Braves trade Hanson to Angels, cut ties with Jurrjens

Johnson hasn’t been able to stay healthy or productive when he plays day after day.

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The Upton deal might not look like the best deal NOW, but it might look like a steal a year from now. BJ is only 28, so it’s not like he can’t improve or will always be the player he was last year. Last year he had a 7.1% walk rate and a 26.7% K rate. That’s pretty bad. But a few years ago he had a 15.2% walk rate and only a 20.9% K rate. That led to an OBP of .383. That’s pretty darn good. He had essentially the same OBP the year before that. So who’s to say Greg Walker and Scott Fletcher can’t get him back to that? He’s done it before.

With players like Bourn, Pagan and even Hamilton, we’ve seen their best. We know they won’t get better, meaning there is only downside due mostly to their age. With Upton, we have seen him be everything from a walk machine who hits for average to a power hitter who never gets on base. And because he’s still young, he has upside. Put it all together and you have an MVP-type player.

Wren trusts Walker and Fletcher, and I do too. They did wonders with J-Hey. We might have overpayed for Upton, but the fact is he’s a really intriguing talent and the payoff could be huge. At the very worst he stays the same player as last year and hits 30 bombs and steals 30 bases while playing solid defense. That’s not a terrible floor.

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Pitchers Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens have been in career-decline mode since the 2011 All-Star break, and by the end of the day Friday both were ex-Braves…

I can think of two other Braves who have been in career-decline mode since 2011, Brian McCann & Dan Uggla, we resign one for $12 million and the other is an albatross against our payroll for $13 million…thats $25 mil total for 2 declining players.

Funny how the Braves can see career decline in two players who appear on the field every 5-6 days, but can’t see the decline of the other two players who play every day.

My guess is they check the stats…the stats should have been 4 for 4 on the decline meter…. just saying!

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Even if Upton only has a “typical” year it will mean: great defense, 30-40 stolen bases, 80-90 runs, and 70-85 RBI’s. BJ has also proven that he can hit for average and have an OBP in the .380+ range. I will not be surprised to see him become more productive with the Braves. He was trying to carry a weak hitting Rays team over the past several years and saw his power numbers increase at the expense of his average and OBP. GO BRAVES!

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Addition by subtraction ……………… I love it

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The Braves have $14 million to sign a left fielder and two bench players. Why do the fools on here keep bringing up Josh Hamilton? He’s going to cost a whole lot more than that!!

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Only better scenario would had Hansen leaving sooner.

good bye and good luck, maybe Scott Boras can fleece some other team.

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@Frank for president; Or even make a deal of Uggla for chavez 3b, LH w/ pop. won’t cost as much as a-rod. Like the prado move to second.

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“eric chavez 3b” a possibility(?)

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these josh hamilton comments are hilarious—— trust me , after following the guy the past 3 yrs in dallas, frank wren knows, the braves dont need this dumpster fire– he hasnt played a full season cause of injuries, he cant or wont adjust to pitchers, he swings from the heels like adam dunn on every pitch, and hes an Old 32,, u dont spend mega bucks on free agents that age… put it to rest guys,, i dont think even Cashman is foolish enough to go after wore out spare…. good guy but a spare…

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DOB – keep the Hot Stove churn’n, Smells awsome. Frank is cook’n in the kitch’n, gets all of us stirred up this off season.

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Any prospects in Brave farm system for out field spot? I ask because seems they have not, besides Heyward, done well in developing OFprospects. Maybe their focus on drafting pitchers has hurt in other areas.

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Frank for president,

How will we have extra money to sign Hamilton if we trade Uggla for A-Rod when A-Rod makes more money than Uggla? We would have less money to spend for what we really need, a LF’er. Prado is moving to 3rd base, and that is perfectly fine with me. I believe the Braves will get either Victorino or trade for Justin Upton. If Arizona insists on Simmons in the deal, they will likely end up with Victorino.

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Maybe there is a God. The National league has figured out Hanson. His mechanics suck. Everyone teed off on him and base runners made him look ridiculous. Now the American League will steal his lunch and voraciously eat it, as well.

Bye-bye, Tommie Boy. Enjoy what’s left of your career on the left coast. Now we can enjoy a more prosperous up-coming season without the worry of a loser who never admitting it.

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Watching MLB Network’s MLB Tonight show, it occurred to me that the Braves have a good fit with the Toronto Blue Jays on a deal — Eric O’Flaherty for Emilio Bonifacio. Braves have depth in bullpen, Jays signed Maicer Izturis, who likely expected he would start when he signed as a Free Agent. Jays are hurting in the pen, especially with quality Lefty’s.

