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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
4,816 comments Add your comment
Brava
December 4th, 2012
8:59 pm
Jon Heyman @JonHeymanCBS
hamilton talks w/ rangers were put “on hold” at some point today. texas battling it out on zack.
Comfortably Dumb
December 4th, 2012
8:59 pm
Wren should focus on locking up our young, dynamic players. Not going out making a bunch of frivolous moves just to make his mark. I’ve been in the minority saying that I think Wren has done a pretty good job overall, but he has finally proved me wrong. I gave him a pass on Lowe. I wasn’t crazy about that signing, but thought he would wind up being a pretty solid pitcher for us. Nope. I gave him a pass on Kawakami. I still can’t blame him for that one. I like that he was aggressive and at least tried his hand and signing an International player. Didn’t pan out.
But then he traded for Uggla. Which, in itself, wasn’t a bad move. The signing was. At the expense of our team MVP no less.
Now BJ Upton. The outfield version of Uggla.
Let’s just make sure our players who are actually good don’t go anywhere. First priority should be Heyward, Freeman, Prado, and Kimbrel in that order.
DO NOT re sign Mac. Bethancourt will be ready by 2014. Let Gattis and Cunningham battle for the LF spot this year. Whatever.
BFChris28
December 4th, 2012
8:59 pm
Dayton from Nebraska @BravesAmerica
The trade situation Jacoby Ellsbury is in right now is almost identical what J.D. Drew was in before he came to Atlanta.
Trader Jack
December 4th, 2012
9:00 pm
RE: Wilton Lopez
Yep he failed physical in Philly. Elbow stiffness, couples with arm troubles the last 2 years
SportyNuts
December 4th, 2012
9:00 pm
@Disgusted: Well, the Braves did just that with Hanson and that didn’t turn out well. If they had snuffed out Hanson’s horrible throwing mechanics before he came to the majors, who knows, maybe he would be our current ace. As much as I would like to see Teheran come up and pitch at teh major league level, I’m glad they’re attempting to help Teheran relieve any possible stress his delivery could have caused. This is our future work-horse, and considering how young he is, I think it was the right move. Again, I think he’ll regain form once he’s completely comfortable with his delivery.
Efrim
December 4th, 2012
9:00 pm
Red Sox already have four starters for 2013 and a few more starting pitching prospects that aren’t that far away(Barnes, Webster, Renaudo, B. Johnson, Britton, Workman). Plus, Rubby De La Rosa coming off of surgery. Not sure if they’d target prospects like Gilmartin or Spruill for Ells. Makes sense to just keep him, imo.
nolie
December 4th, 2012
9:01 pm
pass on one year of Ellsbury, he might spend the entire time on the DL..
NORRIS
December 4th, 2012
9:03 pm
What this team has lacked the last several years is on both fronts. No dynamic pitching for a playoff run or no dynamic hitters. Lets go after one or the other.
nolie
December 4th, 2012
9:04 pm
The trade situation Jacoby Ellsbury is in right now is almost identical what J.D. Drew was in before he came to Atlanta.
similar perhaps, but Ellsbury has been even worse
SoWeGa Fanatic
December 4th, 2012
9:09 pm
Man, it’s good to check on the old blog and see baseball actually being discussed.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 4th, 2012
9:09 pm
Does Walden have the stamina to start? Do with him like the Ragers did with Feliz. We need someone in our rotation who throws at least 92 and can strike people out… this soft-tossing contact pitching isn’t gonna cut it, especially come playoff time.
Efrim
December 4th, 2012
9:10 pm
Didn’t Drew play in more games than Ellsbury did?
I’d rather have Choo. Be pretty happy if we can get him for less than Teheran/Delgado/Graham/Bethancourt and a couple of the other lower level higher upside prospects(Mauricio Cabrera and Jose Peraza). I’d call that a great offseason for Wren if he can accomplish that.
jbill
December 4th, 2012
9:12 pm
Agree Nolie..to he!! with Ellsbury..not worth give it.
urban redneck
December 4th, 2012
9:13 pm
gonna be another wait-for-the-three-run-bomb season.
for the record, i would let martin prado remove my appendix. he is the man. go bravos.
