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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
852 comments Add your comment
Ryan
November 28th, 2012
8:58 pm
I am a rays fan and all I can say is that Braves over paid and get ready to watch him wiff at fastballs.
Frank Wren
November 28th, 2012
9:03 pm
$15,000,000 a year? I thought the contract said $1,500,000 a year! I never was good at math or reading.
Uh, oh! J.S. is going to be pi_____ed!
Philly
November 28th, 2012
9:05 pm
You Braves fans are the worst. I think Upton made the wrong choice coming to you guys. The fans do not support you. Take your decision back and come to Philly; we will treat you better.
Geechy Dan
November 28th, 2012
9:05 pm
Slumber time has arrived.Interesting feedback.Thank you all chat room participants.
Hole in Dan Uggla's bat
November 28th, 2012
9:07 pm
Me, BMac, Hey Hey, and BJ gonna tear it up. 750 strikeouts, 12 runners left on base per game. It is gonna be awesome.
TNScott
November 28th, 2012
9:09 pm
An absolute horrible move by Frank Wren. This is worse than the Uggla trade which I wasn’t for, either. That breeze you will feel in the outfield stands will be all of the whiffs by this team next year. Let one K King go for another. Enjoy dealing with the attitude Freddie. I’ve defended Frank because of budget limitations but no more. Just a bad waste of the budget unless he pulls a Melky, in which case he’ll miss the last 1/3 of the season anyway. Shaking my head at this one.
ATLcracker
November 28th, 2012
9:09 pm
Look at the bright side with nobody on base and nobody making contact we should lead the league in fewest ground in to double plays.
eddie57
November 28th, 2012
9:09 pm
Well, Wren panicked again like Lowe and KK and the Braves are stuck with another Ugglier type ballplayer. Fredi the Freeloader is not going to get any more out of BJ than he’s been getting out of Ugglier.
Jimiz
November 28th, 2012
9:09 pm
We need a guy to help fill seats that is a widely known and is a popular player. Remember we are replacing Chipper. Although there wasn’t anyone to fill that position this year except maybe Hamiltion. With the free agent market so lame this year why not wait till 2014 to spend this money. We could have got both spots filled with a free agent platoon guy for third and a trade for another good lead-off centerfielder. Fowler or Victorino or Span would have done a nice job. Instead Wren threw out our future for B.J Upton jeez we could have gotten Nate Mcloud back would have been the same except Nate had a better year then B.J did last year. lol I would take Andruw Jones back maybe they will let Jordan Shave me play instead.
my line up for next year
1. Simmons
2. Prado
3. Heyward
4. Freeman
5. _____Left field
6. McCann
7.Uggla
8. sorry strike out king B.J Upton. I would rather see Jose Costanza
9. Hanson
bring back blauser
November 28th, 2012
9:11 pm
my dream lineup for Braves 2013
LF Victorino
3B Prado
CF Upton
RF Heyward
1B Freeman
2B Uggla
C McCann
SS Simmons
UT IF Janis and Francisco
UT OF Johnson and Schafer
Peter
November 28th, 2012
9:14 pm
Perfect another .240 hitter we are over paying.. GOSH…… We are amazing in the brain trust !
what
November 28th, 2012
9:14 pm
We needed a bat and got one. McCann wont be on this team next year. We will go with youth. So that will free up money again. Uggla will bee in his 4th year next year. Good move for the braves. we replaced chippers numbers from last year with a home run guy who can still too. now we still got money and can get a left fielder.
tinman
November 28th, 2012
9:14 pm
@philly you are why we hate the phillies. uninformed fans spoiled by a big payroll. noone is attacking bj upton as a person or player, and we will all support him come season time. this is how educated baseball fans talk about huge, franchise-altering moves. we talk about the ways he will help or detract from the lineup and the implications of a move like this. have fun finishing third again…
Chop Chop
November 28th, 2012
9:14 pm
Paying an average defensive player with a 758 career OPS $15 million a year is not good. Maybe “that’s what the market is,” but that’s not the kind of market I’d want to invest my money in.
Nerdville
November 28th, 2012
9:15 pm
the rah rahs can’t understand why some of us aren’t excited about this deal and are mad at us for not being frank wren cheerleaders. they are probably still convincing themselves that the uggla, kk, mcout, and lowe deals were just wonderful. they can’t help themselves, they live in an alternate reality.
what
November 28th, 2012
9:15 pm
steal bases that is…
Peter
November 28th, 2012
9:15 pm
Look at the bright side with nobody on base and nobody making contact we should lead the league in fewest ground in to double plays.
