Braves extend GM Wren, promote assistants
Before the Braves begin to reshape their roster this offseason, they reaffirmed those who would be making the decisions. The Braves have extended general manager Frank Wren’s contract through 2014, the team announced Friday morning.
Wren has been in that role for the past five seasons and in the Braves front office for 13. He was first hired as an assistant general manager in October of 1999.
The Braves also promoted two of Wren’s top assistants. Bruce Manno was promoted from assistant general manager and director of player development to vice president and assistant general manager/player development. Manno has been in the assistant general manager’s role for five seasons and began overseeing the Braves minor league system last season.
John Coppolella, who was the Braves director of professional scouting, was promoted to assistant general manager. Coppolella has been in baseball operations for the Braves for six seasons.
“These changes are a reflection of the good work and success of our Major League baseball team and the work of Frank and his senior staff,” Braves president John Schuerholz said in a press release.
The Braves promoted four other executives on their business side; including vice president of ticket sales Paul Adams, vice president of corporate partnerships Jim Allen, vice president of marketing Gus Eurton, and vice president of facility operations Eric Perestuk.
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184 comments Add your comment
reckingball
October 12th, 2012
9:39 am
good move
reckingball
October 12th, 2012
9:41 am
now,………. don’t trade Delgado
Reid in EAV
October 12th, 2012
9:48 am
Continuity and professionalism. Hallmarks of this organization. As Chipper said, just two managers and two GMs in a 19-year career is pretty special and unique.
WHAT A CROCK!
October 12th, 2012
9:54 am
Wren needs to be run out of town in front of the closest speeding 18 Wheeler.
Miami Dave
October 12th, 2012
9:55 am
Good move indeed. Hope you can find a way to build to the nucleus of our young team and keep Ross in the fold.
Miami Dave
October 12th, 2012
9:57 am
@What aCrock- what’s wrong? 94 wins not enough for you?
lee maye
October 12th, 2012
10:04 am
Miami Dave: Please see if you Miami folks can take Fredi back and take Wren and Uggla too. Heck, we will throw in Hanson, Uggla, and Fredi and Wren for your disgruntled relief pitcher.
Gene
October 12th, 2012
10:07 am
Saltamacchia, Andrus, Harrison, Feliz, McLouth, Lowe, Kawakami.
Brave New World
October 12th, 2012
10:10 am
Good move.
Wilson
October 12th, 2012
10:29 am
WHAT A CROCK! You have no idea what the Front Office job description is for the Braves, let alone the duties of a Major League GM such as Wren so just stop and get back to your drive thru window and your Fries. Learn how to say thank you as the customer drives away and don’t forget the napkins or ketchup you genius.
GTAlford
October 12th, 2012
10:35 am
Gene – Saltalamacchia, Andrus, Feliz and Harrison were all Schuerholz. Lowe and Kawakami were misses, but hard to fault the McLouth trade.
Scott Boras
October 12th, 2012
10:37 am
Pay the man!
Rick
October 12th, 2012
10:37 am
It seems obvious that the Braves are happy with where they are and have been for the past 10-12 years.
Liberty Media is getting much appreciation for the value of the team, servicing debt and the CEO getting $80,000,000 bonuses.
All is well…..
If I was a season ticket holder, I will not pay the organization another dime until a dedication is made to get better.
Sleeze
October 12th, 2012
10:40 am
EVERY GM makes bad moves and bad signing. Wren’s abour part or a little above average. Given the salary restrictions he’s dealing in a division full of teams that are suddenly big spenders, Wren’s certainly enough to keep his job.
Sleeze
October 12th, 2012
10:40 am
EVERY GM makes bad moves and bad signing. Wren’s abour part or a little above average. Given the salary restrictions he’s dealing in a division full of teams that are suddenly big spenders, Wren’s certainly enough to keep his job.
what you eat for breakfast?
October 12th, 2012
10:54 am
Does anyone else feel that it is going to take a long time to get this bad october out of our mouths? Baseball seems like the only sport that feels like such a let down when your team loses in the postseason I mean we follow these teams from Feb-Oct, 162 games, and then lose. I always feel so down especially when the Braves lose. I never get this down when the Falcons, Bulldogs, or Hawks lose in the postseason, something about the length of the baseball season and then losing like we did this year makes me feel like the season was just a waste to watch and cheer for
anyone else feel this way?
DOB is it possible the Braves need to shake everything up to do away with the old “90s/early 2000″ team mentality? Should Turner Field be renamed or maybe a new stadium built in another few years? Should the uniforms be changed? Should we remove all the pennants in the outfield to fully shake the old October problems this franchise has had.
Thanks Mr. DOB.
Brave New World
October 12th, 2012
11:05 am
This October we were in a playoff game. We won 94 games in 2012. This October is far less painful than last October when we imploded and did not make the playoffs. Though I felt we would win the one game playoff, the 4 errors (3 by Braves and one by Sam Holbrook, umpiring wizard) prevented this from happening. Crummy ending to a great season. GO BRAVES!
Felix
October 12th, 2012
11:18 am
Shucks, but no surprise.
BusterBrave
October 12th, 2012
11:30 am
OK,Time to get to buisness, Tommy Hanson for Peter Bourgeous-CF- Calfornia Angels……Mike Trout’s position……fast and good fielder………or…..Tommy Hanson for Lorenzo Cain-CF- Kansas City Royals….young,fast and with some pop in bat…….Rajia Davis-OF/CF-Toronto Blue Jays….veteran,productive,great outfielder,and had as many SB’s as Bourn…….Chop-Chop………..
Dawgdad (The Original)
October 12th, 2012
11:31 am
Braves always want to lock up mediocrity in a long term contract. Hey, we don’t want to return to the 80’s, right. Next, lock up Homer Hanson to a long term deal.
Yuuup
October 12th, 2012
11:32 am
Neither like nor dislike this move. While the Braves have had some winning seasons since he took over, they still either choke and don’t make the playoffs, or they bow out in the first round. So if you like winning 90+ games in the regular season, and being a stepping stone in the playoffs, Frank Wren is your man.
Bill M.
October 12th, 2012
11:36 am
By extending Wren for one year could mean that the Braves will be sold in near future. How many years does Fred G. have left? Don’t look for the Braves to pay out big money this offseason.
BFAN
October 12th, 2012
11:48 am
Until he figures out how to get the braves a 2b he hasnt done his job. He is responsible for the Most Overpaid Overrated Player in baseball being on the braves. With a real 2b they win the div going away. Hits less than 200 for 4 mths and plays terrible D, no range no glove no arm! If FW is playing the braves back the 10plus mil a year the MOOP costs he can stay.
Gil in Mechanicsville
October 12th, 2012
11:56 am
I think Frank Wren has done a good job, especially when you take into consideration the budgetary constraints he has to work under. Yes, some hits and misses on signings but fewer than most GMs. Perhaps the hardest way to build a consistent winner is trying to rebuild on the fly. Other teams go through 5 year cycles.
As for getting over the frustration of being bounced out in the first round, it was easier to get over than last year’s nose dive.
At the end of it all, there will be 29 teams bemoaning their failures. That said, it is nice to see the Os going toe to toe with the Yankees and Nats fans everywhere are thinking Jason Werth has earned every penny of his ridiculous contract with one swing last night.
tc
October 12th, 2012
11:58 am
I think we should keep Wren around if for no other reason he is lucky. He almost traded for Jake Peavy and was turned down, he tried to sign Burrnett and was turned down, he got duped by Furcal’s agents, and he got turned down by Dempster. All of these might have been moves would have blown up in his face. He is bullet proof!
single white dove
October 12th, 2012
12:06 pm
“These changes are a reflection of the good work and success…”
Really???
single white dove
October 12th, 2012
12:07 pm
Miami Dave
October 12th, 2012
9:57 am
@What aCrock- what’s wrong? 94 wins not enough for you?
