Braves balk at some trade ‘ask’ prices

I’m first?

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I wish my boss paid me the big money for doing NOTHING.

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WInter Meetings = Snooze Fest 2012. We all want action and things are really watered down. That said, I don’t want us overpaying. I really HATE the Ellsbury option…one year rental of his caliber will cost us a pretty penny.

Go get Cody Ross or Dexter Fowler and let’s make it work. We have flexible guys who can lead off…let’s GO BRAVES!

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7th

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This front office is so tough to read.

First, there is the issue of talent evaluation. Do you remember when TH, JJ and JS were untouchable? Now, JS is back….but why? And, TH got the team little in return. JJ got nothing for the team.

Second, there is the issue of money badly spent. Uggla for 12 million a year. Time to admit such was a mistake and move forwa

Third, there ie the issue of speed versus power and (strike outs). In 2013 the team will have at least 3 players who will hit at least 20 homers but will strike out at least 150 times each for a total of 450 strikeouts from three players. Such amounts to way to many give away outs.

Let us hope that the front office will move forward with some level of vision.

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package Delgado and Ahmed for Justin Upton. D-Backs said they need SS and SP…

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Gattis is a legit bat, RJB, it’s his glove that’s the question mark.

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Justin Upton is the best available option right now.

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Even though I like his power, starting Francisco just won’t cut it next year. Just another guy to strikeout near 150 times. The Winter Meetings are almost always a big waste of time for Braves fans to keep updated on.

We need speed and an OBP guy or a big-time hitter in LF. Choo, Gordon, J. Upton, or Ellsbury should be aggressively sought after. To me, if we don’t get one of those guys or a player with similar talents, then I deem this off season a failure. We need one more very good player. Platooning Matt Diaz and Gregor Blanco like we did in the past ain’t gonna cut it NO MO.

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D-backs said they wanted a top tier MLB ready shortstop (as well as a top of rotation SP). Ahmed won’t fit the bill.

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May have to wait to see what Santa brings the Braves…

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I would still like to get Ichiro. i saw a report that he was asking for around 5 mil a season. Make it a 2 yr/19 mil contract and we have a lead off hitter that knows how to get on base. He revitalized his career last year when he got out of Seattle. Plus think about all the seats that will be filled by the Japanese fan base, both local and tourist. He would basically pay for himself! Go Bravos!

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The negativity on this blog makes my head hurt. Some of you guys realize that trades can happen after the Winter Meetings conclude tomorrow, right?? The Winter Meetings is a time to complete trades but also lay the groundwork for trades to happen later in the offseason. The Braves have already made a huge splash signing BJ Upton and they have more money to spend on the roster. It seems like some of you want Wren to make a move just to say he made a move. We all know that doesn’t work out well. Most of our targets have question marks around them (Fowler and his road splits, Choo and the fact that he has one year left on his contract and his agent is Boras, Upton and the DBacks insistance on including Simmons in any deal). I am sure Wren is doing his due diligence on all options and will pull the trigger on the right deal. For those of you who state Wren has no vision for this team and is taking this week as a vacation, you need to get a clue.

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I am a diehard Braves fan since the age of 4. I will say this much, if Juan Francisco is the starting 3rd baseman for this team entering spring training, I will cancel my MLB Extra Innings package, and cancel my plans of flying to Atlanta to tour the stadium and attend a weekend series.

I am sick of this going cheap and hoping like hell routine. You have the money to spend, you lost several fan favorites this offseason, you need to do something to get fans excited. Spending 75 million on a CF’er who is not as good as the one we just had, won’t cut it. I am tired of the stupid platoon routine, I am sick of the going cheap route, and I am tired of watching the Braves choke when they have every opportunity to succeed. It’s about time the Braves go for it all again, what time is better than the current when you have money to spend, and prospects that have trade value? I am really trying to stay positive for next season, but we are already a weaker team than we were back in September, and it sounds as though Wren and Company are staying pat.

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Fransisco, Freeman, Uggla, Upton, and Heyward 700 strike outs. Thats a scary thought. Lots of 1-2-3 innings. Better keep pitching staff healthy.

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Yuup – did you not see Wren on MLB network tonight say he is not done making moves this winter? Why do you think he is done with the roster in the first week of December??? Wren will make his moves when the time is right. Be patient.

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Choo is also a left handed power guy who is good for another 150 K’s a year, 19 HR and a .465 SLG.

Juan Francisco is a right handed power guy who projects out to 113 K a year, 13 HR and a .440 SLG.

We need the right handed power balance in the line up, and we don’t need a FA in 2014 represented by Boras.

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Offer the Royals Beachy, Ahmed, Gattis for either Gordon or Myers (preferrably Myers).

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Apologies for the multiple posts. Seem to have problems posting up this evening.

