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5,421 comments Add your comment
Nick in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:14 am
andrew in pa…are you really trying to insult me by telling me something i already know? i cant accept the fact that my team is bad right now…but i mean if you wanna play that game, check psu’s records in 2000, 2002 and 2003, didnt see them in a bowl. Actually before last year, I believe Michigan had beaten psu, 10 years in a row?
but penn state elitists are all the same, ove had this argument 100 times before and im ending it because its not worth it
DiamondbackMac
December 10th, 2009
2:15 am
Oh yeah,sorry I forgot, ROLL TIDE.
Jurrjens4NLCY
December 10th, 2009
2:16 am
Now they might be intrested in dumping off Lee’s contract because its ALOT of money
Lee has a no trade clause
Greg O
December 10th, 2009
2:17 am
I’m not going crazy over this deal – I understand the Braves had to clear salary that they hadn’t accounted for (Soriano). But what about the salaries they had to have been accounting for (two of the first 50 picks in the draft, had Soriano declined salary arbitration – which would have likely cost the Braves upward of $2 million in signing bonuses). Could that have brought a better prospect back from Tampa? While the complete details aren’t yet known, I certainly hope the Braves now plan to put that $2+ million toward a right-handed power bat.
jed
December 10th, 2009
2:17 am
good point, curt. and i gotta say i’m a little surprised no team has stepped forward to trade for soriano. he was rated the best reliever available. easily the best closer. since when is 7 mil too much for a closer?
Nick in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:17 am
never said penn state didnt use to be a classy program, but joe pa definatley lost control for a while there, like you said. same problem michigan is having now…if people are gonna throw problems michigan is having when penn state had the exact same problems not that long ago, of course im gonna bring up the past
Nick in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:17 am
anyways, how bout dem braves
Dave in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:17 am
And I know I am going to get crap, but the sec is soooooooooooo overrated. You cannot honestly sit there with a straight face and tell me the SEC was the best conference in america this year. It EASILY was the pac-10. Alabama is the best team in the country, and will trounce a not very good Texas team, and Fla will beat a cincy team that will most likely be without it’s head coach, but man outside of those two teams you really are not that good
Tiger Woods
December 10th, 2009
2:17 am
The Tide are going to get Rolled…….I don’t don’t believe that but I don’t like Nick “sellout” Saban.
Innocent Bystander
December 10th, 2009
2:17 am
I know one Big Televen team that’s going to lose its bowl game… Iowa. What a joke.
Dave in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:18 am
at least we agree on the braves nick, and another thing,,, osu
Jared
December 10th, 2009
2:20 am
Thank You Soriano for completing screwing us over. But I really do find it hard to believe that Wren couldn’t have gotten more by waiting. So much for accumulating prospects to deal for a bat.
Nick in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:20 am
hows lavon chisley doing?……….ok ok im done
Jurrjens4NLCY
December 10th, 2009
2:20 am
Does this blog have a billboard in Pennsylvania??
Nick in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:20 am
yeah dont get me started on the suckeyes
Tiger Woods
December 10th, 2009
2:21 am
Dave,
How many teams does the Pac-10 have in the BCS?? Really not a very good argument by you. I’m from Nebraska and I still think the SEC is better than the Pac-10 by a good amount. I think the Pac-10 is slightly better than the Big12, then probably the Mountain West Conference would be the next, with the Big 10 in 4th of 5th.
Epic Fail
December 10th, 2009
2:22 am
IMHO, I’d rather have a crap offense and an amazing bullpen than dump Soriano for trash.
nolie
December 10th, 2009
2:23 am
We had to dump salary and every club in the majors knew that, therefore we were not going to get much for Soriano. Do you get it now?? Tiger
I think it could have been handled in such a way as to allow a market to develop. Unless Wren has an immediate move up his sleeve for which he needed the payroll right now, he could have played it another way. He acted like he was in an almost hysterical frenzy to dump him immediately. He could have played it much cooler,not made a big deal and a big push and a few weeks from now or in spring training he might very well have done noticeably better.
I’m not going too overboard on this cause i very seldom criticize the team or the players. It’s done and so we move on, but I think you are being a bit too adamant about how it had to be played, that’s all.
