Braves get Ankiel, Farnsworth in five-player deadline trade

Josh

July 31st, 2010
4:49 pm

you like the trade Dob?

Joey

July 31st, 2010
4:49 pm

Hmmmmm.

ByteMe

July 31st, 2010
4:51 pm

Dumb trade. Blanco was better than what they got.

farmer

July 31st, 2010
4:53 pm

I for one don’t like it period.. Ankiel? is that the best they could do? a power bat? you’re calling Annkiel a power bat? come on now.. be serious. Plus, does anyone happen to remember the last time Farnsworth was with us in a big game moment? I sure do.. 2005 NLCS, the homer to Burke to win it.. geting rid of Chavez, good. Blanco bad.
I have to say that Frank Wren has got to be the worst GM in basbeall.. cab we please fire his sorry butt?

Frank Wren

July 31st, 2010
4:55 pm

Now that I think about it, this was a pretty meaningless trade. It’s seems as though I wanted to trade just for trading sake, and I really had no intentions of upgrading the talent on this team. I was a pin head when I brought in Glaus and Melky Cabrera this year. How’s that working out?

elviskl

July 31st, 2010
4:55 pm

gregor was the man

TruthSeeker

July 31st, 2010
4:55 pm

I think this is a good trade.

If nothing else, swapping Farnsworth for Chavez makes our bullpen much better. Cox can now mix-and-match with Venters and Farnsworth in the 7th and 8th innings based on matchups. Ankiel doesn’t excite me that much, but he did hit 25 home runs two years ago and seems to be doing fairly well in limited at-bats this year. He adds some more pop to an already great bench.

The best thing about this trade, though, is that we lose virtually nothing. Blanco was never going to be more than a borderline 4th outfielder in the major leagues, Collins has good minor league numbers but at 5′7 it’s hard to see him having much of a future in the bigs, and Chavez obviously is not an ML-quality reliever.

Solid deal.

Dawgs2010

July 31st, 2010
4:55 pm

We didn’t really give up much. I hope it helps. Anything is better than McLouth.

Jessie Chavis is addition by subtraction. The prospect was just too little to be a power pitcher. The hard throwing righty out of the pen will help.

The University of Georgia Tech

July 31st, 2010
4:55 pm

i like the fact we got farnsworth and lost chavez….dont know what ankile can do for us but he does gives a threat to hit a home run…key is glaus has got to start hitting again

Jonathan Simeone

July 31st, 2010
4:55 pm

Don’t you have to hit to be considered a power bat? I normally agree with Wrenn, but this is a terrible trade. Farnsworth, as he showed in 05, cannot be trusted in big spots and Ankiel is a terrible hitter. And a leftie to boot. I would have rather seen no trade than this one. I’d rather have held onto Collins than get this kind of garbage.

AJ

July 31st, 2010
4:56 pm

Farmer You sir are a IDIOT

ChillyMutt

July 31st, 2010
4:56 pm

I like it if for no other reason – just to ship Chavez.
I know Ankiel couldn’t throw a strike as a pitcher but don’t know much about his defense. If he can stay healthy, I do like the move from an offensive side. I really like Blanco but we improved our bullpen and offense … maybe our defense up the middle too??? Didn’t really give up too much.

CSpin

July 31st, 2010
4:57 pm

Ankiel hasn’t been the same since 2008. Great story though.

justin1

July 31st, 2010
4:57 pm

WOOWWW. are you serious Wren???

Bama

July 31st, 2010
4:57 pm

The trade is okay. Farnsworth is infinitely better than Chavez. I’ve never been a fan of Ankiel, and I’ll miss Blanco. I grade the trade as a C+

DC Braves Fan

July 31st, 2010
4:57 pm

Seems like a good deal, actually.

Ankiel has some pop and maybe pushes Hinske back to 1B to give Glaus some “rest”

Also, Farnsworth’s got a great arm and has delivered pretty well for a bad Royals team. Gives us another arm that we can use in crunch time and we give up a guy who was mostly — not always — a mop up guy. Only one wasted bullpen spot now.

I liked Blanco, but if thats all we have to give up to add a bit more punch to the line-up and another live arm in the pen AND we ship Chavez out, well, its not a bad day’s work for Frank Wren–at least in theory. We’ll see how they all perform. (still not a big fan of the GM, but warming a bit).

NorthEast Alabama Braves fan

July 31st, 2010
4:58 pm

Hate to see Gregor’s leave. He has done alot for us when asked, and deserves to be in a pennant race more than Mcclouth. Hopefully Wren got this one right

Worm

July 31st, 2010
4:58 pm

Yawn

three jack

July 31st, 2010
4:59 pm

great trade! ankiel will thrive in this lineup, probably end up getting 10-15 hrs before the end of the season. and farnsworth strengthens an already deep bullpen. the best part is that they gave up nothing in return…wren continues to prove himself and should be top of the list for exec of the year.

South Georgia Dawg

July 31st, 2010
5:00 pm

Ankiel can add some good defense and power to this club. Granted Blanco was is a good defensive player, but probably will never hit for much power. I remember Kyle Farnsworth his first time with Atlanta and at the time most wanted him to resign with the Braves and were disappointed when he signed with the Yankees. I just say welcome to the Braves to both of these men and lets see how they do with the Braves for the rest of the season. I am looking for Nate McLouth to return to form and help the Braves later in the season.

JeanE

July 31st, 2010
5:01 pm

Wow…just got out of a movie with my kids, turned the game on radio in the car and Boom! Heard about the trade: I think I like it!!! 2 areas of big-time need have been bolstered, and I’m sorry to see Gregor go but maybe he’ll get to be an everyday player in KC. Chavez: bye, bye!! Don’t know enough about Collins to opine on him but way to go Braves!!

Jonathan Simeone

July 31st, 2010
5:01 pm

I like the point of being able to move Hinske to first, but that’s not enough of a reason to justify this move. I would have rather seen them trade Blanco and Chavez for Farnsworth; Ankiel is a waste.

Nashville Brace

July 31st, 2010
5:01 pm

Farnsworth is an upgrade over Chavez, Ankiel is an upgrade over Blanco, and Collins probably didn’t have much of a chance of making the majors as deep as our pitching is. This is a fine trade but I’m still not sure that it’s enough…

BravesAreDone

July 31st, 2010
5:02 pm

I don’t know why they never gave Blanco a shot to be an every day outfielder. He proved himself over and over and over again then was traded… terrible trade Frank!

Poondaddy

July 31st, 2010
5:02 pm

we coulda kept Blanco instead of some lame player from the Royals. Does anything good ever come out Kansas City??

Tbird

July 31st, 2010
5:02 pm

Blanco better than Ankiel??? Wow…some are utterly clueless. You get significantly better in the bullpen and significantly better in the outfield without stripping the system?? Yeah bad deal

masivatack

July 31st, 2010
5:02 pm

Ankiel is a lefty, too. Right? The more I look ah his recent trending numbers, the more I don’t like it. He strikes out. A lot.

kwajbraves

July 31st, 2010
5:02 pm

Nothig to get excited or to tip the balance of power in the NL East. If anything we add by subtraction (Chavez). Probably the only person excited by this trade is Venters maybe Cox can lay off using him all the time.

Timbo Slice

July 31st, 2010
5:03 pm

Looks like we offered up nothing (below average reliever, minor league set-up guy where ATL was just a short stay, 4th/5th OF) for something (average to above avg. short reliever and ATL native, and an OF with a good chance to blow up in the 2nd half).

At worst, its a wash for ATL.

flbrave

July 31st, 2010
5:04 pm

It seemed like Blanco never was in the Braves long term plans. Ankiel might fit in better here if he’s healthy. Hopefully Farnsworth has matured into a better pitcher, although he couldn’t break in the Royals starting line up might be bad news.

Boisebrave

July 31st, 2010
5:04 pm

Hey Poondaddy, ever hear of Roger Maris?

Fily

July 31st, 2010
5:04 pm

This is a good trade. Ankiel and Farnsworth will both be fresh for our playoff run and ready to compete. Chavez was doing awful, Blanco didnt play (But I liked him), and Collins wasnt gonna help us this year.

Archangel

July 31st, 2010
5:04 pm

This is a good move. We didn’t need that much help, just enough to upgrade. These aren’t hall of famers but they’ll be good enough for where we are.

TruthSeeker

July 31st, 2010
5:05 pm

I know everyone remembers the big, game-tying home run Farnsworth gave up to Brad Ausmus in Game 4 of the NLDS in ‘05, but what is forgotten is that he was a huge part of us winning the division that year. That was the season of Dan Kolb imploding. The closer job got turned over to Chris Reitsma, and he did okay for a while before falling apart, and then it was Farnsworth that took over the closer’s role over the last two months and helped us nail down the division title. He was lights-out.

I just can’t see how you can be upset about this trade. Is it a monster deal that guarantees us a trip to the World Series? No, but it improves our bullpen and outfield depth while costing us nothing this year or probably in the future either. It’s the type of minor tweak good GM’s make to shore up their club.

Vote for Prado

July 31st, 2010
5:05 pm

I think that people are making assessments based on their opinion of where they think the braves should have been after the deadline. However, as a trade, this is a pretty good one. Any trade that gets rid of Chavez is a win. He was just awful. I like blanco but there was a reason he’s been at AAA all year. Farnsworth is having a good year and Ankiel is better than mclouth. At least i think.

JRW7

July 31st, 2010
5:06 pm

I don’t know about this trade, especially losing Blanco, but trading Chavis is a big plus, Heck I would have gave Chavis away. Maybe Ankiel can give us the needed power we lack. Braves 2 Reds 0 in 4th. GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!

Goose

July 31st, 2010
5:07 pm

So this is the Braves answer? They could have done worse, I guess. I still do not think that the Braves are going to the postseason.

dlowe

July 31st, 2010
5:07 pm

hey boisebrave, maris was from minnesota and grew up in north dakota, not from KC

Doctor K

July 31st, 2010
5:08 pm

Wish we could have gotten Bautista from Toronto a real power bat that is available. But we can still make a move after non waiver deadline if we need to.

Chpatt

July 31st, 2010
5:08 pm

Farnsworth is a GREAT reliever. He was lights out for atl the last time we went to the postseason and Ankiel IS a power bat. In 2008 he had 25 HR in only 120 Games. A full season he would have had 35…so yeah that is a power hitter. Wren did the best he could. He also gave up THREE expendables pieces. We didnt need ANOTHER lefty power arm like Collins. Chaves is self-explanatory. Yes, Gregor Blanco is a fan favorite and a great lift off the bench, but KC would only give us Farnsworth if we gave them Blanco. Go look at Farnsworth’s stats and youd realize that the royals are giving up way more in Ankiel and Farnsworth then the Braves are giving up in Chaves, Collins, and Blanco.

Largo

July 31st, 2010
5:09 pm

So, we got Farnsworth back again, huh. He didn’t want to be here before, plus he thinks he’s hot stuff. Giving up home runs are a specialty with him. Trading Collins was also a dumb move. Is Ankiel healthy and can he hit lefthanders? This doesn’t look like much of a trade but it was clear there wasn’t a lot out there for a team that doesn’t have the money.

BravefaninTampa

July 31st, 2010
5:09 pm

For the ones complaining about Farnsworth not doing well in big moments, he will not be our closer and maybe not even an 8th inning guy, he is a huge upgrade over Chavez. Ankiel, hopefully Wren knows what he’s doing with him. The best option would be for Nate to fix his swing in aaa and then come back in good form, moving Ankiel to the bench. Would make for an even stronger bench with Infante, conrad, and Cabrera.

Jack

July 31st, 2010
5:09 pm

I see the Frank Wren bashers have been waiting on a chance to come out of the swamp. Why don’t you just find another team to follow. You have nothing of interest to add to this blog.

We needed another right-handed power arm in the pen and Blanco was playing above his head. I like the idea Bill Shanks had on foxsportssouth.com to move Heywood to center. Understand he can play a great CF. If we did that we might have a good platoon situation in left and right with Diaz & Ankiel (righties), Henski & Melky (lefties). Just a thought, but Bobby is slow to make changes.

Bill Stanfill

July 31st, 2010
5:10 pm

Hardly a big trade but this is a solid deal for the Braves.
Farnesworth adds needed depth in the bullpen. Ankiel doesn’t solve the puzzle but strengthens the outfield pool.

Blanco was constantly in transit between Atlanta and Gwinnett, not quite good enough to stay with the major league team. Collins is intriguing but there are 8-9 better pitching prospects in the Braves’ system. Chavez hadn’t accomplished anything. And we got more some $ to top it off!

Boisebrave

July 31st, 2010
5:10 pm

Hey dlowe, he played with the KC Athletics.

Archangel

July 31st, 2010
5:10 pm

Hey dlowe, but the yanks got maris from KC. The point is where they played not where they were born.

Archangel

July 31st, 2010
5:11 pm

Not the yanks, sorry, but nevertheless.

David

July 31st, 2010
5:11 pm

For those of you who haven’t given this ANY thought. Some numbers…
3 home runs, 26 rbi’s, 99 GAMES PLAYED! That’s our current starting CF, Mr. Cabrera.
4 home runs, 15 rbi’s, 27 games played. That’s the CF we just traded for. Since coming off the DL, Ankiel has hit over .400 with 1 hr and 6 rbi’s…in a WEEK! Think about this one. At 26 rbi’s as a starter this year, just sitting Melky will be huge. Also, if you can’t tell the difference between Farnsworth and Chavez…wow. Cringing=what happens the moment any Braves fans notices Chavez is on the mound. We totally ripped off KC on this one. Wren will be vindicated….

carlchamblee

July 31st, 2010
5:12 pm

hahaha I thought Collins was the next Billy Wagner? That was the spin to justify the Escobar deal. Now of course he is “undersized”, “too small to make it”, etc.