SoWeGa Fanatic
December 4th, 2012
9:13 pm
I wonder if the Dodgers could get Yunel to play the left side with Hanley. The LF would work himself to death going to get balls they argued over who had to get them. That would be fun to watch.
PackBack
December 4th, 2012
9:13 pm
What about a trade for Lorenzo Cain? Play him in CF and move Upton to LF like would have been done had we gotten Span. Nice defensive OF with those two and J-Hey. Cain is coming off a down year (injury) and would be much cheaper to trade for than someone like Choo, Fowler, Ellsbury, or Gardner. Buy low!! Maybe something like Gilmartin/Terd gets it done. Gotta think that Cain would do well with his speed at the top of a lineup like ours plus he is a Valdosta guy who may like to stick around long term. Take the $$ we would save by avoiding the remaining overpriced FA and begin to lock up guys like Prado, J-Hey, Freeman, Medlen, Minor, etc.
SportyNuts
December 4th, 2012
9:14 pm
It would be nice to have at least one good flamethrower in the rotation, but I doubt Walden is the guy to do it; he can’t control his stuff.
SoWeGa Fanatic
December 4th, 2012
9:16 pm
I like R A Dickey, but someone is about to pay way too much for a 38 year old career .500 pitcher, IMO.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 4th, 2012
9:19 pm
lock up Minor haha… he’s still pre-arb and only has 12 good starts to his name. Patience.
A name gondee brought up yesterday… Norichika Aoki. Brewers may move him for a BP arm and prospects. Played RF, and hit/leadoff really well. JV or EOF + Spruill for him, maybe?
VaBravesFan
December 4th, 2012
9:22 pm
Who’s our best hard throwing prospect? Graham? Also wasn’t Beachy throwing 93-94 mph?
Zing
December 4th, 2012
9:24 pm
Beachy is our ace in the hole, VaBravesFan. Yeah, he was regularly hitting 94 and could hump it up a bit, though that seemed to be at the cost of control.
nolie
December 4th, 2012
9:26 pm
I am not sold on Cain. He is 26 years old and can’t start on a team that only won 72 games or so.
VaBravesFan
December 4th, 2012
9:29 pm
I know Keith Law said he seen Graham more as a late inning reliever, but did say he has a shot to start
JasonInFL
December 4th, 2012
9:31 pm
I am not sold on Georgie and Jaun!
JasonInFL
December 4th, 2012
9:31 pm
…or Juan
bring back blauser
December 4th, 2012
9:33 pm
why not sign Casey Maghee, he is still out there could be decent for bench and spell at third and at first
Chop Chop
December 4th, 2012
9:33 pm
I actually like what the Red Sox have done the last few days. Klaw has an odd disdain for Shane Victorino, but that’s fine. Mike Napoli has had five straight 20-HR seasons and gets on base at a nice clip. Both guys got $13 million per over three years, but a team with a lesser payroll probably would have had them for $8-9 million per. Jonny Gomes is a hell of a platoon bat. They’re paying him $5 million when another team with, say, half the payroll, would probably pay him $2.5 to $3. The Red Sox overpay because they can and they are expected to. The same is true for the Yanks or Angels or Dodgers. The money just doesn’t mean as much if you have $160 million as your projected payroll. Therefore, you overpay for guys you like in order to get them in the fold.
Frank Wren would love to have that ability. I sure hope he’s right about B.J. Upton. He’s paying that top-payroll premium for B.J.
Luman Harris
December 4th, 2012
9:34 pm
That’s what we need – dynamic players!
Are they the ones who win?
Mr Pitts
December 4th, 2012
9:34 pm
I’d like to see about 20 years of salary and performance data and then let’s do a regression analysis to determine how many strikeouts Popeye and BJ are above WAR and WHIP.
Comfortably Dumb
December 4th, 2012
9:35 pm
WARNING ALL BRAVES FANS:
DO NOT call B.J. Upton “Melvin”.
…..this guy is a douche. I already don’t like him.