Nick in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:23 am
the big 10 NEEDS michgian to come back to winning
Andrew in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:23 am
Terrelle Cryor..yeah go PA!!!
Tiger Woods
December 10th, 2009
2:24 am
We tried that last year epic fail. It didn’t get us to the playoffs. You are trash.
BravesFanChris25
December 10th, 2009
2:24 am
bravesfaninnc
Braves didn’t lose in this deal at all. Got rid of a contract, so they can pursue to fix the offense. Anyway you look at it, this was a salary dump. Jesse Chavez could end up being decent. So, Braves got something when they could have easily got nothing.
Nick in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:26 am
alright i gotta work in 6 hours…later all
Innocent Bystander
December 10th, 2009
2:27 am
Terrelle Cryor… Tim Tearbow… It’s obvious that this is the first generation of athletes who were raised in the days of “everyone gets a trophy”
Tiger Woods
December 10th, 2009
2:28 am
Suh for Heisman!!! Best player in the nation by far. Would/will be a shame when he doesn’t win.
Andrew in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:28 am
Derosa is at the top of the Giants list.
nolie
December 10th, 2009
2:28 am
It could have been worse. If we hadn’t offered arb we wouldn’t even have Chavez, might catch a break.
Epic Fail
December 10th, 2009
2:29 am
Tiger Woods, I’m not sure right now you can be calling anyone trash.
BravesFanChris25
December 10th, 2009
2:30 am
Maybe Chavez could thrive in ATL under Bobby and Roger. You never know.
Night Ninja
December 10th, 2009
2:31 am
Wren should have traded Soriano before the July 31st cut off date and saved himself a ton of grief. As it appears, the Braves will lose some cash and at least get a live arm in Jesse Chavez for the next few years.
http://mvn.com/theraysparty/2009/11/meet-jesse-chavez-pitch-fx-scouting-and-stats.html/
Bravoman
December 10th, 2009
2:35 am
Best news of the night-
Marc Topkins says the Rays will pay all of Soriano’s salary. Great success!
Tomas
December 10th, 2009
2:35 am
Obviously it would have been better if the Braves got the draft picks but at least they got something in return. Chavez throws hard 97mph, isn’t arb eligible and had a pretty decent season for the Pirates appearing in 73 games and having a 4.03ERA. Hands down the Braves still have the best bullpen in the majors.
Dave in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:36 am
Suh SHOULD win the heisman in a landslide. Guy is an absolute monster. I read somewhere on ESPN that one NFL exec said that if whoever has the number 1 pick in the draft doesn’t take Suh, they should be banned from the draft forever. If Tebow or McCoy win the heisman I never watch another presentation again, it would be an absolute mockery of college football.
BravesFanChris25
December 10th, 2009
2:38 am
Night Ninja
Nope.
MLBTR said Rays will pay ALL of Soriano’s salary.
Dave in PA
December 10th, 2009
2:40 am
Enough college football though sorry all. Wagner Saito moylan eof medlin chavez and I would guess logan comprises a very, very good bullpen if everyone is healthy. Couple that with the deepest starting staff and we obviously will be a very good pitching club next year. Dump Lowe for anything, and have roughly 20 mil to spend on 2 starters and 2 bench guys. Cameron/NadyLaroche/Dye in that order for me
BravesFanChris25
December 10th, 2009
2:41 am
Don’t forget Proctor. When he returns, if healthy will be in the BP mix.
Tiger Woods
December 10th, 2009
2:42 am
Dave,
With your last post I could not agree more. On that note I must hit the hay. Good night to all. I promise I’m really going to bed, nothing else………
Jay212033
December 10th, 2009
2:44 am
Jesse Chavez = Manny Acosta! Unless the Braves get a true #4 type bat, which everyone knows they are not, 2010 is going to be another mediocre season. If the Braves were going to get prospect(s) get MI/3B type not more pitching.
Night Ninja
December 10th, 2009
2:45 am
If what Tompkins is reporting turns out to be true, it’s good financial news for the Braves. But still, the loss of a 1st round draft pick is brutal. Wren gets a thumbs down for this snafu.
Tomas
December 10th, 2009
2:49 am
Lets see the pitchers the Braves have now.