Good luck to Blanco – he should have stayed up here in the bigs for Atlanta. But hey we need another marginal white player who had his best numbers while on the juice.

depp

July 31st, 2010
5:12 pm

People who are crying we lost gregor blanco are delusional. I don’t know if I have seen him hit a ball out of the infield. He’s fast and thats about it.

hometeamdawg

July 31st, 2010
5:12 pm

If Ankiel passes the physical and the trade goes through, he’ll surprise some folks. He’s been hurt since the summer of ‘08.

Puma

July 31st, 2010
5:12 pm

No doubt this is not the earth shattering trade I think we were hoping for, but it does add to the team. Farnsworth is a great pickup, only other dependable righty in bullpen was Moylen, and obviously Chavez not much of a loss. Ankiel is not awesome, but at least a guys who will hit one out every now and again, unlike Blanco. I must admit that I wanted to see what Blanco could do with extended playing time, I guess we’ll find out now, only he’ll be in KC…good for him though, will definitely play more.

As to Tim Collins, you got to wonder about a guy who is only 5′7″ and being a power arm. Never saw him pitch, but first thing it made me think of was arm fatigue.

All in all, team is a little bit better than yesterday.

How about JJ since coming off the DL, fantastic

dlowe

July 31st, 2010
5:13 pm

so we have to go as far back as roger maris playing in KC to prove a point….WOW

Joe

July 31st, 2010
5:13 pm

Kyle is super this year 3-0 2.42 era and will be closer if Wags has a problem. what happen in 05 was 5 years ago this is now 2010.

Good trade..we got two good players and cash for next to nothing. Thanks Wren.
Ankiel will help…

Dam Yankees

July 31st, 2010
5:13 pm

Overall good trade. If nothing else, Farnsworth will be useful if the Braves get into a brawl. He is a sraight a@@ beater! Still love the clip of him spearing Paul Wilson when he tried to charge the mound some years back.

Archangel

July 31st, 2010
5:14 pm

Who the hell cares about collins, we don’t need him!

Art

July 31st, 2010
5:14 pm

I hope Blanco makes FW realize who should have been in centerfield in the first place. They could have ate NATES money and haded some one in center that gives over a hundred percent all the time.And he is a baller.good luck Gregor

Joe

July 31st, 2010
5:15 pm

If Rolen is free agent need year we should get him. Damn good player.

JDM

July 31st, 2010
5:16 pm

Great trades – not giving up too much for a great reliever, servicable outfielder, and a good prospect who might be a good September call up – Wren has done pretty good with getting some good pieces while protecting, and loading the farm – good for the short term and long term

Kevin S

July 31st, 2010
5:17 pm

Lets face it. Ankiel is a risk and Farnsworth was the steal. Farsworth blew up in 2005 playoffs but dont forget he is not the Closer this time. He is not even the Setup man. He is a 7th inning guy along with Venters. He is also locked in for 2011 if we want to keep him.

I agreee with David that this coulld be a big steal. Ankiel is healthy and now back in the NL.

Evil Monkey

July 31st, 2010
5:18 pm

Ankiel’s may not be a huge bat, but he’s 9 for his last 20. There’s something to be said for getting a player when he’s hot.

Delbert D.

July 31st, 2010
5:19 pm

Look at it this way. In a blowout game, Ankiel can come in from the outfield to pitch without the Braves having to waste arms.

Jonathan Simeone

July 31st, 2010
5:19 pm

A team cannot function in tight games when multiple spots must be platooned. Two outfield spots will have to be platooned and by the end of the year first base may have to be a platoon as well. This team will be torn apart by teams with good left-handed pitchers–especially if they come out of the bullpen late in games. I hate to say that, but it’s true. Now that Glaus is back to being today’s version of himself this lineup is very week against lefties.

GT Fan

July 31st, 2010
5:19 pm

Wow, all these people who think Blanco was an incredible CF who should’ve been a starter must’ve just started watching the Braves this season. He hit 251 with a 675 OPS in 430 ABs in 2008 and 186 with a 488 OPS in limited ABs last year. If Schafer and McClouth hadn’t both bombed this year, he likely spends the entire year in AAA. He was great for the short time he was up this year, but he’s hardly proven that he can be a good everyday ML player.

Doctor K

July 31st, 2010
5:20 pm

How can bloggers evaulate minor league talent?

Alaska Braves Fan

July 31st, 2010
5:20 pm

I was really dubious about McClouth right out of spring training, and we need someone else out there in CF. Still, if I have to choose between Ankiel and a combo of Melky and Gregor, I’ll go with the latter. I like the hustle you get with Melky and Gregor, and they both have surprisingly good arms. Their hitting is light but consistent, and Gregor has looked as though he will to hit for a much better average than in the last couple of years. I never have felt Farnsworth would help us, in 2005 or now, and I don’t care for what I could see of his attitude. He thinks well of himself, is my impression.

Overall, Frank may have done as well as he could. Most of the possibilities just kind of melted away over the last month. Still, this trade probably won’t help us much, if any. Please, please let me be wrong, wrong, wrong!

ABF

justafan

July 31st, 2010
5:21 pm

Ankiel gets on track, Fans will love him. The man can hit with power.

Like to know players reaction to trade.

mscoast brave

July 31st, 2010
5:21 pm

Really not impressed with this trade. Glad we unloaded Chaves for Farnsworth; but Blanco for another banged up platoon player?

carlchamblee

July 31st, 2010
5:22 pm

Ankiel 252 lifetime avg, 311 lifetime obp, whiffs about once every 4 PAs, and had one year w over 20 hrs (on the juice)

coach smith

July 31st, 2010
5:22 pm

Let me get this straight….We got Farnswerth (really good reliever) and Ankiel (power potential) and we got them to take CHAVEZ??????

LOL

I wish we had gotten another power bat BUT you gotta admit that Wren did a good job on this one

JDM

July 31st, 2010
5:23 pm

here’s a link for the scouting on Wilkin Ramirez – the center field prospect

http://tigers.scout.com/a.z?s=273&p=8&c=1&nid=3674117

here’s a link to his career stats

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=ramire002wil

Jordan

July 31st, 2010
5:23 pm

LMAO. For those who think Blanco is awesome, I’m not sure why. We just got max value that we’ll ever get for him….an everyday OFer AND an everday RP. This is a GREAT deal for the Braves, I doubt we will see Blanco hitting over .290 for the rest of his career, and if he does, great for him…but I still will think we get the better end of this deal if Ankiel plays the defense we know he’s capable of AND hits .265, 20 HR, 85 RBIs over the next season.

TruthSeeker

July 31st, 2010
5:23 pm

carlchamblee, Ankiel has a career .453 slugging percentage and averaged a home run every 21.4 at-bats. That’s his value to this team.

Stuart

July 31st, 2010
5:24 pm

Blanco will be missed….

David

July 31st, 2010
5:24 pm

Yeah. I feel like I need to reiterate. OUR STARTING CENTER FIELDER HAS 26 RBI’S. 26!!!!!!!!!! How can anyone think Ankiel is a risk? A risk? Will you all really miss that amazing, Ken Griffey Jr. type run producer, Melky, when Ankiel is in center?

Joe

July 31st, 2010
5:25 pm

If Ankiel falls on his face all we lost was a player that spend most of his time going back and to to AAA.

Kevin S

July 31st, 2010
5:25 pm

@Jordan, while i like the trade, Ankiel is not an everyday OF. He hasnt been able to hit lefties for awhile. However, if he is healthy, i think he will be a steal.

ace

July 31st, 2010
5:26 pm

I like it. I’ll miss blanco but Wren did well to get them to bite on Chavez’s potential not performance. Best bullpen in baseball is better today. Cf is marginally better too.

Curious to know more about the kid from the tigers. Last time e got a kid we’d never heard of from the tigers it worked out pretty good…

Delbert D.

July 31st, 2010
5:26 pm

In the late 50s, Kansas City was essentially a farm club for the Yankees. Maris was just one of the last of the players to be moved. There is even a book about the situation:

“The Kansas City A’s and the Wrong Half of the Yankees: How the Yankees Controlled Two of the Eight American League Franchises During the 1950s”

JDM

July 31st, 2010
5:26 pm

ace – i posted a link above about ten places on wilkin ramirez

ExBraves Fan

July 31st, 2010
5:27 pm

OH, GOODIE!!!!!!!!!! ANOTHER HITTER THAT STRIKES OUT EVER OTHER AT BAT!!!! What a rally killer this guy will be along with all the other strikeout specialists the Braves have. He will fit right in on the swing and miss Troy Glaus crowd!!! I bet the Phillies are rolling on the floor laughing. THEY KNOW they can run off and hide in this division now that the Braves have done nothing too solve the bat problem them have. Farns is a positive IF, IF he continues too pitch up too the 2.52 ERA he has thus far this year. Ankle, yes ankle, will be hobbled by his inability to hit. I predict a .225-.238 ave as a Brave, maybe 4 to 7 HRs and 10-14 RBI the rest of the way. NOTHING Gained! Nothing.

ubah

July 31st, 2010
5:27 pm

Just read this comment in a similar section on Kansas City Star site, “At least Kyle and Rick should be happy to be back with a major league team.” Big Blue fans are brutal!

Joe

July 31st, 2010
5:27 pm

David -Milkey is hitting 298 since May 10th. Thats a fact.

Robert

July 31st, 2010
5:27 pm

Farnsworth will be a good addition but I can’t see giving up anything for Ankiel. I really hope that Wren thinks another career .250 hitter is what this team needed. And Ankiel plays a better center than Blanco? Has a higher OB%? What a joke. We gave up way too much for the return. We could have gotten Qualls for nothing if all we wanted a pitcher. I just don’t get it. Wren doesn’t seem to get creative on any deals. Some of the player movement over the last couple of days and the creativity of the deals makes me wonder where our GM has been.
Those of you that think Collins can’t pitch in the majors because he’s 5′7″? Ask Wagner, Oswalt, Cueto, etc their thoughts on short pitchers. He’s a relieve pitcher that throws 95+. Ability people.
And for all the people that continue to support the moves Wren has made, lets not forget this was the same man that offered the world for Peavy. The Padre’s nixed that deal. We’ll see of Ankiel gets us to the dance. Doubt it.

AdirondackDave

July 31st, 2010
5:27 pm

I don’t know about Ankiel and Farnsworth but I’m afraid pinkies and thumbs are going to do us in this year.

JDM

July 31st, 2010
5:28 pm

i hope the phillies laugh until Ankiel goes yard on them

JDM

July 31st, 2010
5:28 pm

i’d sure like to see ryan howard charge farnsworth

sgebraves

July 31st, 2010
5:28 pm

Why is everybody so high on Blanco all of a sudden? He’s a 4th OF at best, still I’m not sure about the trade. It’s a win now trade for sure but I would rather have gotten a right handed bat. Picking up Farnsworth is good I don’t see him pitching in key situations like in 05. He’s probably a 6th inning guy on this team. I hate to see Collins go, saw him pitch in AA the other night and he was flat out nasty.

Clint

July 31st, 2010
5:28 pm

I can’t believe DOB puts down Tim Collins by calling him “undersized”. I guess I didn’t know you need to be 7′ tall and 300# to get people out. This trade is bad news. If Ankiel is a “power bat”, then DOB is Grantland Rice. Power bat? POWER BAT? My God.

Farnsworth has a fastball and that is all. He is a thrower, not a pitcher. He has pretty much disappointed everywhere he’s been.

The key to this trade was the Royals getting Collins, a wunderkind who we shall hear from again, traded for two mediocre guys who have no future with this ballclub. Lousy trade.

JDM

July 31st, 2010
5:28 pm

not really – but wow – that’d be like a heavy weight mma fight

Clay

July 31st, 2010
5:29 pm

Good trade. Farnsworth helps make us the best bullpen in the league now. Ankiel is not a superstar, but apparently too much was being asked for to get a Corey Hart or Josh Willingham. Ankiel is better than McLouth or Melky, and Farnsworth is about 10 times better than Chavez. Plus we got cash. Plus the options next year are good ones if we want to exercise them. I like Tim Collins’s numbers, but it’s hard to get upset about a guy I didn’t even know two weeks ago. Thank goodness we didn’t trade away Medlen, Vizcaino, or someone similar for a two-month rental.

Good job, Frank Wren.

carlchamblee

July 31st, 2010
5:30 pm

Keep seeking truth, truthseeker. Value? A hacker who doesn’t get on base and very occasionally between strikeouts manages to connect? A proven cheat whose numbers have been downward post steroid era?

When this team has succeeded this year its because they value good smart at bats and manufacturing runs. Blanco was fitting in nicely and played very well during the Braves hottest run this season. THAT was proven value. Not sitting around waiting for a hacker to hit one out.

GT Fan

July 31st, 2010
5:30 pm

ExBraves Fan – Good riddance. Don’t let the door hit you in the rear on the way out.

Kevin S

July 31st, 2010
5:31 pm

@ExBravesfan, im glad you put ex next to your name. If you are that negative then go run and hide. How can you not expect Farnsworth to continue his great numbers, he pitched awesome for the braves the first time around except in the playoffs.

Ankiel when is healthy is a 20 hr guy and good defense. He just came off the DL and is now batting .400.

Once he starts hitting, keep the Ex next to your name, we dont need fair weather braves fans like that.

Marc in FL

July 31st, 2010
5:31 pm

In this new era of baseball HR numbers are a secondary stat. Fundamental players will be the high commodity. Blanco was worth more than Ankeil.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
5:31 pm

Negative Nancies- we gave up NOTHING in this trade. Why are you whining. This team is better than it was 2 hours ago.

