Fall League’s in full swing, rumor mill’s about to be

You do realize a player can get a blown save when they aren’t in line for a save, right? (Marshmellow guy)

gee, thanx for the education dude, I really appreciate it.
it’s still not getting the job done dude, which is all that counts in actual game situations.

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Right now is a prime opportunity to “sell high” on Vasquez. He may have another great season (I think it si kind of unlikely and he will return to slightly above avg. MLB pitcher), but the Braves don’t need 6 (7 including Medlen) starting pitchers, not with other areas to address.

I feel somewhat for him personally because he genuinely seems like he wants to stay, but I don’t see how it works out.

Maybe the Braves can sucker soemone into taking Lowe.

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Steve0 — Yes, if Vazquez is extended I would also expect it to be close to what Hudson gets although maybe a little more considering Hudson just had surgery and Javy has been healthy year in, year out as far as I know. So maybe Javy gets 1M more per year than Hudson. I’d sign him up in a heartbeat. ‘Course it’s not my money…

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Still too many people hung up on stolen base totals, and success rates, how much Bobby runs, how much he doesn’t, etc….

When the real root of the problem is simply a lack of overall team speed which shows up in assisting victory more than stolen bases will.

I’m talking about guys going 1st to 3rd on a routine basehit to RCF. I’m talking about scoring from 1st on a gapper. I’m talking about beating out infield grounders in the hole. Or beating out a grounder when an infielder double pumps his throw. Or beating out the throw to 1B on a potential double play to keep an inning alive. I’m talking about outfielders cutting off balls that are headed to the gap. Or chasing down a fly ball on the warning track.

So many ways speed can help a team overall. Stolen bases are just one small part of the element of speed. Kind of like looking at HR totals instead of OPS to determine if a hitter has power and is a productive hitter.

But the underlying theme is that other than McLouth, this team doesn’t have much speed at all. Escobar is maybe slightly above average on the basebaths, and some have suggested that Diaz is a “quick” baserunner (gotta love his hustle). But McCann is slow. Chipper is slow. LaRoche is slow. Prado, while better at the dish than KJ is not as quick. Loaf? Too funny. Church? Maybe quicker than one would think, but nobody is going to consuse him with Deion Sanders on the basepaths anytime soon.

Heyward, McLouth and Schafer bring an element of speed that has been missing for years on this team.

An outfield with McLouth in LF, Schafer in CF and Heyward in RF, just might be one of the greatest defensive outfields in Atlanta since late in 96 when Andruw was in LF, Grissom was in CF and Dye and his young legs and canon was in RF.

That trio defensively (and on the basebaths) would not only save runs, they’d score them. Provided Schafer gets on base. LOL

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agreed on vaz…been suggesting an extension for him a while…3/27-30mm as it secures his future and keeps him close to home and in a clubhouse he likes.

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So a 90% success rate for his career is not getting the job done? News to me.

It wasn’t getting the job done last year

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rammerjammer–I think he’ll take it. He’s already stated that he likes it here and wants to stay. I don’t see the two sides having any trouble agreeing on a deal.

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(N8)

I agree and have said many times that team speed is a good thing as long as you aren’t giving up other assets just to get it. If we can get an M-S-H outfield it will help a lot. Also they were kinda conservative sending guys home sometimes

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I am sure this might have been suggested here before, but I have never seen it. BUT, why not sign Mike Cameron to a 1 or 2 year incentive laden contract. He can play left field and when Heyward is ready, he can step into right field. Sign LaRoche to a 2 year deal and re-sign Gonzalez and sign BIlly Wagner to close. Bring up Kimbrel late in the year as bullpen relief.

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rtrafford: then, if ATL sign vasquez to a 3 year extension, who do they get to take on Lowe or Kawakami, and realistically only Lowe would bring a lot in return???

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P-Town While you’re at it, why don’t you call BMac fat and slow and say he can’t catch and say that JJ is a mediocre pitcher.

Please! It’s been at least a month since anyone scraped that crud off the bottom of a shoe. Don’t give them any ideas…

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Oh lord…

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nolie–

Yeah…guess he was “only” number 17 ’cause of that base-running thing…and maybe a couple more guys scored than should have, but there were some up-the-line throws from the OF, too!

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LEAVE MCCANN ALONE! LEAVE HIM ALONE! (crys hysterically)

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17 out of 30 is about average, which is what he is. considering his bat and his leadership there’s nothing wrong with being an average defender

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nolie about ’bout average?

Uh…do you mean “How ’bout average”? (McF)

no I was asking if your “oh Lord” comment was about my “’bout average” comment.