SP Javier Vazquez
SP Jair Jurrjens
SP Tommy Hanson
SP Tim Hudson
SP Kenshin Kawakami
Long relief Kris Medlen
Middle relief Boone Logan
Middle relief Jesee Chavez
Lefty specialist Eric O’flaherty
Setup Guy Peter Moylan
Setup Guy Takashi Saito
Closer Billy Wagner
Pretty good
BravesFanChris25
December 10th, 2009
2:51 am
Tomas
Logan is likely a non tender candidate, unless they like him to keep him.
Proctor will definitely be in the bullpen once he comes back and proves he’s healthy. If he is, he’s in and Logan is out.
Jay212033
December 10th, 2009
2:51 am
Bravoman
We could have let him walk and not pay him anything. Now the Braves receive Manny Acosta’s twin brother to take up another roster spot. I would’ve just kept Soriano, traded Lowe and re-signed LaRoche.
BravesFanChris25
December 10th, 2009
2:52 am
However, there’s plenty of depth for sure though. Juan Abreu and Luis Valdez to name a few.
Redstick19
December 10th, 2009
2:53 am
Tomas- you know something we don’t? Where’s Derek Lowe in your pitching list?
Andrew in PA
December 10th, 2009
3:03 am
So is foxsports the only to say its Jesse Chavez?
Burdell
December 10th, 2009
3:05 am
St. Petersburg Times agrees: http://twitter.com/SPTimesRays
slugger
December 10th, 2009
3:11 am
Micah Owings can hit #4 for us.
I’m still pushing this (and have been for the last two years).
Maybe Tommy Hanson got to spend some time with Chavez if Chavez ever came back to Riverside CC, otherwise, decent salary dump.
BravesFanChris25
December 10th, 2009
3:12 am
ROFL
Jon Heyman said on Hot Stove Pulse thing that he’s slightly embarrassed to be tweeting about Max Ramirez at 3:04am lol.
Church(The DFA)Man
December 10th, 2009
3:16 am
So Jesse Chavez was with the Tampa organization but from the looks of it … they never used him. The last time he pitched was Oct 2 when he was still with the Pirates.
Looks like his worst month was August when he gave up 9 runs in 14 appearances of various outings
Gone Viral, not in PA
December 10th, 2009
3:23 am
“So Jesse Chavez was with the Tampa organization but from the looks of it … they never used him.”
It would have been difficult for them to use him during the season since they didn’t acquire him until November 3.
slugger
December 10th, 2009
3:24 am
I love that Diaz hit .412 against lefties last year.
Can we find a dude that hits righties with a .400 average? We’d have the best hybrid LF in the game!
Prado and Escobar hitting over .300, 4 stating pitchers that have a chance to win over 15 games.
We need to keep freein’ up some cap space to sign the Jurrjens contract we all can smell coming down the road…
slugger
December 10th, 2009
3:24 am
[self-imposed cap space]
Kris in NC
December 10th, 2009
3:26 am
HELLO…..We don’t need pitching, we need a bat. Chavez came to the Rays from the Pirates in a deal that sent the Rays’ 2B to the Pirates. Chavez never actually pitched for the Rays.
Big deal the Rays are paying Soriano’s salary, Wren should have asked for another player in this deal. The Braves got robbed. Considering we got, Kimbrell, EOF, Logan, Medlen, Saito, Wagner and whoever else is coming to ST to try out for a spot in the bullpen. Chavez is not guarantee a spot on the team. Don’t forget Scott Proctor who should be back probably by June if not earlier.
Unless this is just a salary dump and dealing Lowe later on to make a run at that “big” bat i.e. Holliday or Bay, then I will eat my words on this deal. If we deal Lowe and don’t get that big bat, Wren needs to be strung up outside of Turner Field, tarred and feathered by the fans for not filling the holes and getting another pitcher instead of a hitter.
Innocent Bystander
December 10th, 2009
3:26 am
slugger- I’ve been pulling for Micah Owings ever since he played at Georgia Tech. To give you an idea of how long ago that was, it was before he transferred to Tulane to finish out his college ball. I’d like to see him suit up in an Atlanta uni.