Not winning a World Series or playoff game….
Why?
October 12th, 2012
12:12 pm
The big question is where was the McLouth last night when he was here?
Paddy
October 12th, 2012
12:19 pm
Carroll………was Liberty Media part of the festivities to honor Chipper during his last homestand? Did they present him w/ any gifts or momentoes?
Paddy
October 12th, 2012
12:19 pm
Carroll………was Liberty Media part of the festivities to honor Chipper during his last homestand? Did they present him w/ any gifts or momentoes?
Turd Ferguson
October 12th, 2012
12:26 pm
Sorry but A-fraud is the most overrated, overpaid. Uggla looks like a deal compared to him.
Tumbledown
October 12th, 2012
12:28 pm
Breakfast- Does anyone else feel that it is going to take a long time to get this bad october out of our mouths? …. DOB is it possible the Braves need to shake everything up to do away with the old “90s/early 2000″ team mentality?
I am more optimistic after this October then I was after the September collapse of last year. If we can add Shane Victorino and another steady-eddy type of hitter to the lineup and somehow retain Delgado/Teheran, I think the future looks fairly bright for the next couple of years. After last September, I thought for sure the team was headed down, down, down.
The mentality of the 90’s and early 2000’s was not so bad. Those teams netted us a WS win and four other WS appearances. If not for a base running blunder here and some poor relief outings there, those Braves’ teams could have won one or two more WS.
If you want an “out there” kind of suggestion, I wish the fans would ditch the chop and chant. I love seeing stadiums where the crowd is cheering like mad and waving a towel or something. In reality, though, this would not make any difference to the results.
Homer the Brave
October 12th, 2012
12:29 pm
Time to get Zack Greinke.
Tumbledown
October 12th, 2012
12:31 pm
I was initially a proponent of going after Swisher. But he appears to be another playoff fraud. The Braves do not need more of those.
wag
October 12th, 2012
12:43 pm
He has actually done a good job working in the parameters he has been given. Now go get Denard Span who is career .293 hitter against lefties and a great centerfielder, or Ben Revere or Dexter Fowler both of whom are from Atlanta. Revere can fly and Fowler can hit.
Doug, Nashville
October 12th, 2012
12:45 pm
It looks to me that some of the players are not cooperating with the hitting instructors. If this is the case they need to ride the bench until they try.
Rick C
October 12th, 2012
12:51 pm
wag, Fowler can hit at Coors field. Check his home/road splits.
Rick C
October 12th, 2012
12:51 pm
Homer the Brave, they need hitters right now, not pitchers.
BillEGoat
October 12th, 2012
12:54 pm
The loss in the one-game playoff colors thr opinions of a lot of fans. I would have felt better if the Braves lost a 2-1 well-played game to the Cardinals, but the infield errors and an overall sloppy performance made it seem even worse. The Braves are usually excellent for 162 games but do not come up big in playoffs, usually come off small. That is not really Wren’s fault. It has been a hallmark of the Atlanta franchise for a number of years, BEFORE Wren. The Braves never seem to have the players who get hot for the playoffs, the two or three guys who make the big plays. I think the team has collpased in post-season so many times that it might have become, partially, a mental thing, they “expect” it to happen. Can’t blame Wren too much for that. As a ML GM, he probably gets about a C-plus grade, maybe B-minus. It will be a challenging off-season for the franchise, and we’ll know more about Wren when we see how he handles it.
Patrick
October 12th, 2012
1:08 pm
yay
that’s a sarcastic yay for anyone who is wondering
Semper Fi Braves Fan
October 12th, 2012
1:35 pm
The Braves won 94 games, had the least amount of errors in baseball, and lost a game in which they gave up 4 unearned runs and lost by 3.
Frank Wren put a team on the field to win. Chipper Jones is responsible for 3 unearned runs, Uggla is responsible for the other. The game should have been won with a final score of 2-3.
If the Braves finished 500 or worse, then I would agree… run him out of town. However, based on budget restraints he put together a great team with an idiot manager.
ricocarty21
October 12th, 2012
1:37 pm
1 world series win in 16 playoff attempts in recent history speaks volume. Now,let me say Chipper is a good person but the bottom line is he does not perform well under pressure and is basically a loser when it comes to the big game. He just did not deliver with his bat and literally threw the game away into right field. In private, he probably would admit it.
In addition, corporate ownership put dollar limits on how much additional help could be brought in to compliment C.J. and shore up the starting pitching. I am glad Chipper can not be the scape goat anymore, we will see if this organization can put together a real winner without the overpaid senior superstar. Management knew they needed a legit right handed power hitting outfielder but did nothing. Unfortunately, Chipper could have drank a gallon of vinegar and felt better than he did in his last game in Atlanta. I wish Ted Turner would have never sold them.
Wren grooms LOSERS!
October 12th, 2012
1:49 pm
92 wins is not enough……Only winning the World Series is enough……and the Atlanta FLOPS Braves just can’t seem to get that done…..and as long as WREN is here we sure won’t! Fire the dirtbag.
don
October 12th, 2012
1:51 pm
Big mistake.
G
October 12th, 2012
1:55 pm
I’m not surprised that an organization mired in mediocrity would extend a mediocre GM. Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over with the same bad results.
Humbug
October 12th, 2012
1:59 pm
I will not be surprised if Wren packages Prado, Hayward, and Freeman for a 36+ year old pitcher with a 6-19 record.
Rick C
October 12th, 2012
2:13 pm
Wren grooms LOSERS!, so in your opinion should 29 teams be firing their GMs at the end of every season?
Rick C
October 12th, 2012
2:14 pm
G, so a 94 win season is mediocre now?
Larry30
October 12th, 2012
2:27 pm
The trade with Texas giving away our minor league talent for texeira taking us nowhere was the work of the former self proclaimed legend and genius, schuerholz. The rest of the list belongs to Wren. Schuerholz loved trade away talent, Wren just prefers to over pay for it.
Larry30
October 12th, 2012
2:30 pm
I guess 94 wins puts more fannies in the seats at turner field but what is the goal coming out of the spring? One playoff appearance since 2005? Unless you count the farcical wild card play in game the playoffs.
Rick C
October 12th, 2012
2:33 pm
Larry30, whether you consider it or not, the WC game was the playoffs. Stats were separate, not a 163rd game, etc. They obviously didn’t perform in the game and also partly lost due to an unforgiving new format, but that’s no fault of the GM.
Frodo
October 12th, 2012
2:40 pm
WHAT A CROCK is pretty much right on it. Wren is one of the worst GMs in MLB. No focus whatsoever on OBP. He’s constantly trading young talent for older washed up players that suck up millions in payroll. Kotchman, Dunn, Melky, McCout, the Derek Lee deal? Come on. What about the free agent signing of Glaus?? Horrible. Name ONE deal this guy has made that is productive. And don’t say the Cubs trade. Get somebody in here that can evaluate players and bring in young talent with a bright future, rather than trading them away and paying premium dollars for shriveled up old men because you think you just might have a chance of winning a playoff game. Our inability to score, yet again this year, was a joke. Do you people forget what he almost gave up in July for Dempster???!!! Somebody mentioned 94 wins. Yeh. With Schuerholz players. Wait until you see the long-term effects this guy will have on the organization and of course the fact that we’ve fired all of our good scouts. Stop blindly supporting this guy. You sound UGA fans and their idiotic support of Birdhair Richt.
And stop talking about Greinke. There are much better deals out there for SPs. We just unloaded a whole mess of payroll and you doofuses want to waste it all on a starter with 2.5 good seasons on file.
