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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
5,207 comments Add your comment
AdirondackDave
December 15th, 2009
12:10 pm
Tennessee Paul — Yes, a deal for an Adrian G. type of player is probably pretty remote. However, I also think after the PR fiascos last year with Peavy, Furcal, and Griffey, FW has learned his lessons on that score. He will down-play expectations unless and until he actually has a deal locked up. I’d bet he’s working hard on better players than we think.
Maybe .....
December 15th, 2009
12:11 pm
Sign Nady, trade Lowe for Rivera, trade some prospect for Brett Gardner.
In the National League, Gardner profiles as a Brett Butler leadoff hitter. The Braves would be Nyjer Morgan good in center defensively with Gardner. He’d likely OBP .360+ and steal 40 or 50 bases while providing +20 defense in center. He’d be a real spark. Probably can be had for cheap considering the Yankees just traded for Granderson.
A combo of McLouth, Gardner, Nady, Diaz, Rivera in the outfield and at first would be okay until Heyward arrives. At that point, trade one or two of Rivera, Gardner, McLouth, Nady and Diaz to make room for Heyward.
TennesseePaul
December 15th, 2009
12:13 pm
He will down-play expectations unless and until he actually has a deal locked up. I’d bet he’s working hard on better players than we think.
Quite true. I do prefer this off-season of limited news to last off-season of persistent rejection. That was depressing. I hope it all ends with a wondrous move, or series of moves, setting up the team for a strong run to the title.
Tiger Woods
December 15th, 2009
12:13 pm
What do people think about Garrett Atkins??
Nova Scotia Steve - Roy Halladay wins 2010 NL Cy Young Award -
December 15th, 2009
12:14 pm
DOB
Could I please get your take on this…
Do you see a point in trading Lowe…if we don’t already have an extension in place for Vazquez…or at least had some preliminary discussions about it…
Say in the 2-year area…unless they hope Medlan can develope into a back of the rotation starter for 2011
BraveMan
December 15th, 2009
12:15 pm
i just dont get all this love for nady… dude stays hurt. so we give him 1 yr at what? 7 or 8 million… and then he plays 80 games for us? i just cant believe what im hearing from you guys… phillies get halladay, mets will probably get bay and you all want nady? why even play in 2010? with nady at first and i guess byrd in the OF, because you sure as hell dont want mr. glass in right field, the braves will finish 13 games out of first. but by July we will no longer be in contention…
David O'Brien
December 15th, 2009
12:17 pm
Fish Bisch: Wow, where’d you hear that about Halladay?
Robert (Chipper Is The Best)
December 15th, 2009
12:17 pm
Enter your comments here
AdirondackDave
December 15th, 2009
12:17 pm
LEW — I’m not so sure about Chipper being unwilling to re-work his contract. Chipper is obviously dedicated to the Braves as a team and organization. I’d bet he would welcome a long term association something more or less like Hank but probably more in terms of player development. Braves could commit to that relationship and use some of his current contract obligation in the long-term perhaps, adding to it, of course, in the long-term. Just speculating but it makes sense to me.
Justin
December 15th, 2009
12:18 pm
lol DOB
David O'Brien
December 15th, 2009
12:18 pm
Nova Scotia: Yes, I see a point. Big point. Braves need to improve lineup. Lowe makes $15 mill per season. Braves have payroll restraints, can’t add hitter without subtracting pitcher.
Braves won’t try to sign Vazquez to extension until they trade Lowe. For obvious reasons.
Tiger Woods
December 15th, 2009
12:18 pm
Braveman,
Who do you want us to sign on a limited budget then??
Robert (Chipper Is The Best)
December 15th, 2009
12:19 pm
How about this as a possible three between the Braves, Cubs, and Yanks. The Cubs get Lowe with the Braves eating a small portion of the contract. The Yanks get Bradley, whom even with his overpriced contract, would come cheaper than what Damon is demanding. The Braves get Melkey Cabrerra plus a couple of prospects.
Jonas
December 15th, 2009
12:21 pm
Fish Bisch…Is living in the pond the last 24hrs…
David O'Brien
December 15th, 2009
12:22 pm
What do people think about Garrett Atkins?? — Tiger Woods
Nice guy, never stole a freight train. (And presumably never had his car windows bashed in by a furious, golf-club wielding spouse).