Martin Morales
December 10th, 2009
3:26 am
Wren, after you trade lowe…give derosa a 2 year $14 MIL contract, give dye a 1 year $7 MIL and give cameron a 1 year $5 MIL, that’s a total of $19 MIL, if derosa would accept a 2 year contract worth 7 mil a year..it shouldn’t be hard…dye and cameron would accept those contracts..
lineup
1. Mclouth- LF
2. Escobar- SS
3. Jones-3B
4. Dye- RF
5. McCann-C
6. Cameron-CF
7. DeRosa-1B
8. Prado- 2b
9.pitcher
now wouldn’t that be a great lineup? if they get rid of the $15 MIL from Lowe in a trade for another jesse chavez (i guess) we can put that towards signing those 3… and adding 4 or 5 mil more wouldnt hurt if you had to eat some of lowe’s salary to get to the total of a $19-$20 MIL between the three players. This could work, I might actually prefer Diaz/Heyward but if you sign dye it just gives you more depth in the bench with diaz and heyward being it along with omar infante, brooks conrad, and david ross..heck derosa can give chipper a breather when he needs it, that would be awesome! then you would move DYE from RF to 1B and have diaz or heyward play RF.. heck if Dye is too much money go after Nady, whats the most he can get? the hardest part of making all of this happen will be Mark DeRosa and with what he is demanding..lets be honest we all know no one will give him a 3 year $27 MIL contract..at the end i think he would accept that 2 year deal for $7 mil a year if the braves offer it to him, i bet he would love to play with chipper again…god i hope wren will read this …WREN? if you are out there…i am sorry for bashing you earlier, please make this happen! it is very doable! jump on it before other teams jump on these players…
tyger
December 10th, 2009
3:29 am
Braves have no leverage
Derek Lowe – $15M yr. – no thank you. Trade for Soriano before he goes to arbitration? Why would anyone do that? I guess they’ll vote for Sarah Palin next. These guys talk out of their ases.
Look at their dealmaking: Church/McClouth-Hampton/Lowe. And you wonder why we keep getting worse every year. They’re delusional and arrogant – they have no cards – they wont get sht!
nolie
December 10th, 2009
3:46 am
And you wonder why we keep getting worse every year. tyger
except of course we didn’t get worse last year, we got 14 games better. just sayin’
Burdell
December 10th, 2009
4:30 am
Those posters on MLBTR are morons. There’s much more intelligent conversation (and flying squirrel info) on here.
JB
December 10th, 2009
4:32 am
Heaven forbid we actually have the ability to be good at something!
Better blow that idea up quick, people might start thinking that we’re trying to win the World Series or something.
Thanks, Frank. Just what we need: a relief pitcher nowhere near as good. But at least you didn’t upset Billy Wagner before he breaks down again in midseason! Wouldn’t want that.
Ritchie from Scotland
December 10th, 2009
4:48 am
Chavez will do, in fact anyone would have done to just get him off the payroll. That was the most valuable aspect of this trade. Bye Soriano, you were good to watch at times but alas no longer required.
ncgary
December 10th, 2009
5:23 am
chavez and who knows what else, probably future considerations undisclosed that comes in trades. everything in baseball isn’t cut and dried and spelled out in verbatim.
i agree though with nolie for a change, if payroll constraints and the roster spot wasnt too much of a hindrance, id held onto soriano until midseason trade deadline.
Bobby's Cox
December 10th, 2009
5:30 am
I think it could have been handled in such a way as to allow a market to develop
Nolie, good stuff this week man. Not gonna gripe on you, but there was no market for Soriano unless we didn’t offer him arb. We did him a favor, took a chance, and got something in return.
The reason I say there was no market was because of all the available relievers on the FA market or available by trade. Lyon, Lindstrom, Bell, Gonzalez, Gregg, Hawkins, Rodney, Hoffman, Valverde, Putz, Guardardo, Calero, Chad Cordero, Julio, Isringhausen, etc…there were Sherrill trade rumors too, and even Ray was exchanged via trade.
The only way Soriano would have been a top target is if the Braves didn’t offer arb. Once they offered & Raffy accepted, there was no team that wanted to pay $8 mil AND lose prospects. And, in this economic environment, teams were still willing to sacrifice talent and take lesser/cheaper options than risk an arb hearing and paying so much for Soriano.