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RJB,

Fransisco is left handed.

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TK- your 10:52pm post…

To answer your question about Wren and being done w/ the roster the first week of December?
Frank Wren has stated many times over the last few years that he likes to have the roster set around this time of year. It’s well chronicalled if you want to look it up.
I have never agreed with his philosophy, but I will be surprised if the roster isn’t set by this time next week. Old baseball guys don’t change their ways very easy.

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What I blame Wren for is not having the foresight years ago to know that one day Chipper would walk away from 3rd base and not having a viable option to replace him long-term. Yes, Prado is a good replacement, but how many times can you move him around and pray he doesn’t get hurt and then you are really screwed. You’re going into the off season with 7 starters by the all-star break next season, so instead of asking teams for their players, wy not simply let it b known that you are willing to trade Teheran and/or Delgado and see what you get offered? You have Spurrill and Gilmartin who are the next big things in the organization, so please do not get desperate before spring training and make a stupid move. Teheran, Simmons and Delgado are not proven commodities at the big league level, but Justin Upton and Alex Gordon are. You do not need a lead off hitter, you need someone batting first who can hit. Prado, anyone? Put Gordon batting second, then Heyward, Upton, Freeman, Uggla, McCann, and Simmons. I like the Simmons kids better than Teheran ad Delgado, because if he puts on another 15 pounds of muscle he could be a 20 homer player. Advice? Frank, quit talking to the other teams about what you want, just let them know what you have and let them get desperate. They don’t want to overpay for aging veterans who are past their primes like the Yankees and Sox do. Call Dayton Moore in KC and tell him that Teheran and/or Delgado are available, and see what he’s willing to offer. If you don’t like what he’s offering, hang upand call him back in a week or two. Hell, tell him you will take Frenchy off his hands as well to help him with his payroll.

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@tmc – because he’s a FORMER top prospect

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Tommy Hanson might have once been a premier prospect (and a pretty good MLB pitcher for 2/3 seasons)- but the reason we only got a releiver in return is becuase his performance as a major leaguer recently warranted it. Everyone knows of his mechanical issues, loss of velocity, injury problems. Becuase the guy was a stud 5 years ago means squat. Walden is an excellent high ceiling young pitcher and gives the Braves a truly vaunted pen – to go along with a pretty good rotation, also with lots of upside (Medlan broke through, Minor is on the cusp, Beachy will return at some point, and relaible veterans in Hudson and Maholm).
We’ve got budding All-Stars in Right and 1st, a stud young SS, Uggla, BJ and McCann – and of course Prado. Having a stud LF would be great but not necessary. This team is built to win 90 games right now – High 90’s if BJ, Uggla, and McCann reach their historical norms.

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i think wren’s made some very good NON-moves. boston’s paying 13 mil a year for victorino and napoli? that’s craziness. wren’s not panicking like that. there’s plenty of time to make a deal. waiting may well be the best strategy right now. or maybe you’d gotten all excited about nate schierholtz?

i just hope whoever we sign allows prado to stay in one position for the whole season.

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Brandon’s he’s not a 10 year veteran who averages 10 wins a season. He’s finished his 4th year and is 26 years old averaging 11 wins per season.

That’s pretty darn good and we get a relief pitcher who throws hard but has consistency problems in return?

It sounds lazy to me. Like Wren took the first offer he got for him.

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With the team they have now, they should be on pace to make the playoffs. Can often get a good deal on a better player before the trade deadline. By then, we would know exactly what they need and who best to fill it. You don’t know how exactly everything will pan out.

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Hey DOB, I don’t understand the rational for this; “The Braves might also have interest in Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury, but his price in a trade would be high, especially since he’s only one season from free agency and is represented by Scott Boras.”
If he ,(Ellsbury), is one season away from being a FA, and his agent is Boras, which historically means he will be going to another team, why would the price be high? Wouldn’t the Red Sox simply be looking to get something/anything in return as the Braves did in the Texira trade if they felt they were likely to lose him? Why would another team pay a high price for a guy who will likely be gone after one season?
This looks like one of those situations where a team either decides to keep a guy and hope for the best as the Cards did with Pujols, or trade for the combination of lesser player or a prospect, plus salary dump.

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I worry about Elsbury as the Red Sox are likely seeking a package of players and he would be a one year rental. Hate giving up depth for that, especially given that he is a Boras client.

I think I would rather just give Schafer, Constanza and Francisco more opportunity. Bonifacio would be fine if he came cheaper and he fits the needs well and could also allow for us to move Uggla if we can find takers.

I just don’t know that I want the Braves to move anything. I am 100% behind getting players that have proven themselves instead of hoarding prospects, but the market is serious nuts right now. With Victorino getting $13 million and Pagan $10 .. thats just nuts. Maybe the trade market is a little better, because the OF FA market is just stupid right now.