Braves could use Bonifacio as their speedy Lead-off hitter and in LF, though he can play 3b, 2b, SS, as well as CF. They are both 27 years old and their salaries were similar in 2012, O’Flaherty at $2.49 million and Bonifacio at $2.2 million. Both teams may want to add additional players to this, but the basic deal would be O’Flaherty for Bonifacio.

I would prefer the Braves acquire Giancarlo (formerly Mike) Stanton or Justin Upton, but the trade price might be prohibitive for either of these… especially compared to price of O’Flaherty for Bonifacio.

What do you think?

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Bonifacio fr O’Flaherty would be a good deal for both teams, why not pull the trigger on that one

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Get Justin Upton for immons….Put Prado at SS With Janis as a backup and signed free Agent Reynolds for 3b….POWER Batting Order

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I am not against Bonifacio, but I think the Braves are aiming a little higher on this one. Bonifacio is a lot like Victorino in that he could be the leadoff hitter, steal some bases, and hit line to line. I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but I am expecting a Justin Upton or Victorino in this particular case. However Bonifacio is cheaper, and that is exactly what the Braves usually gravitate towards. Who knows on this one.

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and if Braves pull off deal for Bonifacio and for J Upson, Bonifacio will be the shortstop

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SS Nick Ahmed played well out here in the Arizona fall league.
Maybe:
1.Delgado
2.Gilmartin
3.Ahmed
4.Low level prospect
….may do the trick for Justin Upton?

Maholm/Minor makes Gilmartin expendable…

1. Simmons
2. Prado
3. Heyward
4. Justin Upton
5. Freddie Freeman
6. BJ Upton
7. McCann
8. Uggla

That is a pretty potent lineup.

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SS Nick Ahmed played well out here in the Arizona fall league.
Maybe:
1.Delgado
2.Gilmartin
3.Ahmed
4.Low level prospect
….may do the trick for Justin Upton?

Maholm/Minor makes Gilmartin expendable…

1. Simmons
2. Prado
3. Heyward
4. Justin Upton
5. Freddie Freeman
6. BJ Upton
7. McCann
8. Uggla

That is a pretty potent lineup.

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I literally cheered when my wife told me that Hanson had been traded. He was our worst starter not named JJ, and we have Delgado and Tehran that both need to get their shots so we can stop hearing how good they could be. It’s time to see if they are good as the hype.

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dump that chipster dude and we’ll be on a roll…..

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Chase Headley from Padres for Delgado and Walden. Headley at 3rd..Prado in Left. Simmons leadoff.

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Towers from Arizona knows that Simmons is a huge commodity to the Braves. So he isnt going to stray away from him in trade talks. They NEED a SS who can defend well and that is Simmons. Ahmed or Pastornicky will not interest Towers, becuase he needs a Ready to go SS with great defense.

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Great move Frank Wren,but disappointed you weren’t able to include Peter Bourgeous,OF of the Angels in the trade……fast,can play all outfield positions,good player that had the unfortunate situation of playin’ CF, now the position of one Mike Trout……..just sayin’………

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Sign Shane and keep the young pitchers. There is a reason the D-backs are willing to unload Upton.
One Upton is enough already.

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Hanson has become a nibbler (does not finish of hitters when he gets ahead in count), has lost a lot of velocity and has never been able to hold runners on. Often @ 100+ pitches in 5th as a result. Good riddance.

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Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports said that the Braves and Diamondbacks continue to discuss Justin Upton with the question being whether or not Kevin Towers will back off of his demand for Andrelton Simmons in a potential deal. I personally don’t see Towers backing off of this demand as his asking price among those teams who have approached the D-Backs this winter have been astronomical.

I enjoy reading the posts on this blog. Those who think that the Braves are paying BJ Upton $15 million per season to bat 6th are joking. Upton may not bat cleanup but he won’t bat 6th. IF the Braves are able to land Justin Upton or someone of that quality to play left field, this team could be scary good. The bullpen is as deep as any in the major leagues with the addition of Jordan Walden. The question could be the starting rotation.

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sign Victrno, he is a good leadoff man, will no longer be a Braves killer, good defense, and one asset noone has thought about….playoff experience and is a good clubhouse leader

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hey D man….isn’t every offseason move a rebuilding move?

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The problem with lots of these names that keep coming up is their age. The steroid era is taking a hit. The league is gonna make it tougher for guys to cheat even with this new creme stuff. That said, once a player, without drugs reaches 30, most of their performances start to decline.