… Oh, you meant what do we think of him as a hitter?
dogsbrekky
December 15th, 2009
12:23 pm
How about Yankees get D Lowe, we get Melky C and a prospect
Justin
December 15th, 2009
12:24 pm
DOB is on a roll! lol
Nova Scotia Steve - Roy Halladay wins 2010 NL Cy Young Award -
December 15th, 2009
12:25 pm
I think we’ve asked Chipper to do enough for this organization already.
And on the flip side Chipper has done enough for the Braves.
dpelfrey
December 15th, 2009
12:25 pm
I don’t understand why people are expecting Wren to add an “answer” to the offense. I look at this way. The Braves were basically a 90-win team last year (I don’t count the last 4 games last year, that’s my choice). The pitching should be as good as last year, if not better. Anybody in the outfield would an upgrade over Loaf and Francoeur/Church. Kotchman/LaRoche combined for .300 avg, 31 doubles, 18 homers and 81 rbi’s last year. That’s exactly the type of production one could expect from a guy like Nady, so I don’t understand why he wouldn’t be a solid addition. He’s about the best right-handed option the Braves have without emptying out the stables or breaking the bank.
To me, it really doesn’t matter who the Braves add to the offense. They’re not getting anyone that can be a huge difference maker (the Padres are not going to give away Gonzalez, we’re talking another Tex situation here to make that happen).
It still comes down to good health, good pitching and timely hitting. I’d be optimistic about next year if they add Nady and nothing else. Maybe I’m foolish.
Nova Scotia Steve - Roy Halladay wins 2010 NL Cy Young Award -
December 15th, 2009
12:26 pm
Chipper is not a piece of meat…Good God!
Thanks for the response DOB
David O'Brien
December 15th, 2009
12:27 pm
Robert: That might work … if Braves had any interest in taking on Milton Bradley’s contract and onerous personality. Wait, I meant personality and onerous contract.
Oh, what’s the difference. Both are unattractive.
Maybe .....
December 15th, 2009
12:29 pm
Would much rather have Gardner over Melky. Gardner gets on base more, draws more walks, is faster, steals more bases, runs the bases better, plays far better defense. Melky has more talent, but that doesn’t mean much. Melky doesn’t play good enough defense in center, and doesn’t hit enough to man a corner. At least Gardner can get on base, run, steal bases and play great D like a centerfielder should
cs95
December 15th, 2009
12:29 pm
nl east pitching, based on ESPN fantasy player rating 2009 for SP the nl east has 7 pitchers in the top 31 (not counting hudson who could make 8). vasquez (4), halladay (7), johnson (12), JJ (14), santana (25), happ (28), hanson (31). as stated before that’s some deep pitching
Robert (Chipper Is The Best)
December 15th, 2009
12:33 pm
No, DOB, Bradley would go to the Yanks. The Braves would get Cabrerra from the Yanks and the freed up money to go after a free agent.
David O'Brien
December 15th, 2009
12:34 pm
Robert, my mistake. Sorry, just so used to seeing the Milton Bradley-Braves proposals here. My bad.
brent a.
December 15th, 2009
12:36 pm
IIRC, Wren was tabbed as the new GM during the Arizona Fall League. He was literally tapped on the shoulder by McGuirk or JS while watching a game and taken to a meeting.
dogsbrekky
December 15th, 2009
12:37 pm
Maybe – Melky s a switch hitter and he would play RF pre Heyward, switch to LF thereafter, would improve out of the AL Beast
put Diaz in LF, sign 1B
Erik
December 15th, 2009
12:37 pm
Thanks for telling me about the JS/Wren invlovement in the trade. I always saw the Renty trade as JS’s congrats on becoming a GM gift. Maybe I just wanted to believe JS went out on a higher note than the Tex trade… That still makes me cringe to think about Feliz. I mean the other players that we could “thrown” in to compensate for Harrisons health concerns.
Moe Berg
December 15th, 2009
12:37 pm
Is Ben Sheets coming off surgery worth more/less on the market than Derek Lowe coming off a less than stellar year? Just wondering, since he seems to be one of the next pieces being discussed by big market teams, i.e., the Yankees.