I thought the Braves overpaid by Upton, but looking at the rest of these salaries I think the Braves got a steal with Upton. Only $2 million more per year than Victorino .. are you kidding me? Wow. The Braves moving quickly on Upton might have saved them a couple million because the rest of these prices woul have driven him up I think.

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@tmc – you are completely undervaluing walden. He was an all star closer in 2011 with 32 saves. He has a career 3.06 ERA in 114.2 innings and averaging close to 11 strikeouts per nine innings. He is another guy that can touch 100 mph from the pen. He is roughly a year younger than hanson. There are a lot of positives.

Hanson had went completely in a different direction. Shoulder injuries, decline in velocity, too many homers given up, way too many steals allowed,etc., arbitration eligible, Scott Boras client, and he was blocking teheran and delgado

It makes sense why Wren made the move and i think it was a very solid trade

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what bothers me about Frank Wren is in a year were you lose chipper, Bourn and your only healthy catcher (d.Ross). The last two because of money…
you pay Brian McCann 13 mil and you waaay over pay BJ Upton in center field. And we still need I left fielder and and some bench.

all this in a very poor free agent year. Seems like there wasn’t any forecasting going on preparing for this situation.

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MLB.com has posted that Boston will keep Ellsbury and met with Josh Hamilton today. I hope the Braves steer clear of any Boras client that is close to free agency.

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You feel like I am not first!

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Napoli batted .227 and got a 3 year 39 million dollar contract

McCann is younger and has had the better career. His numbers last year were obviously a result of injury. To me, its simply the market. Not many catcher options out there and if we can get a healthy mccann back, i think it is well worth the risk of 1 year 12 mil. McCann likely walks next year anyways

Bourn only batted .225 in the second half with 81 strikeouts in that time. I don’t feel like money was the only issue in not re-signing bourn. I am one that believes that upton will serve us better than bourn

I hated to see David Ross go, but laird seems to be the 2nd best option

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tmc – i hope I’m right too haha nice talking baseball with you

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tmc, Hanson received generous run support this year. And he hasn’t won more than three games in the second half since his rookie year. He may have once been a top pitching prospect and he had a couple years of success, but he has not been very effective since the first half of 2011. You can’t expect to get much back. And honestly I think the Braves got the best of that trade. Hanson has more upside but a lot riskier.

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Rick- I think it’s a classic case of covetting someone else’s players. We don’t think of Hanson being that great because we have a lot of pitching. if Hansen get’s it together the Angels benefit. and you do realize the reliever we got had shoulder injuries last year right?

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I would take Frenchy’s 73 doubles, 36 homers, 136 RBIs, and 7.5 mill salary for next over what some of these guys (Napoli) are getting paid next year. Napoli has 34 doubles, 54 homers and 131 RBIS over the last two seasons and will be paid 13 mill to play out of position in Boston.

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The SS I mentioned for Texas is Jurickson Profar, the Rangers number one prospect, who was called up in September. They want him to take over in 2013 ( I heard it on MLB network this week ) but he is being blocked by Andrus. They only have control of Andrus for two more years, so they might move him this year, dump some salary, and open the door for the phenom. I’d love to have Elvis in the house again. Go get him Wren … and Go Braves!

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Star Fan – The Rangers have said they wont move Elvis even for Upton, so I doubt they move him for Teheran and Pstornicky. That is why they are moving into the 3/4 team trade with the Indians to use Asdrubel as the shortstop to go to the Dbacks.

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mid wicket: All I’m saying is if Texas is willing to part with Andrus for Upton, then Upton must be an asset. Texas could use pitching; they always need pitching in the AL. Their biggest concern is keeping Josh Hamilton and are waiting for that to play out. In the meantime, if Wren is sly enough, we could get Andrus for Teheran and somebody, and then get Upton for Simmons. Atlanta is better off with Justin Upton plus BJ Upton and Andrus than Simmons and the question mark in left field. But Wren needs to do this today!

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@m10………..remember the story of the young bull and the old bull….young bull says to old bull “let’s run down and get a cow” the old bull retorts ” let’s walk down and get them all” Wren is taking the advice of the old bull

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my guess is that the Braves are going to give Todd Cunningham every opportunity to win the starting job in left field

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cheap cheap cheap…Wren and Gonzo are evidence of that. Poor mngmnt in playoff game, team WASNT ready. Sad sad sad.

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Miami, Boston, Philly and Yankees showed what can happen when you throw money at big name FAs. They don’t always produce and hamstring your team with high-priced long term contracts. We have our big signing-BJ. Let’s see what some of our internal options can do-Francisco, Cunningham or Gattis. If one of them plays reasonable well we have more money to extend our rising stars. You have to build from the farm. If you don’t give these guys a chance to show what they can do you will never know. And please stop the trade Simmons talk.

