The Yankees continue to turn back the clock, this time trading Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn and prospect Arodys Vizcaino for Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan. Vazquez, who was the Game 7 starter in the 2004 ALCS, has a career ERA of 4.19 and is coming off a career best mark of 2.87 with the Braves. He has an excellent strikeout pedigree, with a career K/9 of 8.1 and 9.8 last season. This should make his transition back to the AL East at least a little easier, even if he has a propensity for the fly ball. Vazquez has been one of the game?s most durable starters, making no fewer than 32 starts in any single season during the decade we are now saying ?goodbye? to. He is a 200+ innings per season pitcher without question. Brian Cashman reluctantly dealt Vazquez on Steinbrenner orders in the ill-conceived trade that sent Randy Johnson to the Bronx. Vazquez had made the All-Star Game in that lone season with the Yankees before unraveling in the second half and in the playoffs. We can reasonably expect a regression from Vazquez this season; he wouldn?t duplicate his 2.87 ERA again in the NL East, let alone the AL East, but an ERA around 4.00 is almost a given and the Yankees will take that from a number three or four starter. Vazquez is also in his walk year, which will pay him $11.5M, making him a much cheaper alternative to John Lackey, who signed with the Red Sox this winter. The Yankees will almost certainly offer him arbitration in the winter and if a deal isn?t done, they can recoup some of what is lost through compensatory picks. Losing Cabrera is unfortunate, as he became one of the heart and soul members of the Yankees and it was nice to see the team have a legitimate role player amongst their roster of All-Stars. But after a highly disappointing 2008 in which he had an OPS of .641 (.301 OBP), Cabrera had to beat out Brett Gardner to win the center field job. He did just that, hit for an OPS of .752 and played a respectable, albeit underwhelming defensive center field. With the Curtis Granderson trade, however, the Yankees would have moving him to left field, but under any criteria, Cabrera would be a below average corner outfielder at the plate. The strides he made in adapting the Yankees plate approach of patience made a tangible difference in his production, but he is still a long ways away from an .800 or better OPS hitter, which is practically mandatory to wear pinstripes. The Yankees can possibly re-sign Johnny Damon now, or even enter the Jason Bay or Matt Holliday market, though they appear handcuffed by their payroll and Gardner could be a one-year stopgap. Cabrera?s game has always been better suited for the NL, though he won?t be hitting ninth as he moves up closer to the middle of the lineup. Vizcaino was one of the Yankees most highly touted prospects and projects as a potential ace, but he is just 19 and is a long ways away. For all of the frequent complaints about the Yankees? payroll, Vazquez unquestionably represents a sense of frugality on the franchise?s part. The Yankees could have packaged Cabrera, Vizcaino and perhaps Jesus Montero in a deal for Roy Halladay, but the exorbitant price tag of an extension made that almost impossible due to their payroll already hovering at the $200M mark. A rotation of CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay, AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte and either Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain would have been the closest thing to a lock to win another World Series as we?ve seen for decades. Vazquez bolsters the rotation and is a pitcher any manager will have confidence in sending to the mound, even in a playoff game, but he is certainly not Halladay. Grade for Yankees: B+ The Braves had a surplus of starters, so this deal is mostly about finances for them. The Yankees will pay Vazquez?s entire salary, so they will have several million to spend elsewhere. Trading Derek Lowe was not an option due to his salary over several seasons and keeping Vazquez and then letting him walk in return for two draft picks wouldn?t have helped them as much as this trade does. Dunn is a 24-year-old southpaw reliever who looks like he will have a productive career if he can ever improve his command and lower his walk rate. The real knock on this trade comes from the fact that they signed Lowe to such a monster contract last winter and forced Frank Wren?s hand with this deal. Grade for Braves: C+

The Roy Halladay mega-trade was finally completed on Wednesday. Halladay was sent to the Phillies, with Philadelphia sending prospects Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor and Travis d'Arnaud to the Blue Jays after trading Cliff Lee to the Mariners for three prospects, right-handers Phillippe Aumont and JC Ramirez and outfielder Tyson Gillies. Toronto flipped Taylor to Oakland for prospect Brett Wallace. ESPN.com reported that Halladay will receive $20 million per year in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The extension also includes a $20 million vesting option for 2014 based on innings pitched, games started or both. The Phillies required an extension with Halladay to make the trade.