Larry30
October 12th, 2012
2:48 pm
It’s his team. And I’m over the excuse making with regard to payroll. Baltimore, tampa, Cincinnati, Washington all had lower payrolls than the braves. I only include Tampa because they are consistently in the mix With an average payroll of $57 million the past five years. Would Bobby consider coming back as GM? He was the real architect of our team in the 90’s. And im not one of those who is critical of oe world series victory. Just to get in the series is an incredible accomplishmen and some teams wait for generations to win a championship…..any cubs fans still around from 1908? I do think the clubhouse is better off without chipper. He was a habitual loafer and pretend leader. A great hitter, though.
Rick C
October 12th, 2012
2:56 pm
Frodo, what young “talent” that was traded away in any of those deals have actually produced at the ML level? The McLouth trade for example: in their careers so far Morton has a 5.06 ERA, Locke a 5.82 ERA, and Hernandez a 192/267/301 slash line. And those players you named that they traded for were all young except Derek Lee. As far as a productive deal Wren has done, Bourn is a great example.
Fastball
October 12th, 2012
2:57 pm
Well we see, not a big fan of Wren in spite of his record. Maybe it’s just me
Larry30
October 12th, 2012
2:58 pm
Hey Frodo…..without Glaus in 2010 there would have been no playoffs for this team since 2005 except for the joke last Friday night. How quickly we forget. Chipper was stinking it up all spring, drove down to turner field the middle of June to have a pity party and discuss retirement with the brass. The braves were in last place at the end of April. Troy Glaus caught fire, became the national league player of the month in may and at the end of that month the braves had taken over first in the division. Glaus became injured, was exiled by Wren, and wasn’t given another chance to compete until game 2 that Friday night in SF where he made one of the greatest defensive plays ever for this franchise by having the guts to go for the DP with the bases loaded and one out in a tie game. He knew it was a crapshoot with Kyle farnsworthless on the mound having to face another batter. Chipper had injured his knee in July or he would have certainly gone home on the play giving the giants another crack at Kyle where we would have probably lost the game. Troy Glaus carried the braves on his shoulders for about six weeks in that spring of 2010.
Kentavo
October 12th, 2012
3:13 pm
That Glaus DP was classic. I still can’t believe it.
Larry30
October 12th, 2012
3:21 pm
It was classic and a perfect example of a player being mentally engaged in the contest. He had decided what he was going to do before the pitch was even made, signalling over to Prado that he was coming to 2nd if the ball was hit to him. Very gutsy, very professional. But he was a world series MVP playing 3rd for Arizona.
Peter
October 12th, 2012
3:34 pm
What a MISTAKE……… WOW.. forget about going to the Big Series until he is GONE.
The Braves will now be a bridesmaid for many season’s !
Peter
October 12th, 2012
3:37 pm
Good thing he traded Blanco and Infante away……. those guys have a shot at a title now !
More softball type roster in the future ! Slow and fat is the team we will have…..
Gee even Bourne had an off year stealing bases…… station to station baseball is all we can hope for, and the pitchers must throw shut outs to win !
Peter
October 12th, 2012
3:40 pm
However, based on budget restraints he put together a great team with an idiot manager.
Really ???? He hired the idiot…… and please many teams with less payroll money are wining and competing better than the Braves.
Where are the clutch hitters he has brought to Atlanta ?
Klaus
October 12th, 2012
3:46 pm
Why now? He has a year left on his deal. I doubt other teams are circling the Braves FO at this point.
Chipper, Heyward and a late impossible surge by Medlen are why the Braves won 94 games and made the WC.
Medlen was an impossible to predict dumb luck success story. Chipper wanted to go out with class and Heyward is being patient at the plate.
Uggla continues to stink at the plate and in the field. The bench is garbage, Mac may be a 12mm sink hole in 2013 and we wasted 10mm in 2012 paying for Lowe.
Also 90mm is not a hardship. Please stop getting the violin out for a team with a 90-92mm payroll.
They have managed it poorly but they are not living in a soup kitchen.
Wren is a solid C+ GM. The GM in STL, SF, DET, WASH (sans the Strasburg move) are worlds better. Also watch the Cubs make hay with Viz (guy we traded 3mos of Malhom and Reed) as a starter not a closer.
Klaus
October 12th, 2012
3:49 pm
Chipper forgot to mention two managers and two GMs in 20+ years with no ring since 1995 and either one and done in the WC round or more often missing the post season entirely.
Maybe they should have made some changes in those two areas. You don’t win rings for stable FO staff. That isn’t a sport.
BRAVESFAN
October 12th, 2012
3:54 pm
Still no job for Ricky Mast?
Rick C
October 12th, 2012
4:02 pm
Peter, Bourn was still second in the NL in SB this season.
Of the other 9 post season teams, 4 had lower payrolls than the Braves but only 2 ended the season with better records. Not exactly “many.”
Klaus, so the Braves made the WC because they performed. Isn’t that what they are supposed to do? Medlen would not have even been in the rotation probably if Beachy hadn’t got hurt.
3 of those GM’s teams have much bigger payrolls than the Braves. And while I would agree Rizzo has made some good deals, getting Gio in particular, he’s given some bad contracts too. Werth was way over payed, under performed last year, and was out with an injury most of this year. Zimmerman also seems to have constant shoulder issues and his contract will probably come back to bite Rizzo as well.
Rick C
October 12th, 2012
4:06 pm
Oh and 3 months of Maholm is not accurate. He has a very affordable option for next year. I hope they can resign Reed as well.
Playoffs!!!
October 12th, 2012
4:31 pm
Two-year extension—-not exactly a ringing endorsement-. Or is that normal in the GM ranks these days?
Michael
October 12th, 2012
4:32 pm
“Gene
October 12th, 2012
10:07 am
Saltamacchia, Andrus, Harrison, Feliz, McLouth, Lowe, Kawakami.”
Saltamacchia, Andrus, Harriso, and Feliz were not traded by Wren. Lowe made the playoffs for us one year, McLouth is hitting .350 for the O’s no reason he should have failed for us + we didnt give up that much, and KK was terrible. So u say he has made by decisions on 7 players he only did so with 1, Thx check your facts and Wren has been pretty good,
a fan
October 12th, 2012
4:40 pm
BFan,Rico ,Frodo, Peter, I wish you a life time in Pittsburgh, San Diego,KC or the Cubs you would then perhaps appreciate what a good Wren has done.. It took Baltimore 15 years just to get back to post season What about Miami and Boston this last two years and then there are the Mets with a $120 million payroll, Phils with $170 all worse then us, get a life
braveslover
October 12th, 2012
4:43 pm
Braves management keep saying that there is no spending limit but be prepared to defend what is spent. If Wren keeps payroll around 90 million then there isn’t much to defend. If he goes 110 million and gets crap (see Uggie) then he puts himself on the hotseat. Braves will need to go around 105 million if they are serious about getting an elite left fielder or third baseman with an above average center fielder. I hope Janish is resigned as there may not be a smoother fielder in the majors. If he could just hit….. sigh.
Oh'man
October 12th, 2012
4:48 pm
Good for Frank Wren, he deserves it !
Brave New World
October 12th, 2012
4:51 pm
Frank Wren changed the Braves from a losing team to a playoff team in a relatively short period of time. He has had to work on a limited budget. Overall, Wren has done a very good job. You overly critical knuckleheads are whining about 94 wins not being anything – it is something, and it gave us one of the best records in baseball. The Braves are positioned to be a playoff team for years to come. Why don’t you whiners watch the political debates, then you’d really have something to complain about. GO BRAVES!
Rick C
October 12th, 2012
4:51 pm
braveslover, I think they’ve freed up enough payroll that 90 mill will be enough. Janish is still under team control for another year or two I think.
Dozer
October 12th, 2012
4:57 pm
Maybe he can figure out a way to give this team a heart transplant. Take a look at the Giants, Cards, & Orioles – always fighting to the end. Can anyone honestly say that this franchise has that quality ingrained in their culture? Amazing how meekly they go down every year and not a bit of outrage about it. Hey McGurk – that’s why we don’t show up………..
