Why in the world would you ever want to trade a “lights out” starter? This game revolves around pitching, not middle infield prospects. Besides, with Escobar, KJ, Prado, Infante and Hicks, I think we are OK for a few years.
You can never have enough pitching, my friend.
Besides, if we have 6-7 guys who are doing great going into the next off season, that is when you try to parlay one into a bat.
If our top guys were all hitting on 8 cylinders in late July, you might could deal one over to Oakland to get a guy like Holliday for the stretch run, or maybe a guy like Ankiel. But who would you really deal. I think a lot of folks in Bravesland are going to end up loving Javier Vazquez this season. Innings eater, with a sound arm, and lots of “stuff”.
This year we have several innings eaters, where in the past we had plenty of cake eaters(Pronto,wickman,corky,etc…) Give Vazquez a chance to eat innings for us
It’s gonna be nice to have guys like Lowe and Vazquez to complement Jurrjens this season. And with Hanson and Reyes (????) on the horizon, we could have a decent rotation for a few years. This is not counting KK or Glavine or even Charlie Morton.
Just heard we traded Josh Anderson for Clarence Darrow. — f.n. hale
Wren actually made a joke along those same lines upon announcing the deal. Said the code name they had for Darrow was “Clarence” during discussions before the trade.
Wayne in Utah Yes, Wren assembled a nice rotation. If we get Huddy back and we know Hanson will be ready next year, then we can worry about giving away one.
The woes from past are now history, its going to be fun season. You might have to drive down to Arizona again this year.
Actually, my son and I are pondering a spring break trip (next week) to Las Vegas for the 4th (an exhibition game, I think between the Rockies and Mariners) and then onto Phoenix for a couple of games during the week.
I have the Braves western road schedule in my planner, and they don’t get out this way until late May (SF and AZ), to CO in July, and then to SD and LA in August.
For sure I can’t get all those dates in, but I am hoping for 1-2 road trips this year.
The reason for Javier Vasquez name coming up in trade discussion is because he is the obvious candidate if and when Tommy Hanson forces the Braves hand. Should the Braves fail to be in contention come late July, Atlanta will likely have to shift gears and see about adding some more young talent in trade.
Of course, this scenario could go right out the window if Glavine or another starting pitcher gets hurt.
No kidding PWHjort got to the bare bones last season when we reached Parr.. Gret to have solid backups waiting in the wings a few miles and a phone call away…
Coach, did you guys get any snow today? Didn’t look as though the heavy stuff was headed your way. We got over 15 inches from yesterday (Sunday) at about 7:00 pm and 1:00 this afternoon.
Wayne in Utah I’d say you go for it! Quality time with son. I went to Florida last spring and regret not making it this spring. Plus its fun proudly sporting the uni away from Ted…
Been thinking good thought for you guys the past few days. Mother nature don’t take a back seat to nobody! I was in Illinois for the ‘97 floods, and have experienced personally floods in Texas, tornados in Illinois (too darned close for my needs) and was in the middle of the Big Quake in the Bay Area in 1989.
vabravesfan, I didn’t talk to Chipper about it the past couple days (asked him three days ago and said nothing new to report). But I’ve said all along I had little doubt it’d get done, since he’s not been asking for top-of-the-scale money and since his agent, B.B. Abbott has such a good relationship with Braves and handles this kind of thing so smoothly.
Only makes sense they’d want to get it done before taking this show north, get the potential distraction out of the way. Wouldn’t surprise me at all to have an announcement before the night game Tuesday (tonight)
For all of you that think M. Prado doesn’t match up to KJ…take a look at his career Major League stats. In limited playing time over 3 seasons
307 .363 .432 108 That’s BA; OBP; SLG; OPS. He more than holds his own, especailly knowing he hasn’t gotten any extended playing time. KJ needs to be on a short leash at best.
Wayne, we are good here in Grand Forks except for a few low lying neighborhood’s on the outskirts that always have to be sand bagged due to overland flooding.
It is Fargo, N.D. and it’s sister city of Moorhead, Minn. that are in deep doo doo. The next 7-10 days will tell the story as to whether or not all their temporary dikes hold up.
If Kelly’s only going to hit 12 HRs and 69 rbis then a agree Prado is just as good, if not better. But I believe KJ can be a 20 HR guy. Hopefully this will be his year to show it.
I like Prado to. He deserves a chance to start somewhere but I’m glad we’ve got him on the bench.
What’s not to understand about the Ohman thing? We offered, he wanted more, we moved on, no one else offered what he wanted, he had to sign for less elsewhere. Either he or his agent made a bad decision to not take the Braves first offer(s).
18 Wheels and DOB: I don’t think it’s as simple as that. Just makes no sense.
Yes we did make an offer during Phase I of the offseason, a time when hefty contracts were being offered.
Ohman decided that the Braves offer wasn’t to his liking or he felt he could get more.
Phase II of the offseason began and it was full of crickets chirping from the players’ standpoint. Teams were no longer offering big contracts. 1 year deals were being bandied about for big name players but still there wasn’t much movement.