Yuuup
December 4th, 2012
9:38 pm
What the Braves need to get for LF is a leadoff hitter who has a high OBP, hits for a high average, gets a lot of extra base hits, steals a lot of bases, scores a lot of runs, and most importantly, is not a 1 year rental player. Lets get a guy that we can have a for a few years if not longer. Who fits that bill folks? Fowler, Gordon, Cain? Help me out on this one, who is the better fit for the Braves?
NORRIS CHUCK
December 4th, 2012
9:38 pm
JUSTIN UPTON RUMORS LIVE ON!!!
Justin Upton Rumors: Tuesday
By Luke Adams [December 4 at 8:31pm CST]
In yesterday’s round of Justin Upton rumors, we heard that the Rangers were still in touch with the Diamondbacks, who also met with the Mariners in the evening. As we wait to see if Tuesday brings further developments on the Upton front, we’ll track the latest updates right here:
•The Braves, Mariners, and Indians were all collecting background information and character assessments on Upton to ensure he’d be a good fit, one source told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic today.
Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#S7xThmc0e9cuHdlA.99
Comfortably Dumb
December 4th, 2012
9:38 pm
WARNING ALL BRAVES FANS:
DO NOT call B.J. Upton “Melvin”.
…..this guy is a tool. I already don’t like him.
Slowhiteguy
December 4th, 2012
9:44 pm
Teheran with a no hitter through 5 tonight. Two good outings in a row. Francisco with another bomb.
Luman Harris
December 4th, 2012
9:46 pm
Remind me again how hard Glavine and Maddox and Niekro and Pappas and Capra threw?
Sheesh, we’ve always been lightweights!
SportyNuts
December 4th, 2012
9:48 pm
In terms of SP’s, Teheran and Graham have the best heat. Both can crank it up to the 97MPH mark.
Brava
December 4th, 2012
9:48 pm
That’s very good to hear on Teheran.
BFChris28
December 4th, 2012
9:48 pm
Jason A. Churchill @ProspectInsider
Growing sense that Upton lands in Texas sooner than later.
JasonInFL
December 4th, 2012
9:49 pm
Hmmm…that’s the closest thing to an actual rumor if the Braves being involved on Justin yet. Man, that would be sweet! If they are truly doing some background work, they must feel as though they have a shot.
SportyNuts
December 4th, 2012
9:49 pm
Glavine and Maddux both maxed out their fastballs at about 87-88 MPH.
JasonInFL
December 4th, 2012
9:50 pm
No Upton to the Rangers crap!
cdog
December 4th, 2012
9:52 pm
the braves needs to rehire leo mazzone. he will fix the pitching staff for good.
jbill
December 4th, 2012
9:52 pm
You could trade Uggla for Andro Ethier..One big a@@ contract for a bigger big a@@ contract…I rather have the last big a@@=AE.
SportyNuts
December 4th, 2012
9:52 pm
Hey, Slowhiteguy, where are you getting the real-time updates on the DR league?
Slowhiteguy
December 4th, 2012
9:52 pm
Teheran done after 5. 3bb 3k 0r
Slowhiteguy
December 4th, 2012
9:53 pm
MLB.com
SportyNuts
December 4th, 2012
9:54 pm
I forgot about Lucas Sims, he can sit in the mid 90’s as well.
SportyNuts
December 4th, 2012
9:55 pm
MLB.com? Really? Huh.
Brava
December 4th, 2012
9:55 pm
Kevin McAlpin @KevinMcAlpin
Over his last two starts in the Dominican, Julio Teheran has allowed 1 hit in 10.2 IP with 7 Ks & 4 BBs for Licey. #Braves
Slowhiteguy
December 4th, 2012
9:55 pm
Click on stats then offseason leagues. Breaks everything down according to MLB teams, individual games etc.
SoWeGa Fanatic
December 4th, 2012
9:58 pm
Maddux and Glavine both touched 90-91 early in their careers.
SportyNuts
December 4th, 2012
9:58 pm
Ah, thanks, that would taken me forever to find.
