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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
3,735 comments Add your comment
Coach (2011 Fredi G. a go!)
July 29th, 2011
6:38 pm
Jose Constanza can be a catalyst at the top of the Braves order. However, he’s never seen big league pitching. Little dude has to get on base because as we already know, you can’t steal first base.
noliee
July 29th, 2011
6:38 pm
I will be surprised if the Braves pay what it will take to get Carlos.
Lew
July 29th, 2011
6:38 pm
Upton seemingly has no idea where the right track is even located.
Powderfinger
July 29th, 2011
6:39 pm
richie
i think its a consensus with the majority the BJ Upton has way too many “if’s”. IF he can get his head right, IF he can start making consistent contact. MAYBE he needs a change of scenery. Carlos Quentin has hit 20 homers, 62 RBIs and has a 262 batting average while hitting 275 against lefties. I think the numbers speak for themselves that Quentin will drive in some runs in a Braves uniform. The best viable option in my humble opinion.
I second that emotion.
DS1
July 29th, 2011
6:39 pm
T’hawkin
Actually, in a limited sort of way, I like Willingham. Actually like him better than Ludwick. He’s sort of a right handed Hinske.
Same could be said for Ty Wiggington.
Any of those type hitters will help some. Not like a Quentin or Pence, but they’d help.
I was all for Ludwick about 6 weeks ago, but he has tailed off this season considerably. Earlier this year, he was hitting real decent away from Petco.
Dennis Reynolds
July 29th, 2011
6:39 pm
B.J. Upton= Escobar 2.0- the production.
He has ‘clubhouse cancer’ written all over him.
Lew
July 29th, 2011
6:39 pm
Coach – Guess you win the door prize for being the tenth person to use that cliche.
JasonInFL
July 29th, 2011
6:40 pm
I would be okay with Upton AND Ludwick…if Ludwick was going to be the RH bat off the bench and occasional RF against a tough lefty.
JasonInFL
July 29th, 2011
6:41 pm
Ski played with him in Tampa…I thought I read they got along? Maybe I am dreaming…
Bobby
July 29th, 2011
6:41 pm
Rowsdower: Already posted (see 6:31). Now what?
Show me where Houston has only asked for one of the four? Houston is asking for FOUR “sure-thing” prospects. Where do you keep coming up with one? Minor straight up for Pence will not get it done. I know you can access ESPN so why don’t you read the Pence trade rumors, then maybe you can come back here and actually make a positive contribution to the discussion.
Thanks for the genius comment – I must admit I have gotten that before and earned it.
Craig
July 29th, 2011
6:41 pm
At this point, I just wanna get a deal done. Tired of waiting!!!!!! lol
Nova Scotia Steve
July 29th, 2011
6:41 pm
Upton and Ludwick is much much more exciting.
ncscoots
July 29th, 2011
6:41 pm
Plus, they’ll have some money next year…So, they don’t neccessarily have to trade in the offseason too.
You’re missing a side of the equation. In the recent past, the Braves by necessity refrained from trades for already-pricey players; they just couldn’t fit the money, even if the trade currency was perfect.
If Wren can manage to meet his needs this year without sacrificing his trade currency AND can clear money (as you suggest) in the offseason? Why, then, my friend, many barriers to elite players fall. Frank can target just about any player for a trade, because he’ll have the prospects to entice a partner and the payroll flexibility to pay an elite acquisition.
I know that plenty here will spit on that pitch as it goes by, LOL, but the question I would be asking on any deadline deal is this: Is this a player I would have near the top of my list in December, as Dan Uggla was last year? If the answer is “yes”, make the deal and trade some of the young pitching. Otherwise, I’d hold those coins close, until I can really make them count, for players I think will impact the team for many years.
Dadgum.....
July 29th, 2011
6:42 pm
I have it on pretty good info that the Braves are out of the Pence dealings. Just sayin…..take that anyway you like.
Rock on……
Andrew in PA
July 29th, 2011
6:42 pm
Atleast my Eagles dont let me down, Nnamdi to Eagles yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Where you at lentz??