Robert (Chipper Is The Best)
December 15th, 2009
12:40 pm
But, DOB, what do you think of that? The Yanks could use Bradley who would come a little cheaper than Damon. Cabrera’s bat could definitely help the Braves plus freeing up lots of money with Lowe gone. And, Lord knows the Cubs would be glad to get rid of Bradley plus acquirng Lowe would give them a frontline starter to help Zambrano.
DAP
December 15th, 2009
12:41 pm
joebrave2 players to do 1 man’s job? now my head hurts
gomes and cust could be had on one year deal a a couple a mil a piece. bay will cost at least $16mil per for 5 years…a fraction of the money a a short commitment for the same production….thats a good deal.
tiger woodsCust/Gomes= 200 strikeouts
probably more like 160-170. jason bay struck out 162 times last year.
sidslidkid
December 15th, 2009
12:42 pm
DOB, Only 65 Days left of your “offseason”. Time to start thinking about the Kissmmee area eats? Any good hole-in-the-wall/dive restaurants near the stadium?
Fischerking04
December 15th, 2009
12:42 pm
Ben Sheets is great when healthy, but unfortunately for him he never is.
Lowe is a workhorse that can be penciled in to pitch 200+ innings a season and has a good career ERA to boot.
Lowe is much more valuable than Sheets.
Rhett
December 15th, 2009
12:44 pm
I guess I don’t understand why people are so high on Rivera and down on Nady. I’d be happy with either, but they seem to be pretty similar players. The fielding and batting stats are very close, as is their WAR. Xavier Nady had a WAR of 4.0 in 2008 and Rivera’s was 3.4 in 2009. I realize that Nady is more of post-injury risk but he’s also more versatile given his experience at 1st. DOB – any thoughts on their comparability as players?
shmoe
December 15th, 2009
12:45 pm
Robert, I know you weren’t addressing me, but…interesting trade proposal. I think the Yankees have already improved upon a Championship team. Would they be desperate enough to take on a Milton Bradley and at the same time send Melky off to another team? I tend to think not.
N8
December 15th, 2009
12:45 pm
“i just dont get all this love for nady… dude stays hurt. so we give him 1 yr at what? 7 or 8 million… and then he plays 80 games for us?” BraveMan
It’s called economics 101 and what baseball has become. Nady’s “162 game average” is 21 HR. So if he gives us 10-11 HR in those 80 games, that means somebody else is playing the other 80 games (IE: a platoon partner).
Jason Bay’s “162 game average” for HR is 33. (See where this is going?)
He’s going to command around 16-20 million per season. Double the salary, for NOT double the production.
Wren is better off, in terms of value and production finding two 5-6 million dollar players to platoon in the OF, and another 5-06 million dollar player for 1B, than he is signing Jason Bay or Matt Holliday.
It’s not that difficult. Neither Bay, nor will be worth what they are paid. Guys like Arod, Pujols, Bonds, etc…. those guys change lineups. They change how a pitcher mentally goes into a game. They change how often common fans buy tickets. IE: They’re probably “worth” whatever it takes to get them.
Make no mistake about it. Jason Bay probably makes the 2010 Braves a better team. But based on how the fans showed up at Turner Field last year down the stretch, adding Jason Bay is NOT going to cause the phone lines at TF to be jammed up with a glut of season ticket purchases. Nor is he going to make long-term sense.
It’s really just simple math, especially to a team with an actual budget to uphold. If a guy does “X” amount of production for “X” amount of dollars. Shouldn’t the guy that does half of said production be worth around have of said dolar amount?
Then when you factor in younger players that will be ridiculously cheaper in the short term that teams are expecting to be plenty productinve (Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Tommy Hanson, JJJ, etc….), why on earth would a team over-spend for a guy that likely won’t live up to the deal?
Still baffles me that the Phillies would give up Drabek for Halladay and then pay around 20 million per year for him. I understand there are no guarantees with Drabek. But they had Lee for one more year.
They say it was abou the money? OK. Why not gamble with Lee for one more year (2010), after all… he’s pretty good, right? Then if Drabek is what he’s hyped up to be, you let Lee walk (maybe offering arbitration?), and roll with the guy that now (assuming he does) shown he’s ready to roll, AND you save 20 million per year.
THAT seems like a sound decision that is based on money, yet still allows them to compete very well in 2010. Like I said. Lee is pretty good too.
