Braves lose catcher Ross to Red Sox

Cannot believe that we lost Ross, but cannot blame him for taking care of him and his family. Thanks David for four great years of service to your team and our community… Atlanta’s loss is definitely Boston’s gain… Looking forward to seeing you mange someday in the majors…

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You probably meant he is the best backup catcher in baseball. Which he is. This really sucks.

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Should have been Best Backup catcher in baseball, But Braves front office don’t value a players worth. They have plenty in minors. Yeh Right

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This team is really going to miss David Ross…

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The top free agent cathcers are Mike Napoli, AJ Pierneski, and Carlos Ruiz. I doubt Wren is interested in any of them. Probably the best we could hope for would be Henry Blanco or Brian Schneider.

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Presuming Hinske is not renewed, Braves are losing some good lockeroom guys in Chip, Hinske, Bourn and now Ross. I’m hoping the younger guys learned enough from the departing veterans to maintain a positive clubhouse and the fight that they exhibited at key points this past season. Going to miss having Ross behind the plate and in the digout, but best of luck in Boston.

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AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

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No problem. Wren will just make a trip to Walmart on his way back from the GM meetings and pick up another catcher. He might pick up a left fielder, too.

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DOB – Enjoy the couple of days out in AZ. Can you check on Spruill and make sure there are no issues with him healthwise? Two starts ago he got hit in the ankle with a comebacker. That didn’t seem to be an issue tho because he made his last start on normal rest, but he came out after facing only 1 hitter in the 2nd inning. He only gave up 2 hits and 1 run, so it definitely wasn’t a matter of him getting pulled for that reason. Let us know if you can possibly find out anything, thanks in advance.

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Anyone else just feel like not caring about this team anymore? I mean I’m sure Ross would have been back for 4 mil over two years.

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Frank Wren for President!

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[...] From Other Great Blogs issue #1 Posted on November 10, 2012 by Dugout Online Editor Braves lose catcher Ross to Red Sox – blogs.ajc.com 11/10/2012 PHOENIX – The Braves have lost valuable backup catcher David [...]

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ARE WE WHINNING ABOUT A BACK UP CATCHER…..LET HIM GO HE WAS PART OF THE GOOD OLE BOY NETWORK.WE DIDNT WIN WORLD SERIES WITH HIM,AND THATS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT PEOPLE WORLD SERIES.

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@why Why would ross accept less money and less plate appearances? In what universe does that make sense?

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Enjoyed watching Ross as a Brave. He’ll be missed.

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Why……..no Ross would not come back for the money you mentioned. Why would he? He “picked up the check”! Thats what all smart people do!

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Lack of leadership behind the plate and in the clubhouse is going to really hurt this team next year. thank God I don’t have season tickets….

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What a WRENching loss!

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Very,Very Sad…GL Rossy you will be missed..

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Rossy’s gonna love hitting with that green monster out in left…

I’m sure the Braves made him a good offer, but it’s hard to compete with the money that the Sox undoubtedly have. Wouldn’t be surprised if Frank tried to wrangle John Buck from the Fish, with the Marlins paying most of his salary.

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74braves @1157 pretty much sums it up. Time for a farm boy to step up.

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JHarber….. Players don’t respect Fredi Gonzalez in terms of his baseball IQ. He’s a nice man but makes poor decisions more often than good ones. Until we get a top tier manager in Atlanta we will see the trend continue that you just mentioned. Good (and just as important) smart players don’t want to play for a manager that will waste the efforts of the team my making just plain bad baseball decisions. It’s no secret that Bruce Bochey won 2 of the last 3 WS with a team of cast off players and a pitching staff. His baseball IQ is off the charts and therefor his players respect him. SF will have no trouble attracting players to play there as long as he’s at the helm. Wait and see John Farrell will have the Red Sox turned around inside of 3 years and they just dumped several of their top players because of payroll. The reason is smart players like David Ross will want to play for him.

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Oh yeah. Thanks David. Congratulations on the raise, and going to the Braves motherland.

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I really think this is going to hurt more than just the fact McCann is going to be out a while. Ross was one of the clubhouse leaders. Now he and Chipper are both gone from that role. I know there is still Hudson, but does a pitcher has as much impact as an everyday player? Doubtful. Looks like the Braves will fall further behind the Nationals, the Phillies will be back, and who knows about the Mets and Marlins. Could be a LONG summer next season.

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Let’s get this straight:
Braves pick up a $12 million option for 1 year on a catcher who has been terrible for the last 2 years at the plate and is very below average as a defensive catcher.
Yet let a solid catcher who has great defensive skills and a decent bat walk on a 2 year contract for half of what the first catcher costs.
Now we are going to overpay for a veteran free agent catcher because we got no catcher!

Well done Frank Wren. Well done sir.

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Good Luck David Ross..you will always have alot of Braves fans pulling for you…
David was to good to stick around for 1.6 million a year. He made 6.3 Million total the last 4 years with Braves and was under paid. The 6.2 for 2 years is what he deserves. Good Luck #8 and giv’em hell in Boston.
Mac’s 13 million is sicking…Blind, bad knees , shoulder, can’t throw anyone out, don’t block plate anymore, don’t block the ball anymore. out of shape, and only hit two and a quarter last year. But he’s good in clubhouse!

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Sign Russell Martin and give fattyMac some competition.

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Who is the Paul Janish of catchers? Seems like that is who ought to be targeted …

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another stupid move like Smok’em Schafer is.

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Good thing the Bravos didnt listen to all you busters who were saying let Mac go! I do agree hes a lot of dough, but whats 12 mill when uggla gets that year in, year out for a .210 avg. And we cant cough up 3 mill for Rossy? Seems like were getting away from signing just quality ball players……..instead we pick up jordan chafer! Damnit!

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Dang it!

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WOW …… First Chipper retires …… then we get Jordan Shafer back ……. crickets ……….. Then we lose David Ross ……. This isn’t looking good …. But, this too shall pass, I guess ….. I remember when Murphy and Bob Horner left ….. I felt the same way … BUMMER !!!!!!!!!!!

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I’m not at all surprised, I said it before and i’ll say it again “Wren has to finish his Dumpster Digging before he gets down to the business of signing free agents and that takes a lot of time because there a lot of dumpsters out there and he doesn’t want to overlook anything that might be useless to us, this means that by the time he finishes his digging all the good players will be off the market”. Also I said before that they should have offered Ross the full time catching job and let Blind/Mac walk and used the money saved to get a big bat but that option is out the window now. It’s going to be another dissapointing season for braves fans.

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Huge loss. The Braves lost Chipper Jones who was a huge clubhouse leader, and now they lose Ross as well. Ross was a great teammate and one hell of a defensive catcher and now the Braves have lost both. When McCann is right, he is better offensively than Ross is, but Ross is heads and shoulders better defensively behind the plate.

The Braves dropped the ball big time on this one. I bet if they offered him a 2 year deal for about 5 million he would have stayed. So 2.5 million per year is to much for the best backup catcher in the game who is very sound defensively? Dear lord Wren pull your head out of your ass would you. So you can sign a guy like Janish where you said you weren’t picking him up for his offense, but rather for his glove. So the same can’t be done for Ross who has proven himself the past 4 years in Atlanta?

IMO, bringing Ross back this time was even more crucial with McCann’s injury and uncertain status heading into the season. So here we are seeing the Braves regress yet again because of their cheap ass owners. Now they have some of the biggest payroll flexibility in years, and they let Ross walk. Unless they sign a very capable catcher or trade for one, the Braves will have to be looked at as fools for this one.

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Lil Sambo, both need to go!

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Sure glad we will still have Uggla and B/Mac in the middle of our lineup aren’t you all, with those two bombers in there making $25million how can we lose??????????????

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First, I resign Schafer to beef up our offense and now I dump Ross and his payroll on the Red Sox.

I’m on a roll baby!!

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FEAR: welcome to Braves land. This team will never win. Not with When as GM and these idiot owners. That is why I REFUSE to spend any of my money on them. Have not been to a game in years because I REFUSE to put money in their pocket.

