Who’s in LF? Plus, DOB’s Top 50 albums

I agree Lew, it would be a nice problem if both did well.

A trade could be considerred if an unexpected injury happened. But it would not be something they would have to do.

The more guys who do well the better and the upside seems to be there for both Francisco and Gattis — got to give em a chance in ST. That is better money than overpaying for most of what is left in FA.

As for a trade, I am thinking Wren is holding on to the young SP’s for 2 reasons.

1) He likes them and believes in em

2) In case he cannot extend Hudson and Malholm after 13, having ready young arms is a good thing. The team can stay competitive if the system keeps feeding players And Bethancourt might be better than we think — we know he can catch — do not know if he can hit but that is why he is in the developmental stage.

• Link
• Report this comment

DOB – I’d love to see your previous years top albums. Including a link to them in the blog would be nice.

• Link
• Report this comment

You mean we did not get Corky Miller????????????

Drats — Double Drats–Triple Drats–

Bumb Booooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Link
• Report this comment

Braves Ticket Guy ‏@BravesTicketGuy

Happy Holidays Braves Country! Our offices will be closed starting in 5 minutes and will reopen on January 2nd.

• Link
• Report this comment

2014 Opening Day lineup:

1. Simmons
2. Heyward
3. Upton
4. Freeman
5. Gattis
6. Terdoslavich
7. Uggla
8. Bethancourt

2014 Rotation:

1. Beachy
2. Medlen
3. Minor
4. Teheran
5. Delgado

• Link
• Report this comment

lew if the Padres need offense and what we have to trade is pitching, then how do we match up with the trade wise?

the person who suggested venable pointed out that the padres need solid pitching, too. i dont know if they do, but thats what the poster suggested, so we do match up, if thats true.

• Link
• Report this comment

Murph, regarding your 2014 prediction: McCann will have a very good year this year, and emerge as the post-Chipper team leader. There will be a great deal of fan support when he signs a new 5 year contract. Bethancourt, if he remains a Brave, will always be a back-up.

• Link
• Report this comment

No one cares about the below anymore?
***********************************************
George_George

December 20th, 2012
11:52 am
Zing

December 20th, 2012
10:53 am
It is, however, a shame that we’re going to still have the absurdity of a one-game playoff. Dumbest move by Selig since giving the winner of the All-Star game home field advantage in the WS
********************************************************************************************************
AGREED The single game playin game[ I refuse to call it playoff game] is STUPID, STUPID, STUPID. I don’t understand owner management not changeing it.

• Link
• Report this comment

There is an article on the Padres site stating they are seeking to bolster their starting pitching and will likely have to do so through trade because of the high prices on the free agent market.

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20121214&content_id=40653918&vkey=news_sd&c_id=sd

• Link
• Report this comment

Efrim – Even so, why would we want a career .253, .324, .445 player to lead off when we have Prado and Simmons who would both be better options. Venable is hardly awe inspiring. I would not feel it worth trading Delgado for hieven if they added another player.

• Link
• Report this comment

Thank you DAP. They do need pitching, they were working for Edwin Jackson who seems to be heading to the Cubs and the bidding was at 4 yrs 50 million or so

Efrim I heard DOB mentioned the Rockies were asking for Mike Minor for Fowler, I’m sure Padres are gonna be much more reasonable with Venable.

• Link
• Report this comment

Who cares what the Padres want to do if what they want to trade is not what we need? Venable is yet another suggestion to make a deal just so you make a deal.

• Link
• Report this comment

Well, if they want pitching, then why do you – in the first line of your post, claim they want more offense, and in doing so intimate that Venable does not provide enough offense for them?

• Link
• Report this comment

This is a pretty good list. The Killer Mike album is the best rap album in years. I don’t understand all of the Frank Ocean love from nearly every music publication. Based strictly on the music, and not the social impact of him as an artist, I find it to be an average rap/r&b album. I think the Kendrick Lamar album is getting a little too much praise everywhere too. I’d put Dinosaur Jr. higher and the new Gaslight Anthem album is great. I would put it on the list along with Band of Horses, Mirage Rock.