JDM

July 31st, 2010
5:33 pm

DOB – what are the scouts telling you about the Ramirez kid?

Mr. Melancholy

July 31st, 2010
5:33 pm

It’s hard to see how McClouth might fit in with Ankiel on the roster. He’s making to much money to stay in the minors. They are not going to keep him there. Maybe Hinskie takes over at 1b against righties, while Glaus sits. Diaz needs to play more, so does Omar.

carlchamblee

July 31st, 2010
5:34 pm

Clint – Collins is now dismissed and called undersized because when a player leaves the Braves they must be ripped apart to justify these shaky trades. The directive comes from the Braves front office and the lapdog media and uninformed fans oblige.

siskel_god

July 31st, 2010
5:35 pm

I wanted us to sign Ankiel this past offseason, I thought he could be a solid platoon guy and a decent insurance policy in case Heyward struggled but now it really is hard to get excited about this deal, I was really liking the numbers Collins was putting up. I think Ankiel could be good and probably will be decent but it would have been nice to get a guy who was having a dynamite season that could come in and give us some energy. I do think both guys will fit in with the clubhouse perfectly, but if we were gonna get a third tier outfielder I wish we woulda pushed a little harder for Jim Edmonds he probably would have cost us significantly less.

TruthSeeker

July 31st, 2010
5:37 pm

Robert, I’m not saying it’s impossible for Collins to make the major leagues at his height, but the odds are very much against him. You mentioned Oswalt and Cueto. They’re 6′0 and 5′10 respectively. There’s a big difference between even 5′10 and 5′7. That’s three extra inches of downward movement coming to home plate that Cueto has. As for Wagner, Billy’s a physical freak. He’s thrown 98+ his whole career with a devastating slider. And even Billy’s got two inches on Collins.

It’s simple logic. The higher a plane you’re throwing from, the more of an advantage you have over a hitter. There’s a reason they lowered the mounds after 1968 when pitchers were too dominant. I don’t want to get into a geometry lesson here, but if you’re throwing on a flat plane to major league hitters you better have overpowering stuff or you’re going to get crushed. I know Collins has good stuff, but I don’t know if it’s good enough to make up for the serious disadvantage he’s pitching from at 5 feet, 7 inches.

Mr. Melancholy

July 31st, 2010
5:38 pm

Glaus needs to switch to slow pitch softball. He has the swing and foot speed to excel.

JDM

July 31st, 2010
5:38 pm

Really – are you guys that upset about collins? we have a ton of pitching in the minors – ton – this isn’t like giving what we gave for tex – i liked Blanco and I’ll still root for him, but wren addressed some areas by giving up a fan favorite, a mediocre reliever, and a decent prospect and getting a decnt prospect from detroit – plus collins was part of the escobar deal – he wasn’t part of our system

WTF?

July 31st, 2010
5:39 pm

Would love to have seen them take Nate McLouth instead. Heck, even Kawakami for that matter. HATE us losing Blaco. NOT happy about this one at all.

Dixienorth

July 31st, 2010
5:39 pm

Collins is a lefthanded pitcher who consistently K’s twice as many batters as he walks … physical size in baseball is totally irrelevant. He was a very good prospect … I would have thought he would bring a better price. You don’t just throw away left handers, no matter how many starters you have on the major league roster (which are, by the way, all right handed).

Well, we’ll see … Farnsworth is certainly an upgrade over Chavez, and Ankiel is potentially a nice fit, but he’s been hurt a long time. I hate losing Collins, though. We’re going to regret that one.

Time

July 31st, 2010
5:39 pm

Nice move in a bad trade market for the Braves. When the Brewers took Corey Hart off the table, that should have ended any thought of a major Braves move. He was the only player that fit the need and was worthy of spending big to acquire. So in a market where scraps were the best that we could get, this is a good move.

But this deal is a classic something for nothing move where we can’t really lose. Ankiel has a little power and has been hitting since returning from injury. Farnsworth adds to the bullpen depth. Can never have too much depth there.

tim

July 31st, 2010
5:39 pm

WHAT A LAME ASS TRADE WE ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING. RICK ANKIEL REALLY WREN EXPECT HIM TO SUDDENLY TURN INTO DALE MURHPHY OR SOMETHING. SEEMS TO ME WE HAVE A BOAT LOAD OF OUTFIELDERS JUST LIKE HIM. ITS BEEN FUN AND I AM GLAD THEY HAVE BEEN COMPETITVE BUT IT IS COMING TO A HALT. PLEASE SELL THIS TEAM TO SOMEONE WHO WILL GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ITS FANS.

Yoda

July 31st, 2010
5:40 pm

KC got the better of this….they get a runt who throws 96mph and will be starting in Majors late next year…we get the Cards old wild thing….1 Question..Can Chipper hit anything other than singles and question 2…Does Troy Delouse even open his eyes when batting….Inquiring Minds would like to know!

Marc in FL

July 31st, 2010
5:41 pm

I just don’t see why we needed yet another platoon player and middle reliever. Our need was about as glaring as you could get. We needed a RH bat with some pop, and instead got a LH bat to hang out with Chipper on the DL and another middle relief guy. I just don’t get it.

David

July 31st, 2010
5:41 pm

Hey Joe. I appreciate that he’s hitting .298 since May 10th. I really do. It’s WAAYY better than McLouth. BUT….he has 18 rbi’s in that span, with stretches of 7 and 11 games without any runs batted in. He is not a run producer. He may hit close to .300, but runs are not frequently scored as a result of his insertion into the lineup. Sorry. For what it’s worth, I appreciate some of the outfield assists he’s had. Those have been big…

happybravesfan

July 31st, 2010
5:41 pm

This trade is probably the best thing the Braves could have done for Blanco. They just couldn’t (for whatever reason) give him the playing time he deserved and KC most likely can and will.

Boisebrave

July 31st, 2010
5:42 pm

Painful to watch Glaus. He and Gonzo got no mogo.

bobby

July 31st, 2010
5:42 pm

Smoke and mirrors with no real change for the team. This was a trade to make Braves fans think that ownership cared about the team. When you look at the players involved, its clear that they don’t. I’d rather have Blanco as a 4th outfielder than Ankiel.

taxman kenneth

July 31st, 2010
5:43 pm

I am not sure about this trade. Blanco done a good job for the braves when he played and could run the bases. I don’t know!

Boisebrave

July 31st, 2010
5:44 pm

All the “expert” baseball people on here but the MLB mavens say we got the better end of this deal.

Alberto

July 31st, 2010
5:45 pm

Great. Ankiel comes in as the 5th best outfielder on the team, hitting worse than Diaz, Cabrerra, Hinske, and Heyward and Farnsworth comes in as the 5th best reliever on the team, inferior to Wagner, Saito, Venters, and Moylan. Both are in their thirties. For that we lose a solid player who was batting 300 in the bigs, played excellent defense, had some speed, and had a good looking swing AND was in his 20s. The Braves need to learn that just because it’s the trade deadline doesn’t mean you HAVE to make a trade.

Yoda

July 31st, 2010
5:45 pm

Me thinks Boisebrave has been breathing way too much clean air!

carlchamblee

July 31st, 2010
5:46 pm

Exactly Tim – we have a boatload of 4th outfielders. Heyward is the only one who would start on any other contending team. At least Blanco was contributing and helping the team win games and his reward was demotion for McOut and then a trade.

Ankiel is a marginal player – 4th OFer at best.

DawgDad

July 31st, 2010
5:46 pm

Adding Farnsworth is an obviously astute move. Ankiel could prove to be a sleeper; if healthy he adds desparately needed right handed pop, he can play center field (though he’s not going to be confused with any gold glovers), and he can come of the bench as a pinch hitter. Certainly an upgrade over Clevlen.

I’m a bit disappointed there wasn;t a long-term focused solution for center field and/or a first baseman. I still think they should bring up Freeman and ease the load on Glaus. But these are solid additions and we still have all the hot pitching prospects.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
5:46 pm

if you’d rather have Blanco than Ankiel, you’re either A) stubborn or B) don’t know baseball

rico43

July 31st, 2010
5:48 pm

Blanco = selling high
Ankiel = buying low

Farnsworth = buying high
Chavez = selling low

Even trade!

Art

July 31st, 2010
5:48 pm

you can win alot of games with people like Blanco,who always seem to get the big hit , and not leaveing runners on base or getting on base for the big guns.The Braves leave alot of runners on base.Glaus go with the pitch ,stop trying to pull everything

Largo

July 31st, 2010
5:50 pm

To Braves players – Please do not speak to Farnsworth unless he speaks to you first. Also, do not be surprised when he appears on the mound wearing a Cape. He is, after all, immortal. Just ask him.

A.T.

July 31st, 2010
5:52 pm

Great so now we are okay with picking up a steroid user in Ankiel to win a few more games? Sad.

TruthSeeker

July 31st, 2010
5:52 pm

Some of you guys crack me up. Blanco had 58 at-bats for the big club this year. He’s spent the majority of this season in Gwinnett. Yet to hear some of you talk about him you’d think we were losing an everyday player.

Blanco did some nice things, but come on, the guy is a very limited offensive player. He’s a .252 career ML hitter with absolutely no power. He draws walks, but that’s about the extent of his offensive value. Sorry, I just am not going to lose any sleep over losing him.

Lucky Luciano

July 31st, 2010
5:52 pm

don’t know what people are so upset about. We got a much better reliever in Farns over Chavez. Collins yeah he’s lit up the minors and will probably be awesome ok but the Braves have a ton of pitching in the minors..and Anks could add some power that we have lacked from center. Not a bad trade at all. Blanco did a great job for us in his call-up this year, but he’s ont worth crying over

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
5:52 pm

Largo- I’m sure they’re reading this

doubled

July 31st, 2010
5:52 pm

Blanco was well liked from most indications.Farnsworth should be a plus,and could give Venters some rest,and save his arm.Thumbs up

Plate Appearance

July 31st, 2010
5:53 pm

THE COLLINS FACTOR

I don’t think the fans realize how much the Braves gave up with Collins.

He has dominated at every level where he’s pitched, including AA this year, according to Keith Law at ESPN — and has three solid pitches.

But what still bothers me the most is the Escobar for Gonzalez trade. This is a Doyle Alexander for John Smoltz kind of a trade — with Atlanta on the short end of the deal.

Yunel was so clutch for the Braves last year — even being voted the 20th best player in the NL in last years MVP balloting.

Gonzalez is a journeyman SS, who benefited from a hitter friendly park in Toronto — and has yet to show any real production for Atlanta. An absolutely terrible trade!

jerry

July 31st, 2010
5:53 pm

It seems like the people who don’t like the trade wanted a 30-35 homer man. The Braves ain’t the Yankees, folks.

Smitty

July 31st, 2010
5:54 pm

Can somebody please explain Chipper’s problem to me. What has really happened to his batting? he doesn’t look like he sees the ball very well and he doesn’t seem to get good swings at the pitches that he does see. Is it speed? what? I know its not attitude or desire.

Largo

July 31st, 2010
5:54 pm

DawgDad – Maybe I missed something here. How can a left handed batter give us some right handed pop?

Frank Wren

July 31st, 2010
5:54 pm

Calm down Tim……For this yaer Farnsworth is better than Chavez…..Ankeil is the x factor…we will just have to wait and see about

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
5:54 pm

Smoltz wasn’t 27 when he came to the Braves…and nobody ever questioned his effort

kirkinga

July 31st, 2010
5:56 pm

If Blanco or Collins turn out to be All Stars then there will be reason to complain, otherwise, the Braves gave up next to nothing to acquire some depth. Chavez is addition by subtraction, and for all the power lovers, Ankiel has more power and a better arm than Blanco and just as much speed.

Too early to grade the trade, but it certainly is a + on paper.

Lucky Luciano

July 31st, 2010
5:57 pm

plate appearance=box of rocks…you are utter nonsense plate have you ever watched a game?

Disappointed in clueless fans

July 31st, 2010
5:58 pm

I can’t believe the reaction to this trade. Gregor Blanco has absolutely no power.Nobody can afford an outfielder that at best hits 2 to 3 home runs per year. Ankiel is a better outfielder than Blanco. We can only hope Ankiel continues to return to form at the plate. Farnsworth is a huge improvement over Chavez. Unfortunately Atlanta fans prove clueless yet again. Does anybody follow baseball?

FW

July 31st, 2010
5:58 pm

Stupid Trade.

Lucky Luciano

July 31st, 2010
5:58 pm

Yunel was so clutch for the Braves last year and they finished in 3rd place in the east Plate, you silly simpleton….This year what did he do…ummm nothing and we are in 1st place…get a clue plate. Watch some games and learn the game of baseball

Marc in FL

July 31st, 2010
5:59 pm

We’ll see over the rest of the season how this trade works out. I don’t think it made us any worse, but I don’t think it really made us that much better.

The real wild card isn’t one of the guys we got. Ankiel will around .250-.260 the rest of the season with 5-6 HRs, IF he stays healthy. Farns is an above average middle reliever and should be solid for us. The real wild card though is Glaus, he’s the only serious HR threat on this team, the only guy remotly close to a real clean-up hitter. He has to start performing again.

DawgDad

July 31st, 2010
5:59 pm

Largo: Yes, I realize Ankiel is left handed. Slow day mentally.

ReddJonn68

July 31st, 2010
6:02 pm

Not riding Blanco’s jock, but if anybody deserves to be in KC it’s McLouth. As for Ankiel its hard to hit homers when they’ve taken your medicine away. Farnsworth is no better than Collins ( if Booby would have given the kid a chance ) there is nothing wrong with picking up experience, but you need to keep the future contributors around long enough to help J-Hey down the line.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:05 pm

farnsworth is no better tha collins? This is based on AA numbers?