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Very sad to read this about losing David Ross. He made our young pitchers better and more confident. Medlen had some strong quotes about David’s impact.on him. Wish him the best.

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Lost Ross?? Best back up catcher in MLB and Wren goes cheapo and loses him!! To Boston???? WTF is going on?
……..Way to go Wren! Way to screw that one up!
Bourn probably gone, Chipper’s gone, now Ross. But we got Schafer back! Next we’ll probably hear that Frank has traded Andrelton.

Great! Just great!

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Have no fear folks, we still have Boscan, a proven winner, World Series here we come!

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Ronnie Paulino might not be a bad pick-up. Career .325 hitter vs LH pitching.

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Actualy, Boscan has eected free agency, after the Braves removed him from the 40-man roster.Our next guy on the catching depth chart is probably Jose Yepez, he hit .264 last year in AAA.

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Sign Ivan Rodriguez

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[...] RossBoston.comReport: Red Sox agree to terms with veteran catcher David RossBoston Herald (blog)Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) -Tomahawk Take (blog) -ESPNall 87 news articles » Read more » Sponsored [...]

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JHarber

What do I want to reaserch?

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The Boston Red Sox and John Farrell just got one helluva baseball player in David Ross.

He will be greatly missed! Best of luck DR.. You’ll love Fenway and Red Sox nation will love you!

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The Braves organization makes me sick. Mc Cann can’t catch, and he can’t throw – and who knows if he’ll ever be able to hit again? They need Ross!!!

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JHarber

Thanks for the info, now let’s hope Boston wants him also.

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Frank Wren proves once again he is the biggest loser and the reason our team is filled with a bunch of losers (with FG at the helm) with the loss of David Ross especially in view of the injury trouble of McFann……

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Atlanta: I really wanted to stay with the Braves but my agent said that negotiating with a monkey would be easier than trying to work with Wren.

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This loss hurts = But I believe it was an ok move – Those 3mil can be put into a solid reliever, raise for a young player / FA etc…

Ross was an above average backup who we had for cheap when we got him – he was hurt end of last year and may be on a decline…braves somehow have a nag of knowing when NOT to resign somenone…

I truly believe that Ross will be back with the Braves in the future…but on the coaching staff….hopefully even as manager…

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I agree this is a big loss. Ross was one of the few catchers in the game who was a stud behind the plate and also had a quality stick. Most STARTING catchers can’t even claim that. We were really lucky to have him these last few years. You didn’t feel like you were losing much – if anything – when McCann had to sit.

We’ll probably get an all-field, no-hit guy to replace Ross.

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The guy that hit the HR in the one game playoff that we lost unfortunately. The game that Ross played instead of MAC, and was regarded as the best backup catcher and was to replace McCan to start the season and the Braves couldn’t retain him….speechless….wake up Wren!!!

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I hate seeing Ross go. However, I don’t think I would have given him the contract that Boston did. The Red Sox are in a position where they have to redo the team after the Bobby V. fiasco. The Braves will be a very competitive team and there is no telling what will happen with the division rivals.

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Ross will be surely missed. However, we have larger fish to fry this season. Sign either Gerald Laird or Henry Blanco while promoting Evan Gattis too. We will be fine with either one of those veterans and Gattis’ bat…imho.

Now, trade for Denard Span to play CF before losing him to someone else like the Phillies, Nats, or Reds. He is the best value for our mid-market team. Then, sign a FA agent LF like Ludwick or Hunter (preferrably) so we can breathe a sigh of relief!

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I warned about this late in the year when everyone was drawing up their lineup for this year. We didn’t have any kind of hold on Ross and not giving him an extension was another Wren mistake. I am going to assume that Wren has a line on a younger cheaper guy. If it turns out he doesn’t I would consider this strike three (actually strike seven or eight) for Wren as a General Manager.

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@JHarber…..Write Wren a letter and tell him that his hair will never be pretty as mine. I do my job by going to school. Now he needs to do his. HE IS A JERK.

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Wow, this is awful. I understand he’s old, but…

Braves are going to have to SPEND some now to convince me that we aren’t going to keep reeling back on the cash.

They better have plans where they need every bit of the 3 million he’s getting in Boston. This is embarassing as a braves fan.

Another kick in the teeth for a team that is rapidly falling down the popularity totem pole in Atlanta.

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Easy Amber Girl… We all hate to see Ross leave. It’s a big loss for sure but there might be a method to the madness that we don’t see yet. There are no back-up catchers making over $3 Million dollars. Ross is probably going to be in some kind of platoon with Salty splitting time at 1B and therefor the Red Sox can justify valuing his contract like they do. The Braves scouts probably have several options out there for under $1 Million that will give us similar production to Ross. ( 9 Homers and 23 RBI are not that hard to replace) There are lot’s of good defensive catchers floating around that would love to have a job.

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I hear talk that he was to expensive as a back up catcher… well who the heck started the playoff game? Because it was not Brian McCann. And who is going to start the season next year? Not Brian McCann.

Ross WAS our starting catcher. McCann, i love him, but brings no guarantees. And at least Ross is a bit better defensively. McCann without a bat is not a top 10 catcher, to say the least.

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@BravesFanInNashville

He had those numbers playing good defense, and being a part time player. Not to mention that he was one of the more enjoyable personalities on the team and seemed to be a great leader. Under 1 mil? Then you are purely talking AAA options.

And unless you strke gold (Which Gattis may be, but by all accounts is not very good defensively), we will miss him severely.

This was an error. If they are so confident in Gattis/Bethancourt, why not trade McCann when they picked up the option and resign Ross at 3 mil. Then spend more in the outfield.

I am just a fan, but an extremely dismayed one. This was a mistake.

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@BravesFaninNashville How are we going to play with no catcher. All Wren wants to do is play with his pretty hair. Can I sit at home,play with my prtetty hair and not go to school. HE IS A JERK. Get off his big behind and do his JOB.

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So now we await for a silly trade with Minnesota for Denard Span? .. uh no thanks… how about Josh Willingham instead please.

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Amber I don’t like his hair but some people don’t have hair.

If Ross is old???Then Chipper was ancient

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Hijbill Thanks for Birthday wiishes. My day is not going well. Our so called GM is blowing our team big time. Maybe you are right that he has a plan B I hope so. My point is, if he can do nothing but play with his “pretty” hair. My hair is prettier. CAN I STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL?

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i am not blame most of writers here i blame Atlanta lazy sports fan. it’s not wren foul, neither owners foul, please fill up at least 75% turner field capacity and then complain. just compare attendance in Boston and in sorry Atlanta. capitalism still alive in USA.

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Sux, don’t it. ;(

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Alex,

Agreed. All around the country, people joke about how Atlantans NEVER support their teams like other cities. Traffic and crime are in every city, not just Atlanta. I can only wish that someday the Braves will leave ATL and go to a city that cares!

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First Chipper is not God..Period!

Amber School is something you need very much to achieve your dreams. One day you may be the GM of some baseball team and need that knowledge…I know it now don’t seem that way but you are a smart girl..get it done!
Wren don’t always do what we would like for him to do but he wants to win as much as we do..his job depends on it. Really, I believe he will put a good team together. Just have a little faith and enjoy your B-day..15 sounds good young lady. Enjoy your life, Braves will be ok.

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[...] Ross agree to two-year dealFOXSports.comRed Sox sign David RossBoston.comBoston Herald (blog) -Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) -NESN.comall 90 news articles » Read more » Sponsored [...]

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Wow, a backup lighting up the offseason message board. This fan base is weird.

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@jbill: My name’s a joke!!!!!

Yeah, I don’t fault Rossy either, and now that I’ve calmed down, I do understand that it may be insane to spend 3 million on a back up catcher. But this is the BEST in the game, and we have no stability at catcher right now. I would have pulled the trigger on this deal solely because we have no idea who our catcher is going to be for the first month of the season. And more importantly, Ross is worth it to me. If we resign Hinske instead of Rossy, I swear….