SoWeGa Fanatic
July 29th, 2011
6:42 pm
Lots of posturing going on. Don’t believe anything until papers are signed.
Heath
July 29th, 2011
6:42 pm
MFin04 -
I’m not pining for anyone right now… I merely said given a choice between Upton and Ludwick I’d choose Upton. This was because the latest “rumor” was that these were the two guys to which the Braves have narrowed down their choice.
Nova Scotia Steve
July 29th, 2011
6:43 pm
Good to “see” ya T-Hawkin’
Bill
July 29th, 2011
6:43 pm
richie..CQ is just a hitter..=1star
Upton has defense, arm, speed, power and has hit high for average= 5 star..his BA is down now but in Atlanta new team fresh start. He play-off experiance WS etc..and cost less.
Dennis Reynolds
July 29th, 2011
6:43 pm
Getting Upton means they are virtually giving up on Schafer probably. Ive heard thats not something they’re ready to do for some reason. I do believe that Schafer has no future here, but Upton shouldn’t be the guy to take his place. Bourn or bust for CF trade.
Hopefully Constanza will be great.
We ain't doing diddly poo
July 29th, 2011
6:43 pm
Gartrell gives you RH bat – hitting similar to Quentin – albeit AAA. He is cheap and we would simply have to create a spot on the 40 man to move him up. We save all of our arms for 2012 and try to pull what the Giants did last year.
Braves are going to have to convert (like it or not) to a small ball team. They left a small village of base runners on base vs. PIT and scored when they got aggressive on the basepaths. I know this is counter to the “Bobby Ball” that we are acustomed to seeing here. Small ball – bunting, stealing and hit and runs put pressure on the defense and open up holes for our hitters, assuming we are TEAM enough to hit the ball the other way…
Culture change needs to occur. Look how well Schafer’s mediocre performance stood out on this team. He is hitting .240 for crying out loud – but he works the count, gets on base and score the occasional run. The steriod era is over – time to play the GAME OF BASEBALL, FREDI!
JasonInFL
July 29th, 2011
6:43 pm
Who are we IN on, Dadgum?
DS1
July 29th, 2011
6:44 pm
You folks are correct on Upton. He has been one screwed up player for a few years.
My only point with him is that sometimes you never know what a trade will do to jog a player back to some level of respectability. Or push him off the abyss???
Braveone
July 29th, 2011
6:44 pm
From the previous blog which had 3,542 comments, Mixxo led the way with 80 posts. There were 485 different poster names. Here are the Top 25:
Rank Poster Frequency
1 Mixxo 80
2 richbrave 75
3 Brava 73
4 The A Bomb 64
5 Theo Williams 64
6 AlabamaBrave 62
7 noleee 60
8 JasonInFL 55
9 CraZy 52
10 Lew 52
11 Efrim 51
12 MFin04 51
13 BFChris26 47
14 Blankster 46
15 Dennis Reynolds 41
16 Eric 41
17 Stizz 41
18 Tomas 41
19 RC 40
20 Shaun 40
21 Tomahawk Mafia 38
22 Heath 37
23 noleeeee 34
24 sweet georgia peach 32
25 Chop Chop 31
Bill
July 29th, 2011
6:44 pm
Dennis I see your point but Reds will get Bourn..bet on it
Ralph
July 29th, 2011
6:44 pm
@DS1 Just depends how mad I get, probably won’t quit blogging,
I would take Frenchy back to platoon with J-Hey before I would take Ludwick or Willingham.
Phillies will sweep the Pirates, they were terriable, against us.
VaBravesFan
July 29th, 2011
6:45 pm
Not giving up on Schafer means they dont wanna improve the club.
MFin04
July 29th, 2011
6:45 pm
“I merely said given a choice between Upton and Ludwick I’d choose Upton”
Yep, and hopefully everyone else on this blog would choose Upton as well. We really need a guy that can play all 3 OF positions.