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exactly JoeFan, if they did not look from within last spring we would not have known such a person as Andrelton Simmons was available, and how many remember when a kid named Rafael Furcal just happened to up and have a fantastic spring training, and never to this day ever looked back

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75 million for BJ UPTON? UGH!!!

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Thanks for the reply DOB! I see what you mean, which coincides with my view. He would almost certainly be gone, so he’d have to come cheap, or the price would be high indeed.
I caught my rational/rationale typo too late in my earlier post!

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if I am not mistaken, noone ever heard of Francoeur, nor McCann before they were called up from double a ball, hard to keep secrets from real fans

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Wren has done okay so far in the moves made this off-season. I would like to see him trade the low average (.215) “slugger”, Uggla to the American League for a decent outfielder. Uggla might help a team looking for a power-hitting DL. Pastornicky and Janish can handle second base. An outfielder who can lead off and steal 20 bases would make the 2013 lineup strong. If the pitchers stay healthy, this could be a great year!

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Bob: This front office is so tough to read.

Some of you ‘don’t know nuthin bout nuthin.’ Most clubs for stategic reasons limit the amount of information provided as they work on player acquisitions/trades. Where did some get the belief that GMs are supposed to yell out to the masses everything they are thinking about and working on? Only in Atlanta!

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“Looking more and more like that is NOT going to happen.”

Yeah, it’s called reality. Sometimes, players can’t be found at a reasonable price, so you go with what you have and do the best you can. About 30 teams will not be standing for the last series of the year. That’s reality for most.

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I think the Braves want to take a long look at Cunningham he put up good numbers last year in double a and fits the description of the type left fielder the Braves are looking for, makes contact good speed and is a good baserunner has a little pop, but will not swing for the fences good compliment to the power hitters we have now

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I’ll PAY the Braves to trade Uggla….PLEASE !!!!

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Adding upton was nice sign, but they have to do more than that if they are serious about contending this year…that is the simple truth

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they may trade him, but do not expect much in exchange, I can see Prado and possible Janish playing second base this season, makes you wonder why Braves re signed Janish so quickly, when from what I have seen Reid Johnson should have been the priority

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Colorado asked for Mike Minor AND either Teheran or Delgado for Dexter Fowler…I’m glad the Braves are balking at these ridiculous asking prices. To get Minor the Rockies would have to give up Fowler and 2 good prospects, not the other way around.

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Oh yeah…. Wilford Brimley as manager… (from his movie experience)

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remember Chipper said he wants a couple of years off to be with his boys, after Fredi’s extension they will bring Chipper back to manage the team, watch spring training, Chipper will be coaching in Orlando till season opens

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I am a casual fan at best BUT, I do have one observation. Uggla needs to go!!! What could the Injuns get for him? Probably not more than a 10lb bag of rice and a scrawney chicken!!

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Uggla had a great first half last year, and a great second half the year before, seems to me that if Braves want him to contribute in both halves of the season, he will need to take a few games off, I noticed last year that after he was off a game or 2 he came back well,

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Over paid for Upton by $2m a year and gave 1 year too many on contract. We have too many guys who strike out and are not contact hitters, which equates to 8 game losing streaks. Go with Juan and keep the arms in the organization. Lets see what we need in July. We should still be playoff team with current lineup. Price tags are too high this time of year, wait for teams to dump in July.

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Sometimes nothing is a real cool hand.

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If Constanza just had enough power to get the ball out of the infield he would be a good option.

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There’s no such thing as “too much pitching”. Like jimmy said, Hudson is getting older and Maholm probably won’t be here much longer. Minor, Medlen, Beachy will be here a while, but Tehran and Delgado will have to fill the 4th and 5th spot eventually. So, unless you are “blown away” by an offer for Tehran or Delgado, hang on to them.
I’m wondering what Wren plans to do now that Span, Victorino, and Pagan have all signed elsewhere. Obviously a trade will have to be made to fill our LF, otherwise Prado will stay in left and Francisco will play at 3rd. I’m not comfortable with Francisco being our everyday 3rd baseman, even though he’s doing really well in the Winter League. There’s still plenty of time to make some moves before the season starts, but it SO hard to patient!!

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i personally think FW has done a good job this winter and now only hope he stands pat with the team as is. I agree with something someone else posted,…that the Victorino signing makes it appear FW might have gotten a deal for Upton. But regardless of that, BJ just has such tremendous upside. He is 28. Who is to say he can’t be a 30-30 guy and back to .350 OBP? plus, he is a very good CF.

at this point, i’d like FW to stand pat and let the stories unfold…to me, thats whats fun about following the Braves. Could Constanza be our LF/leadoff guy? Is Gattis ready for LF?…and if so, could Andrelton bat leadoff? Or how bout a batting order of Heyward, Upton, Freeman, McCann, Uggla? G’damn, thats powerful! And i am also interested to see what Francisco can do after tearing it up south of the border. all of these options sound more appealing to me than trading away prospects for a year of Ellsbury or even three of Fowler.