Brava
December 4th, 2012
9:58 pm
Kevin McAlpin @KevinMcAlpin
Juan Francisco hit his 5th HR and Julio Teheran has tossed 5 no-hit innings w/3 BBs & 3 Ks (both for Licey) #Braves
Brava
December 4th, 2012
9:59 pm
Ken Rosenthal @Ken_Rosenthal
Source: Chances of #Diamondbacks trading Kubel better than chances of them trading Upton.
Elonbrave
December 4th, 2012
9:59 pm
It seems like the Braves have a lot of pitchers who can touch the upper-90’s. Do they have a greater number of those than other organizations? For the record: I think it’s awesome. Only half of me cares if they know where it’s going.
“Hit the bull”etc.
SoWeGa Fanatic
December 4th, 2012
10:00 pm
It’s probably Jason Kubel.
BUGGSEY
December 4th, 2012
10:00 pm
OK this is my take on things..sign J. Keppinger (2b/SS/3rd and1st) trade Simmy to AZ. J. Uppton.then trade BMAC an Dell. to Texas for james Sheilds and their 3b/ N catching pros. Then lets play ball..OH and Prado can leadoff cause he can do anything…GO BRAVES
Spud Webb
December 4th, 2012
10:03 pm
Boston never learns, victorino and napoli for 13 mill a season each! have fun with that.
Braves need fowler, can’t get enough .250 hitters in one lineup.
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:03 pm
Jaun is on fire!
manuel v @manvaldez
#Braves Juan Francisco just hit his 2nd HR of the night, has 6 RBIs tonight. That’s same game Teheran started. @ajcbraves @gondeee
Slowhiteguy
December 4th, 2012
10:03 pm
No worries. Buddy of mine that scouts was recently in the DR and told me Francisco was opening eyes with his power and changes to his body-swing.
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:05 pm
Ken Rosenthal @Ken_Rosenthal
Source: #Phillies, #Reds have “kicked tires” on #Rockies’ Fowler. Ellsbury under club control for one more season, Fowler for three more.
David O'Brien
December 4th, 2012
10:05 pm
Teheran pitched five no-hit innings tonight, and Francisco has two homers in that same game (still going on)
SportyNuts
December 4th, 2012
10:06 pm
He’s still whiffing at a pretty high rate, though. But his OBP is still looking pretty darn good.
jbill
December 4th, 2012
10:09 pm
Feel like we waiting on a miracle… my TV has been on MLB 24 hours a day for three days..for nothing…Still have faith but its slowly going away. We are not as good now as we were last year..something has to change.
JC Brave
December 4th, 2012
10:11 pm
How about we just let Prado, Heyward, and Freeman bat and use ghost runners?
1.Prado
2.Prado
3.Heyward
4.Freeman
5.Prado
6.Heyward
7.Freeman
8.Prado
I’m all for this…
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:11 pm
manuel v @manvaldez
Juan Francisco is how hitting .319 (30/94) with 6 HR and 23 RBIs in 25 games of Winter Ball.
keyLargo
December 4th, 2012
10:11 pm
Wait until you see the delivery that J. Walden has. Hanson and Hunter Pence look normal again. He actually releases the ball about 2 feet in front of the rubber which makes me wonder about the “keeping contact with the rubber rule”.
SportyNuts
December 4th, 2012
10:11 pm
How’s Francisco handling LHP?
jbill
December 4th, 2012
10:11 pm
Great job Francisco..I’m proud for him.
Slowhiteguy
December 4th, 2012
10:12 pm
I have watched a ton of bp here in Phoenix at Chase Field but I have never seen balls hit where Francisco hit them this year. 70 raw power. Hope it can translate.