Yoda

July 31st, 2010
6:05 pm

This looks like another great Braves trade…remember trading Justice (I still get gas thinking about that trade), the Wainwright for Drew deal (laRussa still laughing at Cox for that), the Texiera bomb…yes sir looking good, traded real talent for a reliever even the Cubbies didn’t want and a converted pitcher/outfielder who the cards realized years ago wasn’t gonna be gravy….yes sir Wren is starting to make moves like Schurholz…Lord help us!

BravesFan79

July 31st, 2010
6:06 pm

I like Ankiel, he plays with heart, has good speed in the outfield, and is a streaky power hitter. I dont like Farnsworth…. last game of 2005…. i was hoping to never see him in a Braves uniform again.
I dont like us giving up that Collins kid, dude has some great numbers, and “undersized” would also apply to many of the greatest pitchers of all time. Pedro Martinez, the Giants ace, etc.

Ankiel did steroids..

July 31st, 2010
6:06 pm

…therefore he was and always will be a cheater.

Grandpa Right, formerly of Cochran

July 31st, 2010
6:07 pm

Farnsworth is a big upgrade over Chavez and Ankiel is better than any center fielder we have. We gave up nothing. Not earthshaking but a solid trade.

Blanco was better than McLouth but will never be an everyday player. I wo9nder if KC would take McLouth if we paid all of his salary? That would remove Cox’s temptation to bring him back up and play him.

rob

July 31st, 2010
6:08 pm

why is bobby letting JJ continue – double single single – tie game and he is still in game WTF man come one

bigstack19

July 31st, 2010
6:08 pm

They get rid of Chavez which is great, but they traded the only player with speed they have which was stupid. All in all I think it was a dumb trade. Farnsworth always wilts under pressure and Ankiel isn’t that good and seems to be hurt a lot lately. Blanco would have been better than Ankiel. They still need a bat in the lineup and hopefully they get one in August. They got LaRoche last year so there is still hope but I feel they made the team worse by getting rid of Blanco.

Brian

July 31st, 2010
6:09 pm

I love the Braves…………this is a typical “Braves” deal!

rbg420

July 31st, 2010
6:09 pm

great trade in my opinion….Blanco had a decent run with us this year but as a defensive outfielder he is not much better then johnny damon or garrett anderson….So to get ankeil is great…then to get rid of chavez for farnsworth is great!people are talking about him in as a closer but he will probably pitch behind moylan,venters,wagner.

robz747

July 31st, 2010
6:09 pm

Ankiel’s stats BA/OPS vs. Right Handed Pitchers 302/960

We all know that Diaz kill’s LHP

Melky is even against both and has quietly become a very good hitter for this team (.292 avg last 30 games)

Omar can get some time in this platoon as well esp vs LHP

Only problem I have with this trade is that wondering why we didnt go get Posednik like the Dodgers did rather than Ankiel and add some serious speed on this team – for some reason the Braves upper management is afraid of speed guys it seems

Plate Appearance

July 31st, 2010
6:11 pm

REAL OUTFIELD PRODUCTION

Had the Braves truly wanted some OF production they should have traded for Ryan Ludwick in RF and shifted Heywood to CF.

I couldn’t believe it when I saw that Ludwick was traded to the Padres. Who knew that Ludwick was even available?

Where was Wren on this potential deal?

davedawg96

July 31st, 2010
6:11 pm

Solid trade. Are the 2010 Atlanta Braves a better team after making this trade? Absolutely.

Greene Hornet

July 31st, 2010
6:11 pm

Folks seem to be upset about the trades. I understand everyone can voice their opinion and I respect that. However, all the cursing, name calling, etc about the trade seems kinda sophmoric as that if you think Wren is such an “idiot”, why was everyone sounding his praises when Glaus was excelling? Why was everyone all happy when the Braves were winning consistently? I don’t know if the trade will pan out. I hope it does. If it doesn’t, well, I guess there’s always football season. I want my Bravos to be champs every year too, but I have no control over that and this isn’t politics. We can’t “fire” Wren or anyone else. Leave the name calling and venom out, voice your opinion, and move on folks. Quoting the great Forrest Gump, “That’s all I got to say ’bout that…”

truth

July 31st, 2010
6:13 pm

Coulda been worse, at least we dont have an injured Johnny Damon on our roster. McClouth actually replaces Blanco in that he isn’t going anywhere, he is still good defensively and he has potential power if he can get his hitting back in AAA. Ankiel is a cheap stop gap who excelled when he was in the NL with a competitive team. His numbers actually are pretty good with only playing 27 games this year. I think the move def can help especially since the Phillies have 2 dominate right hand pitchers now. We need some left handed consistent slugging. Glaus needs to start hitting again and Prado needs to get healthy cuz they are key yo this team thriving

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:13 pm

Great play MELKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

feeanch

July 31st, 2010
6:13 pm

I bet Ankiel could throw the ball to the cutoff man though…

GTSteve

July 31st, 2010
6:13 pm

If you want people to read your post, don’t start with anything negative about the Yunel trade….nobody will read the rest, because that proves that you have not watched much baseball this year.

Marc in FL

July 31st, 2010
6:14 pm

lol Melky, probably worst play of 2010

Supa Steve

July 31st, 2010
6:14 pm

I like that we got Farnsworth. I don’t like that we got Ankiel. I like that we got rid of Chavez, but I HATE that we had to give up Blanco, who is much more serviceable than Ankiel.

I heard reports about Jacoby Ellsbury. WTF happened to that? That would have been WAY better. This almost is a worthless trade.

A-Ville Ranger

July 31st, 2010
6:15 pm

Left him in two batters too long.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:15 pm

Yankees thoughts….Melky or Gardner?….hmmm

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:15 pm

At least we are getting a CF with a great arm.

BravesFan79

July 31st, 2010
6:15 pm

Hmmm… why didnt someone tell Jurrjens that dude is hitting .500!!!!!!!!! with men on base!!??? And the throw by Melky… wow…

Vino Fino

July 31st, 2010
6:16 pm

What the heck just happened there? Where did that throw go? Wow!

Kevin Millar is an idiot and doesn’t belong on a national broadcast.

All in all, I think the trade is fine. A very small net positive for the Braves without giving up anything significant given they were clearly not going to give Blanco a shot. Certainly not a difference making deal, though.

StingerSplash

July 31st, 2010
6:16 pm

Why is it for every good thing Melky Cabrera does he makes up for it with something really, really bad?

Richard

July 31st, 2010
6:16 pm

Leave it to booby cox to leave JJ in. Stupidest manager in the history of baseball. Guy gets beaned by a pitch the inning b4 and he leaves him in. So sick of this guy. So glad this is his last year.

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:16 pm

Well, JJ threw a nice change to him that the blind umpire did’nt give him.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:16 pm

Steve- Ellsbury would’ve cost us waaay more than Ankiel. If we’d gotten Ellsbury people (maybe ven you) would be whining that we gave up too much.

Bama brave

July 31st, 2010
6:16 pm

where doomed with melky lol

Marc in FL

July 31st, 2010
6:17 pm

Ellsbury would have been worth giving up a lot for though – that’s the difference.

Chief Nock A Homa

July 31st, 2010
6:17 pm

This was a trade for Farnsworth, and Ankiel is just a throw in to give us another outfielder… Hopefully, though, Ankiel continues his recent groove since he’s been back… At least it gives us more depth is how I’m looking at it and we didn’t give up much of anything to get another arm and some depth…

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:17 pm

I just hope we plunk their starting pitcher tomorrow.

StingerSplash

July 31st, 2010
6:18 pm

A lot of questions in the Boston clubhouse about Ellsbury’s mental makeup. A lot of questions.
Sox also just traded for Saltalamacchia and have DFA’d Wheeler High’s Jeremy Hermida.
I watch a lot of Sox games, and Hermida looked clueless at the plate and lost in the outfield.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:18 pm

I’m not so sure Marc. I like Ellsbury too but not at the expense of someone like Minor.

rob

July 31st, 2010
6:18 pm

Another loss that can be blamed on Cox and wren. How do you leave JJ in that whole inning. And Wren for not giving us a real bat – 2 runs in first and thats it. We are toast our lineup sucks

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:18 pm

If you’re going to put Moylan in why did’nt you do it one batter before?

Richard

July 31st, 2010
6:19 pm

Nice defense! Pathetic

Rick Ankiel

July 31st, 2010
6:19 pm

So what’s the best place in the ATL for steroids? That’s how I roll you know!

Scott

July 31st, 2010
6:20 pm

How about how bad the Yunel trade has been so far.

Marc in FL

July 31st, 2010
6:21 pm

Minor is a future number 3 starter, I’d give him up for Ellsbury without hesitation, especially when we have several front of the rotation guys in the minors. Ellsbury is on the DL right now, but he is an elite base stealer, great defender, and good with the bat. He’s the real deal. Ankiel will do OK for us, but he’s not going to bring any kind of energy like Ellsbury.

Anyway, it’s done, I need to let it go and laugh at Melky some more on my DVR.

Richard

July 31st, 2010
6:21 pm

kerryb
Because booby cox is a moron.

Remembering 1991

July 31st, 2010
6:22 pm

All I have to say about the Braves trade is: ho hum. Shouldn’t have given up Blanco (he actually should not have been sent down to bring back McLouth, but you guys already know that).

Re this game: as usual, Bobby keeps in a starter for too long. When will he learn we have none that can go even close to the distance anymore?

Richard

July 31st, 2010
6:23 pm

Don’t blame melky. Blame booby for not changing pitchers and wren for acquiring him in the first place.

BravesFan79

July 31st, 2010
6:23 pm

GTSteve: I coulda told you a month ago that Escobar was a better 2nd half player. I fully expected him to hit .320 or better after the All Star break. He is hitting .357 with the Jays so far, time will tell that i was right about not trading Escobar. What has our new SS done for us? Sure as hell havent seen him on base alot. And OBP is what got us our great record in the first half of the season.

crabapplejoe

July 31st, 2010
6:24 pm

Not a great trade…not a bad trade. But leave it to the AJC to fail to mention (in two separate articles) that Kyle Farnsworth is a local product of Milton High School. I don’t think the AJC ever pointed out that the guy who recovered the opening second half on-side kick in the SuperBowl for the Saints was a product of Roswell High….Chris Reis. That play totally changed the momentum of the game in favor of the Saints. C’mon AJC give some props to our local talent.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:26 pm

I’m sure in farnsworth’s first stint with us that it was mentioned.

chris

July 31st, 2010
6:26 pm

The Braves have hit terrible against Left Handed Pitching so we go out and get a Left Handed Hitter?? Plus he’s missed most of season with an injury. Frank Wren is hoping to pull a Rabbit out of the hat with this move.

Chillahill43

July 31st, 2010
6:26 pm

Why couldnt Glause have been involvef. He really sux again

labo1

July 31st, 2010
6:27 pm

I think we all need to calm down about Farnsworth being not so good in pressure spots… he’s not gonna be put in pressure spots this year. He’s not going to jump in front of Venters or Moylan, but I certainly feel more comfortable with him than Chavez in those extra innings games after we’ve used our top guys…

ShaunC

July 31st, 2010
6:27 pm

We better fill that gaping hole of a 5 spot internally. My god, if we can’t get these baserunners in, we can’t win.

Oh, and Melky’s throw… reminded me of one of Ankiel’s pitches.

Bob Horner @ Scott

July 31st, 2010
6:27 pm

I think he must have been “hated” in the clubhouse..???? that trade stinks…Yunel was a freak at SS…and his lack of hitting was no problem for me…(as I sit in lazy boy watching the game drinking beers)

Eric Goldberg

July 31st, 2010
6:27 pm

Is Ankiel any every day player or a platoon outfielder? Is his primary position centerfield.

Does this mean he’ll be the every day center fielder, creating a three-way platoon in left field — Melky, Hinske and Diaz?

DOB, given Glaus’ struggles, how long before Bobby starts inserting Hinske at first against right handed pitching.

ReddJonn68

July 31st, 2010
6:27 pm

Well I thought knowing one the best hitters on the Reds is at bat was Booby’s job, oh well dang did Melky stay out partying late last night. I know he’s heard about the trade, way to fight for a job in a shotty outfield Melky !!! Is just me or did the FOX sportscasters call JJ last 6 pitches before lightning struck, same old Braves unpredictable. OOPS I’m sorry this is still Booby’s team

ijudgenot

July 31st, 2010
6:28 pm

I know JJ will get the blame for the 7 straight hits but the Braves catchers are not very good at calling games. they do not setup hitters, they just sit on outside of plate or in the middle. The hitters know they will not be brushed back so they hang over the plate and rake the ball. McCann and Ross act like the pitchers can’t throw inside off the plate without missing and letting hitter pull the ball into the seats.

Yoda

July 31st, 2010
6:30 pm

Put a fork in em for this game…..maybe Chumper’s can figure out how to hit the Baseball tomorrow.

ET

July 31st, 2010
6:31 pm

I don’t like this trade. Trading away 5 players for Texeria might come back to bite us in the but, especially the Nefi Feliz pitcher guy. I think he could become a great closer some day. Oh wait that isn’t the trade we are talking about?

northbeach Scott

July 31st, 2010
6:32 pm

What part of it was never going to happen for Escobar in ATL do you folks not understand. Did you see the puss on his face and his antics? He was done (his choice) and had to go. It has been a pleasure having Alex at SS. He is obviously trying to hard, but that often happens with someone new. Gonzalez will be fine.