Good job, FW. Now stand pat and take this team into Spring Training,

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I would love to hav Bonifacio on the bench as a utility an to be used as Cox used Infante, we have a great prospect that is ready for the big leagues that no one has mentioned other than myself and his name is Scott Cunningham, he is the ideal leadoff hitter with just a little pop in his bat he makes contact and is a speedster with good defense

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BringBackBlauser = Cunningham’s agent (but I thought his first name was Todd, not Scott)

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I said after the AA season TODD Cunningham was ready for Majors..Hope he get a chance..he has the tools to do it.

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To get draft icks like Washington you have to finish last several years in a row — that will get you Strasburg and Harper (or Avery and Chipper) — rebuild a get compensation picks (under the old system) and target the right guys and not be afraid to spend the money Boras asks for (most of the top guys in the draft are his clients).

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yes and I think he is the reason that Wren did not panic and pull the trigger and make a deal he may live to regret. I still remember when a young kid named Raphael Furcal whom noone had ever heard of forced Bobby Cox to carry him north after having a great spring training, last I heard he was having a good major league career, most people forget that all players were one day in the minor league systems

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Hello number 4 (I believe that was Blauser’s old number, but may be wrong — a number that harkened back to Lou Gherig but with a swing closer to Gary Cooper)
I agree that the internal options are as good or better than the trades or free agents — Not sure if Cunningham is ready now or is the answer in LF or if Gattis can play the OF well enough to win the job or if it should be Prado in LF and Juan at 3B, but Prado won’t be anywhere in a year or two if we don’t lock him up — and the price will only get higher as he gets closer to FA. Same with Heyward — the sooner he gets a Wright-Longoria type deal the cheaper it will be. Ultimately, if Cunningham or Gattis is in LF and Juan prooves out at 3B, Prado

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to finnish the prevgious thought — Prado could land back at 2B where he fits best. (My browser crashed as I was finishing the previous and I posted to try to save what I had written)

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When it comes to making moves,the Braves management has had the excuse that they have limited funds. Now that they have funds the Braves still don’t make moves at the winter meetings. How are they going to explain that the current Braves roster is less than last year’s roster when they have more money?

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I agree Jim, and yes Blauser did wear number 4, and did you ever notice that the Braves keep their prized prospects away from triple a as long as possible

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This year’s roster is less than last year’s roster IF
McCann is still a 230 hitter who grounds into the shift constantly.
Heyward and Freeman show no additional improvement in their 3-4 years.
Simmons for a full year is not the player that the Braves, their fans, and the DBacks think he is.
Uggla repeats the numbers from his worst season in the ML.
Upton performs at less than his career average.
None of Freeman/Gattis/Francisco/Cunningham prove to be a capable regular or platoon player.
A full year of Medlen translates into fewer than 15 wins.
Delgado gets the same lack of run support he got last year and wins fewer than 10 games.
The first half Minor returns to balance out the second half Minor and he wins fewer than 10 games.
In short, we lost the 2012 Chipper, not the 1999 guy, who resembled the statue that will be erected in front of the park when playing 3B and who hit fewer than 20 HRs and fewer than 80 RBIs. Upton + an internal option + improvement by key players will make up for the loss of Chipper and Bourn.

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I guess Wren is satisfied with the Braves finishing in second place.

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I guess Wren is satisfied with the Braves finishing in second place.

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Remove Freeman from the list of internal options for the LF/3B position — I must have been thinking Francisco and writing Freeman.

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Real Talk, it was a computer hang up.

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Definitely going to miss Chipper Jones and his leadership on the Braves’ team. He has 14 HR 62 RBI and a .287 BA in 387 AB. What if you could replace him at third base with a player who has 9 HR 32 RBI and a .234 BA in 192 AB? That player is Juan Francisco. He’s an intriguing player. I would be interested to see how his production projected over a full season. If they don’t plan to give him a shot, they should deal him and let someone else give him a shot. He has been hot in the winter leagues as well. I would rather give him a shot than have to deal Julio Teheran or Randall Delgado for Alex Gordon who had 14 HR 72 RBI and a .294 BA in 642 AB.

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Emilio Bonifacio get him from Toronto.. 30 stolen bases in only 64 games of a 182 game schedule. Get it done!