Eric
July 29th, 2011
6:46 pm
damn Philadelphia getting everybody… Hunter Pence, Nnamdi Asomugha… That’s what winning does for you… We have to face phillies 6 more times and we play eagles week 2
SoWeGa Fanatic
July 29th, 2011
6:46 pm
I can’t imagine the Braves getting Upton – he does not sound like their type of player. See Y. Escobar, K. Lofton, etc.
AlabamaBrave
July 29th, 2011
6:47 pm
Braveone
July 29th, 2011
6:44 pm
From the previous blog which had 3,542 comments, Mixxo led the way with 80 posts. There were 485 different poster names. Here are the Top 25:
62? Yikes! I really need to find more constructive things to do!
Mixxo
July 29th, 2011
6:47 pm
You guys thought Esco was a cancer? Wait’ll Upton gets here.
We ain't doing diddly poo
July 29th, 2011
6:47 pm
@Dangummm….Glad to hear it…We don’t need Pence. He is Ryan Church all over again.
Rabbit Maranville
July 29th, 2011
6:47 pm
Its sooo gonna be Ludwick . . .
“Ludwick has hit just .238 with 11 homers and a .675 OPS through his first 99 games with the Padres this year. The 33-year-old outfielder will be a free agent at the end of the season, and the Braves could acquire him now without having to part ways with the kind of prospects needed to land Quentin or Hunter Pence from the Astros. . . . By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
Fols
July 29th, 2011
6:47 pm
Bourn get on, swipes 2nd, Freeman hits him home. That’s it, the one-two punch we need a few times a game and we win.
DS1
July 29th, 2011
6:47 pm
So if we deal for Upton, does that mean we are giving up already on a future HOF centerfielder…………George Constanza?
NV 049
July 29th, 2011
6:47 pm
you never have enough pitching .I do not see a big trade coming until winter.. maybe a relief pither & back up RH infielder.
noliee
July 29th, 2011
6:48 pm
…if Ludwick was going to be the RH bat off the bench and occasional RF against a tough lefty…Fason
he does not hit lefties all that well .236 .311 .435 . Shirley there have to be better options than him for that role
jonny
July 29th, 2011
6:48 pm
I wannnttt kemp
Bill
July 29th, 2011
6:48 pm
Dennis @ 6;39…man you don’t know that crap..come on ..what kind on nut would say that. Thats your opinion.
BravesFanInPA
July 29th, 2011
6:48 pm
Getting Upton makes sense. Schafer can play left field when he comes back and let Prado move around from third to second maybe a little short stop. I would go get Upton now.
Couch Tater
July 29th, 2011
6:49 pm
refrained from trades from already-pricey players
After the refrain, what’s the next Constanza and chorus?
old man
July 29th, 2011
6:49 pm
Braveshoo
Agree 100%. Bourn or Quentin are worth getting, and fit for different reasons.
Nova Scotia Steve
July 29th, 2011
6:49 pm
SoWeGa Fanatic – RE: Upton
The thing about that point you made about attitude etc is valid. But, this is no longer a team run by Bobby Cox.
Heath
July 29th, 2011
6:49 pm
One thing to consider when saying Upton’s history might take him out of consideration for the Braves… Bobby Cox is not the manager anymore and Gonzalez might be a little more risk tolerant.
Nova Scotia Steve
July 29th, 2011
6:50 pm
Heath
richie
July 29th, 2011
6:50 pm
makes me wish we would have upped the anty and got JUSTIN upton in the off season
@Fredo
July 29th, 2011
6:50 pm
Thanks, DOB, in advance for, well, everything.
Fab-Five Fredi
July 29th, 2011
6:53 pm
Frenchy over Ludwick Von Suckage any day of the week. Willingham, Wiggington, Quintin would be good pieces to have. Chipper is no longer an everyday player..
BFChris26
July 29th, 2011
6:53 pm
I’d be OK with BOTH Upton and Ludwick, but not Ludwick by himself.