Dozer
October 12th, 2012
4:57 pm
Maybe he can figure out a way to give this team a heart transplant. Take a look at the Giants, Cards, & Orioles – always fighting to the end. Can anyone honestly say that this franchise has that quality ingrained in their culture? Amazing how meekly they go down every year and not a bit of outrage about it. Hey McGurk – that’s why we don’t show up………..
Dozer
October 12th, 2012
4:57 pm
Maybe he can figure out a way to give this team a heart transplant. Take a look at the Giants, Cards, & Orioles – always fighting to the end. Can anyone honestly say that this franchise has that quality ingrained in their culture? Amazing how meekly they go down every year and not a bit of outrage about it. Hey McGurk – that’s why we don’t show up………..
Dozer
October 12th, 2012
4:57 pm
Maybe he can figure out a way to give this team a heart transplant. Take a look at the Giants, Cards, & Orioles – always fighting to the end. Can anyone honestly say that this franchise has that quality ingrained in their culture? Amazing how meekly they go down every year and not a bit of outrage about it. Hey McGurk – that’s why we don’t show up………..
Dozer
October 12th, 2012
4:59 pm
Another thing – enough of the baloney about limitations due to the local tv contract – the new national contracts almost double current revenues.
reckingball
October 12th, 2012
5:37 pm
Maybe some of these here folks, can figure out a way to stop posting the same comment, multiple times.
Carl Farvman
October 12th, 2012
5:49 pm
“Carroll………was Liberty Media part of the festivities to honor Chipper during his last homestand? Did they present him w/ any gifts or momentoes?”
More obsession over Chipper and his presents.
Mikey
October 12th, 2012
6:14 pm
Braves are second to the Phillies in wins since 2009 in the NL for those that are keeping score at home. Contratulations Frank for a job well done.
least of the east
October 12th, 2012
6:16 pm
Enter your comments here
least of the east
October 12th, 2012
6:21 pm
good GMs are hard to find. Wren is mediocre, but who would be better ? at least he knows their players througout the system. most of his deals accomplish little or nothing. the best one at first was the one with Tigers for Jurgens, but that has clearly gone astray.
the bigger problems are Liberty media, Fredi G and their scouting staff which is overrated. their 3rd-5th round picks last year hardly had sterling pro debuts. they were quite poor, in fact.
now, Frank’s smirk will never go away. get sued to that smug look.
David O'Brien
October 12th, 2012
6:21 pm
Breakfast- Does anyone else feel that it is going to take a long time to get this bad october out of our mouths? …. DOB is it possible the Braves need to shake everything up to do away with the old “90s/early 2000″ team mentality? — what you eat for breakfast
Feel free to discuss the need to shake everything up and start over. But just know that’s not happening. Period. Braves won 94 games with a pretty young team, and Wren and Co. are quite happy with their core of young players.
But like I said, feel free to kick it around here all winter. “Blow it up, start over,” all that kind of talk. Have at it. But it’s not happening. Nor should it.
No. 1 Braves Fan
October 12th, 2012
6:27 pm
Frodo and Peter: Both of you do not seem to like Wren. Who can you name that was available for the Braves to hire could have done a better job as Braves GM ?
Birdhair
October 12th, 2012
6:31 pm
Wren 1 playoff appearance in 5 seasons. 0 playoff series wins. Folks say that he’s done a good job with given playoff. I scoff. $155M total wasted btw Drunk Lowe, KK, Uggla, and Nate McOut. He’s tied his own hands with high risk, expensive, poor decisions. $10M alone this past season wasted on Drunk Lowe.
This is a man that cannot operate a given budget properly, does not value OBP enough, and benefited tremendously from years of great work and drafting by John Schuerholz.
Atlanta fans that support Wren and his work are delusional. We need new ownership who will spend more and hold management accountable.
Birdhair
October 12th, 2012
6:57 pm
I meant payroll vs playoff above, but u get the point. I’d pay Andrew Friedman 1.5x’s what he’s making to come here.
Wren should be fired immediately. We have money to spend again and he’s going to drive us in the ground for years to come. No more Chipper and a few key JS responsible players contracts are going to expire soon.
Birdhair
October 12th, 2012
7:13 pm
Lastly, it’s really sad that our wonderful atlanta sports writers refuse to question management the way that sports writers in other large cities question management. I love our writers, but the these folk,s including the media, become a part of the problem. A majority of these bloggers drink the kool-aid because they don’t read the necessary critical analysis in the papers or hear it on the air
Frodo
October 12th, 2012
7:20 pm
Nice stat Mikey. While I’m proud of our coaches and players for the success, Wren really deserves no credit. In fact, we should ask him where are our penants and WS wins? I see zero playoff wins. He did nothing to build a team that could compete with the elite teams those years. It doesn’t show yet, but he is slowly bleeding this organization. This offseason is huge. $20M to spend wisely.
wins-by-a-link
October 12th, 2012
7:22 pm
Very difficult to judge Mr. Wren since the Braves are owned by a faceless, absent owner who really have no interest in winning a championship, I will give Wren credit for getting the Braves to the play offs even if only for one game. Lets hope the tax break which is why Liberty Media purchased the Braves in the first place plays out soon and local interest can buy the Braves.
Frodo
October 12th, 2012
7:42 pm
No 1 Braves Fan: No idea. Completely subjective. At the time, I was glad to see him move up. I thought for sure, a Schuerholz understudy was great. I guess my answer would be any GM that has won a playoff series in the last 5 years, but that’s lame. I don’t know enough about the talent out there. Poor offense and a lethargic mentality (not Wren’s fault) have plagued this team for years. When is the last time we rallied in a postseason game? Hopefully the departure of Chipper and Bobby from the clubhouse will change this.
ChipperisGod
October 12th, 2012
8:26 pm
The Braves to me felt like they had a different mentality this year, but they just kicked the ball around in the playoffs and beat themselves. I think next year they can come back and be better than this year, and hopefully if we make the postseason, we won’t make the same mistakes. We had a never say die attitude that wasn’t present as much in previous years. That come back from 9 down in Washington and those Phillies come backs weren’t possible a year ago.
Gotta get better with RISP, if we do that by adding some pieces and increased maturity by the young guys, we’re going to get better. And the rotation will not start off as slowly as it did last year.
bobbymahlon
October 12th, 2012
8:27 pm
To all you Nate McLouth fans he sure looked good striking out with the bases loaded with the Orioles down 1-3 in the top of the eigth. Makes you want him back because of that cannon like arm of his.
Birdhair
October 12th, 2012
8:28 pm
Agree with Frodo. The scariest part of this offseason is that Wren has $ to spend again. He’s going to ruin us for years to come.
Fredi has done a commendable job. I’d give him a “B” grade for this past season. If Booby was still managing we would have been around .500
NO MORE FREDI
October 12th, 2012
8:34 pm
The front office is full of good ol boys. We will never win anything with these idiots running the show.
Mike McDonald
October 12th, 2012
9:14 pm
Until Liberty Media cashes out, the current management can be expected to do as they have done for two decades: make too many questionable judgments and decisions that have failed to pay off for the fans and the franchise.
For Liberty, the Braves are the proverbial red-headed step-child. Translation:, they are a tax dodge and should be branded as such: Atlanta Dodgers.
If a true, competent, sportsman/businessman (male or female) were in charge, with his/her own money on the line, the current front office would be gone as well as their staff. (Bud-the-wiser-Selig permitting, of course). And for good reason, the business is not performing and the customer base has been unhappy for far too long.
The Atlanta MLB franchise is potentially a gold mine given the size of its geographic territory and potential population draw. Properly managed as a total business, it has the capability to eclipse the storied NY Yankees now and in the future. The nearest MLB franchise is several hundred miles away. Our region’s population growth is among the nation’s fastest growing.