No matter what Yunel does in the coming weeks, he will revert to the true Yunel–malcontent, self-absorbed, bad teammate player he was in Atlanta. Just like with Francoeur (different issues-same result) talk to me in July 2011 about Yunel. Was never going to happen in ATL.

The Ankiel trade has some upside for some extra parts. At the very leasts this is neutral, but what if Ankiel goes wild and Farmsworth throws like it is 2005?

feeanch

July 31st, 2010
6:32 pm

Prediction–Fat Boy Glaus hits soft roller into ending inning double play…hope I am wrong

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:33 pm

northbeach Scott- I keed hoping if I ignore the Escobrat posts, they will end. They just don’t get it.

Tim

July 31st, 2010
6:34 pm

stupid trade giving up Blanco for Ankiel. Ankiel only has 4 hrs. Farnsworth for Chavez is probably a wash.

ReddJonn68

July 31st, 2010
6:34 pm

Well Jesse Stone if it were not for a decent spring J-Hey would still be on the farm, if not for Chipper & Hank joining the bandwagon. Booby is still in charge of every move made below him. I say Collins is gonna come back to haunt us.

StingerSplash

July 31st, 2010
6:35 pm

Yunel needed a change of venue. He needed to go, and the Braves needed him to go. There’s no guarantee his hot streak in Toronto would have occurred in a Braves uniform.
Besides, since the trade, the Blue Jays have had nine games against the Orioles and Royals.
I’m just glad the Braves were able to get anything at all in return for Gas Can.

1eyedJack

July 31st, 2010
6:35 pm

The playoffs are about pitching and the Braves are still susceptable to left-handed pitching. Come to think of it…there’s plenty of left-handed pitching in the NL East they’ll have to navigate first.

Loved Blanco…great heart, good kid. We need power if we can’t play small ball.

Chavez for Farnsworth…thank you Drayton.

Collins, we’ll, I don’t think height precludes one from throwing the ball over the plate, and 96mph, he’s got to be freaky. Sorry kid, we hardly knew ya.

come on bobby

July 31st, 2010
6:35 pm

Like someone said The bad call by ump. The Mgr not getting JJ out of game in time. Milkey’s was just a slip, it happens.
Ist base is a BIG DAMN PROBLEM…Bring Up Freeman!

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:35 pm

Yeah, no other GM or scout in baseball would’ve traded Blanco for Ankiel, right? Sarcasm off.

Nick Blase

July 31st, 2010
6:36 pm

How many games does Bobby Cox have to give away from GROSS mishadling of pitchers before the fans just stop coming. This has been going on for years!! The Braves have a great team that is being choked by a manager who should be a spectator. A retard could see JJ was getting pelted today. His pitches had flattened out. Obviously, neither McDowell or Bobby could see it. Can we please get a manager who is not just a “nice guy”, but is ready to take a great team to the “Big Dance”, cause it ain’t Bobby!!! Merry Christmas, Cincy, Philly and St Louis. The braves are giving you all early gifts by getting out of your way, since Bobby is taking them to the sewer!!!

David O'Brien

July 31st, 2010
6:36 pm

Some of you have asked about what the scouts are telling me on the youngster we got from Detroit…I am having trouble with the wifi here at thr Vortex and cant get to Rosenthals or MLBTraderumors or even Bill Shanks website so ill have to get back to you. I am due a few days off here Monday so I will try and track some stuff down after I catch a show next week.

Rhino

July 31st, 2010
6:36 pm

Hopefully Farnsworth pitches like he did the last time he was in Atlanta.

http://www.rhinorant.com

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:36 pm

Listening to Thom Breneman, who is a Reds announcer, you would think the Reds had all the best players and is the best team ever in baseball.

TheAntiMe

July 31st, 2010
6:36 pm

Troy Glaus just really effin sucks. It’s like only getting two outs (or even one out) when Glaus is scheduled to hit in an inning. He sucks at 1B too. I can’t even stand the sight of him anymore un less he is on the bench.

BravesFan79

July 31st, 2010
6:38 pm

Ankieldidroids: Arent there more than enough people in sports to hate. I mean you got Pacman Jones, Vick, Josh Howard “we all know blacks dont do the pledge of allegiance, screw America”
Travis Henry and his 11 kid by 11 women “but judge i done spent all my $ on ice so no i kant do no child support” Out of all the athletes that are truly scumbags… you pick on someone that possibly did roids to come back from a serious injury so he could pitch again. You never heard Ankiel throw teammates under the bus, beat women, womanize, spread diseases like AIDS like the ex NFL players, no… hes a good guy, and a great guy to have in the clubhouse. But i guess you gotta find something to be negative about huh?

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:38 pm

ReddJohn- Do you really think Heyward would still be on the farm now? or is that just a retarded statement you made to fit your argument?

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:38 pm

What would it hurt for the Braves to give Freddie Freeman a try? He could’nt do any worse than Troy Glaus. Right now he is about the most pathetic player in MLB. Flashed real quick in May but has burned out with bad knees.

Andy

July 31st, 2010
6:39 pm

Folks, this is a great trade for the Braves. Ankiel was a starting OF for the Cardinals just two years back and can stroke the ball. We got him for a fourth OF that was really a AAA outfielder and a minor league pitcher that is a wild card but will probably stay in the minors. Getting Farnsworth for Chavez means we definitely got the better end of this trade. Farnsworth is a great reliever that we will need down the stretch. The only weak reliever we have now is KK. He will be used when the starters have a bad day as a long middle reliever and that’s it.

StingerSplash

July 31st, 2010
6:39 pm

Glaus is in serious need of a day off.

Harrison Coburn

July 31st, 2010
6:40 pm

This is a good trade by far for the Braves, no question. Yea, maybe Farnsworth had a bad game in the NLCS, but closers blow saves. Not only that he is not our closer! He is a great middle releiver who has posted a great ERA, and he completes the Braves bullpen filling in that joke they call Jesse Chavez. And with O’ Flaherty sick as hell, we need some bullpen depth. Ankiel might not be the best option but he has been red hot since July 22, and he had a phenomenal 2008 season, in only 120 games. If he stays healthy he will helo this team dramatically, especially with the health problems our outfield has had this year. Be honest whooo would you rather have on the hill this NLCS, Chavez or Farnsworth. NO Question. And both players have contract options for next year. Also we acquired the 8th best prospect in the Tigers system, who could very much affect the future of the Braves. IF your going to complain about anything, complain about losing Mitch Jones. Thank you Atlanta

come on bobby

July 31st, 2010
6:41 pm

Thats what he gets paid for kerryb.

Should have pulled jj after he was hit.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:41 pm

Kawakami in the pen. When we wave the white flag, it has a large red circle in the middle.

mscoast brave

July 31st, 2010
6:41 pm

Heck is LaRoche available

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:41 pm

Dunn just made Voto look bad.

tim golden

July 31st, 2010
6:41 pm

At least Ankiel can throw a baseball straight – bench Melky – laughing after his bad throw – and Glaus at first – why didn’t we get a first baseman. Glaus is a joke. Batting 100 for the last two months and batting fifth with no homers. Coming on Wren – you tried to give him another chance – move on…..Adam Dunn at first – gives us power. You need a centerfielder and first baseman.

1eyedJack

July 31st, 2010
6:43 pm

I have been told that Glaus is a second half player. Well, somebody needs to b1tch slap him and wake him up. Call up Freeman and let’s see what he can do. Arbitration be d@mned! We need a right-handed bat with power, and he would certainly be better with the glove.

StingerSplash

July 31st, 2010
6:44 pm

Ankiel will help but the Braves still haven’t addressed the need for a right-handed hitter.
Maybe someone will tell Melky tonight that the series is really over and he’ll leave for Atlanta early and we won’t have to watch the specter of that … throw … again.

dw7782

July 31st, 2010
6:44 pm

what a croc, this is just a plain stupid trade.

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:44 pm

I think Ankiel will be good here. He’s been hurt most of the year and has played only 27 games. Also, did’nt have much protection in that lineup. I know he has a cannon for an arm so between him and Heyward teams are going to have to think twice about running. Farnsworth has been good for the Royals all year. Our pen is going to be loaded with power arms.

TheAntiMe

July 31st, 2010
6:44 pm

One cool thing about trading Jesse Chavez is that the Braves got one of the few good games out of him last night. It will probably be two or three rough outings for Chavez for the Royals before he has another good game again.

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:45 pm

Freeman is a left handed hitter.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:45 pm

we got better in the pen, and we got an outfielder who is a bona fide major leaguer, not a AAAA player. How is it stupid?

Rooferdawg

July 31st, 2010
6:46 pm

This is from MLB.com
The Tigers’ big activity at the non-waiver Trade Deadline was simply competing a minor transaction. Detroit traded outfielder Wilkin Ramirez to Atlanta for a player to be named or cash.

Detroit must choose the player or the cash by Nov. 20.

The Tigers designated Ramirez for assignment on Wednesday to make room for Jhonny Peralta on the 40-man roster. Detroit had 10 days to try to trade him or outright him to Toledo, but they got the deal done in three.

Thus, Ramirez went from the starting lineup in the 2010 Futures Game to the waiver wire to a new organization in less than three weeks. He entered Saturday with a .230 average between Triple-A Toledo and Double-A Erie, homering 19 times with 56 RBIs. He also has struck out 144 times in 400 plate appearances.

It’s a microcosm of Ramirez’s career to date. He has tremendous power and speed potential, evidenced by a 19-homer, 27-steal season at Erie two years ago, but has never put it all together for a breakthrough as a professional player.

For all the ups and downs of Ramirez’s career over seven Minor League seasons, he’s still just 24 years old. A change of scenery could be the spark he needs to reach the potential the Tigers saw in the multi-tooled athlete they signed as a teenager in 2002.

ReddJonn68

July 31st, 2010
6:47 pm

Nick Blase right on point how much loyalty do you give someone who has underachieved. I’m sorry guys Cox definitely would have been replaced on any other MLB team. The press conference would have went something like this ” Bobby has done a fine job for this organization, but we have decided to go in another direction ….etc,etc”

rob

July 31st, 2010
6:47 pm

1eyedjack – he is a second half player – second half of may. He is just as bad as mcOUT now

1eyedJack

July 31st, 2010
6:47 pm

D@mn, well, then that sucks but hey, give him a shot anyway.

come on bobby

July 31st, 2010
6:48 pm

Everyone almost on Braves are lefties. kerryb – Freedman can hit!

SoCalBrave

July 31st, 2010
6:49 pm

I can’t believe all the negative thoughts about this trade!! Blanco is a nice bench player, good as a pinch runner, defensive sub, but he will never an everyday starter… Tim Collins has great stuff, but he’s not gonna be a starter in the majors, he’s gonna be a relief pitcher, he’ll have a nice carrer, but it will be a short, injury plagued one because he’s only 5′7″ 155lbs!!
That being said, what wins in october is the bullpen, and now we have arguably the best one in the NL. I wish we would have gotten a right handed hitter, but Ankiel is killing it at the plate right now and should play center everyday. Platoon Diaz and Melky on left and use Melky to give some days off to Ankiel and Heyward. That also allows us to use Hinske on first more often and give Glaus a much needed rest.
I would grade it a B- trade.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:50 pm

These are the same folks that were whining last year when we traded Kotchman for Laroche.

rob

July 31st, 2010
6:51 pm

if we kept Laroche we would be at least 4-5 games better

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:52 pm

come on Bobby, the poster said he was a right handed hitter, I was just corrected him.

come on bobby

July 31st, 2010
6:52 pm

Mitch Jones…..better than Wilken R.

ben

July 31st, 2010
6:52 pm

Not as much I hated the Escobar-Gonzalez trade…but I still don’t like it. I don’t see Ankiel being a big-time contributor with his bat (he’s coming back from injury, after all). And Farnsworth…he left us for the Yankees, as I recall. He sure choked it up against the Astros in the playoffs…so not really a big time pitcher. Didn’t we score off Farnsworth this year, already?

And just when I thinking that Blanco could really help us, the Braves (because they are stupid and incompetent) trade away one of the few highlights of our offense, lately.

You know, I really just want the overachieving team that we had in the 1st half of the season. I want all the same players…I know, wishful thinking.

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:52 pm

correcting him.

come on bobby

July 31st, 2010
6:54 pm

kerryb, I’m just playing with u man..no problem here friend.

TheAntiMe

July 31st, 2010
6:54 pm

lol – And if the Bravos get in a pinch with the bullpen they can always bring in Ankiel to pitch.

RT

July 31st, 2010
6:54 pm

The Braves should only play two outfielders,we dont have a centerfielder.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:54 pm

Mitch Jones- Older than Ramirez. Ramirez at 24 has potential. Mitch Jones has reached his. AAAA player.

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:55 pm

Ben, why so negative? I guess you think we should have traded all of our top pitching prospects for some big name high priced player.

.

July 31st, 2010
6:56 pm

Is it AAA or AAAA ??????

kerryb

July 31st, 2010
6:56 pm

No problem. Just thought you misunderstood my comment.

northbeach Scott

July 31st, 2010
6:56 pm

Actually Gregor Blanco was a 6th/7th OF for the Braves. While he could have filled some of the CF void and he had a nice 2010 stint with the Braves (a bit of Lightning in a bottle) he was basically a AAAA ballplayer. As someone mentioned we sold high on him.

Chavez still has some upside, but he is irrelevant in the scheme of the roster of Braves pitching talent. Do not mention the R. Soriano deal, that was not a straight trade as the Braves got something rather than losing Soriano to FA for nothing.

Ankiel played in the right spots (to Bobby’s credit he is exceptional at this) can help the Braves more than Blanco. He is a superior fielder and superior arm with some HR pop. If he is garbage, then the Braves simply release him after the season. Low risk and some upside, but not sexy.