WOW…… .. THAT WAS FUNNY !!!!!! ha ha ha ha ha !!!!!!!
Laughing out Loud
November 28th, 2012
9:16 pm
When was the last time a hitter came to the Braves and put up better numbers than they had with their former teams???? I don’t know, but does that same logic and question apply to pitchers also? If so what about Maddox from the Cubs and Smoltz who came from the Detroit Tigers? Maybe, just maybe players go from good to worse because the Braves fans are such negative jerks. Why would any one want to play hard for these fans who measure their support only by their dollars spent.. Although, I give you critics credit for it seems to me you don’t criticize the Braves players for not “playing hard.” You just demand more your your dollars (more wins…because you deserve them.). Opps,
HeyJay
November 28th, 2012
9:18 pm
Can we please give Constanza a shot hitting leadoff?
what
November 28th, 2012
9:18 pm
whose to say that this guy dont come to the national league and tear it up. Lets give the kid a chance. He did hit more home runs than anybody on our team last year.
Chop Chop
November 28th, 2012
9:20 pm
At this point, I’d really like seeing The Flyin’ Hawaiian in a Braves uni. That would give us more flexibility in center and left.
tinman
November 28th, 2012
9:24 pm
@chop chop, not to mention a good character guy, short-term contract, and a lead off hitter that will force people to throw fastballs to martin.
jim
November 28th, 2012
9:26 pm
Teheran tonight in the Dominican
5 and 2/3 innings 0 runs, 1 hit, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4Ks ( I assume there was a pitch count)
Had a no hiter for 5 and 1/3 innings.
Best outing this winter
russ's spot
November 28th, 2012
9:26 pm
good move! center fielder with more power, good speed.and will replace borne’s strikeouts.
Pale Rider
November 28th, 2012
9:27 pm
There are a bunch of K’s in that line-up making lots of $$$. Without Chipper, this line-up just got worse. And another five year whopper deal we can’t shake. Another play-off pretender
Hole in Dan Uggla's bat
November 28th, 2012
9:28 pm
What makes anyone think Simmons can bat leadoff????????
would like
November 28th, 2012
9:30 pm
can we trade him
Chop Chop
November 28th, 2012
9:34 pm
I hope Upton is able to get on base at a better clip. If he does, he’ll probably be worth that money, although I think $15 million committed with a $95 mil payroll has the potential to do more damage than with a $120-150 mil payroll. Wren better be right about this guy.
Over/Under/Over
November 28th, 2012
9:34 pm
No wonder Liberty Media is tight with the purse strings! Every time they give Wren some money for payroll, he blows it!
I don’t blame Liberty for keeping the money in their pockets! Wren is like a trust fund kid who has no concept of how to be wise with his money.
Mark
November 28th, 2012
9:36 pm
HIDUB
All the ones that still think Uggla is going to all of a sudden break out of his 220 slump and the ones that likes this Upton Deal.
Pale Rider
November 28th, 2012
9:38 pm
Go Falcons!
joebrave
November 28th, 2012
9:40 pm
Wren for the sake of my sanity please Trade that summabeatch Costanza please!
DJ
November 28th, 2012
9:41 pm
Everyone on here is speaking to how bad this deal is and how bad Wren is as a GM. Has anyone considered that he has his hands tied with Liberty Media holding the control of the money. Who else would you expect Wren to sign? Bourn is represented by Scott Boras and is demanding more than $15 million a year. It is amazing to me that all of these so called GMs on here say all of the negative comments about Frank Wren, but I guarantee that if in the same position would succumb to similar choices. Damn, The Braves are not in the upper echelon of clubs with team payrolls like the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Phillies, Dodgers, etc. Stop complaining and get behind the team. The team won 94 games last season with hardly an offense, but plenty of pitching and defense. GO BRAVES in 2013 AND BEYOND!!!
O'Ventbrel
November 28th, 2012
9:41 pm
Reading some of these comments kinda makes me wish Moneyball was never made into a movie. Sabremetrics has turned baseball fans into the most nitpicky people around.