The old adage, that “a fish stinks from the head” applies to the Braves’ management on the scene, and in absentia.
Until Liberty decides that their tax dodge and lousy ROI no longer compute, Atlanta Dodger fans can expect more contract extensions such as Wren’.s.
A sad prospect, indeed.
JAFO
October 12th, 2012
9:16 pm
And those 94 wins generated what, a chance?…0-9 in home elimination games. Better to be swept in a one game series than a 5. Have they set the date for the banner being raised?
JC Boscan III
October 12th, 2012
9:40 pm
I wonder if McLouth was more affected by his outfield collision with Heyward than anyone ever admitted to. In this first few months with the Braves, he was fairly productive. After the collision, he wasn’t at all. Then, I wonder if Larry Parrish had NO useful strategy to help McLouth find his swing again. Clearly, McLouth figured something out in the minors after a terrible start with the Pirates this year.
So, I wonder if our 2012 hitting coaches could have helped him return to form as a Brave….. we’ll never know. Good luck to him.
john
October 12th, 2012
11:10 pm
Pete- I agree with you. Softball lineup is a good way to put it. Constanza, Infante, and Blanco all did really well when given a chance, but it was like they were never wanted. Heck, it even took the organization an overly long time to figure out what it had in Prado. They fall in love with the big batting practice hitters who can’t make contact in a big pressure situations.
gy6
October 12th, 2012
11:28 pm
what, the e-5 banner?
robh
October 12th, 2012
11:55 pm
maintain mediocrity–and applaud the move if you want—the nats are doing what the braves couldn’t—clutch, clutch, clutch…comes from top down
ab initio
October 13th, 2012
12:13 am
Ah hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
No…
Wait…
AH HAHAHAHAHAHA
LAC
October 13th, 2012
12:19 am
WHAT THE F— !!!!
This Idiot needs to be FIRED, not rehired !!! He has destroyed this team and is Out of his league as
a GM, The WORST in baseball.
It is also time to GET RID of OLD john s. He is too old to keep hurting this team and keeping CHICKEN wren is a BIG step backwards and assures more LOSING than winning for Atlanta.
He should be moving to winnipeg or the like, but Ge The Hell out of Braves baseball !!!!!
Chicken wren and OLD john s. Need to GO AWAY for the sake of the team, Unreal how this team is run, keeping Losers and not hiring WINNERS !
LAC
October 13th, 2012
12:24 am
Lastly… Remember we had Adam Laroche TWICE, Miss his 30+ HR’s and 100+ RBI’s this season ???
BravesFanInNashville
October 13th, 2012
12:33 am
Frank Wren has the Braves poised to be a playoff team for years to come with a core of Heyward, Freeman, Prado , Simmons , Medlen , Minor , Beachy , Kimbrel , EOF and Ventors. Uggla could have a bounce back year, Hudson should help for 2 or 3 more years and we have Teheran, Delgado and Gilmartin coming on. Wren has lots of payroll room opening up and can trade Brian McCann to an AL team if he wants to and free up more payroll and get some prospects or major league help now. If he keeps McCann he’ll be playing for a contract and that should play into the Braves favor.
Overall I think Frank deserved the extension as he put a team on the field that won 94 games and could have been even better if Beachy hadn’t gone down with a league leading ERA. If Beachy was healthy I think the Braves had a real shot at winning the division and with a rotation of Beachy , Medlen , Hudson and Minor I would have liked the Braves against any NL opponent in a playoff series.
Great job Frank. You never complain about payroll limitations you just keep finding ways to bring key pieces to Atlanta.
Derek Lowe helped us for 2of the 4 years and there wasn’t much pitching available at the time so we had to overpay or the Braves had no shot with a rotation that had Hudson on the DL with Tommy John.
BravesFanInNashville
October 13th, 2012
5:25 am
LAC… Really?
How does a GM compete with a team that had 3 future hall of fame pitchers in Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz who played along side another future hall of famer in Chipper and that had a 10 time Gold Glove CF who never hit less than 26 home runs for a ten year period and hit better than 30 seven times in Andrew Jones?
That team was really special and even teams like the Phillies who thought they put together a dream rotation with Halladay, Hamels and Lee found out that they can have off years too. Cliff Lee lost more games than he won and he has a mega contract. Even with a huge payroll the Phillies didn’t even make the Wild Card. It’s not easy to win consistently. What the Braves did in the 90’s and early 2000’s has never been done before and may never be done again in any sport.
Frank Wren has done a great job coming back from a drastically reduced payroll and gutted farm system after the Texiera trade. (Not Frank’s trade) He has rebuilt our pitching to be a strength again and has a great start on a solid starting 8 to go along with the staff. A GM can’t do anything about injuries to players like McCann and Beachy and Medlen. McCann’s career may be on the downside and 3 years ago he looked like a perennial all-star. There can’t be anything more important to a hitter than vision and Brian’s may not be fixable. Very sad because his natural talent to hit a baseball is undeniable if he can see it in focus.
There were a bunch of teams with higher payrolls that didn’t make the playoffs or win 90 games much less 94. Let’s give credit to where it’s due and Mr. Wren has done a pretty good job especially considering his limited spending options.
Cards in NLCS we not
October 13th, 2012
6:42 am
So we award Frank Wren with 2 years for chokin playoffs Game..Great Move ha….Look at st.louis88-74 and guess what just for wins away from repeatin in world series again vs Yankees this time….and will win 2nd straight title just be glad atlanta not played in divison series vs Nats they would had lost 3-2..and Yankees would win world series there 29th…..it be hard battle stlouis wins 4-3 in series at home off a walk off Hr by david Freise in the 11th inning at home 8-7 final score!
truth serum
October 13th, 2012
8:59 am
This is so typical for this organization. We could miss the playoffs the next two years and Wren would get another extension when this contract is up.
Winning doesn’t really matter to them. What really matters to them is profit. I wish we had real ownership.
DIPEN PATEL
October 13th, 2012
9:00 am
So CHIPPER JONES was a BRAVE his entire career and I believe HAMMERIN HANK may have been another BRAVE to spent his entire career as a BRAVE(the difference was the team was in MILWAUKEE back when he was playing,and he may have only played for the BRAVOS).
Erik
October 13th, 2012
9:02 am
If the fans speak up about this and demand an explanation, I’m really looking forward to one of John Schuerholz’s classic lectures to the fans about how they don’t know what they’re talking about. That guy is one of the biggest pompous a**es in sports.
Mikey
October 13th, 2012
9:03 am
I bet the Nats brilliant management team is second guessing how they could possibly not have their best pitcher available for the playoffs. I guess they are just incompetent and should all be fired because they lost their one and only Playoff series.
weak ownership in this town
October 13th, 2012
9:06 am
Mark my words, within the next 3-4 years, the Atlanta Spirit will pass Liberty Media on the Atlanta owners rankings. Liberty Media is mediocre AT BEST. And that’s all the Braves are ever going to be.
I’ve been as critical of the ASG as anybody but at least they’re willing to change.
DIPEN PATEL
October 13th, 2012
9:09 am
As for that LOSER cardinal fan from up top WE all KNOW the yankees will SLAUGHTER these LOSERS from STL known as the DEADBIRDS(the question is will the cardinals even stay alive until the FALL CLASSIC, especially when they could be DEAD by then, hey that’s why they played the GAME all the way up to this DAY-not to mention the yankees will be bringing down these LOVABLE LOSERS known as the DEADBIRDS when the yankees show up in the WORLD SERIES and if the cardinals even stay alive until the FALL CLASSIC. GO BRAVESNATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mikey
October 13th, 2012
9:10 am
Cinncinatti is out also after having a 2-0 lead only to fold at home and Loss 3 in a row. See guys it even happens to better teams then the Braves.