What the Phillies did, would be like us trading Heyward and Escobar for Arod. You’re giving up a good player that is under control (Escobar/Lee), for a guy who is going to cost a TON of money (Arod/Halladay), and to boot are giving up your best prospect who likely (according to experts) might give you close to the production of the guy you’re trading for over the next few years, at a fraction of the cost.
Now, obviously the Phillies could afford that trade/deal more than a team like the Braves can. But still….
shmoe
December 15th, 2009
12:47 pm
“probably more like 160-170. jason bay struck out 162 times last year”
Yeah, 170 Ks are way too much for our lineup, especially for someone that’s not going to hit 40+
DAP
December 15th, 2009
12:49 pm
shmoe Yeah, 170 Ks are way too much for our lineup, especially for someone that’s not going to hit 40+
why “for our lineup”?
shmoe
December 15th, 2009
12:53 pm
DAP, good question. Thanks for pointing out the flaw in my statement, given that current Braves are not a high strikeout team and probably could afford a prolific punch-outtee if he has power. I say that because I would rather not have a high strikeout person in the lineup, unless he hits over 40 bombs. Just my personal preference.
TnBrian
December 15th, 2009
12:53 pm
I come back on the blog to see if anything new is happening with my team and instead get good laughs from DOB. Really, if you like the Braves and some good sarcasm what better place than here? Fish Bishe and Tiger just got fuc** owned!
sidslidkid
December 15th, 2009
12:54 pm
Remember when the only stats that mattered were W-L, BB, K’s ERA, HR’s, AVG and RBI’s? Now we have WAR, OPS+, CERA, IS%, BAbip, and million other crazy stats. I can’t keep up with all these.
Tiger Woods
December 15th, 2009
12:54 pm
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Yankees are “very interested” in Ben Sheets, in spite of suggestions that he could seek $12MM per season.
Then again ....
December 15th, 2009
12:54 pm
Still baffles me that the Phillies would give up Drabek for Halladay and then pay around 20 million per year for him. I understand there are no guarantees with Drabek. But they had Lee for one more year.
The Phillies just finished enduring the promise of Brett Myers, their former Drabek type. Myers was decent, but never lived up to the hype or talent. They’re kind of going through that now to a lesser degree with Cole Hamels. Better to have 3 to 5 of an elite, albeit aging, ace than one of a second tier ace like Lee and 6 of a likely up and down Myers like performance of Drabek.
cs95
December 15th, 2009
12:54 pm
N8,
as far as the halladay thing goes the logic i see is that halladay gives them the best chance to win for the next three years, before they start losing guys like victorino, rollins, howard, werth, ibanez, hamels.. they cannot resign all of them i guess. even if drabek pitches as well as hanson did last season is he going to pitch about 200innings and win 17 games or however many halladay won last year.
Justin
December 15th, 2009
12:59 pm
Well Buster Olney says the BoSox are looking for a utility outfielder like Xavier Nady good god why dont we just have the 1st 2 weeks of the off season as the Yankess Phillies and Bosox weeks and then let the rest of the teams get whatever those teams dont get lol
DAP
December 15th, 2009
12:59 pm
shmoe, you knew exactly where i was going with it! the situation in question is a jonny gomes/jack cust platoon. they hit 45 homers between them last year in about 800 ABs. im thinking between them they could hit in the mid 30s. we all want (maybe except for you) and player like bay to play in LF, and these guys together i think could be very similar to him.
Rhett
December 15th, 2009
1:01 pm
N8 – good points about Nady/Bay. I completely agree, Nady is a solid, affordable short term solution for this team.
Re: your points about the Halladay/Lee deal. I think the Phillies see their window as now and believe that Halladay may put them over the top. In addition, they knew that Halladay wanted to be there and would be more likely to sign an extension immediately as opposed to taking the chance that Lee would walk at the end of the season. However, they did give up some big time talent and it does nothing to address their weaknesses in the bullpen or improve the depth of their rotation. Plus, it’s hard to imagine anyone being better in the post-season than Lee was this year.
civilized white trash
December 15th, 2009
1:02 pm
what about vlad as the right handed power bat. i think its a good fit buy low on him like the angels did last year with abreau
TnBrian
December 15th, 2009
1:04 pm
The Red Sox are starting to annoy me.