However, the price came down significantly for Ohman and yet the Braves never entered back into the bidding?
The guy signs for a MINOR LEAGUE contract for $1.3 mil with potential to make $200,000 more in incentives (reportedly).
Ohman wasn’t just a situational lefty for us last year but was a guy you could leave in there for the whole inning.
Really, really strange the way this unfolded from the Braves standpoint.
Could anyone explain why Ohman’s contract is a Minor League contract? The money involved is Major League, so what is the benefit to the Tigers in making this a Minor contract?
I wish Francouer and others had to produce or get out like Anderson did this spring. (dap01)
The difference between Frenchy and Josh Anderson, of course, being two very important things ….. (1) Talent, and (2) Track Record. Having more talent than someone else buys you more time. Having a track record of successful performance, even if it is just mediocre performance dotted with flashes of brilliance in a ballplayer’s inconsistent early twenties, also buys one more time.
Good morning fans…had a dream I was shot by some weird dude in a mask. Just woke up in a sweat. Thought I’d share that with ya’ll. Good to hear about Chipper. Probably the highlight of the whole offseason for me.
dap diaz has improved his defense in recent years but I think the thing that would happen if frenchy needs a day off would be schafer in right and omar in center.
Ohman wasn’t just a situational lefty for us last year but was a guy you could leave in there for the whole inning. (tommyp)
He’s just a reliever. Relievers are notoriously unpredictable and unreliable from one season to the next. On paper, the Mets seem to have an outstanding pen. As the season plays out, that may not be the case. Last spring training, almost everyone mocked the Phillies for putting Brad Lidge into that ballpark. Their pen was lights out for the whole season and offseason. I’m betting they’re nowhere near that good again this season. You can count on one hand the number of relievers you can trust to be consistent from one season to the next ….. Rivera, Papelbon, Nathan, Krod. Everyone else? Good luck counting on them to give you a repeatable performance.
TnBrian: I don’t remember what I dreamed, but I went to sleep with Braves on the brain, and woke up with Braves on the brain. And then I got on the computer and saw that we’re close to an extension for Chipper
Bloviator: I agree, but I think that the sense of competition would help JF. (dap01)
You don’t think he’s feeling pressure? I think he sees and feels Heyward, Brandon, Gorkys and Schafer breathing down his neck. I think he remembers what it was like to be sent down to the minors. I think he knows what it’s like to humiliate himself for an entire season. I think he knows that if he doesn’t get this turned around quickly that his career will be over in a few years or he’ll be like a Gabe Kapler or Juan Encarncion and float around from team to team, hoping someone has a spot open for a backup corner outfielder. Francoeur is not dumb. He knows his career is in jeopardy. He knows if he Mondesis this season, there may be a new kid coming up to Frenchy Frenchy. He knows if he falls flat on his face, come June/July, the Braves may trade for a big bat to put in the corner outfield as a productive stopgap until Heyward is ready to take over. He knows that if he ain’t hitting by mid-summer and Diaz and Anderson are, the Braves won’t send him down, they just might trade him and make do with a corner outfield rotation of Diaz, Anderson and Brandon Jones.
10-80, no but it was freaky! It actually felt real and I could see the blood poor from my head after he shot me. I did watch Training Day last night so that probably had something to do with it. Ok, maybe I’m yappin too much.
Nick, lets not over think our Braves too much in case, God forbid, they start off very slow and aren’t real good this year…don’t wanna set ourselves up for a huge disappointment. I think they’ll be alright though. Pitching is just too good and the defense is very solid.
Bloviator: I don’t think Frenchy feels pressure from Heyward, B. Jones, or anyone else; I think he feels pressure from himself. He’s been the Golden Child his whole life, and I think it’s apparent this spring that he took his failure last year seriously. After starting 0-2 with two Ks yesterday, he came up in his third AB and hit a single to right. I’m not going to predict .350 and 40 HRs for him, but he’s definitely put himself in position to bounce back.
TnBrian – I know, but we’re in trouble if we get off to a slow start. We have 3 against the Phils in April, and 18 against the Nats, Marlins, Reds, Pirates, and Cardinals.
If DOB is consistantly running on 4 hours of sleep, than if he gets cranky with fans here…can we really blame him? Well, we could just tell him to go to bed earlier and it’d solve that, but that’d be too easy.
well had Gray been released BEFORE we got Garret Anderson then he might be a Brave again, i just do see ithappening, with Jordan/Blanco in CF, Jeff in Right, Diaz/Anderson in left, plus we have Gorkys, Heyward, and B. Jones waiting i just cant see it happening
MLBTR sats it’s a 3-year deal worth more than $40M with a option for 2013. So, “wilymo” was right last night that the deal is a little more than $13M if mlbtr is correct. WOW, $13m+ for Chipper is a bargain, big time!
How ’bout Sheff, released when he’s one homer shy of 500….
Ohman goes from turning down Braves’ offer of 2 years and more than $5 mill back in July, to signing a one-year minor league contract with the Dodgers worth about one-fourth that much.