That said, I’d like to see Victorino in a Braves uniform. Espcially the Victorino that was in Phillie 3 to 5 years ago but that Victorino is gone and will never return. Whoever signs him will pay way to much for the return.

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problem with Victorino last year was that he was expected to carry the Phils by himself, seemed to do well in LA once that pressure was taken off him

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Mark, I think you drastically undersell Uggla. He’s so much better than Headley or “average lf”. Yes, he’s expensive, but he’s going to be a key part of our team. Just a small rebound in form puts him back to all-star status. He’s nowhere near as far off as many on here are saying. Most of which also applies to BJ Upton. Same thoughts.

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Mark, I was getting ready to ask a question about Chase Headley. Would the Braves be better with Justin Upton in left field and Martin Prado at third base or Martin Prado in left field and Chase Headley at third base? What if they deal for Headley and sign Shane Victorino? They had $10 million available in salary prior to the Tommy Hanson trade and non-tenders to Peter Moylan and Jair Jurrjens. It could happen. It would likely take a load to get Headley. Jon Paul Morosi said that he wonder if the Braves would check in on Orioles’ non-tender player, Mark Reynolds.

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Reynolds and Victorino would work, Prado playing in left field against right handed pitchers and third base when left handers pitch, but if the Braves could somehow pry Headley away from San Diego that would be very nice, but I do not see the Padres letting him get away

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WWW

I usually don’t even post GM tye stuff but I think it would take a Delgado or other top pitching prospect with a power arm plus another really good position guy and/or reliever to get Headley. I think he is that good and wll be for a while.

I think the last thing we need is another strikeout machine and Reynolds, if you can believe it, will K more than Uggs and Upton.

I love Prado but he really isn’t a very good outfielder. The occassional great play he makes would be routing for real outfielders. Teen is however a good 2nd baseman and fits that spot. Contact guy offensively that makes plays defensively on the infield. There is a reason he likes the infield better than left and thats because he has dine it his entire career and he knows he is better at it.

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if Braves can get Headley, pull the string, I agree his best years are yet to be seen, if that were the case sign Victorino and make Prado the utility man and use him like we used Infante, giving us 9 starters seems like a winner to me

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Another name not mentioned is Rajai Davis with Toronto. He plays LF and had 46 SB last year. Plus he is without position now that Blue Jays signed Melky and with players from Marlins trade. Wren should be able to get him really cheap.

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Positively would not trade O’Flaherty. Trade Gearrin, Martinez and Varvarro for Davis and Bonifacio. If needed include Avilan. Wouldn’t be necessary to send top prospects to make this happen. Toronto needs middle relievers.

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I would be ok trading Venters. Would have to be someone really special to include EOF though.

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I would trade Simmons for J. Upton. First trade Venters to Bluejays for Bonafacio ???. He can play several positions including SS and bat leadoff. Don’t include Tehrean or Delgado in any trade.

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I’m not saying trade Venters to Jays necessarily but I would trade Venters if a good opportunity presented himself. Lets face it, Venters now or the future isn’t the Venters of 2 or 3 years ago.

Know way I’d trade Simmons for J. Upton. Good SSs are really hard to come by so I’m not sure who it would take for me to trade a talent like Simmons.

I would trade Tehran but to let Delgado go it would have to bring an impact guy like a Headley IMO. But, what do I know, we tried to trade him for Dumpster.

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Why not trade with Cubbies for Soriano with low level prospects. They would even throw in cash to get rid of him. Plus they don’t have much of a minor league prospects on the horizon.

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Trade Simmons, Pastornicky, and Teheran to Arizona for Justin Upton… Trade Venters, Gilmartin, and Varvaro to San Diego for Chase Headley. Resign Durbin. Resign Reed Johnson and lets go win WS, Go Braves

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Absolutely. Fastest and best outfield in majors

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At some point we have to it the ball though. Two Uptons will be waaay to many Ks and poor OBP. BJs attitude will be ok I think as is but add the brother??? I don’t think that’ll happen. Hope not anyway!

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Amber, Amber, Amber

I like your passion but disagree with your thinking here. We’ve had brothers out there before. Its over-rated

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Crazy world! Dosn’t take much speed to tote the bat back to the dugout when you have 5 or 6 guys striking out 175 times.

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Speed, Defense, Power, Pitching. World Series. When the brothers are competing agaist each other. Makes them better. No body else out here worthy enough. Who do you want Mark? I hear maybe Bonds wants to play.

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