N8
December 15th, 2009
1:06 pm
Then Again…, the Phillies can get away with a “2nd tier” Ace because their offense is top tier.
But that was my point about Drabek. They have one year to make a decision on whether he’s a keeper. It’s a freebee, since Lee was theirs for another year. But you’re right. They’ve got money, a pumped fan base and now have to keep up with what theyve recently done, which is make it to the WS two years in a row.
I don’t think it’s a horrible move. Quite the opposite. I just don’t understand all the experts saying it was about the money, and then turning around and giving up your top pitching prospect, and shelling out 20 million.
One has to ask themselves in terms of depth and the rest of the roster. Would they have been better off over-paying Lee and meeting his higher contract demands and keeping Drabek as a cheaper option for their rotation (wherever he would fall in terms of #2-#5 in the rotation)?? Or giving up the same amount of money AND their young guy?
Because to me, it’s the fact that the Braves have Hanson and JJJ producing at such a high level for so cheap (temporarily), that is allowing them to extend Hudson, and keep one of Lowe/Vazquez.
Either the Phillies rotation or pocket book will take a hit in the upcoming years without Drabek around to fill a void at a lower cost. They’ll either have to make the choice of dishing out more top end money to fill their rotation, or fill their rotation with a bargain bin veteran.
I guess I just don’t like to see top pitching prospects go away. Maybe I should be glad that Drabek is out of the division. LOL! Because from my angle in 2010, Halladay doesn’t really make the Phillies any more dangerous than they were going to be with Lee.
sri
December 15th, 2009
1:07 pm
Fangraphs analysis of the trade…
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/the-real-big-trade
We just dodged a big bullet.. imagine if the Phillies had instead done what Cameron suggests..
“And, even if that’s true, why clear $8 million from the books by trading Lee? Surely, you could have moved Joe Blanton without eating any of his salary, even if you didn’t love the deals being offered. Or, how about this – don’t sign J.C. Romero, Brian Schneider, and Ross Gload, whose 2010 salaries are about equal to Lee’s. Replace those three reserves with league minimum guys and you’ve saved enough money to keep Lee around.”
joerochester
December 15th, 2009
1:07 pm
I saw Andy Marte play for the Indians this past season. He didn’t look that great. How did the Braves get rid of him and who did they get?
cs95
December 15th, 2009
1:08 pm
justin:
i guess that means they aren’t trading for a-gonz. but either way where would be play. on a bench buried with kotchman. they probably wanna but v-mart at 1B some. and they already have an all-time DH in oritz.
Fred
December 15th, 2009
1:10 pm
joerochester, The braves traded Marte to the Red Sox for Renteria, and the Red Sox then traded Marte to the Indians for Coco Crisp.
Justin
December 15th, 2009
1:10 pm
The traded Marte for to the bosox for renteria
Gary O
December 15th, 2009
1:12 pm
I hope Wren is able to trade Lowe quickly, because the longer it takes is the longer we have to wait for an offensive player (and the less that might be available on the FA market).
And for those who keep asking about Vlad, his knees are horrible, and his defense might be as bad as Garrett Anderson. Vlad needs to sign with an AL team so he can DH.
18 Wheels of Love
December 15th, 2009
1:12 pm
Help me out with this Halladay trade. How does that trade make the Phils that much better? They gave up Drabek and another top prospect (term used loosely of course) for basically the delta between Lee and Halladay? Is is that big of a margin? If Lee was 2-0 in 2 starts during the playoffs, how can Halladay top that? I understand winning now but I just am not seeing it.
Justin
December 15th, 2009
1:13 pm
cs 95 I have no idea what they are gonna do my guess is maybe Nady at 1st with vmart catching bc Tech was horrible last year youk at 3rd but I ll be the first to say I have no damn clue I think they just want him to say they have him and I hear they need someone to protect Westmoreland in A ball lol just a joke.
Efrim
December 15th, 2009
1:15 pm
http://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/6702844817
Gotta love that the Red Sox are looking at Nady as a utility outfielder type and he is our big offensive addition of the offseason…..
seriously though, I like Nady. Just not as much as some here.
joerochester
December 15th, 2009
1:16 pm
Was Marte projected to be a star?