Chipper was brittle in his 30’s…I’d hate to see what he’s like at 40. I love the guy, but I’m worried we’re going to be paying him millions to sit on the bench.
i can’t believe the braves wouldnt offer ohman a minor league deal, especially after watching their “lefty specialists” average an 8.56 era this spring.
thats a head scratcher to me.. really makes me question the front office.
Me too Lex. When we’re facing Howard, Utley, Delgado, Dunn, et al this year I don’t feel confident at all with the lefties we have, save Mike Gonzalez (but he’ll be closing).
Well, here I go again. Been reading the evaluations of the Braves’ infield and am amazed that nobody – not the writers…not Lemke…not anybody…will be honest about KJ’s defense. So Mark, you say his defense is getting better each year? Even if you’re right, he’s still in the bottom third of the second-basemen in MLB…and to ‘have a conversation’ with KJ and ask such silly questions – why didn’t you ask what his favorite color was? – and not get him to say something about his commitment to get better in the field, is inexcusable. Instead of tramping around the globe in the off-season to see the sights, how about taking a glove down to the Winter Leagues and try to learn how to play the position.
We seem to keep saying that Prado could be starting at second for a lot of teams, you’re right, and it should be Atlanta.
18 Wheels: No, I didn’t forget that we brought in 2 lefties. I omitted their acquisitions for a reason.
Good to see Chipper finish here. I get as frustrated as anyone with his annual injuries but he’s one of the greatest hitters I’ve ever seen.
With Ohman, there’s something there that the Braves didn’t like. Either he said something in negotiations or, well, I don’t know but it doesn’t add up when we offered $5 mil, pulled the offer, added nothing in terms of lefties (sorry, 18 Wheels) and when his price plummets to the paltry sum he’ll collect from the Dodgers on a minor league contract? C’mon….
I loved Sheff when he was here – I was at is first game when he hit a home run that is has hard, low and straight as any ball I’ve ever seen hit. But he can’t play the outfield on a regular basis, he’s been hurt and only hit .247 the last couple of years. This Spring he’s hit under .200.
If the Braves had an open spot on the bench, the sure, he’d be worth a look. But the bench, as is currently constructed, is more flexible that it would be with out him. At this stage in their careers, both Diaz and Norton are much more valuable over the long-haul and those would be the guys at-risk.
I hope Sheff gets picked up by an AL team that could use him part-time at DH. He’s still go power. But he’s not a fit with the Braves.
I think the braves gave Ohman an offer with a time deadline to accept and he thought he could get more so he kept looking. Once it was off the table the Braves determined they weren’t going to offer him ANY contract no matter what.
There’s a reason Sheffield has bounced around team to team. I don’t think his teamates or managers can stand him for long. Just read some of the crap that’s gone public that he’s said.
Smitty: I hear what you’re saying and it might be true. But the Braves not offering “any contract no matter what?” Then why did they make the initial $5 million offer to begin with?
honestly, i think chipper would be worth that if he was just our pinch hitter. im very happy chipper has been extended, and even if the guy need to PH and DH during interleague in the latter years, he will be worth it.
dirtydawg bottom line is you are just wrong on your opinion about KJ’s defense. flat out wrong.
DOB,
interesting to me this whole post I don’t see anybody discussing anything about Kawakami’s performance yesterday. Judging by the box score it must have been pretty solid. This should be encouraging as he faced a pretty formidable line up. How did you think he looked?
TommyP, I never said what I thought of the new lefties. I think they are serviceable, not world beaters. Just remember we have a history of making chicken salad out of chicken sht. Ligtenberg, McMichael,Wright, etc. While Ohman is good he isn’t that much of a difference maker. If he was, why did he just take a minor league deal? I know it looks like we could have had him for a minor league deal but he did turn us down to the tune of 6m over 2 years. That’s kind of insulting, and while it is a sport and you want to win, it is still a business with egos and grudges. I suspect all of the above came into play when we decided to move on. There might be a story there, but the one I want to read is why the heck he turnded down 6m over 2 years?
Lew, Training Day is more of a bad cop, gang movie than slasher film. But, you’re right…you can never be too old to know not to watch that stuff before bedtime. And yeah, I think Sarah(girlfriend) bought some lingerie for my eyes. Hopefully she’ll time it just right.
1,179 comments Add your comment
PWHjort's mother
March 31st, 2009
1:51 am
AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW……THEY ITCH PWHjort!!!! Get yo hind hend over here and cream them, you ungrateful boy you!!!!
Jay212033
March 31st, 2009
1:59 am
“What if Vazquez is lights out….. any chance they do a SMoltz with Huddo ??”
If Vazquez is lights out then we should trade him for max return(middle IF prospects +)!
PWHjort
March 31st, 2009
1:59 am
Wow, so mature.
David O'Brien
March 31st, 2009
2:03 am
Smyrna Jim, funny line at 10:24 p.m. Just came to shut down the laptop (fell asleep early tonight) and saw that….
