MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reports that the Yankees have officially announced the signing of Nick Johnson to a one year contract. It's thought to contain a mutual option for a second year.

Chad Jennings reports that, according to Brian Cashman, Javier Vazquez may end up being a Type-A free agent. So, if the stars align, he could net the Yankees a pair of draft picks if he leaves in 2011.

The Yankees are believed to have contacted the Cubs about Carlos Zambrano. Salary was reportedly the biggest issue with Zambrano. But, Mark Feinsand at the Daily News says the Cubs were open to acquiring Kei Igawa and the 2 years and $8 million dollars remaining on his contract.

Of course, it's not known what else would have needed to be in the deal. Bruce Levine speculates that a pitcher like Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes would need to have been part of the package.

Before trading for Javier Vazquez, the Yankees spoke with the Cubs, Phillies and Reds about Carlos Zambrano, Cliff Lee and Aaron Harang, respectively. This, according to a report by Joel Sherman at the post.

Zambrano's salary was the biggest problem with him, while Harang's salary and health were issues, too. Sherman says that when considering Lee, they found that the Phillies wanted to get him as far away from their fan base as possible, hence shipping him to the west coast.

Joel Sherman of the Post says that with Javier Vazquez on the roster, the Yankees will try to trade Sergio Mitre or Chad Gaudin to save some money before the close of spring training.

Even with Melky Cabrera out of the picture, Joel Sherman of the Post reports that Johnny Damon, Jason Bay and Matt Holliday remain too expensive for the Yankees. It's not like the trade actually saved them money.

Mike Dunn, Arodys Vizcaino and Boone Logan are all low cost and Melky is probably going to get a couple of million this year, but Javier Vazquez is due $11.5 million. So, in all, the team is looking at an additional $8.5 million or so in salary.

ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. expects Aroldis Chapman to go to the team who offers him the most money. The Yankees are one of many teams interested in him.

Via Ben Nicholson-Smith.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Yankees have signed former Brewers catcher Mike Rivera to a minor league deal.

Rivera is 33 and spent the last four seasons in Milwaukee. During that time, he hit .260 with a .333 OBA in 119 games.

Via Tim Dierkes.

Joel Sherman of the Post reports that the Yankees will trade Melky Cabrera and minor league pitchers Michael Dunn and Arodys Vizcaino to the Braves in exchange for former Yankee Javier Vazquez and reliever Boone Logan.

The Yankees were unwilling to include Dunn in the deal for Curtis Granderson, but he proves expendable here. Vizcaino was recently ranked as the third best prospect in the Yankees farm system by Baseball America while having the best curveball. Dunn was said to have the best slider.

5 seasons after his lone tour of duty in New York, Vazquez returns with less expected of him. He was 15-10 with a 2.87 ERA last season for the Braves, finishing fourth in Cy Young voting. He's signed for 2010 only and he'll earn $11.5 million, according to Cot's. Meanwhile, Logan was 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA in 20 games. For his career, he has a 5.78 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over 164 games.

As an aside, Mark Feinsand of the Daily News is saying that this won't allow for the return of Johnny Damon.

MLB.com's Bryan Hoch mentions that the Yankees were the only team to have to pay a luxury tax for the 2009 season. It'll cost them $25.69 million.