Nova Scotia Steve - Roy Halladay wins 2010 NL Cy Young Award -
December 15th, 2009
1:19 pm
The Red Sox have always annoyed be…since Trot Nixon smeared that black tar all over his face and wore a baseball cap with rosin on it…since they used the term “cowboy-up”, since Jason Varitek feels the need to wear a “C” on his jersey in order to feel important…since they made the worst movie ever about the team in the history of Hollywood “Fever Pitch”
Want me to go on????
The only thing I like about the BoSox was when Pedro rolled Don Zimmer.
Random
December 15th, 2009
1:19 pm
From BP’s Joe Sheehan (apologies if it’s already been posted):
“Among the others [who were non-tendered], I get most excited about Kelly Johnson, who had a lost season while Martin Prado had a strong one, making Johnson a luxury. Johnson didn’t hit as well as he had in ‘08, with line drives turning into fly balls, but the result, a nearly 100-point loss in BABIP that destroyed his rate stats, wasn’t entirely reflective of how he played. Given the wrist injury he played through and loss of his regular status early in the year, I’m inclined to look at his 2009 and give him a mulligan. Johnson is a .270/.340/.440 guy who can play second base at about an average level. He does have experience in left field and can play some third base, so he’s useful as a bench option. Of the newly-minted free agents, he strikes me as the one likely to have the most value in ‘10. The Dodgers need a second baseman, and any number of bad teams like the Padres, Nationals, and Pirates could be improved with the addition of Johnson.”
cs95
December 15th, 2009
1:20 pm
as far as the halladay thing goes the logic i see is that halladay gives them the best chance to win for the next three years, before they start losing guys like victorino, rollins, howard, werth, ibanez, hamels.. they cannot resign all of them i guess. even if drabek pitches as well as hanson did last season is he going to pitch about 200innings and win 17 games or however many halladay won last year.
justin: yea i hear ya. i just don’t see where they have room on their roster. assuming 13 position players, the only spot that could be moved was hermida and then nady would basically be the 25th man of the roster. i doubt he wants to be on the bench that much when he’s trying to up his market value, even to be on a contender like the soxs. however, i bet boras will use that to jack the price up.. yikes!
GermanBravesFan
December 15th, 2009
1:21 pm
Would Juan Pierre have been a possibility for the Braves? White Sox are only paying him $ 3 million next year and $ 5 million the year after… Just a thought.
abwright
December 15th, 2009
1:21 pm
Braves’s Injury Concerns and Question Marks for 2010
Tim Hudson … coming back from TJ surgery
Brian McCann … coming back from Lasik adjustment
Billy Wagner … coming back from TJ surgery
Chipper Jones … coming back from an off year
Jordan Schafer … coming back from broken wrist
Jo Jo Reyes … coming back from mohawk transplant surgery
Yunel Escobar … coming back from bruised ego
Kris Medlen … coming back from being really, really young
Takashi Saito … coming back from turning 40
If Braves sign Xavier Nady
Xavier Nady … coming back from second TJ surgery
If Braves sign Carlos Delgado
Carlos Delgado … coming back from hip surgery
That’s a lot of stuff to come back from.
18 Wheels of Love
December 15th, 2009
1:21 pm
Marte was projected by many to be good. At his peak he was most often compared to David Wright. And there were many folks on message boards and blogs that would NOT have traded Marte for Wright straight up. But even at his peak there were rumblings of holes in his swing. I do remember a titanic HR he hit over the burm during ST.
KC
December 15th, 2009
1:22 pm
im4ball,: “According to ESPN stats, since 2003 Nady has never played in more than 125 games per year which makes his average games played per year to be 75. ESPN stats say that he hit 20 HR’s (which is the most he ever hit) in 2007.”
HUH?
Dude, what are you looking at??? I just checked the ESPN page, and it has the exact same stats MLB.com has for him. What you’re saying just isn’t accurate.
He played in 130 games in 2006, and 148 games in ‘08.
And in 2008, Nady hit .305, with 25 HR’s, 97 RBI, and 37 doubles.
As I pointed out before, he’s shown 20+ HR power each of his last 3 season (excluding the ‘09 season, which he largely missed).