DIPEN PATEL
October 13th, 2012
9:16 am
The BRAVES mediocre YEAH O.K this is an organization that normally shows up in OCTOBER EVERY YEAR or just about EVERY YEAR,that’s not at all mediocre,the BRAVES have always been a TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT OCTOBER POSTSEASON because this is an ORGANIZATION that needs to start WINNING the BIG ONES in OCTOBER and start playing GREAT OCTOBER BASEBALL.(And they’re 100% CORRECT for extending WREN’S contract).GO BRAVESNATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DIPEN PATEL
October 13th, 2012
9:24 am
WELL SAID MIKEY DISAPPOINTMENT happens to every TEAM in BASEBALL and I can GUARANTEE all BRAVES-haters the BRAVES will start WINNING WORLD SERIES TITLES ANNUALLY after all this OCTOBER HEARTBREAK,especially when the nation known as the sox and the whitesox were losing in the POSTSEASON for 80-plus YEARS and these two TEAMS have WON three WORLD SERIES TITLES combined in 2004 2005 and 2007.The are losing in OCTOBER SO WHAT??????? THEY WILL START WINNING in the POSTSEASON ANNUALLY,especially when the redsox and the whitesox are PERFECT EXMAPLES of the BRAVES losing in OCTOBER.GO BRAVESNATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAL
October 13th, 2012
9:25 am
maybe mcout was really mcgreat and this is just a racist black blog orioles are thinkin hes ok
HAL
October 13th, 2012
9:26 am
ya the nats are CLUTCHING There golf bags lol
don
October 13th, 2012
9:27 am
Ninety-four wins? Big deal. The Braves won nothing. They choked again. At home.
They should have dumped Wren. He has been good for several other teams- but not the Braves. Next year will be no better.
don
October 13th, 2012
9:29 am
If you will take a look at the prospects in the minor league4s you will soon conclude that the cupboard is bare,
Jaketown
October 13th, 2012
9:30 am
Liberty Media is garbage. Stop giving them your money.
John Schuerholz
October 13th, 2012
9:35 am
You people don’t understand baseball or business. You’re all a bunch of slack-jawed morons.
Now shut up and keep sending in your money.
Sincerely,
John
DIPEN PATEL
October 13th, 2012
9:57 am
HEY BRAVES-haters have always had ZERO UNDERSTANDING of BRAVESNATION and it’s BASEBALL ETHICS, HEY this ORGANIZATION has always been a TOTALLY ICONIC/STORIED FRANCHISE,OUR only regret is OCTOBER DISAPPOINTMENTS and OUR MAIN PRIORITY has always been ANNUAL OCTOBER POSTSEASON appearances in order for us to have a SHOT at OCTOBER because it’s IMPOSSIBLE for any TEAM IN BASEBALL to WIN the WORLD SERIES or EVEN WIN a POSTSEASON SERIES without EVEN getting in OCTOBER, NUFF SAID THANK YOU.
John Schuerholz
October 13th, 2012
10:01 am
Dipen, I told everyone to shut up and that includes YOU. Now be quiet and go buy some of our merchandise.
Sincerely,
John
Bob the Blogger
October 13th, 2012
10:32 am
I, for one, think Frank Wren is doing a good job. You have to consider that he is working within mid-range salary constraints. If a team’s salary totally determined performance, a mid-range salary would get a .500 winning pct. The Braves had a .580 winning percentage. Boston had a similar fate as the Braves last year, so they went out and “shook things up”, and ended up winning 69 games with a much bigger payroll than the Braves.
DIPEN PATEL
October 13th, 2012
10:44 am
JOHN SHUERHOLTZ I’M going to do my best to KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT and I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE,but I will be TOTALLY STANDING to ANTI-BRAVES fans making TOTALLY NEGATIVE remarks regarding the BRAVES.
Liberty Media
October 13th, 2012
10:49 am
To all our fans,
We won’t be increasing payroll but we do want you to know that we appreciate each and every dollar you give us. Thanks for your continued patronage.
Sincerely,
Liberty Media
FrmtheBlechrs
October 13th, 2012
10:59 am
YEAH!!!!!!! 2 more years of wait till next year.
reckingball
October 13th, 2012
11:16 am
Once again, good move by the Braves, in extending Wren’s contract.
go braves, next year
reckingball
October 13th, 2012
11:24 am
Marlins, Phillies, Brewers, Cubs, Astros, Pirates, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Padres.
Mike McDonald
October 13th, 2012
11:46 am
Contrary to what Wren and his spokesman, the musicologist-cum-sportswriter DOB claim, Atlanta is much more than two players away from putting a playoff-ready team on the field in 2013. Aside from starting pitching where there are serious question marks, Atlanta has only one star position player, Martin Prado, our Swiss Army knife, who should be at his best position, second base … but that’s another story of bad casting. Assume he moves to third base. Freddy Freeman at first base, is a rising star. Jason Heyward has been hot and cold for three years and has not reached stardom yet. Simmons could be a star at shortstop.
Atlanta doesn’t have a starting catcher or center fielder or left fielder or a second baseman. And the Braves don’t have a bench of high caliber competitive players. Assuming 12 position players, by my reckoning, we have seven position spots to fill when Ross is included among the good ones who can take Atlanta to the World Series.
As for organizational stability, it exists only in the minds and jobs of the front office, certainly not on the playing field. Even if Chipper says it’s so.
DawgNole
October 13th, 2012
11:53 am
Miami Dave
October 12th, 2012
9:57 am
@What aCrock- what’s wrong? 94 wins not enough for you?
______________________
Not when it’s followed by yet another postseason collapse.
jim
October 13th, 2012
12:49 pm
The fans who write Delgado/Teheran as if they were two interchangeable parts — keep one trade the other or keep both down on the farm in reserve and go with Hudson, Medlen, Beachy, Minor, and Maholm or as DOB suggested (Hudson, Medlen, Minor, Maholm, and Hanson) — have not watched these games with a critical eye. Teheran has regressed this year, has not been a strikeout pitcher at AAA or the majors, has not a lot of movement on his fastball, and has not given an indication that he will live up to the original hype. Delgado has given an indication of being a top line starter with a mid 90’s fastball, a two seamer with good fade, a well above average change up and at least an average curve. He had more good starts than bad ones this year, and even most of the bad ones were the result of one bad inning. If he had enough innings to qualify he would have been high on the list of pitchers with the least amount of run support during their outings. Delgado needs to be part of the rotation next year, and he will be a top flight starter by 2014. In 2014 Beachy will be fully recovered, Medlen will have had a season where he has pitched more than 130 innings behind him, Minor should be fully established, and Delgado will be as good or better than the rest of them. With Hudson or Teheran or Graham as a fifth starter, the rotation should be very solid for a playoff run.
BravesFanInNashville
October 13th, 2012
12:56 pm
When it comes to Teheran/Delgado we have to remember that Tommy Hanson got all the hype but Medlen came up first as he was ready and has proven to be the better pitcher. Teheran has had all the hype but Delgado came up first and will probably prove to the better pitcher in the end.
Bob the Blogger
October 13th, 2012
1:08 pm
I’ve always thought Delgado was better than Teheran. I haven’t seen enough of Teheran to really judge him, but Delgado has been superb at times, and he’s still very young. Remember Ozzie saying that Delgado had the best stuff of any pitcher the Marlins had faced all year? When he gets a little more experience, I think he’ll be right there with Medlen and Beachy.
reckingball
October 13th, 2012
1:50 pm
I agree with these commenters, I think that Delgado is going to be really good.
reckingball
October 13th, 2012
1:53 pm
I am really glad that Wren did not trade Delgado for Dempster.