Wayne in Utah
March 31st, 2009
2:04 am
Jay212033
Why in the world would you ever want to trade a “lights out” starter? This game revolves around pitching, not middle infield prospects. Besides, with Escobar, KJ, Prado, Infante and Hicks, I think we are OK for a few years.
You can never have enough pitching, my friend.
Besides, if we have 6-7 guys who are doing great going into the next off season, that is when you try to parlay one into a bat.
If our top guys were all hitting on 8 cylinders in late July, you might could deal one over to Oakland to get a guy like Holliday for the stretch run, or maybe a guy like Ankiel. But who would you really deal. I think a lot of folks in Bravesland are going to end up loving Javier Vazquez this season. Innings eater, with a sound arm, and lots of “stuff”.
IMHO
KC
March 31st, 2009
2:09 am
DOB, do you happen to know who all Gonzo struck out today in the 9th?
N Nine (eta5)
March 31st, 2009
2:11 am
Funny how many times Vazquez has been involved in trade talks at the blog. Dude hasn’t officially pitch a game yet.
my favorite baseball term:innings eater
Wayne in Utah
March 31st, 2009
2:11 am
KC
Earlier, somebody posted the 3 names, and they were all names I had never heard of.
Wayne in Utah
March 31st, 2009
2:12 am
Which is better? Innings eater or cake eater?
winterville
March 31st, 2009
2:12 am
KC
Che-Hsuan Lin, Ronald Bermudez, Kristopher Negron according to the play by play from earlier.
David O'Brien
March 31st, 2009
2:14 am
KC: Gonzalez struck out C. Lin, R. Bermudez, K. Negron.
N Nine (eta5)
March 31st, 2009
2:17 am
This year we have several innings eaters, where in the past we had plenty of cake eaters(Pronto,wickman,corky,etc…) Give Vazquez a chance to eat innings for us
Wayne in Utah
March 31st, 2009
2:17 am
Did he strike out that dude from 3 Dog Night?
N Nine (eta5)
March 31st, 2009
2:18 am
DOB you posted 4am yesterday and now 2am, the sleep pattern looks normal to me.
Wayne in Utah
March 31st, 2009
2:19 am
N Nine
It’s gonna be nice to have guys like Lowe and Vazquez to complement Jurrjens this season. And with Hanson and Reyes (????) on the horizon, we could have a decent rotation for a few years. This is not counting KK or Glavine or even Charlie Morton.
I really hope we hang onto most of these guys.
David O'Brien
March 31st, 2009
2:22 am
Just heard we traded Josh Anderson for Clarence Darrow. — f.n. hale
Wren actually made a joke along those same lines upon announcing the deal. Said the code name they had for Darrow was “Clarence” during discussions before the trade.
N Nine (eta5)
March 31st, 2009
2:26 am
Wayne in Utah Yes, Wren assembled a nice rotation. If we get Huddy back and we know Hanson will be ready next year, then we can worry about giving away one.
The woes from past are now history, its going to be fun season. You might have to drive down to Arizona again this year.
Wayne in Utah
March 31st, 2009
2:27 am
Sleep is highly overrated anyway.
vabravesfan
March 31st, 2009
2:28 am
DOB don’t know when you fell asleep but are you hearing anything about Chipper to support what Bowman heard?
PWHjort
March 31st, 2009
2:28 am
A pitching surplus usually turns into a pitching deficit within a few months.
Wayne in Utah
March 31st, 2009
2:32 am
N Nine
Actually, my son and I are pondering a spring break trip (next week) to Las Vegas for the 4th (an exhibition game, I think between the Rockies and Mariners) and then onto Phoenix for a couple of games during the week.
I have the Braves western road schedule in my planner, and they don’t get out this way until late May (SF and AZ), to CO in July, and then to SD and LA in August.
For sure I can’t get all those dates in, but I am hoping for 1-2 road trips this year.
Time to get the ole rag top ready to go!
Coach (Skip and Pete will be missed)
March 31st, 2009
2:33 am
The reason for Javier Vasquez name coming up in trade discussion is because he is the obvious candidate if and when Tommy Hanson forces the Braves hand. Should the Braves fail to be in contention come late July, Atlanta will likely have to shift gears and see about adding some more young talent in trade.
Of course, this scenario could go right out the window if Glavine or another starting pitcher gets hurt.
N Nine (eta5)
March 31st, 2009
2:33 am
No kidding PWHjort got to the bare bones last season when we reached Parr.. Gret to have solid backups waiting in the wings a few miles and a phone call away…
Coach (Skip and Pete will be missed)
March 31st, 2009
2:40 am
Right now the starting pitching depth chart looks something like this:
Derek Lowe
Jair Jurrjens
Javier Vasquez
Kenshin Kawakami
Tom Glavine
Tommy Hanson
Jo-Jo Reyes
Charlie Morton
Jorge Campillo
James Parr
On paper, the Braves starting pitching looks stellar. But we will just have to wait and see how the season unfolds.