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I think the thing Wren needs to focus on (and learn from this) is that tying up potential free agends EARLY rather than waiting is beneficial.

If they had offered a 2-year extension to Ross 3 months ago at $2.5M a year, I bet Rossy would have taken it.

So…need to sign Prado to a long term contract well in advance of his free agent year. That would be a good start.

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Alabama getting beat 20 to 0 in 2nd quarter by Texas A&M

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I hope Constanza get a chance this year especially over Schafer

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This one just doesn’t make sense any way you look at it… unless Ross didn’t want to re-sign and I doubt that was the case. This one may bite the Braves all season long. Where’s Charley O’Brien? He probably needs to supplement that social security check.

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“Among the free agents available as potentially affordable backup catchers are Gerald Laird, Rod Barajas, Ronny Paulino, Miguel Olivo, Matt Treanor, Brian Schneider and Kelly Shoppach.”

Might as well just ask Eddie Perez to fill in. He’s already on the payroll.

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The reason letting Ross go for 6 mil for 2 years is because they resigned Brian McCann for 12-13 million… and he won’t be ready until at least May.
And there is no guarantee McCann will return to pre-2011 form.
For Frank Wren’s sake, he better return and perform well.

If they do not resign McCann for 12-13 million, they could most likely have had Ross and McCann for under the money they will be paying McCann this year. (IMO)

Then the team is set, the fan base is happy…. but we’ll never know.

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N8
Perez could probably do it. lol

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Amber is action like a 10 year old.

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got to go duty calls…

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@o-my. Not 10 just 15. . THank you everyone for chatting and celebrating. It is now 8:57 Sunday nite. Got to go to bed, where I can do my job. Go to scfhool. Thats better then Jerk Wren is doing. So so long from New South Wales. Luv you guys GO BRAVES!!!

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Liberty, Wren & Fredi G are to Braves baseball as Weaver, Gene Smith and Jack Del Rio were to the Jacksonville Jaguars football.

The only difference is Weaver was a private owner but he had no football sense and was biblically bad at selecting mgt. Khan is following in his footsteps thus far.

Apart from the owner difference similar leadership mess. Terrible and or short sighted decision making.

The Braves sniffed a few WC in the past 13 years but that is about it.

The Jaguars made the post season, well never under Del Rio & Smith.

Jags fire Del Rio but keep Smith. Smith hand picks new HC after a fairly short search (sound familiar) and the Jags continue to be terrible.

The Braves are in a similar situation but in a better neighborhood (as in not as terrible but stunted organizationally) metaphorically speaking.

Bother leadership teams need to be broomed for things to really get better versus more dead cat bounces and we’ll get um next year.

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Being from Toronto Area , I absolutly Love the Braves and the Breaves are My Heart and Soul team but Brett Lawrie Isn’t going anywhere From Toronto’s stand Point , If anyone from Toronto I’d Inquire about Colby Rasmus a Georgia Raised Kid Who has a Ton of Upside One of the Best Defensive C/F or even Catcher Jeff, Mathis,or Travis d’Aranaud and I Beleive Toronto would Part ways for a Pitcher in Return Perhaps J.J Or Julio Teheran, if not stealing a catcher from Jays, I’d Like to see Pierzynski Signed as Back-up Catcher Duties but could start Season Since Mac is Recovering.

Like to See Reed Johnson BAck as Cheep Insurance Help in OF

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It would be interesting to know how much the Braves offered Ross, but I doubt we’ll get another catcher as good as him for $3 million a year.

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This is hilarous. Ross is a big clubhouse loss.

Actually, he is better on defence than McCann and carried a big stick in limited action. If pressed to play regular, Ross breaks down and is exposed.

Tough guy to lose. We’ll be fine.

On another note, making predictions when we still have $25 million to spend is nuts. We still have a lustful rotation and bullpen that rivals anyone in the league.

Other teams are jealous of our pitching talent and depth I promise you that and Wren’s phone is probablt blowing up with offers.

Just be patient.

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jbill….. research was not for nothing…. I wanted to educate myself to the true catchers market out there. I agree with you that Ross was more valuable than Diaz no question.

All I’m saying is I was quite surprised to find how many catchers with major league experience hitting as good or better than Ross were making under $1 Million. He was paid $1.6 Million the last two years making him the 20th highest paid catcher in the game. This means there were 10 starting catchers that made less than Ross including Buster Posey who made $600K(a Million less than Ross). The Braves weren’t being as cheap with him as I first thought and the research taught me that.

The production we got from David Ross was valuable for sure and he’s an awesome dude and will be missed but we can replace his production with at least 8 other options that were paid less than 1/3 of what he just signed for.

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This is yet another reason why this team has lost me as a fan. What a bunch of cheap losers.

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I think everyone is in aggreement that it was dumb to take that McCann option with him recovering from shoulder surgery and not being ready until May at the earliest and to allow Ross to just walk.
Terrible offseason so far. The Braves MUST go for it and sign Josh Hamilton.

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I still don’t think the Braves will win a World Series under Fredi Gonzalez. They are so close talent wise and have a great coaching staff other wise.

Scouting/coaching team is second to not very many. Tosca, McDowell, Walker, Perez, Pendleton, Fregosi etc etc

Fredi G jsut doesn’t seem to have the confidence or leaderhsip needed.

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LOVED Ross but get real people, he is 36 and I don’t think he is an everyday catcher so why pay him like one?
Go get Olivo and don’t worry about it.
All you whiners just need something to moan about.

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Looks like a change of season hasn’t convinced the hysterical know-it-all-about-baseball poseurs they need to give it a rest… Braves”fan”inNashville, since when were you privy to the players’ feelings about Fredi? Hey, idiots, the Braves just completed one of the best seasons in the majors last year and y’all still don’t know your behinds from third base… I just wish you crying phonies would put your money were your mouths are and quit following the team… Sissyfied whinebabies… Hit the road already…

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still waiting to see why you genii aren’t managing/ gm-ing your own teams… What a bunch of dumbassed toads…

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FanSince80s……. I would find it hard to believe that there are many players on the Braves who truly are confident in Fredi G’s in game decision making.. I love that he respects his players. That is a great quality but that doesn’t make him a good manager. He seems over matched by the speed of the game and opposing managers almost nightly.

So far the two best offseason moves are

#1 Boston’s signing of John Farrell. Absolutely a great move in fact I wish the Braves had him. He’d be my #1 choice even above Francona.

#2 Cleveland’s signing of Terry Francona. Both Cleveland and Boston will return to the post season with these managers. The Braves are leaving a lot on the table with FG running things. Not even close compared to Farrell and Francona.

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BravesFanInNashville—Red Sox will probably be in playoffs in 2013 or very close.

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Lobosolo… Actually I have some very close friends here in the Music business in Nashville that hunt with Chipper and other Braves including LaRoche when he played in Atlanta a couple of years ago. Not trying to brag but I happen to be a Grammy Nominated songwriter that has written #1 hits and own a studio in Nashville that records the records of lots of successful artists. I happen to attend 5 charity golf events per as a celebrity songwriter that have many current and past MLB players in attendance. I have heard first hand right out of their mouths how they feel. They all to a man really like Fredi but most of them don’t think he runs the game very well.

I’ve been on this blog for several years and have never mentioned to anyone what I do for a living because other than DOB’s love of music it really isn’t relevant what we do to earn a paycheck. So when you CALL ME OUT asking me “since when are you privy to the players feelings about Fredi?” I humbly tell you I know for sure how they feel because I’ve heard them talk about it.

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faninNashville: AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I told ya’ll last week signing Ross was a issue and to get it done. Now we know why the Braves really re signed McCann, its more not having Ross than it is McCann being ready. We might go with Gattis and backup if the Braves think McCann heals fast? The righthand bat we need just got more important with Ross going to Red Sox!! Guess we will wait and see if the Braves man up and signs a LF, CF or a RH Bat?