Farnsworth is a fine 4th of 5th reliver. Certainly better than Chavez. Good low risk/cost move. Look for more to come over the waiver wire in August if this team does not get it together.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:56 pm

It’s AAAA. Good in AAA. Not good enough at MLB level

come on bobby

July 31st, 2010
6:57 pm

Thanks Jesse.

ben

July 31st, 2010
6:57 pm

At one point or another, we had the right pieces. If we just added a little here and there, it would have been fine. We had LaRoche and Escobar. But nope, we didn’t think they were the right fit or we didn’t want to pay them fair market value.

For the return on investment, Glaus has been fantastic at $1.75 million. Contrast that with Chipper Jones–$14 million this year, .251 BA, 7 HR, 42 RBI…we could have got 2-3 good players for that money.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
6:58 pm

…..and AA is where this pennant race will drive me.

.

July 31st, 2010
6:59 pm

AAAA is Majors —right? never heard it said like that. Thats cool

did you know

July 31st, 2010
6:59 pm

there are 3 managers who have won 500 more games than they have lost……only one has managed in the past 75 years.
and some idiots that last played baseball before the age of 10 think they know more about the game. If he isn’t a great manager why has no one else accomplished that? And, LaRussa and Torre among others have managed more games.

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
7:00 pm

ben- Laroche wanted a multi-year deal here. That would’ve blocked Freeman. As far as Escobrat….nevermind.

Robert

July 31st, 2010
7:00 pm

Chippers problem? He’s old and does not believe in conditioning during the off season. He hunts.

For the folks that think Blanco couldn’t play every day, look at Prado. I believe he had the label as a good back up IF. Blanco had put forth a strong effort this past off season and it showed during his time with the major league club. Prado would still be riding the pine of KJ had not fallen into a slump. I’m not implying Blanco is the next Willie Mays but he could put up solid numbers. Similar to Victorino with less speed. We didn’t need an all star at every position, just consistancy.

Truth Seeker: We all know players actual size are “tweeked” so they fit into the acceptable range. Collins put up solid numbers. Always has. He may fizzle but it is hard to believe giving up a lefty prospect for two rental players is not in my line of thinking. If this trade would have included Cody Johnson and one of the lefty starters in A ball I think the trade would be a sucess. Hard to give up a guy that obviously has the know how on pitching. His strikeouts are one thing. The lack of walks are what make him a “pitcher”. Don’t care how tall he is.

Bob Horner

July 31st, 2010
7:00 pm

I miss Andrew Jones in CF…..and I wish I was KK…I sit down all day making millions…and when somebody talks bad about me I can’t understand it because I can’t speak English…

Jesse Stone

July 31st, 2010
7:01 pm

when you hear someone called a 4A player, it’s not a compliment. It means they have reached their ceiling.

Joe

July 31st, 2010
7:01 pm

Wren still look for player on waivers.

Bob Horner's perm

July 31st, 2010
7:03 pm

Millar talking about mens hair cuts made him sound like a weirdo…

Joe

July 31st, 2010
7:03 pm

Need a home run Now!

ben

July 31st, 2010
7:04 pm

kerryb…not trying to be a downer. Actually, all these years, I supported Bobby Cox and Chipper Jones. But when a team is doing well (at the All-Star Break), then you leave it alone. What you don’t do is go trade your MVP player from last year (Escobar) and bring in somebody older and less talented.
For whatever reason, this Braves team was getting it done and you don’t mess with that. Remove a player, then put in someone else, and maybe it doesn’t work as well as it used to.

TheAntiMe

July 31st, 2010
7:04 pm

We had LaRoche and Escobar. But nope, we didn’t think they were the right fit or we didn’t want to pay them fair market value.

You can’t give LaRoche a 3 or 4 year deal when you have a phenom like Freeman waiting to take over next season. Sure, LaRoche signed a one year deal with the Diamondbacks but that was after no one else offered him the multi-year deal that he was looking for in the offseason.

t goldman

July 31st, 2010
7:06 pm

Clay is right. Farnsworth gives us a RHP for set up and Ankiel beats Melky all day long – worth the shot………..

Joe

July 31st, 2010
7:06 pm

Maybe Ankiels plays tomorrow?

J-Hey takes a call three down the middle.

Wat Wat Wat

July 31st, 2010
7:08 pm

i smell d/l for glaus and freeman getting a chance at first.

Glaus is not at a MLB level right now, that much is clear.

ijudgenot

July 31st, 2010
7:09 pm

StingerSplash

July 31st, 2010
6:39 pm
“Glaus is in serious need of a day off.”

Exactly, does anyone else get the feeling that Wren is managing this team by making roster moves. Escobar is not hitting at all and has a bad attitude in field and on bench but Bobby keeps playing him, so Wren trades him to Toronto for Gonzalez. McLouth is stinking up the league but Bobby keeps playin him, so Wren sends him to the minors. Chavis has been horrible in relief but Bobby keeps bringing him in, so Wren trades him away for Farnsworth. I would have loved to have seen Blanco back up at Atlanta, but i think Wren knew that Bobby would have played him sparingly again. Now he needs to figure a way to get Glaus to slip on a banana so that he can put him on DL and bring up Freeman.

ben

July 31st, 2010
7:10 pm

While Kawakami has stunk it up this year, he and Lowe are virtually identical in terms of ERA and WHIP. I don’t really understand why you pitch Lowe and not Kawakami. If you’re gonna make Lowe “earn” his money, you might as well do the same with Kawakami. Neither are top of the rotation starters, but at least, Bobby Cox should be consistent.

mike lum

July 31st, 2010
7:13 pm

How many of you complaining about this trade were saying we needed to make a trade to keep up with the Phillies? What were you expecting? The Braves have to give up value to get value. Over the years they’ve done a great job of not giving up much. What has Salty of Andy Marte done? Elvis was traded six years ago, Wainwright longer than that.

It’s great the Braves are doing everything possible to win this year, but no one will remember that in six months. I just didn’t see many available outfielders with stats much better than what we have.

I am ready for Melky to go away. That play today reminded me of when the Braves were losing a hundred games a year. Hope the braves Ryan Church him…just go away. Give me Hinske and Diaz. Obviously, Glaus is playing hurt.

FlaReptile

July 31st, 2010
7:14 pm

Can Wren make a good trade??? Not only is this trade irrelevant. That means the Escobar trade was straight up. Are you serious!!!

bobby

July 31st, 2010
7:16 pm

Dang, I can’t believe the Braves didn’t make the KK and McL to the Reds for Votto and Cueto. Heard the Reds wanted to send Rolen also but wanted Chavez added but FW wouldn’t make the trade.

TheAntiMe

July 31st, 2010
7:18 pm

Exactly, does anyone else get the feeling that Wren is managing this team by making roster moves. Escobar is not hitting at all and has a bad attitude in field and on bench but Bobby keeps playing him, so Wren trades him to Toronto for Gonzalez. McLouth is stinking up the league but Bobby keeps playin him, so Wren sends him to the minors. Chavis has been horrible in relief but Bobby keeps bringing him in, so Wren trades him away for Farnsworth. I would have loved to have seen Blanco back up at Atlanta, but i think Wren knew that Bobby would have played him sparingly again. Now he needs to figure a way to get Glaus to slip on a banana so that he can put him on DL and bring up Freeman.

lol – Wow, ijudgenot, it sounds to me like you do so judge, quite a bit actually. I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you, my friend, I’m just messing with you because I got a kick out of reading your post based on your username. You may have to change it to ijudgenot not.

TheAntiMe

July 31st, 2010
7:19 pm

Oops, syntax error, darn HTML.

SoCalBrave

July 31st, 2010
7:21 pm

@Ben: LaRoche wanted a 3-4 year deal at 10mil per… the only reason why he signed so cheap with AZ is because we signed Glaus and the 1B market dried up after that. If he would have told the Braves that he would take 3.5 mil for 1 year, he’d be a Brave now… Escobar is playing good right now because we traded him, he wasn’t happy or confortable or felt misunderstood with us, that’s why it was clear to everyone that he wasn’t even trying anymore.
@Robert: the difference between Prado and Blanco is that Prado is an infielder. If Blanco was a SS, then his .265 BA and .310 SLG wouldn’t be so bad… but he’s an outfielder and those numbers just won’t cut it in the Majors.

Bob Horner had a big fro

July 31st, 2010
7:22 pm

I like the deal. I have followed RA for a while (had him on a couple of fantasy teams) and he has power. There was a steriod issue with him though, but he still hit for power after that went away, so it wasn’t like that was the reason he hit HRs. Also love seeing the bullpen move. Our BP arms are getting tired, and we need another couple of guys up there. Would also like to see KK released and then bring up someone from Gwinnett to add one more arm. All around, a good move. Could we have gotten a big-time bat? Yeah, but we would be regretting it two years from now with the talent we would have swapped. Solid day from Wren, but the key to everything is Chipper and Glaus. Those two have to get it going – and soon.

boots

July 31st, 2010
7:25 pm

Sorry to see Melky make such a little league play today. But I am much more disappointed to see him laughing about it in the OF. Dude, this is a pennant race and the Phillies and Mets are riding up behind you. Take this seriously, or turn in your hat and let Ankiel play.

Tony Cloniger

July 31st, 2010
7:27 pm

Who needs trades when you should play like Cincinnat………………..hit the opposing teams starting pitcher and get him out of the game.

Bobby shouldnt have put him back out. Maybe Washington will take care of our dirty busniess again toinght.

TOMY FOURNIER

July 31st, 2010
7:29 pm

sheeeeeeeet

Barry Bonnell

July 31st, 2010
7:30 pm

Enter your comments here

boots

July 31st, 2010
7:31 pm

Hey, DOB, what is up with beaming our two starters for two days in a row? Is that to be allowed? I would like to have seen someone brought in from the bullpen and taken it to the next Reds batter. I guess we dodged a bullet with the recent MLB decision in our favor, and it would have looked bad, but two days in a row? Come on, this is the major leagues. Hell, let Melky Cabrera throw the ball at one of the Reds’ fans at least. He might actually hit somone…

Bob Horner had a big fro

July 31st, 2010
7:32 pm

@ boots – lol.

yo mamma

July 31st, 2010
7:33 pm

its a scratch deal. its explained well here:

http://thebravechop.blogspot.com/

Lifelong Dawg

July 31st, 2010
7:45 pm

Bad trade. Feels like they did it just to say they made a deal.

bravesfanfromnc

July 31st, 2010
7:45 pm

Interesting trade. The Braves have not lived by the long ball all year now we trade for a “home run” hitter in Ankiel??? Better in the bull pen but it was not the need, better hitting was and we get a converted pitcher???

TheAntiMe

July 31st, 2010
7:46 pm

Can Wren make a good trade??? Not only is this trade irrelevant. That means the Escobar trade was straight up. Are you serious!!!

No, Actually that means that todays trade was straight up. Gregor Blanco for Rick Ankiel and Jesse Chavez for Kyle Farnsworth.

Although with the liability that Escobar had become for the Braves, I believe the Braves would have gotten the better end of the deal even if they would have traded Escobar for Gonzalez straight up, in effect that deal becomes Escobar for Gonzalez and Tyler Pastornicky, who also came over with Tim Collins in that trade.

I find it amusing that you are in fact complimenting Frank Wren when you are trying to criticize him.

CJ

July 31st, 2010
7:50 pm

Getting Farnsworth for chavez is great, the other part of the equation is not that bad either. Ankiel has more power than Blanco. I agree that I would rather Nate get his swing fixed, maybe trade him, fat chance, and Ankiel get it going. If McClouth and Ankiel can have pretty decent power 2nd halves then Heyward, Mcclouth, and Ankiel in the outfield isn’t that bad even though it is an all lefty outfield.

TheAntiMe

July 31st, 2010
7:50 pm

I’m good at algebra today but boy do I suck at HTML!!!

jim jones

July 31st, 2010
7:54 pm

Frank Wren…. What an idiot!

rc35

July 31st, 2010
7:57 pm

Farnsworth has never been dependable, but neither was Chavez, so I guess that might even out or turn slightly to the Braves’ advantage. I HATE seeing Blanco go. He was producing this year; Ankiel may or may not, but I surely wouldn’t have rolled those dice.

One of the most frustrating things to me is the fans who think Freddie Freeman is a “can’t miss” prospect. I’m old enough to remember Jack Pierce–big, strong 1B who annihilated AAA pitching and then batted .050 (1 for 20) in the bigs. I hope Freddie gets it done, but we had a proven player in LaRoche and decided to let him walk away. Besides, if Freeman wins the Triple Crown next year, that still doesn’t add up to a single win this year. MLB isn’t Strat-o-Matic, where you can mix Chipper Jones’ 2009 card with Martin Prado’s 2010 card and Freddie Freeman’s 2011 card, throw in John Smoltz 2005, and then play your game. You have to play with THIS year’s squad and their current abilities.

CECIL UPSHAW

July 31st, 2010
8:02 pm

@tim,5:39…..YOU SIR ARE SPOT ON!! MUCH TO DO ABOUT NOTHIN’!!!

Bob Horner's perm @Bob Horner had a big fro

July 31st, 2010
8:04 pm

Bob Horner had a perm…not a fro…he also had a poster of Farrah Faucet in his room….dang I miss those days….long live the late 70’s early 80’s…

is30303

July 31st, 2010
8:09 pm

really really dumb trade . . .

Mekons

July 31st, 2010
8:10 pm

We traded two EXTREME spare parts and an interesting prospect for a reliable bullpen arm and a decent corner fielder. Ankiel has been unhealthy all year, but appears to be healthy now. I doubt either will be back next year, but they sure are useful parts right now.