Wayne in Utah
March 31st, 2009
2:43 am
Coach
Amen. On paper, it is easy to manage or be the GM. That’s why they play the games.
Speaking of games, I could never get into this fantasy stuff. To me, it is so limiting.
I am really stoked about this season. It might not end up in the post season, but is should certainly be darned interesting.
N8
March 31st, 2009
2:43 am
Coach, did you guys get any snow today? Didn’t look as though the heavy stuff was headed your way. We got over 15 inches from yesterday (Sunday) at about 7:00 pm and 1:00 this afternoon.
My snow-blower needs a rest….. until next winter.
N Nine (eta5)
March 31st, 2009
2:44 am
Wayne in Utah I’d say you go for it! Quality time with son. I went to Florida last spring and regret not making it this spring. Plus its fun proudly sporting the uni away from Ted…
N8
March 31st, 2009
2:45 am
What a nice “problem” to have, having a guy like Hanson at AAA waiting in the wings. I’ll take it.
vabravesfan
March 31st, 2009
2:48 am
By the way not sure if anybody saw highlights today but Hampton got lit up by the phils for 7 runs I believe.
Wayne in Utah
March 31st, 2009
2:50 am
Coach and N8
Been thinking good thought for you guys the past few days. Mother nature don’t take a back seat to nobody! I was in Illinois for the ‘97 floods, and have experienced personally floods in Texas, tornados in Illinois (too darned close for my needs) and was in the middle of the Big Quake in the Bay Area in 1989.
Hope you both keep yer feet dry!
David O'Brien
March 31st, 2009
2:55 am
vabravesfan, I didn’t talk to Chipper about it the past couple days (asked him three days ago and said nothing new to report). But I’ve said all along I had little doubt it’d get done, since he’s not been asking for top-of-the-scale money and since his agent, B.B. Abbott has such a good relationship with Braves and handles this kind of thing so smoothly.
Only makes sense they’d want to get it done before taking this show north, get the potential distraction out of the way. Wouldn’t surprise me at all to have an announcement before the night game Tuesday (tonight)
KC
March 31st, 2009
2:57 am
DOB, thanks. Never heard of any of those guys, but still an impressive 9th for Gonzo.
I assume his velocity remained in the low 90’s?
Ed
March 31st, 2009
3:33 am
For all of you that think M. Prado doesn’t match up to KJ…take a look at his career Major League stats. In limited playing time over 3 seasons
307 .363 .432 108 That’s BA; OBP; SLG; OPS. He more than holds his own, especailly knowing he hasn’t gotten any extended playing time. KJ needs to be on a short leash at best.
Coach (Skip and Pete will be missed)
March 31st, 2009
3:49 am
DOB, two questions.
I had heard that Jeff Ridgway was released. True or just a rumor?
Is Peter Moylan good to go or are the Braves going to send down for more innings at AAA Gwinnett?
Thanks.
Coach (Skip and Pete will be missed)
March 31st, 2009
3:50 am
N8, unfortunately you are getting the brunt of the snow. We certainly don’t need any more of the white stuff on our end of the state.
Coach (Skip and Pete will be missed)
March 31st, 2009
3:57 am
Wayne, we are good here in Grand Forks except for a few low lying neighborhood’s on the outskirts that always have to be sand bagged due to overland flooding.
It is Fargo, N.D. and it’s sister city of Moorhead, Minn. that are in deep doo doo. The next 7-10 days will tell the story as to whether or not all their temporary dikes hold up.
Runnin
March 31st, 2009
4:15 am
If Kelly’s only going to hit 12 HRs and 69 rbis then a agree Prado is just as good, if not better. But I believe KJ can be a 20 HR guy. Hopefully this will be his year to show it.
I like Prado to. He deserves a chance to start somewhere but I’m glad we’ve got him on the bench.
vabravesfan
March 31st, 2009
5:00 am
coach,
ridgway definitely got released, here is the briefer from earlier this week http://www.ajc.com/services/content/printedition/2009/03/29/bravesnot0329.html
Coach (Skip and Pete will be missed)
March 31st, 2009
5:17 am
Thanks vabravesfan. Three open roster spots on the 40 man, Jordan Schafer gets one. The other two are unknown.
Elmer
March 31st, 2009
6:49 am
With Schafer we have our own Adam Dunn. The strikeout Dunn.
18 Wheels of Love
March 31st, 2009
7:36 am
What’s not to understand about the Ohman thing? We offered, he wanted more, we moved on, no one else offered what he wanted, he had to sign for less elsewhere. Either he or his agent made a bad decision to not take the Braves first offer(s).
David O'Brien
March 31st, 2009
7:46 am
18 Wheels: That about sums it up. Well said.
dap01
March 31st, 2009
8:04 am
I wish Francouer and others had to produce or get out like Anderson did this spring.
I am encouraged about Francouer start but if he falters does Diaz have the ability to spot start in right?
Daybed Wagmoe
March 31st, 2009
8:14 am
B.B. Abbott? That’s a great name.
