All Things Bubba

Melky Cabrera has been the subject of trade rumors every year since he came up. This year, they turned out to be true.

I was expecting it. With Granderson as their new CFer, they don't need Melky any more. He doesn't have the bat to play left field; the Yanks will probably sign Damon, Dye, or someone like that. Maybe even Bay or Holliday. Melky is a serviceable fourth outfielder, but with Brett Gardner on the roster, they don't need him.

I'm not too sad to see him go, I confess. Melky was never one of my favorites. Yes, he had a cute name and cute dimples, but, well, he was something of a bonehead. (One fan commented that the team IQ will go up six points with Melky gone.) I got the impression that he didn't work as hard as should have. And he and best friend Robby Cano didn't seem good for each other.

Melky will be a Brave now, and Javier Vasquez gets another chance in the Bronx. Braves fans are pretty upset at the trade, but Melky is not the centerpiece of the deal. The real prize for Atlanta is young Arodys Vizcaino, one of the Yankees' top prospects. But "there's no such thing as a pitching prospect." He's only 19, and a long way from the big leagues. And perhaps the experience with Joba, Hughes, and Kennedy has made Cashman realize that developing pitchers is not easy, and requires time and patience - which tend to be in short supply in the Bronx.

And the guy the Yanks traded for Javier Vazquez the first time, Nick Johnson, is officially back in pinstripes. He will DH and bat second.

I was so bummed when they traded away Johnson. I wanted to see him play 1B for the Yankees. As it turned out, with his injury history, it probably wouldn't have worked out. But I'm kind of glad to see him back. Though he's now 31 - not the young up and comer he was when he left.

In other transaction news, Matt DeSalvo signed with the Marlins, and Chris Stewart signed with the Padres.

And Phil Humber has signed a minor league deal with the Royals. Humber was drafted by the Yankees, but didn't sign. Instead, he went to Rice University, where he was part of the wealth of pitching talent that forced Paul Janish to move to SS. Humber was drafted out of Rice in the first round, third overall, by the Mets. But he didn't develop as they hoped. He was traded to the Twins, then DFA'd. Like they say...there's no such thing as a pitching prospect.