Have any of you ever looked at the Tampa Bay lineup? Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist were practically the only legit contributors aside from BJ and Longo. Give Upton the protection in the Atlanta lineup and I bet he gets better pitches and his numbers improve. Also, a big LOL at those who think Wren is done now and our 2013 roster is set. $10 million-ish left and an obscene amount of pitching practically guarantees another acquisition. If I was Denard Span, I would have my fingers crossed to leave Minnesota and bat leadoff for a playoff contender like Atlanta.
dewey
November 28th, 2012
9:42 pm
this move pretty much ends brian mccanns days in atlanta after this season. they will soon need to tie up all younger players(heyward, freeman, medlen, minor, etc) and uggla and upton are going to tie up a lot of cash for the next couple of years.
whatever happened to making contact with the ball, we now have 4 players that will strikeout a combined 700 times.
Finklestein
November 28th, 2012
9:42 pm
I’m underwhelmed, but not surprised. It’s typical FW. Money burns a hole in that man’s pocket.
joebrave
November 28th, 2012
9:44 pm
In fact the next dumbass that suggests Costanza for leadoff please turn in your Braves gear and go away
dunnellonbrave
November 28th, 2012
9:45 pm
usa today Sports weekly of Nov. 28 says D-Backs covet SS Andrelton Simmons and possible trade for Justin Upton to Braves. I’m not saying we should do this but Braves could put Prado at SS and Francisco at 3rd and how about an outfield of Upton, Upton and Heyward.
Jimiz
November 28th, 2012
9:47 pm
Simmons probably should not be lead-off. But we may have no other choice. The only way i would like this move is if Justin was in our left field.
kman
November 28th, 2012
9:51 pm
Not a smart move…….too much money for too little in return. The Braves front office is clueless.
Mark
November 28th, 2012
9:51 pm
DOB
We need some kind of baseball IQ test to be allowed on the blog.
Simmons leading off, Prado at SS and Flabby at 3rd, trade Simmons for the other Upton…Unreal!!!
O'Ventbrel
November 28th, 2012
9:51 pm
Amen joebrave. Constanza & Schafer will be bench players, period.
Fred Ellis Jones
November 28th, 2012
9:52 pm
I think this was stupid move . What is Frank thinking three player that can’t hit
carney johnson
November 28th, 2012
9:52 pm
constanza hit .319, .315 and .312 in AAA the last three seasons. with more at-bats in atlanta, he may be able a good option in a platoon. he’d hit leadoff and give you speed and defense. laugh at me all you want, but consider what you’d have said if i’d have suggested a few years ago that gregor blanco was an everyday LF for a world championship team.
Sad, sad Braves fan
November 28th, 2012
9:52 pm
All the typical Internet trollery really undermines the more valid point about this being a painfully poor signing. It’s much easier to hurl insults at Wren like you’re a fourth grader than it is to say why you think it’s a bad signing. Just like it’s easy to complain about the complainers and be blind to the fact that $75 for BJ Upton is flat out depressing for Atlanta. I know the Braves front office does not pride itself on being Moneyball types, and dear Lord Jesus knows that Fredi doesn’t, but this is a contract driven by desperation and need. The real kick in the pants is just how deep the OF market is this year.
You can take BJ’s 30 HR and his gut-wrenching batting average and his abyssmal OBP (if that ever tops .340 in a season then I’ll do a naked jig across Turner Field). How about trading some of that depth for Denard Span, a real lead off hitter and guy that can work the count? How about bringing in Swisher for HALF the money and half the commitment? There are plenty of options, better options.
No, I’m not a GM, just a longtime fan who continues to watch the Braves make moves counterintuitive to the blueprints of successful midmarket teams. It’s like Jim Bowden is running the team. I’m all for defense, but defense comes pretty cheap; it doesn’t when you’re concerned about HR and SBs. The allure of that 30/30 crap is outdated and it will lose, lose, lose to the team the Nationals have built.
Given the size and length of this contract, and the expected return, this is one of the most depressing moves the Braves have made in the last 6-8 years, right there with the Uggla signing.
Mark
November 28th, 2012
9:54 pm
Constanza and Shafer both will not be on the roster. Possibly only one of them will and thats only if we can’t re-sign Johnson.
jbill
November 28th, 2012
9:55 pm
Everyone blaming Wren? It was not just Wren…it was everyone in front office plus Aaron and Bobby Cox..I believe they know more than we do. Now we’ll see just what deal Wren can come up with for LF and lead-off…I think everyone will be surprised…
John Tucker
November 28th, 2012
9:57 pm
Enter your comments here
carney johnson
November 28th, 2012
9:59 pm
what’s nolie say about the deal?