Maybe get Upton and then Ludwick and Gregorson. With Upton added, Ludwick & Gregorson would be nice complimentary pieces, but if the pieces gotten were JUST Ludwick & Gregorson, it’d be bad.
Nova Scotia Steve
July 29th, 2011
6:53 pm
Anyone who would like to check out Twitter – i’m @SteveMac03. It’s 85 to 90 percent Braves related!
Bill
July 29th, 2011
6:54 pm
Times change sowega..Ron Gant said BJ would be great…as X-player that knows BJ.I’ll take his word for it.
What I heard was Braves would get Both BJ and Ludwick..ludwick to relieve J-Hey and fill in LF.
Bobbys Booger
July 29th, 2011
6:54 pm
Upton actually might be good for the clubhouse…a little squirreliness yesssss…
Ralph
July 29th, 2011
6:54 pm
It’s amazing how many uninformed people (won’t call them idiots) that beleive Prado can play short stop, guess they have been watching his commercial on TV.
NV 049
July 29th, 2011
6:54 pm
nolie not a Ludwick fan , rather try Willingham than Ludwick ..but not much on either …
Reed Johnson be nice pick
Tomahawkin
July 29th, 2011
6:54 pm
Nova Scotia Steve
July 29th, 2011
6:43 pm
Good to “see” ya T-Hawkin’
Yeah! I didn’t Blog much, cause I have a roommate now here in Loganville
But he will be in Ohio for 3 weeks.
So…..
“Every-Body! (Pointing Finger) Pay Attention! ”
Because This Right here is my weekend to Vent about us settling for Slop when making a Big Move would put us over the top in a weak National League This year
This year is ours to win the Pennant but we won’t when Wren trades for Slop like Ludwick or Willingham
Watch either one of those 2 turn into a worse version of Stankiel!
Rowsdower
July 29th, 2011
6:54 pm
@Bobby – Did I say straight up for Pence? No, I didn’t. I said a top pitching prospect of which there are 4, and other prospects. They like Lipka. Pastornicky is a better SS prospect and there are other middle IF prospects, so he’s expendable. I’m sure they could find another prospect from this bountiful farm system.
I haven’t seen ANYWHERE that says they want 4 top tier prospects. NO TEAM is going to do that. This isn’t Teixeira. They might as well take him off the market. They haven’t, so I have to assume you’re talking out of your ass.
If they want 2 of the elite pitching prospects they can kiss my ass. I am of the belief that if this team gets healthy they can win it all. If you’re gonna trade for a bat, get a good one. Quentin (he can’t play CF) or Pence (he can). No Ludwick, no Willingham, no any of those other assclowns. The Braves have enough bench players in their starting lineup.
Impact player or nothing.
Bill
July 29th, 2011
6:54 pm
got to go..ya’ll solve it >>.
njbraves
July 29th, 2011
6:54 pm
Braves would never have gotten Justin Upton, they are in the business of hoarding prospects and being cheap. I’m really tired of the way this team operates. Being ” pretty good” doesn’t cut it for me.
Bobbys Booger
July 29th, 2011
6:55 pm
Gimme Upton and Ludwick not just Ludwick…true that…Lugwick is a JAG No real difference than McOut. We need a spark and that would be Bourn….but Upton could do it too
paulie
July 29th, 2011
6:55 pm
I absolutely do not want Pence. I want to get Quentin for a pitcher. Better power #’s and obp. We need to definitely find us a speed guy at the top of the lineup….two major holes to fill in the next couple of years.
richie
July 29th, 2011
6:56 pm
well my friends, its looking like the deadline for the braves may be quantity not quality. two substandard bats and an arm for the pen. *sigh*
BFChris26
July 29th, 2011
6:56 pm
Nova Scotia Steve
I am following you now, I am @BravesFanChris on it.
Bobbys Booger
July 29th, 2011
6:57 pm
I really dont think ChiSox are trading Quentin
Fab-Five Fredi
July 29th, 2011
6:58 pm
So the fans wanna BJ..Upton that is, hopefully he won’t screw the Braves and be a head case like he has been for the Rays.