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Looks like somebody woke up McFann

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Good news to me they are exploring an extension with Javy (as I’m sure also for many others here). I know he’s the best trade chip, but with the shortage of good free agent pitchers, there has to be some market for Lowe or KK. And if they can’t extend Javy’s contract, then yes, they should trade him while his value his high and maximize that for the bat we need. It’s a good thing to hear either way.

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cabravesfan–

Ya might say they set off my alarm.

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cabravesfan,I think McFann wakes up like a bear in the woods-Juuust a little cranky.

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Y’all give me all sorts of crap about saying the Phillies and Mets have issues, but just because the Braves haven’t been able to exploit those issues the past couple years doesn’t mean they don’t exist or that I’m wrong.

The Mets only won that one Division Title and the reason they didn’t win more is all the injuries and wrong personnel moves I claimed they’d have and make (it wasn’t all that hard to predict, when you’re dealing with Moises Alou and Carlos Del Gado)..

Last year, the Phillies came out of the box slow and Rollins, in particular stunk it up the first half (the year before it was Howard stinking up the first half). The Braves, however, played terribly until the end of June (in 09 they collapsed completely). Had they actually played with consistency and at the level they displayed after June 28, the story might well have been different. Even had we not quite caught them for the division, we would have won the WC with a better first half and I think, with our pitching, that it would not have been the Phillies playing the series (might not have been us either, but we could have beat them).

So yeah, the Phillies will have a strong team again in 2010 and maybe they will win the Division again or maybe it goes down to the wire if we improve sufficiently. But whatever happens, the Phillies are NOT the 1927 Yankees, even if sometimes they DO look like Murderer’s Row. They have issues and if they all come home to roost (and the Braves know how THAT can be) or even if most of them do, they will be just as vulnerable as anyone else.

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And I know I’m late commenting on this but there is no way I couldn’t – I really think Gibby is an excellent candidate to be a manager, and a Braves manager, particularly. I think he has mellowed a lot, yet still has the fire to motivate and change the “culture” in a way maybe it needs to be changed here. And that’s not slamming Bobby, at all. I think they can win the WS in 2010 with Bobby. But I don’t think whoever follows him should be just some sort of attempt at a “Bobby clone” or a “Bobby Lite” – there needs to be a clear change, in keeping with the young players who are going to be deciding this team’s future in the years to come.

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I like that they are exploring an extension with Javy. I would think 3/30 would be fair if he is willing to give a bit of a discoun, since he is coming off a healthy successful season and Huddy wasn’t.
As much of a Javy advocate as I have been since day one, I agree with many that he likely won’t have as good a year next year, but he is capable of another 200 IP with a 110-125 ERA+.
He is probably the best bargaining chip, but he is also limited on where he might be dealt. If Wren gets a deal that is equal to his value he should explore it, I just don’t think that most of them that have been suggested here are enough, or realistic.
Like others, I’m gonna assume that if Wren does re-sign him that there is an adequate market out there for Lowe.Lowe could bounce back next year and be great, but when making plans you do usually have to put a bit more emphasis on recent history in order to make decisions. I’m not saying that career numbers should be ignored by any means, you just need to balance the two and also pay attention to what your scouts have to say. Ha, imagine me saying that

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AdirondackDave – and yes, Gibby was a MSU wide receiver And there were times back when he played baseball he still looked like one But he has mellowed a lot since then, as shown by the Free Press article DOB cited.

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CB–

Guess I’m not a morning person.

B’s B I like BMac…Factor in his offense and we’ve got one of the better ones.

Little more snow in here, we could ski. But really, those are my favorite: “I like BMac, but I’m gonna go ahead and trash his catching.” OK, I mean, I like cauliflower, but it tastes nasty.

Seriously, you cannot say that he does nothing remotely well behind the plate. That’s a lie. I’m sorry, but it is. You ask any of our pitchers, they’ll tell you–he calls a very good game. He has great knowledge of opposing hitters. He gives the pitcher a good target. He cann pounce on those little tappers/bunts in front of the plate like nobody’s business. His footwork improved this year, I thought. And check this action out.

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I think they are gonna be wary of re-signing Adam given his career long slow starts. I think he will want more money/time than they are gonna be willing to spend.
I’m not saying that is the correct decision, but I think it is the most likely one.
You can’t blame Rochie, he is coming off a strong year into free agency and at an age when it will behoove hime to sign that life long financial securing contract. I will be surprised if he is willing to take much less that 3/25, and kinda surprised ig the Braves go that high.
I do think he is the best option that immediately comes to mind, but Wren could easily surprise us with a trade.
It seems like a longshot to me though that the Braves will be able to keep first about the same and upgrade an outfield position to any great degree and upgrade the pen. Pretty big order.
Good luck, Frank. I have faith that he will give it a good try.