PMC
November 28th, 2012
10:00 pm
Oh the .246 part will be coming along, but forgive me for doubting very seriously that he hits more than 15 or 20 homers here. This lineup is going to be weak sauce AGAIN this year, and they essentially just fired the leadoff man.
Once again, no lead off hitter. They saved 15 or 20 million, but I don’t see how they got better. Sorry. I don’t buy it.
O'Ventbrel
November 28th, 2012
10:01 pm
Sad, sad Braves fan, I am pretty sure that depth is still there. Seems like acquiring a leadoff option is a very likely possibility, especially considering the Twins need quality pitching more than anybody in the majors.
Jimiz
November 28th, 2012
10:02 pm
@ Sad
I totally agree with you. We will be just above .500 for the year and finish 3rd behind the Phills. In the words of Charles Barkley ” This move was terrible terrible terrible”
Mark
November 28th, 2012
10:04 pm
We could get Spahn or the second coming of Hank Aaron and the fact would still remain that we just got reemed for Upton.
Marty
November 28th, 2012
10:06 pm
Way too many idiots here. Good thing that we have Wren as our GM and not you morons.
Marty
November 28th, 2012
10:08 pm
Seriously, why are so many people here so stupid? If you’re that broken up over the trade, stop posting and come back late in ‘13 when we are on pace for another 90+ win season. Thanks.
John Tucker
November 28th, 2012
10:09 pm
Whoopee, now braves will again feature 3 sing-and-miss sluggers with 150+ SO’s, but in 2013, 2 of them will bat under .250..And, the braves still need a leadoff man.
WHy couldn\t Wren offer pagan 3 years at $10 or $11 million, and spent the rest on a sluggin RH left fielderz?
This deal becomes good only if Wren can trade uggla back to Miami and eat half his salary, then install Nick Ahmed or Pastornicky at 2B and leading off.
No style opoints, Frank, for witner ink for another low BA slugger whose HR’s are mostly solo shots.Did you not see the A’s and Giants win with OBP and moving unners from base-to-base? It’s the future of MLB, Frank.
PMC
November 28th, 2012
10:09 pm
Everyone is going to be setting strikeout records against this lineup.
Its going to be freaking brutal to watch them hit AGAIN this year.
afan
November 28th, 2012
10:10 pm
Braves have talked to Swisher..maybe he’s next.
RBI
November 28th, 2012
10:10 pm
The Braves should not be signing anyone for more than three years, period.
tinman
November 28th, 2012
10:11 pm
not a fan of constanza leading off/starting every day but look at this lineup
1. constanza LF
2. prado 3B
3. heyward RF
4. upton CF
5. freeman 1B
6. mccann C
7. uggla 2B
8. simmons SS
thats pretty sick. and with our young and talented rotation, deep bullpen, and if by chance we can get a guy like victorino or spahn to come in and lead off, i don’t see how we finish 3rd in the east. i think we would be most people’s pick to challenge washington for the division. thoughts?
Mark
November 28th, 2012
10:14 pm
All we need now is Mark Reynolds and we’ll set the strikeout record
afan
November 28th, 2012
10:16 pm
Everyone knows more than Wren and front office..lol
You people are crazy saying what BJ is going to do..how the hell do you know.(forget the past) This is a new year, new team, new Coach, new start, new field..GIVE THE MAN A CHANCE. You have bitched for two weeks now.. Its done. BJ is here for 5 years so stfu and support the team.