I praise Wren for getting something/anything for a player they didn’t want and didn’t need. Soriano has had a history of arm issues, he threw a lot last year (relievers who throw a lot one season often have poor seasons the next year), and he made everyone and their mom nervous when he took the mound late in ballgames, regardless of the stats he compiled.
NCBravesFan
December 10th, 2009
5:32 am
Chavez lead the Pirate pitching staff in appearances last year with 67, and was the 7th & 8th inning guy. He gives us depth in the middle relief corps if someone goes down or if the Braves get into a busy portion of their schedule and Bobby goes with 12 pitchers.
He hit a bad stretch in July and August, but was otherwise a fairly reliable guy despite his tendency to give up the home run ball.
Overall not a bad return for Soriano given the circumstances. In fact, better than I would have thought FW was going to get at this point.
Video here – http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090801&content_id=6189080&vkey=news_tb&fext=.jsp&c_id=tb
Stats/splits here – http://espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?playerId=29220
Bobby's Cox
December 10th, 2009
5:39 am
Also, maybe Chavez learns a thing or two from all these dudes on our pitching staff (Vazquez, Jurrjens, Wagner, Hudson, etc…). He’s still young and has a live arm, he’s cheap too. And, he pitches pretty well against lefties, so that gives us yet another option to get out all the good lefties in our division. Not a bad pick up for a guy we were going to lose anyway and (hopefully) didn’t have to pay any of Soriano’s salary.
This just adds to our pitching arsenal, and gets Wren back on track (I really believe he has a surprise at hand… if we can get rid of Lowe)
NCBravesFan
December 10th, 2009
5:44 am
“If we can get rid of Lowe.”
From your lips to Kennesaw Mountain Landis’s ears, Bobby.
Jay212033
December 10th, 2009
5:56 am
Almost everyone on this board complains about Manny Acosta and here’s a guy in Chavez who put up worse numbers with the same type stuff as Acosta but he’s not a bad pickup?!?!
NCBravesFan
December 10th, 2009
6:01 am
Jay: no one is saying that Jesse Chavez = Rafael Soriano. We’re saying he’s a good return for Raffy at this particular point in time. Braves didn’t have a lot of leverage. And they apparently aren’t paying any money to TB, which makes it more surprising.
Marc in FL
December 10th, 2009
6:55 am
The reason they’re getting this guy is obvious to me, they think he can get his HR numbers down, and if he does his ERA will drop dramatically cause there’s where most the damage was done. Acosta got doubled to death on a nightly basis, this Chavez kid just needs to learn to keep the ball down more and he’ll be pretty good.
18 Wheels of Love
December 10th, 2009
7:01 am
DOB at 1:29am…spot on. I suggest some of you back and read it. And read it again. Wren made Chicken salad out of a chicken spit situation. This wasn’t the case of winning or losing a trade but making the best of a situation where we had absolutely no leverage…and I think Wren did just fine.
Now, go get some prospects and the X-Man…
Marc in FL
December 10th, 2009
7:03 am
Acosta – http://espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?playerId=28853
Chavez – http://espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?playerId=29220
Let’s go ahead and stop comparing these guys now, two very different splits.
Acosta just couldn’t get anybody out and was walking someone in 2/3 the innings he pitched
Chavez can get outs, but tends to give up the long ball. If he gets the ball down, and you know you Braves will preach this, then he could actually be a very good reliever for us.
Find A Clue
December 10th, 2009
7:08 am
I don’t blame Wren. We offered Soriano arbitration and he accepted. We traded him and at least got something for him. If we would have not offered arbitration, he would have been a free agent, and we wouldn’t have gotten a draft pick or anything in return for him.
Where did Wren do anything wrong in handling this?
Tommy T
December 10th, 2009
7:13 am
I’m pretty impressed that Wren got an MLB capable player for Soriano. Think about it, this is a guy that the Braves didn’t want. No other team in baseball gave Soriano’s agent the feeling that they would give up their first round pick to sign him, so he accepted arb. Wren was able to turn an expensive guy no one wanted at the price he was going to cost into an MLB ready (albeit mediocre) reliever. Pretty impressive.
bschro3000
December 10th, 2009
7:15 am
This blog is covered in morons late into the night. I don’t understand how Wren gets a “thumbs down” for this trade?