The Yankees thought enough of him to trade for him and make him an everyday player. And it would seem that the Braves think he could really help this team. Wren doesn’t pursue a player without the general consensus of the Braves coaching and scouting staffs. If they decide he can help the team, I trust their judgment more than yours or mine (though I happen to agree that he can help).
civilized white trash
December 15th, 2009
1:26 pm
vlad came back and hit close to 400 in the playoffs his arm is still good and besides with heyward coming up we have depth to take a chance on him he did only play 2 games in the outfield last year which aint good but nady’s best year is equal to vlad worst year and lets be honest his defense cant be any worse then GA’s last year and its a far better bat to have in the lineup
i am offically on the vlad bandwagon
joerochester
December 15th, 2009
1:29 pm
German,
I thought Pierre was on the Dodgers?
Nova Scotia Steve - Roy Halladay wins 2010 NL Cy Young Award -
December 15th, 2009
1:31 pm
Joe:
Pierre was traded to the White Sox
CB
December 15th, 2009
1:31 pm
Random,in regard to your 11:00am,it only takes one of us to be a taker and I tried to be the sacrificial lamb but was chosen to be not critical enough of his views to be worthy. Don’t worry about who is the taker,whoever it was going to be was going to win this bet,imo. The bet has been made,wish it had been me.
RC
December 15th, 2009
1:31 pm
German,
I thought Pierre was on the Dodgers?
Traded to White Sox today for two minor league pitchers. Wonder why that wasn’t bigger news?
joerochester
December 15th, 2009
1:31 pm
Vlad won’t be able to play the outfield on a regular basis. His defense will be pretty bad, in my opinion. He declined as a hitter, too. I think it was his first season under .300?
Fischerking04
December 15th, 2009
1:31 pm
Gary O—”I hope Wren is able to trade Lowe quickly, because the longer it takes is the longer we have to wait for an offensive player (and the less that might be available on the FA market).”
Tell me, if we got a great offensive player today, what would he be doing for us right now? We have a long time until the season starts. There is plenty of time to explore our options.
joerochester
December 15th, 2009
1:32 pm
Sorry, I’ve been at work. Haven’t been able to catch up on the big trades.
KC
December 15th, 2009
1:32 pm
Efrim: Buster Olney apparently views him as a utility OF’er type. That doesn’t mean that’s the way the Red Sox look at him. It seems to me, they may be looking at him as the next best thing to Holliday or Bay… just the way the Braves seem to view him.
He’s not the BIG cleanup hitter we’d love to get, but what if the Braves were to sign both Nady and LaRoche (if they move Lowe, they almost certainly CAN afford both). They’d have one helluva lineup, 1-9… especially after Heyward joins the mix.
joerochester
December 15th, 2009
1:32 pm
BTW: what’s up with the white sox making all the moves?
RC
December 15th, 2009
1:33 pm
K. Law going to be on 680 The Fan tonight at 5:50, for anyone who wants to hear his thoughts on their ride home. Although I guess that means you have to listen to Buck and Kincade too….
LudaChris
December 15th, 2009
1:33 pm
I’m (almost) on the Vlad bandwagon too, and I’m embarrassed to admit it.
Only because I think the contract he’s going to end up getting is going to be reasonable and worth the risk. I really don’t think any amount of Xavier Nady’s is going to improve our lineup drastically. Our cleanup hitter doesn’t even play every 5th day, in a lineup that was already thin to begin with. Vlad’s defense, although most likely atrocious at this point of his career, I feel we can get by with. Let’s not remember last year we had to watch Garrett Anderson lazily trot after balls hit in the corner. We still did fine on the runs allowed part. Our lineup needs an impact hitter, and we ain’t gettin anyone better than Vlad.
joerochester
December 15th, 2009
1:34 pm
I am blocked from a lot of websites here, but this is not one of them, thank goodness.
LudaChris
December 15th, 2009
1:35 pm
Does anyone else wish we had offered more than the Angels did last year for Abreu?
FEAR
December 15th, 2009
1:39 pm
Vlad? Why the hell not
Bobby Hill
December 15th, 2009
1:40 pm
I’ve got this bad feeling that Wren is going to eventually convince the Angels to take Lowe off his hands and then not be able to acquire a big bat because unloading Lowe took too long.