O'Ventbrel
November 28th, 2012
10:18 pm
Agreed, tinman. Constanza will find ways to contribute and I do not see why Span would be opposed to playing left field instead of center. That would be the best defensive outfield in baseball.
afan
November 28th, 2012
10:18 pm
who is spahn?…tinman
WigWamWisps
November 28th, 2012
10:18 pm
Braves fans are hilarious. If Frank Wren wouldn’t have been able to land BJ Upton, hell would have had no fury like the scorned Atlanta fans. As it is, Wren is criticized for having spent the money that fans have so often pointed out that he hasn’t been allowed the spend in previous seasons. In short, get over it. Upton will do well in Atlanta. My hope is that Atlanta holds onto the $10 million that they still have left for a mid-season deal. I hope they trade for Denard Span. As in any other season, the Braves could be really good IF the rotation bounces back from a very average 2012 season, IF Jason Heyward continues to progress. IF he does continue to progress, the Braves could have a 20-20 player in right and a 30-30 player in center. Atlanta could be really good IF Andrelton Simmons stays healthy and hits like he did prior to his injury, IF Dan Uggla can actually hit the ball and hit home runs like the player he was traded for, IF Freddie Freeman can hit for more power and drive in more runs and IF the left field situation is resolved with more than an average outfielder or a plattoon situation. They could be real good. IF…
tinman
November 28th, 2012
10:21 pm
haha sorry afan. i was spelling it like warren. im a little older than the rest of you probably.
afan
November 28th, 2012
10:23 pm
u mean Span..hell I’m 69 so don’t fill bad..I’m just glad to be here.
gy6
November 28th, 2012
10:27 pm
expect a massive decline from upton inn 2013.
ijudgenot
November 28th, 2012
10:27 pm
Bourn was not coming back to Atlanta and neither was Chipper. The Braves needed to project a young aggressive team to keep fans in the seats. Now they have that projection with Prado,Freeman,Heyward,Upton and Simmons. If Upton can provide some righthanded power then this takes the pressure off Uggla and he can return to being a complimentary player with power like he was in Miami, instead of being THE MAN from the right side.
tinman
November 28th, 2012
10:27 pm
heard that brother. glad to be here and hope we can get a couple more titles before its all said and done. i have faith. like someone said earlier, i dont think we’re done yet. i love the victorino tweet at upton. perhaps a sign of things to come.
Ken Stallings
November 28th, 2012
10:30 pm
I remain convinced that BJ Upton will not help the Braves. I believe his homer tally for all of 2013 will be under 25 (likely 20) and his RBI’s will tally between 75-85. His BA will be in the .240 area and his OBA will be under .300. I also think having to adjust to new pitchers in the NL that his strikeout total will come in around the 170 mark.
Some will say those are OK numbers. But, I am very much of the school of getting on base and advancing runners already on base. BJ Upton will end rallies more often than he advances rallies.
Frank Wren has made three major free agent acquisitions as GM: Derek Lowe, Dan Uggla, and now BJ Upton. In these moves, a lot of money has been spent and the production of the first two simply has not matched the expected production for that money paid. I hope Upton changes that, but his production history shows the opposite.
And consider that he moves for other less costly free agents have been a mixed bag. Some have been quite good. Others like Kawakami flammed out horribly. But, if Upton produces as I predict he will, it can easily cost Frank Wren his job by the end of the 2013 season. Making a bad choice sometimes on a high priced free agent is understandable. Striking out on all three of your high priced choices is a career wrecker.
longtimefan
November 28th, 2012
10:30 pm
Would the fans that continue to say BJ Upton is an “average” fielder please support your contentions. Are they based on your keen eye and razor sharp baseball intellect directed toward the 2 games you watched on TV and the plays of the week on ESPN. Are you interested in how the real experts grade his defense based on dispassionate analysis of all his fielding plays over multiple years? Go to sites on the web that will give you the info. I am tired of hearing from expert fans that we should have traded for “Spahn” instead of signing BJ Upton. If you don’t even know how to spell a player’s name, how credible is your opinion?
And to respond to an earlier rebuttal regarding the Braves overpaid for Chipper’s performance last year-I beg to differ and you do not understand baseball economics. A HOF players contract is backloaded. In some respect you are paying for prior performance when his play exceeded his pay. That’s the way it is. Tell me you think A Rod or Phillies Howard are going to earn their 25M per year. Until baseball pays based on yearly performance, the stars will be overpaid in the twilight years of their careers. For me, it was worth the money(not mine of course) watching Chipper, a Braves icon, play one more year.
Cloudodust
November 28th, 2012
10:30 pm
Will we opining for Bourn in a few months or will we not..? Com’on Upton, earning/making/getting a paycheck isn’t enough when coming into this clubhouse…or is it..? Time will tell.
Zhon81
November 28th, 2012
10:30 pm
I’m glad Upton is on board. He’s in his prime, so some career-high numbers would seem likely going forward.