If he had, I would probably be bad mouthing Wren like some of these negativeist on this blog.
jim
October 13th, 2012
2:30 pm
The McCann dilemma must be addressed rationally this winter. Will 2013 be an indicator of what to expect going forward? The people who suggest that he will get a multiyear offer of $15 million/year or more in the free agent market are paying for past performance not expectations based on recent performance. He has had good offensive numbers FOR A CATCHER in the past, but only about average for a full-time AL DH. The fact that he can catch and DH would add some value but his lack of speed would be a detriment. Another year like this one and his market value plummets. If he has a bounce back year, what then? He is still a gamble if he wants say 4 years at $15 million per, and if he walks we get nothing in return. One alternative would be to offer him a two year deal at $12 million per year this year with a mutual option at $15 million per for a third year. For the player, he gets another $12 million guaranteed with an opportunity to enhance his appeal for a bigger payday after recovering from injury and sub par performance. For the team, it postpones impending free agency for a year, gives Bethancourt an extra year to develop, and provides an opportunity to trade McCann after next season and get some return before losing him.
Mikey
October 13th, 2012
5:37 pm
Mr McDonald: Freeman, Simmons& Heyward along with the best bullpen in the majors complimented by a very good and deep starting pitching gives the Braves a very strong nucleus to build from. With Prado at third and a healthy McCann behind the plate the focus will be L/F and a new bench.
chipper
October 13th, 2012
5:44 pm
This pretty much says that it was Chipper’s fault and his fear of success that the Braves failed to get past minor league pitchers and teams with bigger heart,desire and determination. Guess building a team based on the quality of a player and how they performed on the field rather than the contract an agent demands still doesn’t matter. Why even waste ink on this pathetic corporate decision.
Fastball
October 13th, 2012
6:22 pm
Here’s a big league thought. The Yankees seemed to have given up on A-Rod. We need a third baseman. Let them pay his salary, maybe something to persue.
JAFO
October 13th, 2012
11:45 pm
So clutch doesnt exist? Check Ibanez. Idiots.
JAFO
October 13th, 2012
11:48 pm
Hows that ws run goin rball?
BravesFanInNashville
October 14th, 2012
12:13 am
Ironic and amazing that the Yankees of all teams have found a hero that gets paid $1,100,00.00 in 2012 who pinch hit for A-Rod who’s paid $28Million. Ibanez would have been a perfect fit for the Braves. I’m sure the lure of playing for the Yankees was a factor in him signing there.
BravesFanInNashville
October 14th, 2012
1:28 am
As much as I dislike the Yankees as a team, I really hate to see Derek Jeter go down like he did. He’s a class act that’s great for the game. He’ll be missed in these playoffs.
Frank Wren
October 14th, 2012
10:25 am
I was concerned Billy Beane from Oakland was coming to Atlanta. He knows how to get the most out of a small payroll.
cornjolio
October 14th, 2012
10:29 am
Dan Uggla. Derek. Lowe. Kinchen Kawakami. Nate McLouth. All Frank Wren moves.
If Wren signs Brian McCann to a longterm extension, he should be run out of town on a rail, after being tarred & feathered.
Ebenezer Snerdberg
October 14th, 2012
10:48 am
ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE. SO MUCH FOR NEXT YEAR!
St. Louis Cardinals - World Champions
October 14th, 2012
11:45 am
Great job, Frank Wren ! You deserve it !
Give Fredi Gonzalez an extension too, along with Brian McCann and Dan Uggla !
LMAO !
Cards Stink
October 14th, 2012
12:25 pm
There’s no there there.
Posts about The Braves From Other Great Blogs issue #1 | Atlanta Braves Dugout Online | Atlanta Braves Blog
October 14th, 2012
2:05 pm
[...] will provide news and discussion as it is presented, as well as the occasional di more… Braves extend GM Wren, promote assistants – blogs.ajc.com 10/12/2012 Before the Braves begin to reshape their roster this offseason, [...]
Bobbymahlon
October 14th, 2012
2:11 pm
Ibanez would be another lefthand hitter of which we do not need. We need a power right hand hitter so we don’t face so many lefties (we faced more than anybody in baseball this year).
Sav FAN
October 14th, 2012
4:42 pm
Bring back Infante
Ken Stallings
October 14th, 2012
6:34 pm
If Liberty Media would give Frank Wren the same budget the Saint Louis Cardinals have to work with ($110 million) then Wren can resign Bourn, sign a very good left field bat, and move Prado to third base which is his “natrual” position. I put natural in quotes because frankly it seems for the amazing Martin Prado the entire field is his natural position!
With those moves, I like the Braves chances for 2013. But, what alarms me is that Liberty Media is not likely to do this, so Wren’s hands are tied too much. With this pitching staff, the Braves are being forced by Liberty to play the “close but no cigar” mode with a pitching staff the envy of baseball.
M10
October 14th, 2012
10:13 pm
That’s the problem with a lot of braves fans,you guys are just happy being mediocre and making it to the playoffs and getting your a** kicked every year.Until the fans of Atlanta demand more your going to continue to see a revolving door of mediocrity.Wren should be fired as well as Freddy” I’m scared to argue with the umpire”Gonzalez.
cornjolio
October 15th, 2012
7:28 am
Ken Stallings,
In recent years there have been teams that actually reached the World Series with payrolls comparable or smaller than the Braves.
All the excuse makers for Frank Wren are nauseating. Derek Lowe, Dan Uggla, Kinchen Kawakami & Nate McLouth have tied up Wren’s hands. He deserve the blame, not a contract extension. A McCann extension will doom the Braves to further mediocrity.
Ray
October 15th, 2012
8:21 am
Many of you obviously not pleased with Frank Wren. Tell me who you would like to see as GM instead of Wren. Most experts rank Wren as one of the top 10 gm’s in the game. And as far as Liberty Media, personally I would rather have them then someone like Loria, the owners of the marlins.
Bravo Uno
October 15th, 2012
8:33 am
If this were Philly, NY or Boston, where fans are demanding and not complacent like in Atlanta, Frank Wren would have been fired. No World Series appearances since 1999, when Bill Clinton was in the White House.
Liberty Media gets trashed for being thrifty. Are they cheap? When your GM ties up the team payroll in the likes of non-productive players like Dan Uggla, Derek Lowe, Kinchen Kawakami and Nate McLouth, you can’t pin that on Liberty Media. In recent years teams like the Rays, Rockies & Giants have gone to the World Series on smaller payrolls than Wren has to work with.
With Chipper, Lowe & others off the books, I’m terrified who Wren might be bringing in. Chances are they’ll be past their prime and oft-injured.
Hardy Brave
October 15th, 2012
8:44 am
They should of RELEASE the worstlees GM and look for another GM.
Ray
October 15th, 2012
9:09 am
Yeah the Rockies are in Great shape. The phillies with a lot of older players with high contracts, that’s where I want my team to be. You can go through EVERY team and list bad signings. A-rod, that’s a “great signing.” I won’t list the marlins and their signings with big contracts, too many to list. I don’t want to hear how awesome the fans are in NY. Look at the last 4 playoff games, no sellouts. And yesterday far from a sellout.
Ray
October 15th, 2012
9:11 am
@hardy, who do you want as gm? IF you fire Wren, you have to bring in someone.
Bravo Uno
October 15th, 2012
11:12 am
Ray,
I mentioned teams that have been to a World Series in recent years; something the Braves have not come close to doing since 1999.
Wake up & get off the Kool Aid ! Fans like you are ensuring more mediocre baseball in Atlanta !
cornjolio
October 15th, 2012
11:16 am
Frank Wren has been GM for 5 years. His actions this off-season will determine his and the Braves future.
He’ll have some money to spend. He needs to stop bringing in players over the hill or are frequently injured or playing out of position.
jim
October 15th, 2012
12:06 pm
2013 has some big question marks:
1. Will the players brought in to replace Chipper and Bourn be as or more productive than Chipper or Bourn (even if one of those players is Bourn)?