Tomahawkin
July 29th, 2011
6:58 pm
jonny
“I wannnttt kemp”
Me Too! But I have a better Chance of Getting Lucky with Erin Andrews than Wren going all out to getting Matt Kemp! (Wiping Tear from eye) I want Both!
noliee
July 29th, 2011
6:58 pm
maybe oughta go be a Yanks fan then njb. oh wait, even with their payroll they only won one WS in the last ten years. Man I don’t know what to suggest to you then
Nova Scotia Steve
July 29th, 2011
6:58 pm
BFChris26 – I will follow back man!
Scrub21
July 29th, 2011
6:59 pm
ok, lets play the “what if game” Constanza rakes over the next 10 days and steals 5 or 6 bags….
Then what?
Who’s out? McLouth?
richie
July 29th, 2011
6:59 pm
if i had a dollar for every time that nnamdi asomugha was spelled wrong on twitter……id be rich
DS1
July 29th, 2011
6:59 pm
I know that because we haven’t heard this guy mentioned, the O’s have an outfielder that came on the scene strong two years ago. Has a rough year last year, but has come on stronger this year; though he has missed some time due to some injury.
Nolan Reimold
Stats for 2011: 240/336/460 in 100 AB’s,
Against Lefties: 256/340/535 but only 43 AB’s.
Wonder if he is on anybody’s radar?
MFin04
July 29th, 2011
7:00 pm
I can’t even imaging the Upton jokes on the blog if he was a Brave…
Ralph
July 29th, 2011
7:00 pm
Here’s what going to happen next : Constanza hits .400 and steals 10 bases for 2 weeks, Heyward batts .115 and strikes out 25 times then Shafer comes off the DL, Constanza goes back to AAA, Don’t laugh, thats how braves management operates.
ncscoots
July 29th, 2011
7:01 pm
Hey, if I thought Upton could hit like the last “clubhouse cancer”, I’d tell the clubhouse to get ready for chemo.
noliee
July 29th, 2011
7:01 pm
don’t like me no 240 hitters DS1, which is why this damn team makes me so grumpy. It is slap fulluva them
JasonInFL
July 29th, 2011
7:01 pm
Wonder why the O’s were here the other night?
TnBrian
July 29th, 2011
7:02 pm
richie, me, nolie and maybe a few others pretty much predicted a “big” trade wasn’t happening. Everybody is driving themelves to the insanity hospital the last few days for what I’m predicting is a Ludwick,Willingham(enter another mediocre players name) deal and probably a MRP that’s better than a Proctor.
Kudos to nolie and the rest of us that think reality. These are the Braves for cryin out loud!
Jerry Blooger
July 29th, 2011
7:02 pm
So Charlie Manuel says giants pitching not that good
DS1
July 29th, 2011
7:03 pm
Ralph
Haven’t you heard. Prado is a GREAT SS ……….. on my roto league!
Jerry Blooger
July 29th, 2011
7:03 pm
good not great
DAP
July 29th, 2011
7:04 pm
actually, before nate got DLed, what we really needed was a SS.
i dont think the ludwick deal would be bad. if you get a corner outfielder, maybe you want a guy who you can justify playing part time. couldnt do that with pence or quentin. i wish a corner outfielder fit better, but it doesnt.
get heath bell along with ludwick, and it could be really good for the braves.
id probably still rather have bourn.
DS1
July 29th, 2011
7:05 pm
nolie
And I thought you were just naturally grumpy??
Damn, you’re good at it though…….
Brave Fan
July 29th, 2011
7:05 pm
We wont get Pence. He isn’t nearly the player all the talk makes him anyway. Yeah, he is a good player but not worth what the Phillies tried to give. The problem with that is that the Phils are turning into Junior Yankees – They aren’t real worried about developing players, they just go buy them now. But they’re smart too – Let Werth go.
We need Bourn and Quentin! A real leadoff guy and a upgrade hitter in left.
