They spent the last two months trying to move Lowe, and no one bit. Once they moved to plan B, trading Vazquez, most of the other teams wanting a high-dollar starter had already made their move, and JV's no-trade clause to the west coast even further limited their options. they could have waited it out and gotten more.......but they obviously didn't want to commit money to a hitter without first moving a pitcher, and didn't want to wait to get that ball rolling lest they wait too long and get stuck without a hitter like they did last year.
I'll grade this trade (which looks terrible right now) based on what plays out next. McLouth, Schafer, and Cabrera are all basically the same guy in three different stages of the same career. Diaz is the same hitter with worse defense, and they've already signed him for next year. They want to wait until at least June to call up Heyward, and Schafer is iffy to start the year in the majors. Cabrera is basically a guy that can be a starter, but will be very easy to trade come July is Schafer and/or Heyward are ready. Absent another move, look for them to play MC and NM every day, and platoon Schafer and Diaz, to start the year. Heyward up in June added to the mix. If either Schafer of Heyward lives up to the hype, someone else will be traded, probably for a bullpen arm as Moylan's arm is an explosion waiting to happen after how much Cox overused him last year.
Not offering arb to LaRoche is boneheaded. They want a bridge to Freeman, so why not one year for LaRoche, with a free draft pick if he declines?
But all that said, JV has a career-long history of alternating between good and bad years. And Boone Logan blew. I don't mind trading them, but basically they got two high prospects (the same they'd get if he declined arb and left after this year) and a low-power OF (that they already have several of)?
They had a tough choice to make. IMO i've thought 2010 was their year for at least a couple years, but they look to be setting up for several years and not going for it all next year. The safe bet over the high risk-high reward bet.