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At the end of the day you have to make a decision based on whats best for you and your family. Ross did that I do not blame management for not paying that amount for a 36 year old backup. Ross is very good and he will be missed, but I am also happy for him. The Braves are in a rebuilding mode we need to fill a lot of holes and ownership is simply not going to free up the cash. So settle back and get ready for a bumpy ride for the next few years. Starting pitching looks good the offense though well you be the judge.

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You folks are off the reservation (pun intended)

This is a BACKUP CATCHER!!!

He will not have a better season than McCann, even he admits he can’t play full or even most time. We’ll get another backup and move on. He’s a superior backup catcher but not worth what Boston is paying him. Since Boston has cash to burn and a habit of doing so, that’s fine for them. But it would have been an unwise move to match that contract for the Braves.

We can give a one or two year deal to any of the available catchers and we’ll be just fine. I want to see the CF and LF moves that are coming. That’s the key.

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If doughboy McCann is “worth” 12 million, you bet your sweet ass that David Ross is worth every penny of 3 million…

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He’s a backup. Plus we have to wait to see how it plays out. How does Ross do in 2013-2014 and what does Wren do as an alternative.

Everybody would have gone crazy if Eric Hinske wasn’t brought back for 2012. Good thing we had him in 2012. He really helped out a lot.

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but not nearly as handsome as Javy Lopez!!!

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Please, Please, do not re-incarnate Bruce Benedict, I’m sorry, he might’ve done ok to catch Knucksie w/ the huge mitt, but dang, hit .220 w/ no if very little pop. No threat whatsoever, I’m goin’ way back in the day LOL, nuts huh, wish Rossy the best. My pops(God rest his soul) use to like o’l Joe Nolan(one of his fave’s, back in the day, but the o’l Biff-ster(Pocoroba)was one of mine when I was a kid, would’ve been a good one if his shoulder didn’t go out on ‘em. I even thought Bill Nahorodny was a good pick-up. Had some pop, but didn’t stay very long.Alex Trevino came, little feller’, couldn’t hit his weight, but he hustled, called a good game.

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Bruce had some good years when he hit pretty well, O’brien is my all-time favorite back-up catcher though with Ross second and Eddie Perez third. Ross is a little different though because he hits more than most of them have as a rule. Plus, he’s a far better defensive catcher than our vaulted starter…

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@Braves fan – 80’s; You’re absolutely right, Eddie (Eduardo) Perez of course, & could be a future Bravo mgr.(wish’n, or even Rossy as some one noted earlier).

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All you Yogi Berras out there, we need help here, let o’l Gattis learn OF, save his knees, the wear & tear,@Chief Knock-a-Homa; Andre Eithier would be Awesome, good threat!

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Yeah, like you said, hate it w/ the leg injury, was that w/ the collision at home plate w/ caminiti?

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well that’s the thing, a lot of the die-hard McCann fans seem to think we NEED a ton of offense from our cather. Greg Olson is probably my all-time favorite Braves catcher and he was just a very average major league hitter. A good defensive catcher who hits enough to help out now and again is ALL we need…

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The trouble with Eithier is he is another left hand hitter. We see enough left hand pitchers without him so if we get him every team will save all there lefties for us (we faced more left hand pitchers last year than did anybody else in the league).

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agreed, new outfielders need to be switch hitters (Fowler) or righties…

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They’re their Bobbymahlon, there not all grammer profs out there.

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[...] to terms with veteran catcher David RossBoston HeraldFOXSports.com -The Chattanoogan -Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)all 101 news articles » Read more » Sponsored [...]

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geez, now the rest of the sports world is reporting what a smart move it was to sign Ross away from the Braves…

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I don’t mind throwing millions away at unproven Japanese pitchers like KK and over the hill pitchers like Lowe, but I like to go cheap when it comes to a proven back up catcher who is rated best in MLB.

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I really hate broke-ass Liberty Media. Death to all corporate ownership in sports!

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Well, Frank you missed on another good opportunity to maintain a little consistency on the team. If you fail to make a splash in the market or by trade you will have hurt the stability of the team. You have got to be the best team oriented Gm in baseball–that’s a joke of course. Do you get paid to see how much you can tease and piss off the fans. You are doing a great job. Never let a good catcher go without a better replacement. Who else could you have spent the money on that would have been more justifiedl. What a stupid move.

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@74braves jersey
Vic Correll – the mayor of Statesboro, LOL. Those were mighty lean years, Chopper Campbell, Craig Skok, Ed Olwine, Tanner’s parade down P’tree

On David Ross: Wren was completely blindsided. Bet Rossy didn’t even give him a chance to match it and took the deal before the Sox withdrew it

Missed most will be his work with the young pitchers and catchers. That alone IMO makes his value a no brainer. My fav Brave, hate to see him go, but probably a better situation for him in Boston

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Ross had said he wanted to be a Brave..so I bet he told Wren and Braves would not match it.

AJ Pierzynski said he wanted to be a Brave…not many lately have said that..most have turn Braves down example Cody Ross, Ryan Dempster and Peavy.

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Some people here don’t fully appreciate the vast diffference between a backup catcher and any other reserve position player on the bench. Your backup catcher starts about every four games if you want to keep your starting catcher anything close to fresh in August and September.

David Ross allowed the Braves to do this without any drop in defense nor offense. Don’t forget, it was David Ross’s homer that put the Braves in position to win their wildcard playoff game before Chipper threw a routine grounder into right field!

Also don’t forget that McCann might not be able to start until early May. David Ross would have allowed the Braves to go with him as the starter for the first month of the season until McCann was ready to go.

Another sage blogger here has mentioned the other vast difference: a backup catcher who can field and hit is a very valuable asset because you cannot risk pinch hitting for your starting catcher because you’ll have to burn your catcher on the bench. It isn’t like subbing a platoon infielder at any of the sacks. Catcher is a highly specialized position for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is giving the pitchers a predictable target and a steady flow of the signs which are also tailored for the opposing team’s offensive liabilities.

A lot of people here won’t know what has been lost until he’s gone. Many of us already know!

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Is Wren, Obama?

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I’m happy for him. As much as I hate seeing him go, he deserves more playing time. He’s seems like a great guy and has given the Braves a lot. Boston got a great player at a great price and I wish them both the best.

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80’s the man!
Guess Smok’em Schafer does? Pierzynski was liked by his own players and not so much my other team players…He also was on team where Greg Walker was hitting coach for years and Greg thinks alot of him. But “fan since 80 “you must know.

What must you do to fit with this organization? Be a good old boy and smoke pot.

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Ross was the one person on team you could depend on…..u sure can’t depend on McCann.

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Upon the beaches of hesitation bleach the bones of many who stopped to rest, and resting died.

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Fan 80 you didn’t ans. the question…What must you do to fit with this organization?

I didn’t say get AJ either. Yes I like Napoli…too

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Bad, real bad!

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DOB what is your true feel on Gattis before i get to pumped up about him. We all talk about needing that big right handed thumper in between heyward and freeman. He seems to be almost to perfect other than the all important d. I watched the video of his go ahead homer in the vwl and he was pumped you could tell his team mates love him and he loves the game. All ive heard is how coachable he is. If we go out and get a left fielder other than back up catcher he would have no place to play. I say he catches until mac is back with a vet backing him up with francisco at third and prado in left with Gattis moving to left when mac is back. All the available cash goes to center and a big time ace.

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boston is not going to use him just as a back up he is going to split time with a certain other former braves catcher!!! i read that today in a couple of sights today!! Boston is actually going to use him and take advantage of the talents he still has!! so he will actually earn the 6.1 mil he is getting!! he will not go underutilized like he did with the Braves!! Braves have morons that run the team and even bigger one that manages it!! iv’e said this many times but we fans needs to write, email, and call WREN, and the SO CALLED President( scum bag) of this team and let them know we are not happy!!!! we , as fans need to stand together!!! these idiots do not care about us!! we need to make them care!!

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i completely disagree with the post at 9:44. logic has absolutely no place in these comments. he should know that.