We may see Heyward in CF, Ankiel in right and Melky/Diaz in left. That would be an upgrade over what we have now. It’s a pity DeJesus got hurt, but this was not a bad fallback position. I just wish we didn’t have to include Collins. He reminds me of a guy named Bill Maloney, a lefty strikeout artist with the Red Sox who likewise didn’t get a shot in the majors because of his size. He played on the same teams as Wade Boggs in the minors and looked like Billy Wagner does now.

For everybody who hates this trade, keep in mind that Guillen is still in KC. At least we got someone who can play in the field and goes all-out. We didn’t have many options that were affordable. Wren did good. Apart from Collins, we didn’t really give up anything. And we have lots of good young pitching.

Peter

July 31st, 2010
8:10 pm

Great to see we gave away a 300 hitter, and scrape the bottom of the barrel !

This Management team is just DUMB !

DoninToccoa

July 31st, 2010
8:18 pm

Trade okay…current games fairly lousy (again) for FAILURE to hit with players on base!!!!! Oh, was thinking that other far eastern pitcher should go too.

ARealBravesFan

July 31st, 2010
8:21 pm

Blanco was a 4th outfielder at best, so stop complaining. You all cry for power when Blanco has none, them go insane when he gets traded for a player who has a .453 SLG for his career in Ankiel. Ankiel has solid range in the outfield and should take some stress off Heyward should he move to center. Farnsworth has been sketchy for his career but is having a good season. Blanco has been sketchy for his career but has had a good year, so why does Blanco get a free pass? Yea, its a risk, a risk that I’m comfortable taking if it means something different than being guaranteed mediocrity from Blanco and Cabrera the rest of the season.

DoninToccoa

July 31st, 2010
8:21 pm

Oh, P.S. Our “big hitters should draw straws and at least one of them needs to start hitting…. (3,4,5, 6 guy’s)!

Skeezix

July 31st, 2010
8:22 pm

Whether or not this turns out to be a good trade depends on Ankiel’s health. I have not been happy with most of FW’s moves, but I like this one–assuming Ankiel is healthy. It strengthens our bullpen and gives Bobby more options in the outfield. I have kinda lost track of Ankiel, but he has been a solid CF w/ an arm (how did you like Melky’s arm today Braves fans?) and has some pop in his bat. If Bobby eventually has to sit Glaus down, he is now in a better position to deal with that situation also.

JOJO

July 31st, 2010
8:23 pm

NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT.

George

July 31st, 2010
8:28 pm

Blanco, 4th outfielder, means starter if injury, we gave up to much, why didn’t they trade mcclouth instead of Blanco, because no one wants him. send him back to pittsburg. Fawnsworth, is threw, no more in his arm. he was the pits when he was with the yankees.

Skeezix

July 31st, 2010
8:30 pm

I seem to recall that there was some doping questions associated with Ankiel some years ago.

Spartacus

July 31st, 2010
8:35 pm

some of you “baseball fans” just don’t get it! Ankiel is an upgrade over any other option we’ve had in centerfield this year. I’ve watched most of the Braves games this year and Blanco is really a below average centerfielder. He continually takes bad routes to balls in the gap, doesn’t hustle to balls hit in front of him and has a really weak arm. Ankiel gets injured by hustling to everything and trying to catch everything. He has a cannon for an arm, and at .261 on a terrible team, he will be an immediate upgrade in the offense at the 7th or 8th spot. Blanco never really understood how to use his speed and even when he was sent down, he had started to come back to his normal meager offensive numbers. The Braves made a move to improve in two areas of the team, centerfield and the back end of the bullpen. I say, job well done!

thehonus

July 31st, 2010
8:35 pm

This trade is a win no matter what – Jesse Chavez is gone.

I was hoping for something bigger, but I’ll take what we got.

Rick Pitino

July 31st, 2010
8:37 pm

I would comment on this trade but testifying has me at a loss for words—plus I have to run cause I’m meeting with Damon Evans and two of his associates. College athletics is so rewarding.

beekay

July 31st, 2010
8:41 pm

A 4th outfielder, a bum reliever and a prospect that was a throw in on the Esco deal and people are upset? We got a flame throwing right hander and an outfielder that has power and an arm for that crummy package….Great deal! Go Nats.Beat Phils!

UGA Bail Bonds

July 31st, 2010
8:44 pm

Maybe TP can turn Ankiel into a .300 hitter.

GTax

July 31st, 2010
8:59 pm

Enter your comments here

GTax

July 31st, 2010
8:59 pm

Anyone take a guess at the new lineup?

Where will Ankiel bat?

Bruce Mac

July 31st, 2010
9:01 pm

Lets see, two more future all starts to add to the “Franks is an idiot” list. Wait and see. Ankiel isn’t a pimple on the buttox of a good hitting outfielder. Farnsworth is good but the Braves cannot afford to pick up the option. Therefore, he will pitch 10 innnings in his last two months as a Brave. Thanks for nothing Frank.

Home of the Braves

July 31st, 2010
9:03 pm

If you ignore the 1/23 slide Ankiel went into when he was trying to play hurt, he’s actually hit .333 in 69 at bats this year. And he’d have an OBP of .389.

I’m not expecting that out of him, but people who think he’s not an improvement are being ridiculous. We got rid of Chavez, we got a legitimate reliever, we got a power hitting OF who’s capable of playing CF (honestly, he was probably the only one we could’ve gotten who fits that bill)), and we got 2 guys who are reasonably priced.

And to top it off, we gave up nothing of real value to our team now or our future.

This was a great move for the Braves.

Bill in VA

July 31st, 2010
9:04 pm

ijudgenot,

Your 7:09 is the best post I’ve ever seen on here!!!! It gets an attaboy from me!

BBUA

July 31st, 2010
9:09 pm

I don’t get this love fest with Blanco. He is at best a 4 th outfielder. He was horrible last year and spent the entire year in AAA. Chavez has been horrible this year, the only real loss is Collins. It appears he has truly nasty stuff and will pitch in the majors. Fortunately the Braves have several lefty relief pitchers in the system and shouldn’t miss this young man.

Ankiel is not the answer to our CF problem but should be able to contribute. Farnsworth will be used in short relief and provide some help to a depleted relief corp. This was not the trade we were hoping for but I believe the team is better today than it was yesterday. I just don’t think it was enough. Right now it is questionable if this team will make the playoffs.

Jack G.

July 31st, 2010
9:21 pm

The key to this team is GLAUS But his knees are so bad he cant hit.

The simple solution is to either sit him and try him at pinch hiting now and then, or putting him on th DL, and call up Freeman. Freeman might nopt be ready for full time MLB, but he would probably be good in the short run. Another upside to this would be some exposure to some major league pitching.

Will the braves do this—NO—why not—-bercause it makes sense.

Braves Fan

July 31st, 2010
9:30 pm

Dumb Ass trade. Who did you get for Blanco? Did you see Melky’s throw from the outfield today? Should have been Melky and something, a bat or ball, somebody to help

Wayne stuck in AL

July 31st, 2010
9:36 pm

Re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic (sigh)…

PTown Brave

July 31st, 2010
9:44 pm

I would imagine this for the lineup tomorrow:

Infante 2b
Heyward rf
Jones 3b
McCann c
Glaus 1b (should be DLed or shot)
Ankiel cf
Hinske lf
Gonzalez ss

Great trade IMO…Ankiel has come back from the DL strong and should hit 10 hr or better down the stretch and Farnsworth has solidified the pen by protecting the back end…

AND more so, we gave up NOTHING

Hey DOB...

July 31st, 2010
9:52 pm

Any chance the Braves might give hometown boy Hermida a look. It wasn’t too long ago that he was a top prospect with the Marlins and the Red Sox finally gave up on him.

michael

July 31st, 2010
9:54 pm

i am glad there are all of you people out there that think you know something about baseball. Blanco a star give me a break.

JacketFan

July 31st, 2010
9:59 pm

Damn, they broke up the Venezuelan mafia – Blanco, Prado, Infante, Gonzales. That stinks! You can’t break up the mafia!

Vat 69

July 31st, 2010
10:01 pm

Not sure about this one. Ankeil has a shaky history and doesn’t seem to stack up well against Blanco. Chavez for Farnsworth COULD work out, but Farnsworth might have hurt himself earlier this week (ribs?), so could be a bust. It all rests on Willie Taveras…

Fan since 1977

July 31st, 2010
10:08 pm

Good to get Farnsworth back and dump Chavez, rest is a wash. Ankiel is not a power bat but does play good D. And he has to hit better than McLouth.

I hope therefore this is the beginning of a lefty-righty platoon at 1st with Glaus and Hinske. Neither are everyday players anymore so a platoon would improve their productivity, especially Glaus’s. Booby is blind if he continues to write Glaus’ name on the lineup card every day.

How great is Infante? Steps in for Prado and goes 3 for 5 like we didn’t miss a beat in the leadoff spot.

DawgFan

July 31st, 2010
10:14 pm

Glad thet got Farnsworth back and dumped Chavez, rest of trade is a wash, hopes this leads to a platoon at first with Hinske/Glaus.

Stumpknocker

July 31st, 2010
10:17 pm

Someone thinks TP can turn Ankiel into a .300 hitter…LOL…TP has never, I repeat never turned anybody into a .300 hitter.

GSU-Lee

July 31st, 2010
10:20 pm

The move is good because of this: Frank Wren and the Braves brass did not want to aggresively pursue a bat that would cause us to lose one of our top prospects. So instead, they acquired a terrific reliever and a guy who should at least be an upgrade over our current CF’ers.

Since we couldn’t add the big bat, we added a huge arm and are poised to truly limit games to six innings. If we are up 3-2 going into the seventh, Farnsworth/Venters/Saito/Wagner is a pretty stellar combo to throw at any team.

Bob Horner had a big fro

July 31st, 2010
10:39 pm

Honestly, guys, Ankiel has been a solid hitter for the past few years. The problem with him will be if he doesn’t stay healthy. If he does, it is a very good offensive pick-up. The view from the bullpen on this trade is a big thumbs up. PLUS we did not mortgage the future. The Phillies gave up a lot of future talent in their deal, and we have improved our club overall from where it was pre-All Star break.

ben

July 31st, 2010
10:55 pm

We made a bad trade with the Escobar-Gonzalez deal. Even without looking at individual statistics, the Blue Jays and the Braves are going in opposite directions.
This trade was about stopping the bleeding. Blanco was one of the few highlights we had when he was called up. Now the Braves ship him out and we get a player who was injured most of the year and a pitcher who is known to be unable to pitch in big games. This really didn’t make us much better.
Wasn’t our bullpen our strong suit?

peter nincompoop

July 31st, 2010
11:01 pm

Not exactly the blockbuster move I was hoping for but we didnt give too much up and the possible positive return is high. I would have rather given up Melky than Blanco however.

Jessie J.

July 31st, 2010
11:02 pm

Ya’ll got to give Ankiel a chance, I think you will be impressed, When healthy! Would have rather seen them give up Mclouth than Blanco, but it should work out, Also, Farnsworth is much much better than Chavez.

No. 10

July 31st, 2010
11:06 pm

I once tweaked my left hammy grabbing my right hammy.

Braves20

July 31st, 2010
11:18 pm

It’s amusing, I guess, how people focus on the game Farnsworth allegedly blew in Houston in ‘05. Find a replay of the game on the internet and count how many outs he threw in that fateful inning. A couple misplays, a horrible call by that fat toad Eric Cooper gave Houston six outs. Even Rivera can’t shut down a team that gets six outs. Good pick ups although getting Willingham would have been a better fix.

don waddell

July 31st, 2010
11:41 pm

i taught wren everything that he knows.

don waddell

July 31st, 2010
11:43 pm

oh yes, ankiel is heading back to the starting rotation.

Bird Dog'n

July 31st, 2010
11:47 pm

Mr Farnsworth Yes, Yes, WOOoo HOOoo

BravesFan

August 1st, 2010
12:06 am

This trade was decent however this is NOT the trade to put us over the hump and really let bobby go out with a bang….WREN are u kidding me???? We needed a POWER bat mainly vs LEFT HANDED PITCHING…everybody so excited about ankiel dont set your hopes to high…he does have some pop in his bat however hes just like half of the braves hitters where he CANT DO A DAMN THING VS LEFTIES….176 avg in his limited time this year…Im sorry but this just simply doesnt do it for me…Wren this team needed some pop to the lineup and you brought us a 32 yr old who was good in 2008 but its 2010 now…and this braves team minus matt diaz still cant hit lefties..Everybody needs to pray ASAP that Glaus starts playing just HALF as good as he did awhile back…ill pull for us no matter what Im just pissed that this is all Frank Wren and our FO could do to make sure this team was loaded with weapons for a deep post season run… for this team….ill try and keep my hopes up but it is hard with those phillies right on our ass…

Braves grab Ankiel, Farnsworth at the deadline « control+ATL+delete

August 1st, 2010
12:13 am

[...] Saturday, the Braves acquired Rick Ankiel and re-acquired Kyle Farnsworth in a five-player deal with the Royals. It’s a good deal given the team really didn’t give up that much in [...]

J

August 1st, 2010
12:25 am

Want to see what kind of def he can play. Check this out.

http://www.realclearsports.com/video_log/2009/05/rick-ankiel-crashes-into-wall.html

BCC0224

August 1st, 2010
12:25 am

I would’ve trade Melky Cabrera instead of Gregor Blanco. At least Blanco played with heart when he was called up this year. Melky…. well, lets look at Saturday’s game @ Cincy… Case closed.

Maybe the Yanks & Braves can call do-overs and we get Javy Vasquez back.