The Mets traded their Rule 5 pick to the Dodgers for cash after selecting Carlos Monasterios in the major-league phase. The 6-2, 175-pound righthander went 5-6 with a 3.73 ERA at Class A Clearwater last season. Opponents had a .237 on-base percentage.

The Braves agreed on Wednesday to trade Rafael Soriano to the Rays, a Major League source said. Pending medical evaluations, the deal could be announced as soon as Thursday. Before Soriano provided some surprise by accepting an arbitration offer on Monday, Wren envisioned receiving the 2010 First-Year Player Draft pick compensation that would come courtesy of the fact that the 29-year-old reliever was classified as a Type A free agent. Now, it appears that the Braves will have to settle for a reliever who could at least provide some organizational depth. Atlanta will receive Jesse Chavez, a 26-year-old right-handed pitcher who was acquired by Tampa Bay in an early-November trade that sent infielder Akinori Iwamura to Pittsburgh.

The New York Yankees today acquired outfielder Jamie Hoffmann from the Washington Nationals as the player to be named later for right-handed pitcher Brian Bruney. Hoffmann, 25, was drafted by Washington from the Los Angeles Dodgers organization with the first overall pick in today?s Rule 5 Draft and subsequently traded to the Yankees. Originally signed by the Dodgers in 2003 as a minor league free agent, Hoffmann made his Major League debut in 2009, batting .182 (4-for-22) with two runs, two doubles, one home run and seven RBI in 14 games.

The Rangers added right-handed reliever Chris Ray to their bullpen on Wednesday and are on the verge of signing free agent right-hander Rich Harden in their starting rotation. Both acquisitions were made possible by dealing Kevin Millwood. The Rangers sent Millwood to the Orioles for Ray and a player to be named later at the Winter Meetings. The player to be named could be the third pick in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft. Texas will also pick up $3 million of Millwood's $12 million salary for 2010, leaving it with a savings of about $7 million. The Rangers will use that money to sign Harden to a one-year deal worth $7.5 million with an $11.5 million option for 2011.

The New York Yankees Wednesday acquired outfielder Curtis Granderson from the Detroit Tigers in a three-team, seven-player deal, sending left-handed pitcher Phil Coke and outfielder Austin Jackson to Detroit and right-handed pitcher Ian Kennedy to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Granderson batted .249 (157-for-631) with 23 doubles, 8 triples, 30 home runs, 71 RBI and 20 stolen bases with the Detroit Tigers in 2009, setting a career high in home runs and recording at least 60 extra-base hits for the third straight season. He was selected to the AL All-Star team for the first time in his career and was one of only three American Leaguers to collect 30 homers and 20 stolen bases, joining Texas' Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz.

