Are Matt Holliday Or Jason Bay Now On The Atlanta Braves' Radar?

When the Braves traded starting pitcher Javier Vazquez to the New York Yankees Tuesday in exchange for outfielder Melky Cabrera, they may have opened the door for a much bigger acquisition.

Cabrera, 25, was the primary center fielder for the world champion Yankees in 2009, and posted a solid .274/.336/.416 line with 13 home runs. He also plays above-average defense at all three outfield positions.

Atlanta, however, has an incumbent center fielder in Nate McLouth. The Braves needed, and still need, an impact bat. Though the young Cabrera still has a chance to improve, he simply is not, and will not be, that kind of addition.

In the Vazquez deal, Atlanta saved roughly $8 million in 2010 salary; the exact figure will be determined by the result of Cabrera's second foray into arbitration. There remains one interesting potential option, however: What if Atlanta flipped Cabrera, trading him right away for a prospect or two and saving another $3 million or more?

Enter the Chicago Cubs. Chicago GM Jim Hendry repeatedly inquired about Cabrera when he was with the Yankees, according to reports, and the Cubs continue to search for a center fielder as Kosuke Fukudome moves back to right field. Hendry could offer Atlanta a young pitcher to fill out the shallow end of the bullpen, or simply toss back two mid-level prospects for Cabrera.

With the flexibility such a move would add, Braves GM Frank Wren would have enough maneuverability to go after either of the free agent market's two remaining big-name bats: left fielders Matt Holliday and Jason Bay.

Either man would be a tight fit in Atlanta's budget, but if the team could save all of Cabrera's salary in trade, it would be feasible. With McLouth in center and one of the big boppers (Holliday is a better fit) in left, Atlanta could move Matt Diaz across the diamond to right field. Diaz, a right-handed hitter who mashes left-handed pitching, could platoon with superstar prospect Jason Heyward. Heyward bats left-handed.

All of this is the wildest of speculation. Given the Braves' historical reticence to offer top dollar on the open market, it seems unlikely either Holliday or Bay will come aboard. If the team is serious about competing in 2010, however, it would be the best move.

The manner in which Wren has conducted himself thus far this winter (signing relievers Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito to one-year deals) would suggest that Atlanta does hope to challenge for an October run next season, so the Cubs, Holliday and Bay should remain on their radar for the foreseeable future.