TommyP
March 31st, 2009
8:16 am
18 Wheels and DOB: I don’t think it’s as simple as that. Just makes no sense.
Yes we did make an offer during Phase I of the offseason, a time when hefty contracts were being offered.
Ohman decided that the Braves offer wasn’t to his liking or he felt he could get more.
Phase II of the offseason began and it was full of crickets chirping from the players’ standpoint. Teams were no longer offering big contracts. 1 year deals were being bandied about for big name players but still there wasn’t much movement.
However, the price came down significantly for Ohman and yet the Braves never entered back into the bidding?
The guy signs for a MINOR LEAGUE contract for $1.3 mil with potential to make $200,000 more in incentives (reportedly).
Ohman wasn’t just a situational lefty for us last year but was a guy you could leave in there for the whole inning.
Really, really strange the way this unfolded from the Braves standpoint.
Steve McP
March 31st, 2009
8:40 am
Could anyone explain why Ohman’s contract is a Minor League contract? The money involved is Major League, so what is the benefit to the Tigers in making this a Minor contract?
The Bloviator Downstairs
March 31st, 2009
8:41 am
I wish Francouer and others had to produce or get out like Anderson did this spring. (dap01)
The difference between Frenchy and Josh Anderson, of course, being two very important things ….. (1) Talent, and (2) Track Record. Having more talent than someone else buys you more time. Having a track record of successful performance, even if it is just mediocre performance dotted with flashes of brilliance in a ballplayer’s inconsistent early twenties, also buys one more time.
TnBrian
March 31st, 2009
8:45 am
Good morning fans…had a dream I was shot by some weird dude in a mask. Just woke up in a sweat. Thought I’d share that with ya’ll. Good to hear about Chipper. Probably the highlight of the whole offseason for me.
dap01
March 31st, 2009
8:51 am
Bloviator: I agree, but I think that the sense of competition would help JF.
vabravesfan
March 31st, 2009
8:54 am
dap diaz has improved his defense in recent years but I think the thing that would happen if frenchy needs a day off would be schafer in right and omar in center.
David O'Brien
March 31st, 2009
8:55 am
told from a person who knows that the Chipper thing is “very, very close” and that we should know one way or the other today
The Bloviator Downstairs
March 31st, 2009
8:56 am
Ohman wasn’t just a situational lefty for us last year but was a guy you could leave in there for the whole inning. (tommyp)
He’s just a reliever. Relievers are notoriously unpredictable and unreliable from one season to the next. On paper, the Mets seem to have an outstanding pen. As the season plays out, that may not be the case. Last spring training, almost everyone mocked the Phillies for putting Brad Lidge into that ballpark. Their pen was lights out for the whole season and offseason. I’m betting they’re nowhere near that good again this season. You can count on one hand the number of relievers you can trust to be consistent from one season to the next ….. Rivera, Papelbon, Nathan, Krod. Everyone else? Good luck counting on them to give you a repeatable performance.
10-80
March 31st, 2009
8:57 am
TnBrian, was it the ghost of Greg Olson?
Nick
March 31st, 2009
9:00 am
TnBrian: I don’t remember what I dreamed, but I went to sleep with Braves on the brain, and woke up with Braves on the brain. And then I got on the computer and saw that we’re close to an extension for Chipper
The Bloviator Downstairs
March 31st, 2009
9:07 am
Bloviator: I agree, but I think that the sense of competition would help JF. (dap01)
You don’t think he’s feeling pressure? I think he sees and feels Heyward, Brandon, Gorkys and Schafer breathing down his neck. I think he remembers what it was like to be sent down to the minors. I think he knows what it’s like to humiliate himself for an entire season. I think he knows that if he doesn’t get this turned around quickly that his career will be over in a few years or he’ll be like a Gabe Kapler or Juan Encarncion and float around from team to team, hoping someone has a spot open for a backup corner outfielder. Francoeur is not dumb. He knows his career is in jeopardy. He knows if he Mondesis this season, there may be a new kid coming up to Frenchy Frenchy. He knows if he falls flat on his face, come June/July, the Braves may trade for a big bat to put in the corner outfield as a productive stopgap until Heyward is ready to take over. He knows that if he ain’t hitting by mid-summer and Diaz and Anderson are, the Braves won’t send him down, they just might trade him and make do with a corner outfield rotation of Diaz, Anderson and Brandon Jones.
TnBrian
March 31st, 2009
9:18 am
10-80, no but it was freaky! It actually felt real and I could see the blood poor from my head after he shot me. I did watch Training Day last night so that probably had something to do with it. Ok, maybe I’m yappin too much.
Nick, lets not over think our Braves too much in case, God forbid, they start off very slow and aren’t real good this year…don’t wanna set ourselves up for a huge disappointment. I think they’ll be alright though. Pitching is just too good and the defense is very solid.
Nick
March 31st, 2009
9:20 am
Bloviator: I don’t think Frenchy feels pressure from Heyward, B. Jones, or anyone else; I think he feels pressure from himself. He’s been the Golden Child his whole life, and I think it’s apparent this spring that he took his failure last year seriously. After starting 0-2 with two Ks yesterday, he came up in his third AB and hit a single to right. I’m not going to predict .350 and 40 HRs for him, but he’s definitely put himself in position to bounce back.