The Yankees have an inherent advantage in dealing away prospects because the expectations are so high and making the big league club is incredibly difficult when there are so many All-Stars at nearly every position. Plugging in high-priced free agents on a near annual basis, creates situations where a Yankee farm hand must make an overwhelming case for a chance, as Robinson Cano did several seasons ago. Austin Jackson may one day be a very good center fielder, but since they already know Curtis Granderson is an All-Star center fielder, along with Ian Kennedy and Phil Coke makes the trade a can't miss from the Yankees' perspective. Also included in the deal are Edwin Jackson to the Diamondbacks, as well as Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth to Detroit. While Granderson is the biggest name dealt, Scherzer could develop into a reliable AL number two and Jackson should be a nice middle of the rotation guy in the NL West. Granderson isn't Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle or even Bernie Williams, but he has a career OPS of .828 and will be just 29 this season. He is in the very middle of his prime, under an affordable contract and does just about everything well. Despite hitting in a pitcher's park, Granderson hit 30 homers last season, with 22, 23 and 19 in the four previous seasons, showing a proven track record of power that will escalate significantly in Yankee Stadium. Like CC Sabathia, Granderson's intangibles are through the roof and he will immediately have an incredibly positive impact in the clubhouse and with the media, of which he has experience on the other side as a playoff commentator. Defensively, Granderson is well above average and will play a very good center field. Acquiring Granderson while only relinquishing players that probably would never be good enough to become anything more than long relievers or fourth outfielders makes the move a big win for Brian Cashman as a stand alone trade. But Cashman now has a few new options in the remainder of his offseason plans. He can now reasonably ask Johnny Damon to take a shorter deal with very apparent leverage. If Damon does re-sign, the terms will be far more favorable for the Yankees and it will allow them to potentially trade Melky Cabrera or Nick Swisher to acquire another asset. The New York outfield will likely have Granderson in center, Cabrera in right field and Swisher in left if they don't re-sign Damon. The move also won't affect the Yankees' ability to pursue Roy Halladay, as neither Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain were included. Grade for Yankees: A The Tigers will save a considerable amount of money in losing Granderson, while acquiring a stud arm in Scherzer. Scherzer had a 3.87 FIP while striking out 174 batters in 170.1 innings. He is just 25 and will be under Detroit's control for five seasons. Along with Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello, Scherzer will give Detroit a frontline that can compare to New York's and Boston's in any given season. Austin Jackson doesn't project to be anybody's version of an All-Star, but his skill set should work well in spacious Comerica Park, where he will cover a lot of ground defensively and hit to the gaps for a lot of doubles and triples. Coke will be in the MLB for another 15 seasons as a left specialist, but that is what he is. He struck out 49 batters in 60.0 innings this season. Schlereth was the 26th overall pick in 2008 and had a 0.98 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 27.2 minor league innings this season. He struggled in his 18.1 MLB innings, but he did show some of that strikeout ability. Schlereth is clearly a late inning reliever and may even be a reliable closer. Grade for Tigers: B+ Even though the D-Backs now have two pitchers they can probably count on to round out their rotation, it is at a much lower ceiling. Jackson doesn't have any of the same dominant upside as Scherzer. Jackson's career FIP is just 4.72, though that should improve pitching in the NL West. Jackson's ERA dropped from 4.42 in 2008 with Tampa Bay to 3.62 with the Tigers, while he struck out 161 batters in 214 innings. Unlike Detroit, who now has a potentially dominant frontline and the Yankees, who won a World Series behind three arms, the D-Backs have essentially punted on that opportunity. Dan Haren, a healthy Brandon Webb and Scherzer would strike fear into San Francisco's excellent version or Colorado's, or anything the Dodgers will be able to muster this winter. But Jackson is just another starter and he is much closer to costing more money annually and closer to free agency. Kennedy has always been the third banana in the Yankees' big three of young potential starters. He missed most of 2009 due to injury and is older than than Joba and Hughes, without any of the same proven MLB innings. He has excellent command and will have a far better chance of success in the NL, but he won't be anything more than a third or fourth starter. Grade for D-Backs: D+

The New York Yankees traded RHP Brian Bruney to the Washington Nationals for a player to be named later. Bruney, 27, was 5-0 with a 3.92 ERA in 44 regular season relief appearances with the Yankees in 2009. He made one 2009 postseason appearance for the club, allowing three hits and two earned runs in 0.1IP in Game 1 of the World Series vs. Philadelphia. Bruney, who was signed by the Yankees as a free agent on July 1, 2006, played four seasons (2006-09) with the club, going 12-3 with a 3.25 ERA (144.0IP, 112H, 52ER, 91BB, 133K, 14HR) in 153 appearances (one start).

The A's acquired infielders Jake Fox and Aaron Miles on Thursday from the Cubs in exchange for right-hander Jeff Gray and Minor Leaguers Matt Spencer and Ronny Morla. Fox, who played four positions with the Cubs this year, batted .259 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs in 82 games and had 17 homers at Triple-A Iowa. Miles, who signed a two-year deal with the Cubs prior to the 2009 season, hit a career-low .185 while struggling with injury, coming off a .317 season with St. Louis the year before. The A's also received cash considerations in the deal.