Look – Soriano is a great reliever – but it would have cost us too much and to many years to keep him at a reasonable price. So we decide to go get two other relievers who are better than he is- and sign them to one year deals (so we can develop from within) and then INSTEAD OF LETTING HIM GO FOR NOTHING, Wren offers arbitration – and now we get a decent relief pitcher from Tamp in return.
(after this rant i noticed Bobby’s Cox did a better job of ’splanin things.)
ugasucks
December 10th, 2009
7:18 am
after you trade lowe…give derosa a 2 year $14 MIL contract, give dye a 1 year $7 MIL and give cameron a 1 year $5 MIL, that’s a total of $19 MIL, if derosa would accept a 2 year contract worth 7 mil a year..it shouldn’t be hard…dye and cameron would accept those contracts..
lineup
1. Mclouth- LF
2. Escobar- SS
3. Jones-3B
4. Dye- RF
5. McCann-C
6. Cameron-CF
7. DeRosa-1B
8. Prado- 2b
9.pitcher
i love this lineup and suggested it before you have got cameron that wants to play for the braves and 2 former braves in dye and derosa that i bet willing to take discounts to come back i know derosa would because hes done said it i seriously believe wren has got something up his sleeve that is going to shock everyone and i have said it before i think they have more money than what people think
NCBravesFan
December 10th, 2009
7:21 am
I don’t care who you play for: if you get run out there 67 times as a pitcher in the major leagues, you’ve got some talent.
O.J.
December 10th, 2009
7:21 am
But still, the loss of a 1st round draft pick is brutal. Wren gets a thumbs down for this snafu. – Night Ninja
So what do you propose that Frank should have done? Not offered him arbitration and gotten absolutely NOTHING for him?? Really? God, some posters obviously know nothing about baseball and how it works.
NCBravesFan
December 10th, 2009
7:22 am
Oh, and bschro3000 – nicely said.
O.J.
December 10th, 2009
7:23 am
ugasucks, really, Dye in RF??? Have you lost your mind? The dude is absolutely horrible in the field anymore. No thank you, rather take my chances with Jason Heyward, at least he would give you good, if not great, defense, and numbers comparable to Dye’s
DHD
December 10th, 2009
7:23 am
Where are all the posters who said we could get Crawford, Pena or Zobrist? I told you it wouldn’t happen. We were looking to trade Soriano and get what we could for him without having to pay him. We succeeded. Now, let’s move on. Next up….getting rid of Lowe.
O.J.
December 10th, 2009
7:27 am
Jesse Chavez kinda looks like that Pedro guy from Napoleon Dynamite, lol.
ugasucks
December 10th, 2009
7:28 am
o.j. no worse than what we had last year in g anderson
Tommy T
December 10th, 2009
7:28 am
ugasucks
Why do you think Cameron would take 1 yr at $5 mil?
O.J.
December 10th, 2009
7:31 am
Ok, so now the Phillies and Angels are apparently front runners for Halladay. Been rumored that Phillies are willing to give up J.A. Happ, Michael Taylor or Dominic Brown, and not to rule out adding Cole Hamels.
That rumor seems a bit unfounded, because why on earth would the Phillies give up a young guy that was in the Rookie of the Year voting, a guy that is much younger than Halladay, one they can control for years??? Makes no sense to me. But if they got Halladay, then they would be clear cut favorites, at least by all the media types, to win the World Series.
O.J.
December 10th, 2009
7:32 am
ugasucks, actually worse than G Anderson.
Garynbham
December 10th, 2009
7:34 am
Looking at Chavez I agree with those who say, let’s wait and see. He’s young, he has a live arm, and has had some success. It’s a decent deal and gets something.
O.J.
December 10th, 2009
7:37 am
I am just glad that we got Soriano and his 8 Million Dollars off the payroll. Now we got some breathing room again.
ugasucks
December 10th, 2009
7:46 am
o.j. would it be bad to try dye at 1st and what do you think about cameron and derosa
NCBravesFan
December 10th, 2009
7:46 am
OJ – the Phillies have about 2-3 more cracks at championships before their core either ages out or leaves for more $$. If they are smart, they’ll do whatever it takes to get Halladay in the fold, IMHO.