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I like Vazquez at 3 years, $27-30 mil, but before Wren signs him to an extension, there must be a deal for Lowe, because I dont think KK gets us much in trade value.

Also, I know that we’re looking for a LF, but to piggy back on what O.J mentioned earlier, if the right CF is available, would the Braves consider moving Nate to LF and signing a CF?

If the Braves are willing/able to move Nate (or whichever CF is available), then that would give them more options when looking for their outfielder.

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if the right CF is available, would the Braves consider moving Nate to LF and signing a CF? (O’B)

if the right deal came along I think they would be open to moving Louth to LF. He would be a better LFer than he is CFer anyway in the opinion of many.

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Unbelievable. Really, unbelievable.

I’ve said it before, completely believable. Delta not losing your bags is infinitely more unbelievable.

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Bmac blows!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Holliday Brutal Defender

2o Execs respond-
Responses: Holliday 11, Bay 9. The two left fielders are the marquee names on the winter’s free-agent market. Holliday, 29, is a three-time All-Star and finished second to Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins in the 2007 National League MVP balloting. Bay, 31, is a three-time All-Star with four 100-RBI seasons on his résumé. Holliday has a career .933 OPS to Bay’s .896.

Among survey respondents, Holliday won points for being younger, more athletic, a better baserunner and a superior fielder, notwithstanding his crucial and often-replayed error against the Dodgers in the National League Division Series.

“The eyes say that they are both below-average defenders, but the advanced analysis says that Holliday is better,” said a National League baseball operations man.

Indeed, the Fielding Bible’s plus-minus system ranked Holliday as the third-best left fielder in the game this season with a plus-19 ranking. Bay ranked 23rd defensively among left fielders under the same system.

Several executives categorize Holliday as a very good player but not quite open-the-vault-worthy in the manner of some other Scott Boras poster boys. Holliday’s late surge in St. Louis helped mask a disappointing stint in Oakland, which brought to mind his lopsided Coors Field splits in Colorado. And some people aren’t sold on Holliday’s glove no matter what the Fielding Bible says.

“He’s a brutal defender, and he doesn’t hit the good fastball, especially inside,” an American League GM said. For what it’s worth, two general managers added it might be a tad less stressful dealing with Bay’s agent, Joe Urbon, than negotiating with Boras on a big-ticket deal.

Bay averages 144 strikeouts a year, and he’s prone to streakiness. He disappeared in July, hitting .192 with a .295 slugging percentage for the month. But Bay also has won a lot of admirers by producing in a demanding market in Boston. “That might be the separator for me,” an American League assistant said.

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20 Execs on most likely traded this winter

Responses: Gonzalez 9, Halladay 8, Hernandez 0. One executive declined to respond. Another doesn’t expect any of the three to be moved, and a third predicts that one of Atlanta’s starting pitchers — Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez — will be dealt before any of these three.

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Enter your comments here

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“there must be a deal for Lowe, because I dont think KK gets us much in trade value”

I just don’t see that. Kawakami has about $15 million left on his deal and is 34 years old. Lowe has $45 million left and is 36. I always liked the idea of our signing Lowe more than AJ Burnett and said as much. In the end, he wound up having a 4.67 ERA while Kawakami was at 3.86. After the first month when he had a better idea of the American strike zone, KK’s ERA was 3.34 with a respectable WHIP of 1.30.

Kawakami’s performance got lost in the shuffle quite a bit due to the constant excellence of our starting rotation save for Lowe. If you look at his monthly ERAs after April, however, he was consistently solid. His ERAs were 3.03 in May, 3.33 in June, 4.73 in July (he had bad starts against Washington and Florida that month), 2.87 in August and 3.38 as a reliever in September.

Lowe was pretty much the opposite. He had ERAs of 3.10 in April and 3.76 in May. The wheels came off after that save for July when he had a good month of 3.38. He was at 6.54 in June, 5.08 in August and 5.61 in September with one dreadful October start where he gave up 6 runs (5 earned) in 4 2/3 against the Natinals.

If Lowe does have more trade value, we’re lucky in that it’s based on reputation rather than recent performance. KK was the better pitcher in 2009. The Braves are in good shape if we can keep the cheaper starter in KK while getting more in trade from Lowe.

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“there must be a deal for Lowe, because I dont think KK gets us much in trade value”

I just don’t see that. Kawakami has about $15 million left on his deal and is 34 years old. Lowe has $45 million left and is 36. I always liked the idea of our signing Lowe more than AJ Burnett and said as much but in the end, he wound up having a 4.67 ERA while Kawakami was at 3.86. After the first month when he had a better idea of the American strike zone, KK’s ERA was 3.34 with a respectable WHIP of 1.30. Lowe fell off the table.