How does 2011 look? Will Wren be able to acquire a big bat for 2011? When does Chipper’s big raise kick in?
tvsportscaster
December 15th, 2009
1:42 pm
Listen just because the Red Sox are making a play for Nady doesn’t mean they’re going to get him. At best, Nady would be back up in Boston, you think he would take that over a chance to be an everyday player in Atlanta if the money is similar, I don’t think so.
civilized white trash
December 15th, 2009
1:43 pm
ludachris–
i knew you had some sence my official campaign slogan for vlad is
“Better D then GA for the Braves in 0 ‘10″
which reminds me i got a new ipod need to go down load some ludi right now
Sasquatch
December 15th, 2009
1:43 pm
It seems like everything is passing us by.
we’re sitting here with the pitcher we’re trying to move so we can do other things.Frank…how about we get rolling before we have to bring back Garret Anderson and Greg norton?
The Ghost of FischBisch
December 15th, 2009
1:44 pm
This just in: The Yankees have signed both Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia. Oh, that was last year. My bad.
Joebrave
December 15th, 2009
1:45 pm
D.Lowe,Schafer,Freeman,and Logan to LAA for Rivera&Morales
GermanBravesFan
December 15th, 2009
1:45 pm
Hmmm… Juan Pierre would have been solid in the lead off spot. While he was playing for the Dodgers last year, he did pretty well.
Bobby Hill
December 15th, 2009
1:47 pm
How low do your expectations have to be in order to get excited about Vlad or Xavier Nady?
civilized white trash
December 15th, 2009
1:47 pm
why the hell does everyone want nady? he will cost more than vlad, he cant hit like vlad, he cant throw like vlad,he played in less games then vlad last year, dam dude he aint vlad!
“Better D then GA for the Braves in 0 ‘10″ vote for VLAD
Voice from the past...
December 15th, 2009
1:47 pm
Vlad? Why the hell not
Oh, I don’t know…
… maybe a pair of balky knees that render him virtually useless in the field?
Seriously, the only defensive concern Vlad needs at this point in his career is “stick” or “roll-on”.
TnBrian
December 15th, 2009
1:48 pm
tvsportscaster, I wouldn’t bet on that assumption. The Red Sox are a HUGE market team & can offer Nady whatever he wants, they’re that rich. Don’t be surprised if they get him here soon because we all know Boras is out to make every extra penny he can get.
Efrim
December 15th, 2009
1:49 pm
KC
It seems to me, they may be looking at him as the next best thing to Holliday or Bay… just the way the Braves seem to view him.
They signed Mike Cameron to play left field. They also have Ellsbury in center and Drew in right. Ortiz at DH and Hermida as a fourth outfielder. Of course, Olney is probably just speculating anyway, but I’m not sure I agree that they view Nady as the next best thing to Holliday or Bay. I think Cameron is their next best thing.
joerochester
December 15th, 2009
1:50 pm
I would be more excited about Nady than Vlad. I just think Nady has more upside and a lot more to prove by coming back from injury.
TennesseePaul
December 15th, 2009
1:51 pm
KC: It seems to me, they may be looking at [Nady] as the next best thing to Holliday or Bay…
Where does Cameron fit in this view you have?
njbraves
December 15th, 2009
1:52 pm
On this page alone, i read that the Braves should get Juan Pierre, Brett Gardner, or Vlad. Are you people serious??? Why on earth would the Braves want any of those guys? yeah, Vlad can still hit, but he is nowhere near the player he once was, and can’t play the OF any more. Juan Pierre has a ridiculous contract and gardner just isn’t very good. I thought the objective was to get better.
18 Wheels of Love
December 15th, 2009
1:53 pm
Nady is only going to get one year so he is looking for a full-time gig so he can put up decent numbers and go back on the market next year. If Boras can’t get him a multi-year deal (and he won’t) then that is his best route. That keeps us in play. Why would he got to Boston as a platoon and go back on the market next year? It would be just like this year. He wants to re-establish himself.
joerochester
December 15th, 2009
1:53 pm
Gardner is just fast. I don’t understand why everyone loves him.
TnBrian
December 15th, 2009
1:55 pm
18 Wheels of Love, while I hope you’re right on this, and it sounds very reasonable, this baseball business throws you for a loop sometimes, especially when it involves Bora$.