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:12 pm
Billboard @billboard
“Nobody really cares about albums anymore” – Stevie Nicks says Fleetwood Mac will release a few songs before they tour http://blbrd.co/Swrf18
SportyNuts
December 4th, 2012
10:13 pm
Ah, never mind, I see his splits now. Not bad. Against LHP: .304 Against RHP: .314
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:15 pm
That last one was for any Fleetwood Mac fans. Excited that they will be touring again.
nolie
December 4th, 2012
10:15 pm
he shouldn’t be opening any eyes with his power, he has always had it. when he does a blind acorn it screams outta there
JC Brave
December 4th, 2012
10:15 pm
Justin Upton should spit in Kevin Tower’s face, and the rest of the Dbacks FO staff while he’s at it.
nolie
December 4th, 2012
10:20 pm
I ever really did care all that much about albums Stevie
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:21 pm
manuel v @manvaldez
For those keeping track of Delgado/Teheran battle. Delgado’s line for last 2 starts: 9IP 4R 4H 4BB 6K
BUGGSEY
December 4th, 2012
10:21 pm
Keppinger or Scutaro would help with any infield worries..Maybe take alook at Tori Hunter,that would help our bench and backup and PHitter rolls..
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:22 pm
DKnobler @DKnobler
Rays are favorites for Escobar
Hawes
December 4th, 2012
10:22 pm
Gattis and FatCrisco will compete for the 3B/LF job. Job one is to extend Prado.
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:23 pm
DKnobler @DKnobler
Yunel Escobar expected to be traded soon, maybe tonight. Rays, A’s, Cubs known to have interest.
DS1
December 4th, 2012
10:24 pm
Where is Fleetwood Mac going to be performing? At the Shady Acres Rest Home in Scottsdale?
jbill
December 4th, 2012
10:24 pm
Keylargo I read all about that. He jumbs off rubber before letting ball go..Umps never have called it.
jbill
December 4th, 2012
10:25 pm
Keylargo I read all about that. He jumps off rubber before letting ball go..Umps never have called it.
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:25 pm
Very funny, Wayne, I take it you aren’t a fan?
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:26 pm
DKnobler @DKnobler
Rays close to deal for Yunel Escobar. Derek Dietrich goes to Marlins
BUGGSEY
December 4th, 2012
10:26 pm
Is this an iTunes Blog or Baseball Blog?
jbill
December 4th, 2012
10:26 pm
sorry about that
cabravesfan
December 4th, 2012
10:27 pm
VJ & I hanging at The Pond, just waiting for Bruce to take the stage…
DS1
December 4th, 2012
10:29 pm
Brava
Actually, I am a big fan of most rock/rocknroll/traditional country artist. Just think it’s kinda cool how they seem to keep on rockin despite the hands of time.
I saw The Moody Blues in Greenville, SC back in 2001 or so. They were great! Old, but great!
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:30 pm
BUGGSEY, please read at the top right hand side of the page where it says About Atlanta Braves. That should answer your question.
DS1
December 4th, 2012
10:31 pm
cab/vj
Have fun!
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:33 pm
Wayne, I saw Fleetwood Mac here in Atlanta in the mid 2000s and I’ve seen Stevie Nicks solo twice since and they all rocked too. I don’t care if they’re old, they still sound the same.
DS1
December 4th, 2012
10:33 pm
If Buggsey is a serious blogger, then that person needs to bone up on who plays for whom. And whom has already been signed.
ncgary
December 4th, 2012
10:36 pm
even grace slick still has it just bigger now
kinda like wayne
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:36 pm
Lot’s of stuff happening tonight, but not with Braves.
Jeff Passan Jeff Passan @JeffPassan
Hearing that Ryan Ludwick and Reds are getting close on a deal. Cincinnati’s offer has been out there, and Reds expect it to get done.
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:38 pm
This is the guy traded for Yunel.
DKnobler @DKnobler
Dietrich is a 23-year-old infielder, Rays’ 2nd-round draft in 2010
DS1
December 4th, 2012
10:38 pm
Is anybody else curious about the fact that we just added another strong bullpen arm? Could be just good planning, or maybe it could be a precursor for using someone in our current pen in a new deal.
I sure like the looks of Kimbrel, Venters, O’Flaherty, Walden, Avilan, Martinez and with Varvaro and Gearrin in the wings. Not counting young arms we have yet to see at the bigs.
Hillbilly
December 4th, 2012
10:40 pm
Geezus, Otto Delaney. Hard-flipping-core.
Brava
December 4th, 2012
10:40 pm
Jim Duquette @Jim_Duquette
Ludwick deal with Cincinnati is likely 2 @ 14 mil