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Pierzynski also took part in one of the dirtiest WS wins I’ve ever seen. I want the Braves to win, but not like that…

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they got onto Francisco this year for watching a home run too long, it’s still going on…

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yeah ask Ugly Dan’s pornstar ex-girlfriend about that one:)

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Lol you got what I mean..I’d rather have a play watch a homer to long than Schafer busted twice for drugs and Uggla’s porn star at 2b…so really Braves are not so PURE! Right!

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by that logic , when’s the impending Ugly Dan trade gonna happen? oh yeah, we weren’t paying Yunel an obscene amount of money, my bad…

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Ross was always productive when he got into games … but he never really got a chance to play. I would have resigned him instead of McCann.

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DOB when do u think Cunningham will be ready for ML..maybe this year are next.

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but let me just point out one thing that IS based in reality. For the rest of us poor schmucks, it’s pretty tough to here a guy doing your job tell us you think that someone who hasn’t done their job, in a very obvious way, for an extended period of time, for WHATEVER reason, is now worth our favorite teams paying him the most he’s ever been paid by said team, to the tune of 12 million dollars. I have a reality problem? Nope, sorry, somebody else does sir…

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It would have been nice to have retained Rossy to have him own April 2013 and mentor young Gattis and Bettancourt in antication of McCann’s departure after 2013. Piss poor planning by Wren and the scouting department. Shame on them for letting him go, unless they score Hamilton and they are saving pennies. Otherwise, f-off Braves.

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What a pathetic move, Wren.
What cheap tools the braves are.

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Of those FA options, I’d go with Gerald Laird. Solid defense and decent enough with the bat as a backup.

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Where’s Bob Uecker and Biff Pocoroba when you need them????

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Steve,

I very seriously doubt that David Ross did not extend every opportunity for the Braves to make a matching offer. I also feel very confident that the Braves communicated with Ross’ agent, who gave them the Red Sox’s figures, and the Braves said they would not match that offer.

My reason for such confidence? Simple, Ross stayed at Atlanta for many years and produced at a high level for many years. He had many chances before now to leave and chose not to and nothing seems to have happened to change that other than the likely issue of contract value and the Red Sox offering substantially more.

Of all the free agents who will be signed this year, there isn’t a single player whom I think has earned his contract more than David Ross. Given how frequently you see fan bloggers criticize the money, it’s noteworthy how there is almost universal agreement being expressed here that Ross earned every penny of this contract, with the bulk of comments critical of the Braves for not matching those terms.

Finally, it’s hard to merely relax when you realize that a critical piece of the Braves’ success over the last several years just left for Boston for a contract that appears to be an excellent value for the production the man brings.

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TIM, winning 94 games isn’t rebuilding mode? The Braves with $25M plus to spend isn’t hard to pay Ross $3M per for 2 year. Ross was just a $5M option that they choose to go with one of the young guys in the minors is my guess. They can find a another catcher if they want. This means a righthand bat in LF and speed in center is more important than a returing 35 year old catcher… Who do we think Wren will sign or trade for this off season ?

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Ed Stone

Exactly. Having roughly $15.1M tied up at the catcher position is not a good idea when your overall budget is roughly $90M.

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Wren as done to our team what Obama has done to our country. Neither one will ever recover from the gross stupidity of both these idiots.

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X-Fan:

it’s not too late to renounce your citizenship and move to Canada. Likewise, you should probably stop posting messages here and mosey on over to a Blue Jays forum or something. Seriously.

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I enjoy reading most of the comments here and find it amusing how quickly fans turn on our manager and GM. The Braves are in the top five in winning percentage over the past 10 years, and the teams ahead of us have significantly higher payrolls. While we’ll all miss David Ross (I was at the St. Louis game like many of you…what a thrill he provided!!!), it doesn’t make economic sense given the team’s other needs and payroll limitations to offer the money the Red Sox can throw at players. Hope Ross helps the Red Sox rebuild after their debacle last year. I trust Wren will make some moves that will help the Braves put themselves in a position to make the playoffs again while teams with much higher payrolls watch from home. Free agency just began…give him some time to fill needs in the OF, 3B, C department. Go Braves!

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Is Chad Durbin going to return to the bullpen?

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Wc davis,

Who is McCain? Are you talking about me? FYI: I’ve never played for the Braves.

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I am available to catch

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No McCann and no Ross to start the season? The Braves can get one of those nets that rebounds the ball to the pitcher–I loved mine when I was a kid. Plus, the net would play defense every bit as good as McCann.

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Frank Wren is the responsible party for this happening. McCann should have been released and Ross signed with a 5 year 15 to 20 million contract securing a top catcher. Pitchers would not mind being in Atlanta for these years but with McCann, a pitcher gives up alot at the catcher position.

FRANK WREN SHOULD BE EMBARRASED —

HIRE JOHN SMOLTZ AS GM OR MANAGER — THIS CRAP WOULD NOT HAPPEN

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Please! Please! save face for the bench, re-sign Reed Johnson, tough umbre’, gotta have em’ back, I know theres other teams ready to scoop ‘em up, Frank, keep you’re eyes peeled & move fast.

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First all the AJC writers will kiss wren butt..never ask tough questions why Mccann be back catch a ball get asplinter from catchin a Ball out year..chipper we never Miss we sure not Miss him blowin the wild card game again ..like in 2000 remember that error too…from 94-68 to 77-85 great work Frank Wren Not…..by august be out of it anyway…and freddi will pick his nose!

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Frank Wren blew that one. By Frank saving that little bit of money, the Braves will be much weaker next year. We lost our best catcher because of 3 million per year.

What a stupid move. Now we can have either an unhealthy McCann starting or a number 8 hitting catcher fresh off of the scrap pile.

Ross was 36 but his body is much younger than Brian McCann’s body. Maybe McCann will stay away from the Mcfries this offseason.

Bad move Frank Mid Market Wren.

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DOB,Ralph, or richbrave, what’s the new digs on yepez in winterball?

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Ross is betterthan Mccann.. They Braves should have moved McCann instead.

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Jose Ricardo Yepez! Give em’ a good look see.

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@Screwball; Did the Braves have a Torrealba that came up briefly toward the end of a season, filled in, hit the ball admirably, then signed on somewhere else, is this the catcher?

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Enter your comments here

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This ownership group is not committed to winning, period. Ross was a fine backup AND a quality, character guy. You never have enough character. Good luck in BEantown.

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Oh, the Del Crandal of Life, what to be of a Bob Tillman, the Bob Ueckers traded for to catch a young but thriving Knucksie, & the only ROY catcher Earl Williams, who had a few Thump’n years w/ the bat, then o’l reliable Paul Casanova who was our Manny Sanguillen(?), & I almost forgot, the formidable PH hero of ‘92 NLDS, The undisputed Francisco (Frankie) Cabrera, who caught briefly no defense, good pinchitter, well for that moment.

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Bummer…but best of luck to David and thanks for all the great memories while here…you will be missed.

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Heck Yeah Hugo, I’d go along w/ that.

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It was Steve Torrealba(Jr.) son of an old rh pitcher for the Braves who pitched briefly ‘75,’76,whos name I couldn’t recall.

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SELAH!

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No big deal. I, as well as many of you, have been through this stuff for decades. Somebody will step up and do a decent job. The McCann deal will be interesting to watch play out. I assume they didn’t take the decision lightly or, perhaps, it was the easiest way out of making a tough decision.

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someone get clint sammons on the batphone! bring back sammy!!!

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@74bravesjersey Hello old buddy. Has Jerk Wren quit playing with his pretty hair and got us a catcer yet?

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And 3 million a year is not a bad insurance policy for a proven catcher when your 13 million dollar-broken down starter is hurt… and may not return to form.

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Folks…Wren is working on the budget – he’s doing what we can to get an extension on Uggla’s contract. He wants to build a team of .230 – .240 hitters with low OBP and less speed on the bases. This will help Fredidiot maintain his softball style, station-to-station baseball in the hopes someone hits a 3 run homer. The reality is – we strikeout and ground into more DPs in clutch sports than any team in baseball. Look up 2-out hitting for 2012 and for any reasonable span. Braves just don’t get it done and it starts with the composition of the team

Once blogger nailed it – look at he SF Giants. They are a rag-tag bunch of misfits and outcasts offensively, but they have a brilliant tactician in Bruce Bochy, who knows how to squeeze the most out of his talent.