Kawakami’s performance got lost in the shuffle quite a bit due to the constant excellence of our starting rotation save for Lowe. If you look at his monthly ERAs after April, however, he was consistently solid. His ERAs were 3.03 in May, 3.33 in June, 4.73 in July (he had bad starts against Washington and Florida that month), 2.87 in August and 3.38 as a reliever in September.

Lowe was pretty much the opposite. He had ERAs of 3.10 in April and 3.76 in May. The wheels came off after that save for July when he had a good month of 3.38. He was at 6.54 in June, 5.08 in August and 5.61 in September with one dreadful October start where he gave up 6 runs (5 earned) in 4 2/3 against the Natinals.

If Lowe does have more trade value, we’re lucky in that it’s based on reputation rather than recent performance. KK was the better pitcher in 2009. The Braves are in good shape if we can keep the cheaper starter in KK while getting more in trade from Lowe.

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Sorry boss but when I found out we were going to Chicago instead of Dana Point I decided I would rather stay here. I’m sure you understand.

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Here we go for the last time

Lowe to the Angels for Jose Arredondo and Freddy Sandoval.

KJ and Acosta for Coner Jackson.

Sign Matt Holliday – 6 yr/ 96 mil contract.

Re-sign Mike Gonzalez – 3 yr/18 mil contract.

Extend Tim Hudson – 3 yr/ 27 mil contract, Javier Vazquez – 4 yr/36 mil contract.

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Jay,

We for serious here?

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From ESPN’s Jerry Crasnik,

“Despite Holliday being younger, better defensively and having a better career OPS, Bay’s success in the pressure cooker of Boston swayed a large number of executives.”

Holliday being better defensively than Bay is like saying a turtle is faster than a snail!

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I’d rather have Bay because of what was mentioned from that ESPN thing. Being able to handle the pressure in Boston on the big stage kinda thing opposed to Holliday who stunk it up in the playoffs. Not to mention his agent. Not a huge fan of Holliday to begin with. Neither one is a Brave anytime soon, so it’s way off the subject of our team anyways, but that’s my opinion on those two.

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In defense of Bay’s defense, he is positioned by the Green Monster. That has to hurt one’s numbers, it would seem.

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Neither one is a Brave anytime soon, so it’s way off the subject of our team anyways, but that’s my opinion on those two. (TnB)

they have both been mentioned often here by a number of posters, so I guess they might think it was relevant. Does everything posted have to meet your definition of what is appropriate, or can some others partake of something that might interest them. Every one of the subjects I posted have been discussed here whether you are interested in them or not. Is that OK??

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Bravoman/nolie

I’m J/K after yesterday with keylargo I don’t think I need to josh around anymore. I better be precise with everything I say lol!

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I was actually just making fun of the fact that any professional baseball writer would make a statement that placed Holliday’s defensive ability above any outfielder! Inept

he didn’t make the statement, he was quoting several baseball execs who made similar statements. Is your comprehension that inept?

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“Why in the world would the Braves trade Vasquez”, seems like the only response to me.
Guess Wren isn’t going to be able to sucker anyone into a bait and switch routine. Sign the
guy while you have the chance!!! We have an ample supply of blog topics to keep conversation
creative without Vasquez being topic one.

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OOps. sorry (TnB)

switched to the communal laptop in the rec room and forgot to change names. Didn’t mean to confuse you.

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Not Again,

I’m sorry I must have stepped on your toes with that post. I should have known that you were an uncoordinated sissy and would relate to Holliday’s defense.

Hope I didn’t get your pink panties in a wad.

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I’m sorry I must have stepped on your toes with that post. Avacado

you ridiculed someone for something that they didn’t do. even a vegetable should expect a response to such sorry posting. Get it right and nobody will respond, if you aren’t able to comprehend and respond accordingly, then you need a thicker skin. maybe become an artichoke instead?

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I think that’s the thing that people forget about Mauer, that not only is he THE best hitting catcher in baseball, he might be the best HITTER in baseball. Add to that, not only is NOT poor defensively, he might be the best defensive catcher as well.

It is safe to say, that when healthy, Joe Mauer might be 2nd only to Albert Pujols as the games best player.

That doesn’t make McCann chopped liver. But McCann is not Joe Mauer, and likely has very little chance of every being in the conversation defensively. With the bat? They’re close. But Mauer is still better. 28 HR and he hit .365? That’s sick. (Pujols .357 and 37 HR).

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I’m leaving for a few hours. Anything else that might be posted under my name is not mine. Someone is having too good a time.

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