Talk about having a speed lineup:

Bonifacio, LF….solid lead off hitter, can switch hit & feared base runner.
Prado, 3B….solid contact hitter, few strike outs, better pitches because of Bonifacio
Heyward, RF…solid hitter, HR production, good speed, steal bases also, go 30 / 30
BJ Upton, CF…run producer, power from right side, good speed, proven base stealer
Freeman, 1B…run producer, good contact hitter to all field & power…beat Soph Jinx
Simmons, SS…line drive hitter, solid speed as well, move runners, steal bases as well
Smuggla, 2B (Ahmed,if we could dump him), 30 /70 production with power, HRs?
Catcher, back ups & McCann later as not to disturb line up?????

Emilio Bonifacio, would be the table setter, got to make an offer at least!!!!

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The Braves are interested and have spoken to the Twins about Revere, tweets David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/atlanta_braves/index.html#DLeJzRHUUdf1xYhv.99

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Wink,

I am all for Bonifacio. I think he would be a perfect fit for the Braves. The only concern with him is his injury history. If that guy played 145-155 games a year, he could put up some awesome numbers. The fact that he is a switch hitter is just a added bonus.

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tmc: Why is it when we trade a former top pitching prospect in all of MLB (T.Hanson), we only get a relieve pitcher in return.
Because the so called “top prospect” is only a top prospect in the eyes of the Braves front office. To them, every minor league player in the Braves system is a “top prospect”.The Braves front office likes to promote players as a “top prospect” to disguise the fact they are too cheap to go after an already proven player. Think of how many times we have bben fed this “top prospect” routine and end up with a mostly minor league team.

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Don, how many times have you posted the same comment now and how many different blogs? We get it dude.

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If the Braves sign a leftfielder, they might as well trade Francisco, but I’d wait to see if he could put up good numbers in Winter Ball and ST.

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Just read that Phillies got Revere

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this may mean that Bourn has priced himself out of the market

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for Worley and a “good” pitching prospect.

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The Phillies sent Vance Worley and a pitching prospect to the Twins.

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Vance Worley and Trevor May for Revere

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I agree Why, but I had to vent my frustration of him out. If I were an athlete I would want him as my agent so now the hypocrite in me comes out

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Bourn is gonna find himself “Sleepless in Seattle” LOL!

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looking more and more like it NORRIS CHUCK

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You think Bourne is feeling sick now?

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bring back blauser

How funny will it be if Bourn ends up in Seattle

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I bet Wrens wife does the Car & House buying in the family…

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Oh yeah, they can go after Corey Hart too, cause the Brewers needs pitching as well.

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Norris Chuck,

Swisher is over-priced right now, Ross stinks outside Fenway, and who knows if Bonifacio is even available. The latter is the best option for the Braves at this point, for their cost.

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try and sign Alex Gonzalez to play third base and use Francisco as trade bait

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now i like that scenario Norris Chuck, who knows anything is possible

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Guys, believe me when I say you DON’T want Justin Upton….I have watched him since he came to the Diamondbacks and he is a pouty, self-centered, and egotistic person that doesn’t hustle and posesses poor baserunning skills. Yes, he has some power and hits majestic home runs, however, not a very consistent hitter. Please bang this drum as I don’t want him on my Braves team.

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NORRIS CHUCK

You think Bourn would be open to playing LF? There’s no way Upton is moving to LF. I’m sure that was mentioned during negotiations.

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When you snooze you lose. Wren snoozes alot

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AZ Braves Fan,

Funny, because the Tampa Bay Rays fans said the same about his brother, and we gave him $75M!

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i cant believe philly got revere for wurley! would have traded delgado for him who has to be higher ranked then wurley! but i am good with other peoples money/lives that way

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did you stop to think that Wren has a deal in the works, and did not want the Phils blocking it so when Revere was available the Braves let it be known that they wanted him just to make Philly pay more to get the Braves to drop out, you know these things do go on in baseball

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DOB- Isn’t Constanza a clone of Bonafacio?

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Reb Buddy Greene, the Phillies overpaid. They gave Worley and their second best pitching prospect. It would be the rough equivalent of the Braves giving Minor and Delgado.

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Frank Wren strikes again!

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Dubin Martinez O’Flaherty

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is that enough JHarber?

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@jHarber dont have to go to far Michael Bourn was a good one because we got what we wanted out of it and it cost us very little!!

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all of those contibuted and all were great finds by Wren, but best deal of all times for the Braves was pulled off by Bobby Cox

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that was not your question, now what is it that you really want to know?

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The key piece to the trade with the Phillies is not Worley – it’s Tervor May. In 4+ seasons of A-AA ball the kid is averaging 11.8 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. He’s probably a couple of year’s off from a call-up but it seems likely that Worley was secondary to the main object of the Twins desire in this case.

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So what happens when the Braves pass on deals and Francisco proves to be the strikeout machine and low OBP guy that most of us believe he is?

Who cares, as long as he hits a home run whenever he doesn’t strike out.