J

August 1st, 2010
12:27 am

Ankiel will play every day. 28 home run guy will not sit. He played everyday in ST Louis and in Kansas city.

J

August 1st, 2010
12:31 am

Remember people can’t trade someone if they don’t fit with a team as KC was looking to get younger not older or take on very expense contracts. GM made the best move he can. I watched Ankiel when I lived in Central play often.

ijudgenot

August 1st, 2010
12:57 am

With all the talk about Farnsworth and Ankiel, I think the biggest pick up will eventually be Ramirez form the Tigers. The kid is 6′2″ 200 lbs with speed like Heyward and has shown he can hit with power. Next year the new manager will have him as a possible candidate for left field.

enz

August 1st, 2010
1:29 am

Always love to see guys like Melky throw the ball into right field costing us runs to lose the game while sitting in the field with teammates laughing about it afterwards.

PHIL

August 1st, 2010
1:58 am

Should have traded one of those wonderful pitching prospects we have for Bautista. Not a single pitcher in the minors is leading the league in HR’s. We needed a canon and he got us a water pistol.

Elliot Garcia

August 1st, 2010
2:10 am

Welcome Home Kyle!

Kal

August 1st, 2010
2:15 am

Obviously this is not a sexy trade in which a bopper is brought in but it is a nice deal for the Braves who don’t beat people into submission anyway. Ankiel a Bobby Cox type of guy and will do nicely for the Braves. Farnsworth is an upgrade from Jesse “the Blower” Chavez who had maybe three good outings this season. I remember 2005 and he came in at a good time when the team still had Dan “Killer” Kolb who was horrid and Chris reisma before he was hurt.
Also folks remember that a month from now there could be some people that slip through the waiver wire for the taking.

so cal Brave

August 1st, 2010
2:18 am

@PHIL: if the blue jays would have taken ONE of our top pitching prospects for Bautista, he would be a Brave right now… but they were asking for 1 major leaguer and 2 top prospects! That meant Medlen, PLUS Minor PLUS Schaefer or Freeman cuz they wanted at least 1 position player.

so cal Brave

August 1st, 2010
2:51 am

@Bruce Mac: two more future all-stars!!! you can’t be serious!!! that’s the most idiotic rant I’ve read today… thanks for the laugh… we gave up a AAAA back up outfielder with no power and average defense (although he is a good team mate and will be missed), a second rate relief pitcher with little upside (chavez) and a 5′7″ 150lbs lefty that will be a very good reliever in the majors at best…

Packerman

August 1st, 2010
5:15 am

I struggled with this for a while, but I think I like the move. Our minor league outfield is getting cluttered, and with a platoon at seemingly every position, so is our bench. The main thing that concerns me is that the Braves keep getting progressively older at each position. I liked Blanco for some reason that I can’t exactly pin down, but I think it’s that I could always depend on him to come in and play at least well enough not to lose the game for us. I worry about the aging outfield and the health of Ankiel. I think our bullpen got better today, and I think the price was appropriate.

On a different note, I have to wonder if parting with one of our minor league arms would be such a big deal. I may be way out of bounds here, but I think we have somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 or 7 young, quality arms in our system and in the bigs. I’m counting JJ, Hanson, Medlen, Minor, Delgado, Teheran, and Vizcaino. Correct me if I’m wrong, but we only need a total of 5 guys for the rotation. That means that not all of these guys will make the rotation, so in the end you have a surplus. That’s never a bad thing, but one of these guys could net a big return if we sell high. Lord knows we need some right handed bats and a third baseman sometime in the near future. If we play our cards right, we should be able to get what we need for what we have. Outside of our pitchers and Freeman, the farm system doesn’t look so bright. Wren has made us an aging team, and without minor league studs to fill in those positions, it might be a while before the Braves are in serious contention.

mistermak

August 1st, 2010
5:22 am

Can we please give Hinske some more playing time at first? Glauss looks like his knees are killing him. He needs a rest!

Homer,GA

August 1st, 2010
5:54 am

The reason the braves are going nowhere is because Bobby continues to leave pitchers in games to long. It has happened for 20 years. It was obvious JJ needed to come out yesterday but when he finally did it was to late. If they don’t put someone else at first base it won’t matter anyway.

bill

August 1st, 2010
5:59 am

Stupid trade for a team that needs a special player for the playoffs. The Braves make these for the season trades and get kicked in the playoffs. We were so happy to get rid of Farnsworth the first time and ankiel is the outfield version of Len Barker. How are we stronger with this trade? Are Glaus and Melkie still regulars; is Chipper still imitating a bull fighter at third?

bill

August 1st, 2010
6:00 am

Mistermak, The only rest that will help Glauss is in peace for his career.

YAD

August 1st, 2010
6:17 am

Let’s see …. *fans* are constantly ripping a future Hall-of-Fame player for having a low average, no pop, and whose main threat on offense is a base on balls (their opinion) and demanding that he retire or be benched while bemoaning the trade of a back-up who has a low career average, no pop, and whose main threat on offense is a base on balls.

That sounds about right.

Robert

August 1st, 2010
6:59 am

I’m still trying to make sense of the desperation needed in the pen. Yes Saito has struggled, he is 40 and has declined the last couple of years, and Eric will be healthy in a couple of weeks. So there was a need for another relief pitcher when your five deep? Sure Chavez stunk. He was a panic pick up when Soriano suprised us. The need was for a pitcher that could go out in the 6th inning or take over during a blow out game. I’m still saying Marek should have gotten the call or given up nothing for Qualls. As far as the outfield situation, I agree that Edmonds would have been a nice fit. Probably could have been had for the well known player to be named later. I still say we need to sign Blaylock to fill in at the corners. If Glaus doesn’t get to rest his knees he’ll bat .200 the rest of the year.
The reality of this team is they had a good push for a few weeks. Everything played out right. They’re under .500 since the break. There are no true power hitters other than Heyward and possibly McCann. Two .300 hitters and one sits on the bench. This team is built on pitching and a ton of .250 hitters that can’t seem to drive in a run. It would be nice for the glory at the end of the year and I believe they have done more so far then many expected to start the season but reality is the slide has started and it’s not finished yet.
This team is handcuffed by money restraints but sending Nate somewhere and eating his salary is better than him hanging around Atl. A change is needed. Wish I knew if Wren made that suggestion to KC before Blanco was offered up.
Has anyone other than me noticed all of our minor league teams, other than the Rookie teams, are well below .500? Take a look at our first picks from ‘04 to present. Two have done well.
And whoever the next manager is please have the pitcher stand up for himself or another team mate when you get plunked. Two days in a row? In the pie hole guys!

Robert

August 1st, 2010
7:01 am

Also if anyone is excited about the kid we got from Detroit, look at his numbers. He’s hitting .230 and has never hit in the minors. Can’t see him going anywhere.

Joey

August 1st, 2010
7:28 am

If the Braves got nobody for Chavez, I would of still been happy.

And, farmer, I’m not calling Ankiel a “power bat”, but a dinger every 25 at bats is probably better than anybody on the Braves.

Dami

August 1st, 2010
7:29 am

Who cares.

Robert

August 1st, 2010
7:35 am

To look at these mid season trades a little harder, Wren will have traded Escobar, Reyes, Collins, Chavez, and Blanco for a AA second baseman who’s currently hitting .224. Everyone aquired could walk at seasons end. Better hope for a rabbit in the hat.

avocado

August 1st, 2010
7:43 am

Message to Wren the Wrecker: Forget the buying list, what you have at this point is a selling list. Start with Mr. Hee-Haw out in the field.

dap01

August 1st, 2010
7:53 am

Why does Cox keep sending Glaus out there and sitting Diaz? Play Diaz (our hottest hitter) in LF and play Hinske at 1st so that Glaus (our coldest hitter who is not healthy) can sit.

DOB: Does anyone in the organization see this?

Henry

August 1st, 2010
8:07 am

Farmer , I remember , the last time Farnsworth was with us and the game you were talking about . Chipper dropped a pop up or he gets out with no runs. He was best closer we’ve had since Smoltz . We got into this big game because we had him down the stretch . It would have been nice today if he were in there in the 7th . hopefully he can get the job done . This appears to be a good trade for Wren .

old school fan

August 1st, 2010
8:11 am

I am glad to see that we are trying to stay in first place. Ankiel is a hard nose player with more experience than Blanco and that will probable payoff. We were not going to get a markee player anyway, so I think we did pretty good in the outfield trade. Farns was a no brainer, another veteran big arm can only help our starters who can’t seem to get through 6 without dropping out. Besides this is Wrens first chance to power up at the deadline, and I think he has done good so far.

duker64

August 1st, 2010
8:40 am

old school you are right . wren is doing what he can to keep us in front of philly withoutgiving up alot of good young arms. I still say may not be done need one righty then ok

jch

August 1st, 2010
8:58 am

Basically, it’s Blanco and Chavez for Farnsworth; Ankiel and Ramirez are wildcards.

Overall, I think its a win-win for both clubs. We get immediate relief for our relievers (I’m sure Venters is clapping!) and at worst, we have another option at CF. At best, we have found a new, everyday CF and Melky can get some rest (from part time duty???). If Ankiel stays healthy I think we’ll look back and see this as a pretty savvy move when there were very few trade options out there. Does anyone else remember seeing Ankiel’s name being kicked around???

Definitely not a blockbuster deal but no one expected that (with the exception of some of the idiots on this blog wanting to package McClouth and KK for Pujols!)

jch

August 1st, 2010
9:09 am

To top it off, $1 million ($500K each) is all that is needed to buy out both Farnsworth and Ankiel if they turn out to be busts so we aren’t saddled to them like McClouth & KK.

JROLL1

August 1st, 2010
9:16 am

CHIPPER…31 IS NOT A KID! I’LL MISS GREGOR. HE ALWAYS PRODUCED. SHOULDA SENT MCOUT OUTTA HERE!

Algenis(New York City)

August 1st, 2010
9:39 am

I like the trade. As much as it hurts me I really liked Blanco. He, I believe, was starting to come to his own but lets be realistic, he was not going to be the future CF for this team. Akiel is sort of an upgrade but not by much. Chavez stinks and I am glad to see him go. Fans have been saying that Farnworth should not be trusted in critical situations, thats true but who said he”s closing? he will probably pitch in the 7 or 8th inning at best. I like this trade, a lttle

DaculaBraveFan

August 1st, 2010
10:01 am

Come on people.. I hear everyone dogging Farnsworth because he gave up 1 home run in a critical situation 5 years ago??? Are you all that shallow??
Farnsworth is an outstanding pickup and not sorry to see Jessie leave. He’ll help out tremendously. As far as Ankiel is concerned, I’ll have to wait and see, especially since he’s coming off several years of being injured. Regardless, don’t think we gave up anything of worth. Sometimes the little moves are the most important. I’m sure Wren was doing all he good to bring a power bat to Atlanta but not at the expense of giving up too much talent. The Braves won’t make the same mistake they made when the dealt for Teixeira and lost a whole lot of talent in the process..Bobby knows he’s not that important and wouldn’t approve such a deal even if it gave them a better chance in the post season

Brave New World

August 1st, 2010
10:27 am

This is a good trade, but certainly not a blockbuster – it didn’t need to be. The Braves did not give up any player that was a big part of their future plans. They got an immediate upgrade over Chavez and a solid outfielder with some pop. With their solid pitching, the 2010 Braves need to score 4-5 runs per game and they will win most of their games.

john

August 1st, 2010
10:27 am

What’s the point of bolstering the bullpen when Booby leaves starters in too long anyway? Wren should have traded for a manager to make in game decisions for Booby.

For whatever reason the organization didn’t like Blanco that much despite his consistent production when given an opportunity. The Braves also took a while to come around on Prado and still seem to not understand what they have in Infante, so I’m not sure they saw the whole picture with Blanco. Or, simply Blanco may not have been one of Booby and Larry’s guys.

Glad though that Wren didn’t make some short term blockbuster that would have weakened the team in the long run. What’s the point if Booby is going to hit Glaus in the 5 hole every night? Getting Booby to make the correct game day decisions is worth more than any trade could do.

Gene

August 1st, 2010
10:33 am

The blind squirrel metaphor applies again, but Wren still hasn’t found the nut.

Blackberry Cobbler

August 1st, 2010
11:12 am

I think this trade is nothing but horse-$hit.

Wren, IMHO, in fact FAILED to address this team’s most glaring needs– another power bat and more starting pitching. The bullpen is fine, the starting pitching is very suspect, and Ankiel is a carrer 260 hitter with no power.

Stupid, stupid moves.

Redwave

August 1st, 2010
11:15 am

Isn’t it ironic that the picture the AJC uses for the blog is one of Yost on the mound taking Farnsworth out of the game?

waterst

August 1st, 2010
12:33 pm

Anyone who says this trade doesn’t improve the Braves, that Blanco was better, is just simply baseball-stupid.

bob

August 1st, 2010
12:58 pm

I liked Blanco, but he was sitting in Gwinnett and is probably out of options soon. Collins had no spot available in Atlanta for a while. So overall the Braves are better than they were on Friday, and did not give up a major prospect.

Pete

August 1st, 2010
1:05 pm

YAWN………………………………………………………………………………………….

ben

August 1st, 2010
4:40 pm

Escobar went 1 for 5 today…1 RBI, 1 run scored. I still think of him as an Atlanta Brave, despite the media’s portrayal of him.

The only difference in Braves personnel since the All-Star Break has been the removal of Escobar and addition of Gonzalez. Is the losing streak just a coincidence? I doubt it. I hope the Braves can recover.

Braves get Ankiel, Farnsworth in five-player deadline trade

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Braves get Ankiel, Farnsworth in five-player deadline trade

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