Rowsdower
July 29th, 2011
7:05 pm
I would love to win the World Series this year, but if it doesn’t happen, this team is set for the next 10 years. Lowe will likely be dealt this offseason to free a spot for one of the 4 prospects. Hudson will be gone after next year, freeing up another spot. Chipper will retire either this year or next freeing up cash. McLouth, Kawakami and Linebrink will be gone freeing up even more money. The Braves will be in prime position to trade for a stud like Matt Kemp when he inevitably becomes available. They will have the money and the prospects to go get him.
I like Pence at the right price. He is a fine player and brings positives across the board. If the price isn’t right, don’t do it. Same goes for Bourn who I haven’t heard is actually available. Same goes for Quentin except he is very erratic.
BJ Upton is a cancer. He is a selfish player that thinks he’s better than he is. No thanks. Those other guys are just filler. If the deal isn’t straight up for cash, they’re useless. I wouldn’t give up anyone for them.
There isn’t a team in baseball that has this going forward:
C – McCann 27
1B – Freeman 21
2B – Uggla
3B – Prado 27
RF – Heyward 21
SP – Hanson – 24
SP – Jurrjens – 25
SP – Beachy – 24
SP – Teheran – 20
SP – Vizcaino – 21
SP – Minor – 24
SP/RP – Delgado – 21
RP – O’Flaherty – 26
RP – Venters – 26
RP – Kimbrel – 23
I’ll take that to battle for the next 10 years.
noliee
July 29th, 2011
7:06 pm
why do we want a RHed bat who does not hit lefties ?
Tomahawkin
July 29th, 2011
7:07 pm
GameTime!
All Da Way Turn’t Up!
Will.I.Am
July 29th, 2011
7:08 pm
looks as though Frank doesnt know what to do or he is working on a monster. I mean if we are not going to trade any of our prospects then just get a bat for the bench and be done with it.
Ralph
July 29th, 2011
7:08 pm
Rowsdower., hope you get better results than the last 8 games.
No Crying
July 29th, 2011
7:09 pm
I hear that Jose Constanza is so fast, (how fast is he?) He can steal first base.
ncscoots
July 29th, 2011
7:09 pm
why do we want a RHed bat who does not hit lefties ?
Because Fredo “feels” such a guy is better against LHP than his stats show?
richie
July 29th, 2011
7:09 pm
one name that has seldom been mentioned for a need that is glaring, but over looked is Tyler Clippard from the Nats. He would be a reasonable get and would fill a desperate need. He could work middle or late innings. Hes got a live are and would fit in our pen well.
Tony Austin
July 29th, 2011
7:10 pm
The Cant-Stand-Ja ep is on right now.
N8
July 29th, 2011
7:10 pm
“I’m really tired of the way this team operates. Being ” pretty good” doesn’t cut it for me.”
Then you should checkout the following link:
newyorkyankees.com
Enjoy!
CJ
July 29th, 2011
7:10 pm
if the phillies get pence and the braves get ludwick…with the amount of pitching prospects the braves have… and the chance of being really strong for the last two months of the season…i wouldnt know what to think.
noliee
July 29th, 2011
7:11 pm
OLNEY ON PENCE?BRAVES/PHOLS ESPN INSIDER
Time to hunt down a deal
July, 29, 2011
On Thursday evening, a baseball executive noted the numbers on his clock: 8 p.m., 7/28. “You realize there’s an eternity before the trade deadline, right?” he said.
Yes. Remember, the White Sox deal for Jake Peavy took shape in the last couple of hours before the deadline a couple of years ago, and the Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez monster trades finished right before (or maybe just a little after) the 4 p.m. deadline. There will be deals structured in the last 60 hours before the deadline as the dominoes fall.
And the most significant domino standing now is named Hunter Pence. It is clear that right now, he has the greatest market value of any available player. The Astros’ initial instinct seemed to be to play conservative and hang onto him, but they probably will never again get the kind of offers they’re getting for Pence — the Phillies’ package of pitcher Jarred Cosart and first baseman Jonathan Singleton, or Atlanta’s offer, which presumably includes young pitchers they would not consider trading for Carlos Beltran.