Josh from Columbus
March 31st, 2009
9:23 am
DOB,
How do you consistently run on 4 hours of sleep? That is amazing.
David O'Brien
March 31st, 2009
9:23 am
Deal’s done. Just announced by Braves
Nick
March 31st, 2009
9:24 am
TnBrian – I know, but we’re in trouble if we get off to a slow start. We have 3 against the Phils in April, and 18 against the Nats, Marlins, Reds, Pirates, and Cardinals.
Nick
March 31st, 2009
9:24 am
Thanks for the update DOB
TnBrian
March 31st, 2009
9:26 am
AWESOME! Should I pop open a can of beer or is it too early? Chipper a Brave 4 Life!!
Chris from the Rock
March 31st, 2009
9:27 am
I was wondering the same thing Josh.
chip off the ol block
March 31st, 2009
9:27 am
Great to see Chipper staying a Brave
Mark in Indy
March 31st, 2009
9:30 am
Do you have the terms of the deal Dave?
GermanBravesFan
March 31st, 2009
9:33 am
Gary Sheffield got released by Detroit. Would he be worth a gamble??
GermanBravesFan
March 31st, 2009
9:35 am
It sure would be fun to have “Sheff’s Chefs” back at the games…
18 Wheels of Love
March 31st, 2009
9:35 am
TommyP, one thing you left off was our acquisition of Logan and O’Flaherty.
TnBrian
March 31st, 2009
9:39 am
If DOB is consistantly running on 4 hours of sleep, than if he gets cranky with fans here…can we really blame him? Well, we could just tell him to go to bed earlier and it’d solve that, but that’d be too easy.
Patrick
March 31st, 2009
9:39 am
DOB,
Is there any way you think you can get “U Know Who” to come on the board in the next couple days so that we can all congratulate him??
McFann :Ô:
March 31st, 2009
9:42 am
F.N. Hale–
Hey hey! You did it!
N Nine Plus its fun proudly sporting the uni away from Ted…
Yeah! Course, I haven’t worn mine out-of-state yet.
Glad Chipper’s staying a Brave. See, Smoltz? It cann be done.
chip off the ol block
March 31st, 2009
9:42 am
well had Gray been released BEFORE we got Garret Anderson then he might be a Brave again, i just do see ithappening, with Jordan/Blanco in CF, Jeff in Right, Diaz/Anderson in left, plus we have Gorkys, Heyward, and B. Jones waiting i just cant see it happening
TnBrian
March 31st, 2009
9:43 am
MLBTR sats it’s a 3-year deal worth more than $40M with a option for 2013. So, “wilymo” was right last night that the deal is a little more than $13M if mlbtr is correct. WOW, $13m+ for Chipper is a bargain, big time!
David O'Brien
March 31st, 2009
9:44 am
press conference is 2:30 p.m. today
Guaranteed portion of contract is worth about $40 million, give or take a few mill. Still working on getting exact figures.
18 Wheels of Love
March 31st, 2009
9:54 am
Sheffield unconditionally released? Would you put him in LF?
Lew
March 31st, 2009
9:54 am
But did Chipper sign a term sheet?
TnBrian-Dude, got to quit watching those slasher flicks before bedtime. Didn’t your girl friend get that sexy lingerie you were hoping for?
cityofdecatur
March 31st, 2009
9:55 am
this is a test
test
cityofdecatur
March 31st, 2009
9:55 am
test failed
David O'Brien
March 31st, 2009
10:04 am
How ’bout Sheff, released when he’s one homer shy of 500….
Ohman goes from turning down Braves’ offer of 2 years and more than $5 mill back in July, to signing a one-year minor league contract with the Dodgers worth about one-fourth that much.
J.D.
March 31st, 2009
10:06 am
Great news about Chipper….I am extremely happy he is going to be able to end his career in a Braves uniform
18 Wheels of Love
March 31st, 2009
10:08 am
DOB…
Left field platoon…
Garrett/Diaz
or
Garrett/Sheffield
?
Gibby
March 31st, 2009
10:10 am
What a week. We get Chipper locked up for the rest of his career and we start the Schafer era. Another good week for Wren
spotts
March 31st, 2009
10:15 am
Chipper was brittle in his 30’s…I’d hate to see what he’s like at 40. I love the guy, but I’m worried we’re going to be paying him millions to sit on the bench.
lexbrave
March 31st, 2009
10:18 am
i can’t believe the braves wouldnt offer ohman a minor league deal, especially after watching their “lefty specialists” average an 8.56 era this spring.
thats a head scratcher to me.. really makes me question the front office.
spotts
March 31st, 2009
10:21 am
Me too Lex. When we’re facing Howard, Utley, Delgado, Dunn, et al this year I don’t feel confident at all with the lefties we have, save Mike Gonzalez (but he’ll be closing).