That is why we jettison the slap/gap hitters like Gregor Blanco, and that’s why he has a WS ring and all we have is a long “hot stove” winter…Ugggh..

So – expect to see Willingham signed to play LF, and probably BJ Upton (another overswinging .240 hitter with a low OBP hitting leadoff)…Wren needs to buid on speed/defense – he’s got the pitching.

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The catching position will be fine. Wish Ross well. Just a reminder that this is a business. If you feel McCann is your starter you can’t pay a backup what the Red Sox paid him. Kind of like the SS position this year, there are alot of good players out there. I wish him luck and we were very fortunate to have him as long as we did.

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Who plays more innings a week?

David Ross or any of the top tier bullpen pitchers?

So, when I hear comments saying “you can’t pay $3 million a year for a backup catcher,” it makes me cringe! People! Once again, your backup catcher is really a part time starter!

In terms of impact on the team, especially with McCann’s health issues, a quality backup catcher is as critical for the Braves as quality bullpen pitchers! And yes, you certainly do pay quality bullpen pitchers $3 million plus a year!

And if you don’t, or won’t, then you won’t win!

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DOB, I believe McCann’s option was for $12m, not $13m. Though the $13m has almost become an urban legend fact on the blog. Ugla’s salary is $13m.

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Hey DOB/Everyone:
Would Braves consider bringing back Salty? How much would it actually take to get him from Boston? Dude hit 25 jacks in 2012.

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I think it’s relative DOB to the “already” investment factor at that position.

The Braves are investing X amount of dollars into a catcher, based on his ability to hit in the middle of the order and provide more offense than most other catchers. So when he’s out of the lineup, it’s a significant drop off in production, or at least it should be (otherwise said investment in him is a waste of money, right?).

The Braves have survived Mac missing time the past couple of years BECAUSE of Ross. When he has stepped in, he’s not only filled in admirably, but as Mac has been injured the past couple of years, one could argue at times, he’s been an upgrade. In fact Fredi made that EXACT statement by starting him in the one game playoff.

So my point is that with Mac missing up to a month of the season and the Braves seemingly starting slow the past couple of years? Isn’t investing that money in Ross worth it alone, simply from the standpoint of not starting the year in a hole in April (or maybe longer) with Mac out?

The Braves depth is what’s kept them floating the past couple years. That and Prado’s ability to play wherever the hell they needed him to.

But imagine this offense the past couple of years with Mac out if it was say……. JC Boscan as Mac’s backup instead of Ross? THEN tell me you don’t think it’s important to have Ross on this roster.

With what they EXPECT from Mac (based on salary), and what they’ve gotten from him (or not gotten if you will), one could argue that Ross has been one of the most valuble players on this team the past year and a half. If you consider handling the pitching staff.

With their alleged abundance of depth at starting pitching, I’d rather they “dump” Tommy Hanson to save salary, than David Ross at this point.

1/3 of the 2013 seasn the Braves will have somebody that basiclly nobody else wants STARTING for them at catcher. That’s scary.

I’ll reserve final judgement until Wren has made his other moves. If Wren actually finds a way to upgrade the two positions that need to be filled?

Let’s assume Prado matches or betters Chipper’s season at 3B….. If Wren finds somebody that out produces what Prado did last year and replaces Bourn with somebody who produces more than him…..

Then fine. We can probably survive with “Schneider” or somebody like him at catcher for 50 games. If Wren fails to upgrade those positions? Then the bottom line is that the lineup got worse and the backup to our all-star catcher is worse.

Can’t possible see how if that scenario plays out, that 6.2 million over the next two years was “too much” money.

Then again, maybe myself and the Red Sox are crazy and Ross just isn’t worth it? LOL.

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Red Sox Notes: Saltalamacchia, Lavarnway, Napoli

By Zach Links [November 11 at 10:05am CST]

Here’s the latest out of Fenway and the potential fallout from their signing of catcher David Ross to a two-year, $6.2MM deal..
•Many believe that Jarrod Saltalamacchia will be the odd man out in Boston with Ross now in the picture, but one rival exec told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that the club has actually been shopping Saltalamacchia for weeks. The catcher turned in a career-high 25 homers last season but saw his average dip (.222/.288/.454) and his strikeout total climb (139) in 448 plate appearances.

Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#2KGzWRmmI181jqum.99

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Facts we have to face as fans.

1) Mac is not a gym rat or any kind of representation of a fit ball player. So expecting him to come back on the short end of a recovery estimated is foolish at best. He is doughy and will come back in May not two weeks into April. Feeling “good” is what all ball players say. Being able to perform or have a body that bounces back is another thing. Expect a long, slow recovery. PS – April games count too and you now go into April without Chipper, Ross or Mac. Think about that for a minute.

2) Ross as a result is not your back up catcher he is you starting catcher until Mac proves he is healthy. It doesn’t matter how much Mac makes if he is a automatic pop up out or worse he should sit. See Uggla. Playing them bc of what they make kills teams every time, period.

3) The Braves will get an extra 25mm from MLB starting in 2014 and have said payroll is going up from 92mm to 94/95 million in 2013. Ross was asking for another 1.7m per year. Wren has spent that on guys who never hit the field and or were cut. To say they couldn’t afford an extra 1.7mm a year is nonsense. On principle they may not want to spend the extra money but this was not a budget thing, please.

4) Bethancourt cannot hit a beach ball with a surf board and Gattis is this years Terds (hyped off the reservation and into the next solar system) plus he is not a very good catcher and sure as cow hockey not a ML ready catcher

5) Wren has no design center and is not working on a super budget bc money freed up for 2012 and 25mm heading his way un 2014. He just has no plan, never has. He is a transactional GM who grabs piece parts and assembles them under a very weak manager who people like but don’t respect.

6) If you doubt any of this come back in a year and see where they are….

Ross is not some super all star player but he is a guy for an extra 1.7mm you keep when your catcher is a huge ?mark and lost his job to Ross at the end of the season. The Braves have pissed away more money on worse players happily for years.

So if it wasnt about money it was A) poor decision or B) Ross realizes under Fredi (with no Chipper) this team is going to tank and he is too old to waste two years on a team that lost its rudder. We will see.

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Jesus…there should be a word count limit for these posts. Fools be writing dissertations on this thing.

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big deal, happens all the time, you spoiled ‘fans’ need to quit whining. I applaud coach’s decision to start Ross in final game as McCann was not productive and Ross is no doubt a tremendous player but his age is an issue, money can be better spent and Braves decision making history typically proves to be successful. They will fill the void quickly, hopefully not with any of these free agent’s and people will soon forget about Ross as a Brave.

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So the Braves will continue to pay Dan Suckkla however much to hit .220 and hit home runs only when in Miami, but the Braves can’t pony up to keep the only healthy catcher, who knows the young staff and is a valuable clubhouse presence for a pretty young team. Brilliant. Keep making these kind of moves (or lack of) and see how many people spend money at the Ted next season.

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Alloe there mate, to the land down under, hope things find you well, time zones can be crazy mate as they say, Petah Moylan could tell you the aussie way of having shrimp on the o’l Bobbie. Mabey hook up on his tweetah(Peter Moylan’s tweets).

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Some fool on the Jays Journal suggested to trade d’Arnaud for Prado and Medlen or Minor. He must be the second coming of Johnny Bench for the Braves to give up that much.

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Well, Nobody said so I assume that Wren is still playing with his “pretty” hair. I could loan him some hairspray if he would get us a catcher.

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Thanks for 4 good years Dave. We just lost the only catcher that we had. Good for him though to make a little money for his family. Frank Wren is sinking the ship. Oh thats right though, I forgot his great plan is to bring in Eddie Perez from the bullpen. Might be more productive than Brian Mccann . What a waste of 12 mil. Frank, your an idiot.

