The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that the large salary of Javier Vazquez may force the Braves to trade him this offseason. With Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, Kenshin Kawakami, and Vazquez, they make up nearly half of the Braves' entire payroll.
With Vazquez putting up great numbers, it almost makes sense to unload Kawkami, and go with a rotation that features three guys with ten wins or more, rookie Tommy Hanson who already has nine wins, and a former All-Star fresh off the disabled list.
Vazquez has 11.5 million dollars remaining on his contract, so the Braves would have to eat a considerable portion for him to be moved. However, moving Kawakami - who has 2 years and 13.3 million dollars remaining - would be much more affordable for rival clubs.
The Brewers are a club that could give him a shot at the bottom end of their rotation.