Cyrus
March 31st, 2009
10:22 am
Nice way to start a day at the office and reading about Chipper’s contract made my day — is there a game today and who pitches ?
DirtyDawg
March 31st, 2009
10:23 am
Well, here I go again. Been reading the evaluations of the Braves’ infield and am amazed that nobody – not the writers…not Lemke…not anybody…will be honest about KJ’s defense. So Mark, you say his defense is getting better each year? Even if you’re right, he’s still in the bottom third of the second-basemen in MLB…and to ‘have a conversation’ with KJ and ask such silly questions – why didn’t you ask what his favorite color was? – and not get him to say something about his commitment to get better in the field, is inexcusable. Instead of tramping around the globe in the off-season to see the sights, how about taking a glove down to the Winter Leagues and try to learn how to play the position.
We seem to keep saying that Prado could be starting at second for a lot of teams, you’re right, and it should be Atlanta.
Nick
March 31st, 2009
10:23 am
Feel free to take your wet blanket somewhere else, spotts.
TommyP
March 31st, 2009
10:25 am
18 Wheels: No, I didn’t forget that we brought in 2 lefties. I omitted their acquisitions for a reason.
Good to see Chipper finish here. I get as frustrated as anyone with his annual injuries but he’s one of the greatest hitters I’ve ever seen.
With Ohman, there’s something there that the Braves didn’t like. Either he said something in negotiations or, well, I don’t know but it doesn’t add up when we offered $5 mil, pulled the offer, added nothing in terms of lefties (sorry, 18 Wheels) and when his price plummets to the paltry sum he’ll collect from the Dodgers on a minor league contract? C’mon….
There’s a story there that we don’t know about.
chuckw/deadjournalist
March 31st, 2009
10:26 am
I loved Sheff when he was here – I was at is first game when he hit a home run that is has hard, low and straight as any ball I’ve ever seen hit. But he can’t play the outfield on a regular basis, he’s been hurt and only hit .247 the last couple of years. This Spring he’s hit under .200.
If the Braves had an open spot on the bench, the sure, he’d be worth a look. But the bench, as is currently constructed, is more flexible that it would be with out him. At this stage in their careers, both Diaz and Norton are much more valuable over the long-haul and those would be the guys at-risk.
I hope Sheff gets picked up by an AL team that could use him part-time at DH. He’s still go power. But he’s not a fit with the Braves.
smitty
March 31st, 2009
10:26 am
I think the braves gave Ohman an offer with a time deadline to accept and he thought he could get more so he kept looking. Once it was off the table the Braves determined they weren’t going to offer him ANY contract no matter what.
The ghost of Will Ohman
March 31st, 2009
10:30 am
Hey guys I can’t be funny AND good at math. C’mon.
smitty
March 31st, 2009
10:31 am
There’s a reason Sheffield has bounced around team to team. I don’t think his teamates or managers can stand him for long. Just read some of the crap that’s gone public that he’s said.
TommyP
March 31st, 2009
10:31 am
Smitty: I hear what you’re saying and it might be true. But the Braves not offering “any contract no matter what?” Then why did they make the initial $5 million offer to begin with?
DAP
March 31st, 2009
10:32 am
honestly, i think chipper would be worth that if he was just our pinch hitter. im very happy chipper has been extended, and even if the guy need to PH and DH during interleague in the latter years, he will be worth it.
dirtydawg bottom line is you are just wrong on your opinion about KJ’s defense. flat out wrong.
sportsmandh
March 31st, 2009
10:32 am
DOB,
interesting to me this whole post I don’t see anybody discussing anything about Kawakami’s performance yesterday. Judging by the box score it must have been pretty solid. This should be encouraging as he faced a pretty formidable line up. How did you think he looked?
18 Wheels of Love
March 31st, 2009
10:32 am
TommyP, I never said what I thought of the new lefties. I think they are serviceable, not world beaters. Just remember we have a history of making chicken salad out of chicken sht. Ligtenberg, McMichael,Wright, etc. While Ohman is good he isn’t that much of a difference maker. If he was, why did he just take a minor league deal? I know it looks like we could have had him for a minor league deal but he did turn us down to the tune of 6m over 2 years. That’s kind of insulting, and while it is a sport and you want to win, it is still a business with egos and grudges. I suspect all of the above came into play when we decided to move on. There might be a story there, but the one I want to read is why the heck he turnded down 6m over 2 years?
The ghost of Will Ohman
March 31st, 2009
10:32 am
Sheff? Was he even in the league last year?
Anyone know how many FA’s are left here at the close of camp? I’ve never seen anything like it..
DAP
March 31st, 2009
10:33 am
i think the ohman thing was over when we traded for vazquez and logan.
TnBrian
March 31st, 2009
10:34 am
Lew, Training Day is more of a bad cop, gang movie than slasher film. But, you’re right…you can never be too old to know not to watch that stuff before bedtime. And yeah, I think Sarah(girlfriend) bought some lingerie for my eyes. Hopefully she’ll time it just right.