2. Will McCann be available from the start of the season? Will he be able to escape injury again? Will he return to something close to his previous level of play?
3. Beachy will not be available until the AS break, and not fully recovered until 2014.
4. Medlen has never pitched more than 130 innings in his career. He will not be ready to assume the role of staff ace until he has a 200 inning season under his belt and proves that he can hold up.
5. Delgado needs to be in the rotation. There may be some growing pains, but by 2014 he will be a front line starter.
6. If Gattis and Bethancourt develop as hoped, 2014 will be their ETA.
7/ Heyward and Freeman are seen as emerging stars. By 2014 they should “be all they can be” and be ready to carry the load. It will be their team, not Chipper’s or McCann’s. (Simmons might also be included in that group of young core players.
In brief, the stars align much better in 2014 than 2013 for the Braves to make a run at the WS. The moves this offseason should be viewed to enhancing that prospect, not diminishing it. — Keep Delgado unless some fool offers the likes of Will Meyers for him, not a player like Willingham who will be 35+ by 2014. If they decide to trade Teheran, then get a younger player like Moustakas or Mikie Olt back and hope for a chance to move Prado back to 2B. The mindset for the past two years has been that the current team with a few tweaks was a legitimate WS contender. The truth that must be faced is that the current team with a few teaks is a playoff contender, but not one of the top five teams ready to contend for anything but a cameo appearance in the post season.
Klaus
October 15th, 2012
12:23 pm
Medlen pitched better than Beachy so losing Beachy and getting Malhom mixed with Medlen was about a wash or even an improvement.
94 wins was nice but it didn’t hurt that the NL East apart from the Nats was a punching bag.
Maholm will be a rental unless his option is picked up and Reed is likely going to the highest bidder as a FA. Neither did much one way or the other from what I saw. One is a #4 starter which we have buckets of and the other is a easily replaceable bench player.
If Viz comes back healthy from TJ they could have put him in a package for a guy like Justin Upton not a BoR pitcher. A waste of a very valuable trade piece to just your butts kicked in early Oct.
I cannot give Wren a pass on Lowe, KK, McClouth, trading Viz to the Cubs, extending Uggla before he played one regular season game as a Brave. He is tossing aside young cheap players to crawl into the WC at best. He refuses to really retool the team and for every Lowe contract that finally expires he replaces it with an equally bad deal. Uggla being the new Lowe.
60mm Lowe
27mm KK
55mm for Uggla
143mm alone for three guys who have done almost nothing but stink it up as Braves.
Klaus
October 15th, 2012
12:26 pm
PS – Look how bad this team plays when Chipper sits. He will be sitting for 162 games next year. I don’t see them rising to the occasion without some serious upgrades in LF, CF, 2B and one spot at least in the rotation.
Slammy
October 15th, 2012
1:29 pm
Another brilliant move. No where else but sports can you fail at your job and get your
contract extended.
cornjolio
October 15th, 2012
1:39 pm
Exactly ! The Braves were lethargic when Chipper did not play. Who will Frank Wren bring in to replace Chipper? Josh Willingham? Ay Caramba !
Maybe Dan Uggla will step up. LMAO !
Another Frank Wren move: Mark Texeira for Casey Kotchman. Frank, couldn’t you at least get a low level pitching prospect for Texeira?
cdog
October 15th, 2012
1:46 pm
the braves need a new manager for next season, point blank.they need a fiery manager who will not let umpires take the games from them. bobby cox didn”t tolerate this but freddie gonzalez does plus he”s a hinderous and a liability.there”s plenty managers out there who will get the braves to the world series.they will never win with gonzalez
cdog
October 15th, 2012
1:46 pm
the braves need a new manager for next season, point blank.they need a fiery manager who will not let umpires take the games from them. bobby cox didn”t tolerate this but freddie gonzalez does plus he”s a hinderous and a liability.there”s plenty managers out there who will get the braves to the world series.they will never win with gonzalez
cdog
October 15th, 2012
1:46 pm
the braves need a new manager for next season, point blank.they need a fiery manager who will not let umpires take the games from them. bobby cox didn”t tolerate this but freddie gonzalez does plus he”s a hinderous and a liability.there”s plenty managers out there who will get the braves to the world series.they will never win with gonzalez
cdog
October 15th, 2012
1:46 pm
the braves need a new manager for next season, point blank.they need a fiery manager who will not let umpires take the games from them. bobby cox didn”t tolerate this but freddie gonzalez does plus he”s a hinderous and a liability.there”s plenty managers out there who will get the braves to the world series.they will never win with gonzalez
cdog
October 15th, 2012
1:46 pm
the braves need a new manager for next season, point blank.they need a fiery manager who will not let umpires take the games from them. bobby cox didn”t tolerate this but freddie gonzalez does plus he”s a hinderous and a liability.there”s plenty managers out there who will get the braves to the world series.they will never win with gonzalez
reckingball
October 15th, 2012
2:23 pm
Reading some of these comments, makes me laugh out loud.
A lot of negativist on board.
go braves 2013!
jim
October 15th, 2012
2:46 pm
After the Papelbon HR, Chipper was a non factor for the rest of the month of September, but the Braves had a good month whether or not he was in the lineup. Unfortunately his contribution in the play-in game was a major reason why the team did not advance. The team has played in Chipper’s shadow for the past few years, but they should be ready to establish a new identity with a new core of stars.
Nostradamus
October 15th, 2012
3:36 pm
The 2013 Braves will finish in 4th place.
Frank Wren will extend Brian McCann’s contract.
Dan Uggla will hit .226 and lead the league in strikeouts
With Chipper gone, both Heyward & Freeman will have sub-par seasons
Fredi Gonzalez will be fired.
It is written …
The Bottom Line
October 15th, 2012
4:34 pm
Frank Wren’s job is simple: keep the pitching & bullpen good enough to win 85-95 wins a season, enough to keep the Braves in the race most of the season to stimulate enough fan interest and sell enough tickets & concessions to give Liberty Media a modest profit, year in and year out. Going cheap on everyday starting players will not put the Braves back into serious World Series contention.
The Truth....
October 16th, 2012
12:26 pm
Same ‘ol same ‘ol….Enjoy it Atlanta.
Eric
October 18th, 2012
2:04 pm
Big Chipper Fan…..but lets be clear, the reason we bowed out the last 2 times in the playoffs is because of errors committed by Chipper. He turns that DP and we win the game, no doubt about it. It is argued we aren’t in the position to play that game if it wasn’t for Chipper AND I agree, especially this year. But it can’t be denied why we are out of it.
I do agree we need a ACE in addition to what we already have.
Felix
October 18th, 2012
3:57 pm
We are stuck with Wren.
Great! Just great!
GREAT MOVE!
October 21st, 2012
11:29 am
Kawakami
D Lowe
McLouth
Uggla
Melky
I wish I was fortunate enough to get a pay raise with such a resume… FRANK WREN SUCKS
Peter
October 23rd, 2012
12:01 am
Well Wren traded away both Infante and Blanco……..
What a GENIUS.. Now both are in the Wold Series !!!!!
And the Braves got Rick Ankiel and Uggla……. You should be proud Braves fans !
Peter
October 24th, 2012
9:00 pm
john … Yup now look at the catch Blanco just made and Infante hitting .300 post season.
FIRE WREN is what should of happened…..
All you folks who say Wren wasn’t given much money… In Baltimore he had the most expensive team at the time and the finished under .500……. Then run out of town !!!!!
Peter
October 27th, 2012
8:52 pm
Yup Blanco sucks.. triple RBI and scored.. WOW … good thing Wren traded away Clutch !
.375 batting average now in the World series ????