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My point guys used up vets and in most cases paid a high price in prospects, He waited too long on Bourn extension talks. Please put some serious thought into it.

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@JHarber I am just LOL and falling at my chair when you speak now….too funny….yell upstairs and tell your mom I said hey :}

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I can’t believe we paid what we did for the older Upton brother, PLEASE don’t make the mistake of overpaying a 2nd time for an Upton this off season, Wren. Why do we need both of them to complete our OF? Why? Do people think that if they are on the same team they will automatically turn into the prospects they were supposed to be all along and be great all of a sudden? Doesn’t work like that. Sure they might enjoy playing together and get a slight boost in their numbers from friendly brotherly competition, but they won’t turn into super stars overnight.

Lets be realistic about this. We are the Braves, not the Yankees we can’t just buy anyone we want. We have a budget, and that budget better be getting ready for the shock of resigning Heyward, Freeman, Kimbrel, and all our other good young guys like Beachy in the coming couple years.

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Oldmike,

No, Constanza bats lefty only and Bonifacio is a switch hitter. Bonifacio imo, is a more concistent player.

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In other news, I think its funny that nobody has signed Bourn yet. Now the Phillies and Nationals don’t even need him, we can’t afford him. I look for him to sign a 1 year deal with someone (maybe even us) if his super-agent can’t get someone to overpay for him this season, theres always next off season to look for a mega-deal. Bourn is getting old though, so who knows.

It would be funny if every team passed on him this season just because of Boras.

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And JHarber, please tell us the deals where Wren paid a high price in prospects.

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@JHarber well hopefully she is still upstairs my friend, but your thoughts on the Braves are hillarious!!

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What specific trades are you talking about?

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@JHarber yeah me too been coaching 20 years and I have made tons laugh with my decisions and have laughed to alot of great moments!! We have given no propspects to the Astros or Royals that have been costly so what are you talking about?

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Maybe not costly too Date. Ankeil and reliever to KC–Bourn and all those pitchers to Astros. But lets get Serious this team has tremendous talent A leadoff man Left field or third baseman and they will play with anyone but as they are no. Bad trades deplete farm. Good use of farm system builds teams. I understand deals will go bad but if they are bad at get go, no chance. I knew Uggla was a bad deal up front as was upton.

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Reed Johsnon agrees to a new contract with the Braves. Financial details not disclosed.

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Braves should look into under the radar options. Since trash LM is the owner of the Braves, we have to shop in the bargain bin and roll the dice looking for diamonds in the rough. Prob is you’re going to be wrong more than you will be correct. Trayvon Robinson, for example, though not sure if they O’s would part with him. Also Kyle Blanks. Hasn’t done much in SD, but a change of scenery and a ballpark that isn’t as big as the Grand Canyon might work wonders. If nothing else you could platoon him/use as a power bench bat.

Point is, when you have filth like LM running the team, you have to look outside the box for solutions. Find top prospects who haven’t been given a chance or who are underperforming with their current teams, and get them at a discount.

And to add a bit more to my soapbox for the day- is anyone really sick and tired of this city and it’s completely laughable and joke performances ACROSS ALL SPORTS? for a big city we are a COMPLETE joke. When’s the last time we had a championship, or even SOMETHING TO CHEER FOR? I effing hate this cesspool. Dawgs- choke. Braves – cheap owners, choke. Hawks – 1 and done in the playoffs, and were just gutted via trades during the offseason. Falcons – 1 and done in the playoffs, choke; hopefully this season will be different, but we say that every year, dont we?

I dont see how anyone could be a sports writer in this town. DOB do you have “choke” templates that you use for Atl teams? Save yourself time for an inevitable result. I don’t know how you endure this craphole; I would have taken my writing experience and bolted for a non-joke town’s newspaper a long time ago. Props to you for sticking it out.

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ALJ,

Thatwould mean we have to take back Vick? heheeh

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LORENZO CAIN IN LF !

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Ay thoughts on getting Lomo for LF? Always seemed like a high OBP guy which the brave could use. I guess he can’t lead off but you could always have Prado lead off.

It’s not like we don’t have speed anymore with Upton and Heyward able to steal25+ each.

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If you sign BJ Upton for that kind of money then you must be serious about winning next you so it makes no sense to possibly start the season without a proven LF. I think the options are limited if we have to have a LF who happens to be a true lead off hitter.My choice has been Alex Gordon all along and I don’t think we would have to raid the farm system to get him.If not Gordon then I suppose Cody Ross would suffice but definately a distant second choice to Gordon.

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Of the names I’m seeing Bonifacio interests me the most.He is 27 years old. He was hurt last year but look at his 2011 stats .296/.360/.393/.753 with an oWAR of 3.1 (higher than Upton). Also just the subjective opinion that he scared me to death whenever he came up late in a one run game against the Braves.The guy can fly. Also his ability to play shortstop would probably put Yanish in the minors and give us room for another bat.

