquis has 9 years of experience, and to me he seems like a great guy for the job.
Roy Halladay, who was recently dealt to the Phillies from the only team he has pitched for, the Blue Jays, wrote a farewell letter to Blue Jays fans in today’s Toronto Sun. Halladay has always been a highly respected player, both by fans of many teams and by fellow players. In the article, he was extremely gracious and thankful, saying:
“I am sincerely grateful for the incredible support and compassion the Blue Jays fans have always shown me. I am in awe of your overwhelming passion and devotion.”
The Phillies are very lucky to be getting a guy like Roy, not only for his talent on the field but also for his attitude and manner off it. Good luck to him in the future.
The next time I write on my blog, the hot stove will have gotten even hotter and some more big name players may have moved teams. I’m excited for whatever will happen.
Have a nice day,
-AL
The Frying Pan 