There’s always a handful of Hot Stove surprises, and this year’s biggest yet has to be the New York Yankees’ dealing outfielder Melky Cabrera to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Javier Vazquez today.

It was a good deal for the Yankees, who acquire a top-notch, innings-eating No. 3 starter and trade away prospects and a good, but expendable, young player in Cabrera. Surely, general manager Brian Cashman has a plan in place to replace Cabrera’s production and restock his empty cupboard of outfielders. Read more »

Chicago Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley is off to yet another Major League organization, the Seattle Mariners, where another clubhouse can be compromised by his attitude and volatility. The Cubs, after signing him to a three-year, $30-million deal last winter, cut their losses and essentially shipped him to Seattle for a bag of Skittles and a catcher’s mitt, or starting pitcher Carlos Silva and cash.

You understand the risks with Bradley and, for an American League club, they make sense. He is a talented switch hitter and an OPS machine that can make his entire lineup better. Read more »

This string of familiar-looking off-season moves made by the Baltimore Orioles might just make some sense this year. Mike Gonzalez, Garrett Atkins, Kevin Millwood are all quality complimentary pieces, but the core group they’re complimenting is finally good enough to make their presence worthwhile.

Brian Roberts, Matt Wieters and Adam Jones give the O’s strength up the middle for years to come; Nick Markakis is the steady, face-of-the-franchise type in right field; and young pitchers Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman represent perhaps the most talented young pitching duo in the Major Leagues. Read more »

Wanting to get the Boston Red Sox’ hometown perspective on the John Lackey signing, we went and checked out the Boston Globe this morning to find the headline ‘Lackey has team convinced he’ll succeed at Fenway.’ We were unaware of Lackey’s previous struggles at Boston’s Fenway Park, but came away from the story a little concerned about his fantasy future.

Lackey is 2-5 with a 5.76 ERA in nine starts at Fenway Park. The Red Sox hit .314 against him in those starts, including 8 homers in 51.2 innings pitched. Sure, it’s a small sample size and Lackey is now pitching for the team that so rudely welcomed him, but we still have a few doubts about the $82.5 million contract he signed to pitch there. Read more »

Former New York Yankees designated hitter Hideki Matsui signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels this week, according to the LA Daily News. Matsui comes off a resurgent season, in which he hit .274 with 28 home runs and 90 RBIs, and ventures away from New York for the first time in his Major League career.

Matsui figures to take on the same role in Los Angeles as he did in New York. The 35-year-old got 437 of his 456 at-bats last season as the Yankees’ designated hitter, and he led all DHs with 27 homers, according to MLB.com. The Angels are deep in the outfield and should call on Matsui to man left field only on the rarest of occasions. Read more »

Well, all this Roy Halladay talk is becoming OFFICIAL, finally. Halladay is going to the Philadelphia Phillies; Cliff Lee is going to the Seattle Mariners; and a slew of prospects are being shipped all across the continental United States.

A complete recap of the deal, most of which is courtesy of the Philadelphia Daily News:

Philadelphia Phillies receive:
Halladay and cash from Toronto
RHP Phillippe Aumont from Seattle
RHP Juan Ramirez from Seattle
OF Tyson Gillies from Seattle

Toronto Blue Jays receive:
RHP Kyle Drabek from Philadelphia
C Travis d’Arnaud from Philadelphia
INF Brett Wallace from Oakland

Seattle Mariners receive:
LHP Cliff Lee from Philadelphia

Oakland Athletics receive:
OF Michael Taylor from Philadelphia by way of Toronto Read more »

Two Atlanta Braves youngsters were among MLB’s top 20 for the next decade, according to Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Minor league outfielder Jason Heyward checked in at No. 13 on the Baseball Prospectus list and was the only player without a Major League at-bat. Right-hander Tommy Hanson was at No. 17 after going 11-4 with a 2.89 ERA in half a season with the Braves in 2009.

These lists are far from scientific, but Heyward is in some kind of elite company on this particular one. He is widely regarded as the top position player prospect in the game, but the fact remains that he’s got just 11 at-bats above the Double-A level. Lumping him with the likes of Hanley Ramirez, who was tops on the list, Ryan Braun (No. 7) and Felix Hernandez (No. 9) requires an awfully favorable projection. Read more »

Big names are involved in today’s reported three-team deal that would send Toronto Blue Jays’ ace Roy Halladay to the Philadelphia Phillies. We would hate to get too far ahead of ourselves and break down all of the different scenarios and their corresponding fantasy spins. So, let’s just take a look at the mainstays Halladay and LHP Cliff Lee, who is reportedly being shipped to the Seattle Mariners.

Halladay is a fantasy ace, no matter the uniform he’s wearing or the stadium he calls home. Citizens Bank Park isn’t exactly a pitcher’s best friend, but Halladay is a veteran who keeps the ball down and limits the damage on his mistakes. And don’t forget about the lesser National League lineups, ones that are watered down with unathletic pitchers taking their ugly hacks. Halladay’s numbers should certainly even out, perhaps even improve, as he moves on to a contender with a high-powered offense behind him. Read more »

We talked in detail about how Curtis Granderson and the New York Yankees benefited from a three-team deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers. But, how about the D-backs and Tigers, what was in the deal for them?

Trading Granderson and All-Star pitcher Edwin Jackson wasn’t a popular move by the Tigers, but if they absolutely had to go for the sake of lowering payroll, the Tigers got the kind of haul to make the move worthwhile.

Young RHP Max Scherzer has a chance to replace Jackson’s production NOW and far exceed it down the road, while LHPs Daniel Schlereth and Phil Coke provide big boosts to the Detroit bullpen. Outfielder Austin Jackson, 22, is a top prospect with plenty of upside and the ability to claim a Major League roster spot now.

The Tigers, in the view of Stan McNeal of Sporting News, were the real winners in this trade. Read more »

You don’t need experts of any kind to tell you that the Curtis Granderson deal was a real coup for the New York Yankees. A young, do-it-all outfielder type goes to the Bronx and not only solidifies the Bronx Bombers’ offense, but boosts their defense and helps them take a step toward ‘reloading’ with new talent.

There was a price to pay in dealing top prospect Austin Jackson, young pitcher Ian Kennedy and lefty reliever Phil Coke in the three-team deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers. All in all, though, it was an excellent move by under-appreciated Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman. Read more »