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@fansince66: “Fransisco, Freeman, Uggla, Upton, and Heyward 700 strike outs. Thats a scary thought. Lots of 1-2-3 innings. Better keep pitching staff healthy.”

Fransico, Freeman, Uggla, Upton and Heyward 150 HRs. Thats a scary thought. Lots of 3-run innings. Better keep the bubbly within reach.

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Wren hints at getting top quality players, he insinuates he wants to win, but then does nothing, yet the Braves have the pitching and cash to pull any top FA outfielder out there. The brutal reality is Atlanta will NEVER play in another World Series while Frank Wren is calling the shots. Good job at the winter meetings, Frank. You’re a waste of carbon.

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Steve, what exactly does their pitching have to do with getting FAs? And they certainly don’t have the money left to sign any of them. Hamilton and Bourn are two that they obviously do not have enough left to afford.

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[...] Holliday and Brad Sloan, as special assistants to general manager Frank Wren. more… Braves balk at some trade ‘ask’ prices – blogs.ajc.com 12/06/2012 NASHVILLE – They still were working several possibilities, but [...]

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I think every major league player has been mentioned here.

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Get rid of Uggla. We already got a white guy at first base.

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Keep prado in left and get Michael Young. A good veteran with good leadership skills.

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And Steve if you haven’t been paying attention FW was the first GM to pull the trigger on a big name FA, an outfielder. He has also made several other moves. The majority of MLB GMs have done very little and if you where paying attention the biggest news out of the winter meetings was there was no news.

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Bonifacio! I like ‘em, book ‘em.

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I actually believe giving one of the young guys/rookies a chance at third or LF is a great idea. Every elite player in MLB started out as a rookie. You don’t known if you have a budding star unless you give them a chance. Building from a strong Farm and continually having a few low payroll homegrown players on the team is a great way to keep a perennial winner on the field. Chasing a lot of high priced FAs or trading for players with a high salary absolutely doesn’t guarantee a winning product on the field. Look at Miami, Boston and the Yankees.

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Francisco 192 AB 70 K. Ok all you geniuses, how does that spell potential?

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start Constanza, Francisco, Bethancourt, get Cabrera, start pitchers Tehran and Delgado. If the team sucks, move them to the Dominican Republic.

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My feelings are I say trade Pastornicky Uggla and Delgado to the Dodgers for Dee Gordon and Mark Ellis then flip Ellis Fransisco and Spruill to the Jays for Bonifacio and Edwin Encarnacion. Here is the line up for next year

Bonifacio LF
Prado 2B
Freeman 1st
Upton CF
Heyward RF
Edwin Encarnacion 3rd
McCann Catcher
Simmons SS
then for bench help I would sign Figgins to go along with Johnson Janish

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It might be best to just play more HomeGown talent; Heck, Freeman,Heyward, Prado, Andy simmons, McCann, shoot, now go ahead give Gattis a shot, Todd Cunningham, Lets roll the Dice w/ what we got, you never know, besides, I’m all woreout worrying who we should get next. Frank, before the meetings started, you were going to fill 2 needs, got a whole bunch’a’ folk all fired up, but 1 out of 2 ain’t bad, we can fill the other w/ one of our own, & the bench to. Glad we got Reed Johnson back, he’s blue coller, a prado type player,gives it all he’s got. Mabey Prado & Johnson can wear off on some of the others. I do appreciate Ugglas hustle, Mabey this is the year we been wait’n on from him, Hope so.

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L. Cain for delgado . braves were high on him 2 yrs. ago when he was w/ brewers before grenike trade took place, were rumored to be close to making deal then.

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Hey Wink, your lineup looks like the Miami Marlins. You’d do them proud.

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I AM SICK AND TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT CRIPPLE JONES AND WHO HE IS DATING. HE IS A SCUM BAG AND THATS THAT.

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Problem here is: frank wren buys high and sells low. Look at JJ as the prime example. No one has a crystal ball but the good gm’s have a gut feeling , not an afraid to make a mistake feeling. Some moves work some don’t, the successful teams are the ones that err to the side that makes less bad moves.
Time to move on Liberty. wren has to be replaced by someone less afraid and fredi gonzalez, my goodness, there has to be someone else available that you can afford. It’s time for the “good ole boy network” in Atlanta to be replaced. Why not?

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Cubs are willing to eat $26 million of the $36 million left on Alfonso Soriano’s contract. Make that deal now and bat Simmons Leadoff.

1. Simmons SS
2. Prado 3B
3. Soriano LF
4. Freeman 1B
5. Upton CF
6. Heyward RF
7. McCann C
8. Uggla 2B

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