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McCann 13 million and let Ross leave. As Forrest Gump’s momma said “stupid is as stupid does”.

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David,

Appreciate you taking the time to answer my point. But, that is why I specified innings and not game appearances. But, baseball is a game of innings and playing innings is a fair comparison point. You supplied the math that proved my point. And yet, even though your numbers validated my point, it still did not include the times Ross pinch hit. It reached a point last season where Ross was the single best power bat off the bench.

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FIRE WREN HE IS A JERK!!!

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Either I am an imposter poser or brain damaged teenager. Regardless, most annoying.

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To those who say we are whining about a back up catcher, he is the best back up C in MLB and gave us less concern about B-Mac’s absence next year. You can’t run on him, he has power and he handles the pitching staff, veterans and kids, very well. Calls a great came. As DOB said and everyone knows, best clubhouse guy. Now we got to make a deal for a proven catcher till we see what these 2 kids can do.I don’t even know who’s out there.

Ross just finished a two year deal worth $750k per, so I don’t blame him for taking a 400 percent raise. But he will be missed. I hate this constrained corporate budget crap. Bye Rossie. Wish you well. Come back in 3 years and become our manager.

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Braves gonna have a 90 mil payroll and can’t squeeze 3.5 mil per year for a couple of years for Rossy?

Something stinks here.

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Well, this isn’t good news, especially with the uncertainty surrounding McCann. I’d have thought Wren would have made a concerted effort to get Ross locked up as soon as it was clear BMac needed surgery. Heck, he should have locked him up before the season ended. I hope this doesn’t portend the forthcoming off-season because it does smack a bit of incompetence on Wren’s part.

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1. Span
2. Prado
3. Heyward
4. Upton
5. Freeman
6. Uggla
7. Mac
8. Simmons

1. Medlen
2. Huddy
3. Minor
4. Delgado
5. Maholm

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It’s pretty sad how the Braves would move our best player from his natural position, give $62 million to his replacement who can’t hit or field the position. If Prado wanted to, he could’ve turned himself into a 30 homer/ .220 hitter but he’s too good of a hitter for that…I guess Wren is turned on by the long ball.

#PayPrado

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BFIN’ville; (Hope u don’t mind w/abbrev.’s)But thanks, & man I’m feel’n “oblivilated”(If there is such a word) or oblivious that Dang! the Bird’s lose to N’orlens, didn’t want to see that happen’n, & I feel like an old Goat ramm’n his head up against a tree cause of the frustration of being a Die-Hearted Brave fan. But other than that, It would be a honor to hook up, & I’m try’n to hang on w/ good perspective about this BFIN, always try to stay good on some potential moves that might jump start this team to stay strong contenders. Hope’n for someth’n “BIG”!

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@74bravesjersey I do too. But as long as you got”pretty” Wren for a GM, it will not happen. He got his money and an extension so does he care. Afraid not. My hair is prettier than his and I CARE.

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Why don’t you GM for us. Pretty boy Wren is DONE.

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Fan since 1977………. Ross’s salary in 2012 was actually $1.6 million not $750k. He was the 20th highest paid catcher in the game last year. He almost doubled his pay in Boston not increased it by 400 %. He was VERY well paid for 9 HR and 23 RBI. In fact you can find 8 catchers with more than 30RBI that were paid under $1 Million and 4 of those are at the league minimum!

David Ross is a great player and great dude but he was NOT underpaid by league standards.

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The Braves should have traded McCann, kept Ross, and pocketed the difference so they could get a front line catcher. McCann now is at his peak value.

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Fire Wren Now!! No room for pretty boys and JERKS

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@74braves jersey Good luck to your daughter. but for now catch you some where down the line. Good nite from New South Wales, Lov ya. Go Braves!!!

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74bravesjersey.. if your daughter has a Facebook just let me know what that is and I’ll send her my company info.. thanks… and goodnight..

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DOB….. didn’t mean that last comment to sound anything but grateful for what you do. It’s hard to tell tone in a post so looking back on what I wrote it could have been interpreted as cocky but I didn’t mean it that way. Just appreciative for the detail you provide us..

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Don’t think Henry Blanco was ever a Brave…perhaps, you’re thinking of Gregor Blanco, an out fielder, who played for one of the post season teams. You guys slay me with laughter with your wild, stupid predictions, name calling, hating and never spending any money to buy tickets etc. If you don’t buy a ticket or support the team in anyway what gives you the right to criticize, nme call and declare any one “old, sick, blind” or stupid…..Stupid is calling any one on the Braves team or staff stupid or any other name. There will be a Braves team that will compete for the NL championship and hence the world series next season. Don’t sell them short! Go Braves!

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I have something in common with the Braves. They don’t care enough if I don’t come to their games and I don’t either.

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Good riddance The red sox are great at throwing good money at bad deals.The braves will survive and move on without him . They need to get rid of some of no hitting overachievers any way

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Ross was solid………………….The guy he backed up was not up to par this year. Why let Ross get away with that knowledge??

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I believe more fans like Ross than MaCann….I remember when “Brett Butler” was traded and fans went crazy..

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Chipper retires that’s fine, Bourn wants too much money & strikes out too much & leaves, that’s fine, Ross is allowed to leave so we now have a another huge hole at catcher, not so fine! Now we have 3 holes to fill, McCann won’t do anything until after the break, what say you FW? I say we’re in trouble, we have 3 players in Prado , Heyward, & Freeman, then what? Better dig deep FW I’m not paying to watch the same old can’t score any runs BS!!!!!!

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Really Braves management (and I use that term loosely), just fold up the damned tents and go to some idiot city that is silly enough to show the slightest interest in your Pittsburgh Pirates baseball modus operandi.

Tired of the excuses, and the non-stop whining about how the “…economics of baseball stink.”

Y’all stink. Get the hell out of here.

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Ross will be missed but come on folks HE IS A BACK-UP CATCHER. He is not an allstar. He is not one of the best players on the team. He is a good guy who started every 4th or 5th day and had some good hits. I like Ross, and hate to see him go, but again, HE IS A BACK-UP CATCHER. Braves can fill that spot with a veteran free agent. Not a big loss. HE IS A BACK-UP CATCHER!

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Chipper : his bat & leadership RETIRED

Bourn: our leadoff hitter, great gloveman & speed GONE

Ross: great backup catcher & right-handed bat off the bench GONE

Our big acquisition so far is Jordan Schafer, who hit a whopping .211 for the minor league Astros. Schafer was brought in as “insurance” for the outfield.

Frank Wren has some work to do, and hopefully it won’t be in the dumpster rescuing rejects and castoffs.

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“David Ross is a great player and……………..”

If he were great he’d be a starter and this alone doesn’t make any player great. And those who trumpet Ross as ‘a great team guy’ don’t really know other than what is written in these columns. C’mon, folks, just a backup catcher.

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Loss of Ross just makes Braves very weak at one more position. I expect McCann to come back and still be weak defensively and hit about .240..so, there will be no production from this position. Ross also called an excellent game, so this will also impact pitchers. Braves aren’t looking too good for next year.

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can’t believe…no Chipper…nio Ross…No Bourn.. man what a bad off season…gonna have tough time putting fans in the seats..

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Some of you so-called “fans” need to wake up and smell the coffee. All this whining and crying about a back-up catcher is ludicrous. A good backup catcher, nothing else, and one that will be 36 years old before the start of next season. Complain about the front office if they don’t fill that void, but you just don’t pay that kind of money to a 36 year old backup who averaged 57 games a year. Of course, blaming Fredi Gonzalez is the easy way out for the bashers. Yeech! Some of you people need lives.

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Oh, wow, what a massive collection of over-reactions. I will miss David Ross and am disappointed he did not re-sign, but it makes all the sense in the world to pass on guaranteeing 6 million/2 yrs to a 36 yr old back up catcher, even if he is currently the best back-up in baseball.