For the Braves, the stakes are high, because they already are faced with a postseason in which they may have to face Beltran, and now their most prominent division rival appears to be the front-runner to get Pence.
It’s worth taking a big-picture look at Pence: He’s 28 years old; he’s eligible for free agency after the 2013 season; he’ll probably make something in the range of $20-25 million over the next couple of seasons. His numbers:
Batting average .309 (Ranks 18th in the majors)
On-base percentage .356 (50th in the majors)
Slugging percentage .472 (54th in the majors)
It’s possible that his production from this year has been diminished by the weak lineup around him. It’s also possible that he’s having his best season because the Astros are constantly getting blown out and opposing pitchers find no tangible risk in throwing the ball over the plate to any Houston hitter (when I covered the Padres in 1993, Phil Plantier mashed 34 homers and drove in 100 runs because of this; San Diego lost 101 games that year).
Pence, in his career, has a .298 average in games in Houston, with an .851 OPS. Away from home, he’s hit .281/.327/.456. He does not fit the profile of an elite offensive player, with his unorthodox swing and playing style. But he’s a good player greatly respected for how hard he plays, and unlike Beltran — a pure rental — the team that acquires Pence could have him for the next two years and beyond. He’s the type of player the Phillies could use now; he’s the type of player the Braves could use now.
At some point, the rest of the dominoes behind Pence will fall: Ryan Ludwick, perhaps to Cleveland or Atlanta; Coco Crisp, maybe to the Braves; Carlos Quentin, perhaps if somebody will pay to pry him away from the White Sox, although Kenny Williams wakes up today just three games out in a very, very winnable division. Somebody will go to the Pirates, who right now have the look of the team left standing in a game of musical chairs; they may wind up taking the cheapest leftovers. The onus is on the Pittsburgh front office, writes Dejan Kovacevic.
• It isn’t until Saturday that rival teams expect to know the Rockies’ true intentions with Ubaldo Jimenez. As of Thursday, the price for Jimenez hadn’t dropped a bit — Colorado was still asking for three high-end prospects. The consensus is that if the Rockies begin to back off on their asking price at all in the next 36 hours, then they are signaling a clear intention to trade Jimenez before the deadline, perhaps out of concern for some of the red flags that have come up with his performance this year. Jimenez may be like Pence: a good player whose market value will be higher right now than at any other time.
• The Rangers need a reliever, and they match up well with the Padres in a Heath Bell trade — but it’s not clear whether Texas will meet San Diego’s asking price for the All-Star closer.
There are many hours to go until the deadline — an eternity, as the executive said
BravesFanInPA
July 29th, 2011
7:11 pm
Ralph you can call me an idiot all you want. I never said play prado full time at short. I honestly do not know if he can play short. my guess in a pinch he probably could. I wouldnt with lowe on the mound but maybe with beachy pitching i would. it was just a thought there ralphie!
Mid Town Joe
July 29th, 2011
7:12 pm
My last bit about M Diaz. He was a rock solid blue collar player for the Braves, and his work ethic rubbed off on the rest of the team. That kind of chemistry is tough to come by. The only player who comes close to Diaz is Freddie Freeman, and he’s a rookie! I think we’d be in front of the Phillies had we kept him. Now we’re trying to rent a player for two months for what, “Chemistry”?
Peter
July 29th, 2011
7:12 pm
So here’s the deal. If Constanza gets a hit tonight, he shall be known as T-bone. If he does not get a hit tonight he shall be known as Koko the Monkey.
Brave Fan
July 29th, 2011
7:13 pm
Has anyone else quietly questioned whether McClouth is really hurt.
No Crying
July 29th, 2011
7:13 pm
I hear that Jose Constanza is so fast, (how fast is he?) He can flip off the light switch by the door and be in bed before the light goes off.