Some mentions here of Prado at SS…the Braves are not going to run Prado out at short every day, regardless of what moves are made this off-season.
And someone was wondering who the last hitter was who performed BETTER for the Braves than his previous team. Galarraga and Estrada were mentioned. Estrada and Diaz did better, but never played that much before Atlanta…Sheffield and Drew may have put up career years as Braves, but that’s arguable. The last without-a-doubt better-as-Braves hitters were Terry Pendleton and Otis Nixon.
And that was 20 years ago. Not the best track record, so we’re due. Go Upton, Go Bravos.
Kujohn
November 28th, 2012
10:30 pm
Ok now we are going too go afters BJs brother. Now that will be a splash An outfield of Upton Heyward an Upton WOW That would be exciting Chipper is gone Braves need too put fans in the ballpark The Upton bros can do that Let the rumors begin
Jimmy
November 28th, 2012
10:34 pm
David: How did the Braves miss out on Juan Pierre for 1.6 Million? Dude reminds us that speed comes to the ball park every day, but the three run bomb does not. .307 average, and 37 stolen bases could’ve filled our lead off spot nicely. I understand he has a noodle for a left arm, but why no love for this guy? Was he even considered?
P Rose
November 28th, 2012
10:35 pm
Why couldn’t they use all that money to lock up Heyward, Freeman, Kimbrell and Medlen with long-term contracts? Why wait until their free-agent years to try to sign them? They’ll end up playing for the Yankees, Red Sox or Phillies, and we’ll be stuck with Uggla and Upton.
Klaus
November 28th, 2012
10:35 pm
I like the move and expect a LFer trade to go down before or during the winter meetings for either Justin or KC’s Myers. Span has no pop so forget him for LF, same is true of Fowler outside CO.
If Wren gets Myers blog posters will wet their pants in joy and say BJ who.
If Wren lands Justin he will create a media storm which will put fannies in the seats and pump season ticket sales.
I am prone to being a negative nancy
but let’s assume that we actually got a player who thrives here versus declines.
Walker is a good hitting coach and he could actually do his job and adjust BJs approach.
Uggla SO bc he wants to hit 800 ft HR every time. BJ seems to be more fixable as he is not violently swinging at the ball.
dewey
November 28th, 2012
10:38 pm
wren is done making moves. patornicky will be given every chance to be the starter in left field. if he doesnt pan out, they will go with schafer or constanza. and I wish everyone would stop bragging about simmons, he’s barely played one month at the big league level. could very well come out next year and not hit his weight.
nashvillewill
November 28th, 2012
10:38 pm
The problems with this team’s offense in the FG era has been too many LOB and too many K’s. So we sign a K specialist who leaves lots of men on base. I don’t get it. With this lineup the Braves will lead the world in strike outs and men left on base. Do more HR’s equate with more wins? Seems to be Wren’s thinking. I for one disagree. Would prefer to see contact hitters like Infante and Prado to guys with big arms and HR egos.
Mark
November 28th, 2012
10:41 pm
Klaus
Why would Uptons put fannies in the seats more than real good players we have had in the past.
And if Walker is so great and we spend 75 million to try and fix an approach why could’t he fix Ugglas sorry tail?
tinman
November 28th, 2012
10:42 pm
We’re going to have to wait and see.. was never a fan of the uggla trade. Loved infante, would still rather have him and the extra dough. But i’ll reserve my judgment on this one until fall next year. btw- @longtime fan. i dont think my logic was far off, just my spelling of one non-brave players name that i’ve only heard about and not read in depth. and noone on this comment feed has credibility. we’re anonymous baseball fans with no credentials. grow up.
tinman
November 28th, 2012
10:42 pm
We’re going to have to wait and see.. was never a fan of the uggla trade. Loved infante, would still rather have him and the extra dough. But i’ll reserve my judgment on this one until fall next year. btw- @longtime fan. i dont think my logic was far off, just my spelling of one non-brave players name that i’ve only heard about and not read in depth. and noone on this comment feed has credibility. we’re anonymous baseball fans with no credentials. grow up.
Ryan Dempster
November 28th, 2012
10:43 pm
Don’t panic too much, people. There’s a good chance this article is wrong.
dawg51
November 28th, 2012
10:46 pm
oops…..I did it again……another K with an attitude……geeze
Jimiz
November 28th, 2012
10:46 pm
I may not be an expert. I may not be a GM. But i do have a question for those who are.