HomeofdaBrave
December 10th, 2009
7:50 am
Man, if the Phillies get Halladay, not only would have the best offense in the league, but probably the best pitching staff too. Hurts just thinking about it.
While we’re here getting excited over some nobody relief pitcher. It really just shows how far this team has fallen.
SilverKey
December 10th, 2009
7:51 am
I agreed strongly with the comments made last night advocating keeping Soriano until we have leverage again. We weren’t over-budget and we still have Vazquez/Lowe as a trade piece. Its all been said before, several times. Its clear that on level playing ground, a Soriano for Chavez swap is laughable…Wren made a mistake when he showed his cards and said he wasn’t prepared to keep Soriano if he accepted – he should have told the media he would be excited if he accepted to have one of the deepest bullpens in the league. You think Soriano would have accepted arb. if he thought there was a 50/50 chance he’d actually be pitching in the 6th?
SilverKey
December 10th, 2009
7:52 am
If I were the Phils, I wouldn’t give up Happ for Hallady – that would be like us giving up Hanson for one year of the guy…
Piedmont Blues
December 10th, 2009
8:05 am
Jared, etc.
We got Jesse Chavez for nothing. So he takes up a spot on the roster. Big whoop.
By offering Soriano arb, Wren gambled and his bluff was called. But the Braves will pay Soriano nothing. And they got a live arm for the pen. If Soriano hadn’t been offered arb, the Braves would have gotten nothing in return.
Get over it, guys.
Piedmont Blues
December 10th, 2009
8:06 am
And the Braves had no leverage with Soriano, just a potential hole in the budget. A big enough hole that might have kept them from getting a bat. Or forced them to trade Vazquez.
Dawg
December 10th, 2009
8:08 am
I have had confidence in Wren. I hope I do later when this offseason unfolds. But why didn’t he be more composed than to drop Soriano (a strenght) for a dime a dozen reliever? There is something that is not making sense and DOB and others haven’t been able to help me understand.
We have $12 million saved from Johnson, Anderson, Church and Gonzo. We had $6 million from Soriano’s salary last year. We saved $6 million from Hudson’s new contract. We have $3 million from our share of LaRoche. That is $27 million. We still are saying (desperately, I might add) that we are trading a starting pitcher who at least will save us $11 million. The total now is $38 million.
Why are we panicking and dumping Soriano? Are we going after someone really expensive?
I would rather have an incredibly strong bullpen for 1/2 of the year and then trade Soriano than have a below average bullpen now.
I hope that Wren is doing this in order to put together a great team. But the names tossed around here so far are not championship level names.
I don’t get it so far. Maybe Wren knows where we are going.
Piedmont Blues
December 10th, 2009
8:09 am
SilverKey,
Soriano’s agent is a genius. He knew the Braves couldn’t afford to keep Soriano but also understood that he’d have a hard time getting his client signed as a free agent because of MFIKY’s Type A status.
This way, he got Soriano traded to a great organization where he can close immediately.
He beat the free agent compensation system. Genius.
Piedmont Blues
December 10th, 2009
8:10 am
Dawg,
Below average bullpen? Explain.
DHD
December 10th, 2009
8:11 am
Had we kept Soriano, he would not have been happy as a middle reliever and we would be paying too much for a middle reliever. Let’s move on….
Piedmont Blues
December 10th, 2009
8:13 am
And BTW, gang, Soriano really could have held the Braves hostage. He had to approve a trade. Had he not allowed this deal to go forward, the Braves would have been stuck with him until June 1. AND HAD NO MONEY FOR A HITTER.
O.J.
December 10th, 2009
8:13 am
ugasucks, I think Dye would be an OK acquisition at 1st if he is serviceable there, if he can field the position, because its not as easy as everyone thinks.
HomeofdaBrave, you think if the Phillies got Halladay they would probably have the best pitching staff? Doubtful. While acquiring Halladay would make their starting staff a bit better, reality is they would only have Lee and Halladay, then no one else, and their bullpen is God awful as well, best staff, I think not.
Ron H
December 10th, 2009
8:14 am
It seems like the Philthies are going to try and give the Braves a run for their money in the SP department. If they get Halladay and keep Lee and Hamels (they’d trade Happ), they would be able to match us in that department (although not in the BP).
You gotta hope they don’t get Halladay…