The biggest thing, though, is that this will probably give Evan Gattis some AB’s and I am very excited about that. Many have said Gattis’ bat is close to ML-ready right now and the front office has been dying to find a way to fit him into the lineup. His defense needs work, but he won’t be our starter all season and it sounds like he’s not shy about putting in the work necessary to improve. No matter how you slice it, Evan Gattis will be one of the better story lines in all of baseball next season and we’re going to have front row seats. So, as sad as it is to see Ross go, there are so many reasons to be excited about the man that could end up taking his place.

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The rich can afford to pay for good depth. I hate the Yankees and Red Sox. Baseball frustrates me so much with their unfair payrolls.

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If the Brave’s couldn’t afford to keep Ross at 3.1mil/year then they sure can’t afford an outfielder making over that per year………………….looks like Constanza is our new center fielder!

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I am happy for Ross that he got good money for he next 2 years. Ross was a very valuable member of the Braves over the past 4 years, and he will be missed for many reasons.

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I don’t understand the hate on Wren…he has made some great deals…maybe if the ‘fans’ in Atlanta would consistently come to the games and help generate more revenue, then Liberty Media might up the salary range for the Braves…fact is that when the Red Sox / Yankees / Mets / Cubs come to town, it has historically been more like an away game for Atlanta…Chipper’s farewell tour brought out a lot of fans this past season, but the team needs that to continue…TRUST in Wren, he will make some good deals, not give up the farm, and return with some quality players to help the Braves compete for the NL East and NL pennants.

and give Juan a chance at 3B! (as long as he loses some poundage)

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In Frank Wren we don’t trust !

Get out of the dumpster, Frank !

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Just give me Spring Training! When do pitchers and, well, you know, catchers report?

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dean; they report around the week of Feb. 20th or so, then st starts beginning of march(whole – month).

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Well, only dream wish’n, if were to check on chase headley from san diego, but probably would ask too much for’em. Scott hairston wouldn’t be a bad choice off the bench.

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Oh, if possible, to be able to keep Reed Johnson, clutch player, Blue coller, is a leader himself.

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Saw this coming…Varitek lives in Atlanta

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The Braves probably offered him $100 and discounts to six flags!

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Ross will be missed…in a big way.

Hope you do well with the Sox, Ross!

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Juan Fatcisco on 3B replacing Hall of Famer Chipper Jones; Jordan Schafer in CF; and Eddie Perez coming out of retirement to be McCann’s backup, are sure-fire decisions to put the Braves back into the World Series !

Frank Wren, BRILLIANT !

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Some of you should read DOB’s info some time..He had a report on Juan Francisco a week ago that was great news about JF’s training and working-out this summer. Calling him fat etc is stupid..Maybe DOB can recall for some of you who missed it….. DOB if you will please repeat info on Juan. Thanks.

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David Ross was WAR-positive and worth $3m a year. What in the world is Frank Wren thinking?

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You can’t blame Ross at all.
But you can Blame the braves. This guy carried the Braves to the one game playoff. Ummmm, didn’t they start McCann in that final game?
This is all about what I have been saying about the Braves, ( I am a long time Braves fan, since ‘76)
They never do what they need to do, ever.
You talk about Chipper staying all these years as a Brave. It was Chipper that took the pay cuts, he could have made a lot more elsewhere. If they eat half of Uggla’s salary they have the best and cheapest infield in Baseball. Prado at 3rd, Simmons at short, Janish at 2nd and Freeman at first. Now the Braves will spend money for a fill in catcher. Ross would have bent a little on money if offered two years. And it will take at least two to get the two minor league catchers ready, if then. I have doubts about McCann ever being what he was again. ( I hope he can be)
The Braves can’t because of what they are. I wish Ted would buy the back.

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“..He had a report on Juan Francisco a week ago that was great news about JF’s training and working-out this summer.” jbill

More stuff from the Braves’ spin doctors. Francisco is not a major league starter, other than DH, and there is no DH in the National League. He’s another piece of junk discarded from another team that Frank Wren rescued and doesn’t know what to do with. He will not be on the roster after this coming spring training.

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DOB, did you see this and any chance the Braves go after him??? Dont know much about this guy only he has some pretty good highlights on ESPN. LOL!

It appears A.J. Pierzynski will play for a team other than the White Sox in 2013, Dan Hayes of CSNChicago.com reports. While the sides are both interested in working out a new free agent contract, factors such as payroll space, timing and Tyler Flowers could mean Pierzynski signs elsewhere.
Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#UjSw2gq56OUyxsVF.99

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Eddie Perez ; Coach & Playa!

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Eddie Perez ; Coach & Playa!

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Eddie Perez ; Coach & Playa!

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Eddie Perez: Playa – Coach

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Eddie Perez: Playa – Coach

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Eddie Perez: Playa – Coach

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Eddie Perez: Playa Coach

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Wow the New Look Braves…..with Jordan Schafer…….

Imagine how DUMB WREN has been thinking he will sign a guy represented by Scott Boras ……… as in Tex or Bourn ? Sure !!!!!! HA HA HA HA HA……..

DUMB ….. DUMB….. DUMB !!!!!!!!

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Has “pretty” boy got us a catcher yet. Answer” no. He is to busy with his hair. JERK

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Really not sure why people are calling Wren a “pretty boy”….

I mean if he were young and suave like Theo or someone I would get it…but dude’s like 60…

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DOB,
I know the DBacks are looking for a SS or 3B in a deal for Upton, but do you see the Braves as players for him for maybe a Teheran or Delgado in a prospect package deal?

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That makes me sad, love him!

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@Amber Girl

Riiiight…funny.
?

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I will say it again, WHEN not IF the move to pick up McCann and let Ross walks backfires, Wren will FINALLY lose his job…

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Tex was traded to the Red Sox for Casey Kotchman; played out the season as a FA & signed with the Yankees. GOOGLE IT !

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@Darkcrow It’s true. Ask Mlb Network.

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ok, just googled it, I stand partially corrected, he was traded from Atlanta to Anaheim for Kotchman

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I really just don’t get the budget complaints, I mean, we have something between 25 and 30 million to work with this offseason (depending on which source your read per Wren’s typically guarded payroll talks-really silly by the way) so why was an extra million and a half such a big deal to payroll? I understand that Wren is going to try to maximize that available money to get the best he can, but lets face it, the FA crop is pretty thin on the upper end. And GM’s have already made it pretty clear that marquee players are gonna bring a TON of return or they ain’t moving anywhere, so just how crucial was the exact amount of that available money going to be when all said and done? Maybe I’m wrong, certainly have been before, I’m one of the few on here who can admit that. I was wrong about Uggla’s power last year. I thought last years numbers would be about what this years numbers were. I was wrong. He still sucks, but I was wrong. I just can’t see picking up McCann and letting Ross work playing out well. I really can’t…

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“Wren is going to try to maximize that available money to get the best he can”

If that were true, he would not have brought McCann back for $13 million, a catcher coming off major arm surgery who might not be ready until May, if at all. It was a PR move to appease the homers; certainly not a move that will get the Braves into the post-season.

He should be fielding offers for Uggla and be willing to eat part of the contract, to free up additional money.

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Braves Nation..glad you smarter than a fifty grader. DOB have a safe trip home.

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O’l Melky asked Frank what are the chances if he could make Juan hit like hit like him, look like him, to become him, Dang! that’s scary, Look out folks, hope Franks dream’n, that’s scary stuff, not funny frank, don’t be hook’n those two together.

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Hey DOB, if Ahmed gets hot, has solid ST, hits in every level to ‘AA’, could he also learn to play 2B, or 3B, course if salcedo can right himself offensively, Dang! love to see those kids catch Fire! I know they are still quite young. Another year or two away I suppose?

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I got some stuff for Francisco, and Schafer too !

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the braves dont pay good, they are gong to loose more.the braves wont pay,so they wont get any better

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the braves dont pay good, they are gong to loose more.the braves wont pay,so they wont get any better

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the braves dont pay good, they are gong to loose more.the braves wont pay,so they wont get any better

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