With all the guys we could have got to play center and lead-off. And with all the options for a power hitting left fielder. Why did the Braves go out and get a centerfielder that can’t lead-off and can’t hit.
In my opinion they should have got a guy for center that could lead-off. Then got a right handed hard hitting player for left. Would have been better to have a Span or fowler or Victorino for center and a Justin or Hamilton or Swisher for left. They could have went after another teams prospect anything but this.
Rick C
November 28th, 2012
10:48 pm
“Why couldn’t they use all that money to lock up Heyward, Freeman, Kimbrell and Medlen with long-term contracts? Why wait until their free-agent years to try to sign them? They’ll end up playing for the Yankees, Red Sox or Phillies, and we’ll be stuck with Uggla and Upton.”
Freeman and Kimbrel aren’t even arb-eligible yet. Also Uggla will be gone before any of them hit free agency.
Evans
November 28th, 2012
10:51 pm
Oh boy, Dan Uggla with speed. We’ll definitely lead the league in striking out!!
andersja
November 28th, 2012
10:52 pm
Upton is a punk and always will be. Do Braves fans forget how he tried to take out McCann on a play at the plate when he could have scored without trying to take him out. He can take all his strikeouts somewhere else.
O'Ventbrel
November 28th, 2012
10:53 pm
Klaus, Span has no pop but his batting average is solid and his career OBP is .357. He cannot steal bases like Bourn, but 25 or so steals a year is worth it.
Columbus
November 28th, 2012
10:53 pm
Bad move because he strike out so much? Bourn strikes out just as much, is older and dont have his power. But you would have preferred Bourn? Upton might be hitting his prime the next 3 years and Bourn steals have steadily declined. Power and speed is a nice combo.
Striking out is not BUT at LEAST Upton is a right handed bat needed desperately. Swap a lefty CF for a righty. The righty is younger and hit 28 homers last year and both strikeout the same….
There is good and bad about Upton but Bourn too. I cant justify paying any .250 hitters who strike out 150 plus times 15 mill. Chipper got 15 mill and was a GREAT Hall of Fame hitter….these guys are not great hitters.
Bill
November 28th, 2012
10:53 pm
dewey..just watch , its not over..
Mark I’ve have known Walker for 25 years..live 2 miles from his Dad and he is a damn go hitting coach but if some players don’t do what you tell them its not his fault. Plus some have their daddy’s telling them what to do..Walker is looking forward to BJ coming.
raffy
November 28th, 2012
10:54 pm
Good pickup- Upton has speed, a good arm and his power should increase over the next five years- Bourne will be heading the other way. Hamilton would fit into left pretty good – in a dream I guess!
simmons
prado
heyward
hamilton
upton
freeman
uggla
mccann
I might even go to a few games
Bill
November 28th, 2012
10:54 pm
I not I’ve Ops.
Jeff
November 28th, 2012
11:01 pm
Terrible move, Upton is a sabermetrician’s worst nightmare. .298 OBP?? 160 strikeouts?? If you’re going to flush your money down the toilet at least get someone who’s worth the money.
Mark
November 28th, 2012
11:01 pm
Bill
I wasn’t attacking Walker as much as just pointing out that some guys can hit and adjust and some can’t. We paid 75 million to a 240 hitter that strikes out a lot. It seems to me that if you pay a guy that much he should already be able to hit.
Secondly, I think MLB hitting coaches are waaay over rated. They are major leagers for goodness sake. The players can hit or they can’t.
Hitting coaches move around from team to team about like field goal kickers and methodist preachers. Uggla and Upton will be Walkers demise just as the White Sox players were for him there.
Bill
November 28th, 2012
11:03 pm
Could very well be..
Mark
November 28th, 2012
11:07 pm
I hope I’m wrong but I hope I win the lottery too…
crm300
November 28th, 2012
11:07 pm
Deal is done! All we can do is hope for the best. Upton was basically uncoachable at Tampa Bay. I am sure that will change when he puts on the Braves uni! Yeah, right!
The REAL Phil
November 28th, 2012
11:10 pm
The Braves will set new records for strike outs by a team. There will be times when the side strikes out for two straight innings over the course of the year. I can’t imagine why someone who strikes out that much is worth that much of a commitment.