• Link
• Report this comment

I think Efrim is related to Max Venable and is just trying to get him on a good team:}

• Link
• Report this comment

Also, Nas’ Life is Good is underrated as most of his albums, aside from Illmatic, are.

• Link
• Report this comment

Real Talk – Wil Venable, not Max.

• Link
• Report this comment

what’s fair… Gilmartin and Spruill? That soft-tossing control should fit for them in that park

• Link
• Report this comment

Looking at his injury history over the last 2 seasons and his age, he’d be much better suited to sign a big deal with an AL team where he can DH.
Yeah, that’s the common argument, and I certainly see the logic in it. I just don’t think that’s how its going to go. He’ll want to stay. The fans will want him to stay. Wren will make it so.

This is show business, you know.

• Link
• Report this comment

Tom ‏@Haudricourt

I have been informed that #Brewers indeed plan to use LHP Tom Gorzelanny out of the bullpen, not as a starter. http://bit.ly/UIK9Bt

• Link
• Report this comment

Lew..who do you think that “difference maker” is that we should be going after?

• Link
• Report this comment

I surely hope so. His loss would be very hard to overcome.

I see it hard for the Braves to keep him even with the money available. If he has a solid McCann like year for 5 months, then teams like the Rangers, Yankees and Red Sox are going to make a strong play for him and I think it’s going to be very difficult for the National League Braves to commit the necessary amount of dollars to a catcher in his 30-35 year old seasons. I don;t want to see him go either, but it’s not going to be easy to keep him around. And I absolutely don’t think both Prado and McCann will be back.

• Link
• Report this comment

Shoot, let’s get a real catcher in our system. Love Austin Hedges from the Padres.

• Link
• Report this comment

And I absolutely don’t think both Prado and McCann will be back

That would be a very, very tough call to make, if so. Really need to have Gattis and the young starting pitchers stand tall in 2013, keep resources freed up for those two guys.

• Link
• Report this comment

OMG – I don’t see one that is available that we could acquire – at least without giving up a KIng’s ransom. I’ve been saying for months tht going with Gattis/Francisco/Prado platoon may well be the best way for us to go.

Just not seeing that Venable, Bonafacio or other suggestions we might afford will be worth the deals. I see no reason to do a deal just to do a deal and to spend money. Stupdi way to run any business.

• Link
• Report this comment

“What horrible taste! Are you in your second childhood?”

Yes, one of the more astute, yet obvious, observations yet. A bunch of middle-aged and beyond white [mostly,I assume] guys listening to this stuff? I don’t buy it at all. I,for one, won’t jump on this bandwagon for the sake of appearing hip and modern. Now let’s move on to Trumbo and a few decades of useless stats. Who wants to start? While I’m waiting I’ll be listening to a couple songs from the Uriah Heep Live album.

• Link
• Report this comment

I blame my bad typing on posting same time as Lew. LOL

• Link
• Report this comment

I absolutely don’t think both Prado and McCann will be back.
Now that could be. But McCann will stay because this is where he wants to be. He signed a good contract early, and his last contract (my hypothetical one) will take care of him in his declining years. His intangibles will make it worth it.
Prado, on the other hand, needs to score as a free agent. As much as I love him, someone could well bid more than the Braves can pay, and Prado would have to take it. That’s why I didn’t take exception to Murph’s call for Terdo at 3rd in 2014, although I think Francisco is more likely.

• Link
• Report this comment

By my calculations, we’ll have 68mil set away for most of our team for the 2014 season…. 3B, LF, SP, and C to fill

Real early to project it out, but the Braves should have a lot of money available. More than this offseason. However we need to see the rotation and positional guys play the 2013 season to assess what are real needs are moving forward. What happens if Medlen or Minor get hurt or Teheran and Delgado don’t progress? Changes the needs.

All I know is that the Braves will have to pay dearly to lock up both Prado and McCann long term. I really think Prado is going to be a incredbily valued player on the market next winter with his versatility and overall weakness at the 3rd base position. That’s such a weak spot across baseball and Prado can play well there. He should get a five year contract out on the market with an .800 season in 2013.

• Link
• Report this comment

Joel Sherman ‏@Joelsherman1

Thank u alert follower @jgar98 who notes #Padres inked Marquis, which means #Mets r only team yet to sign MAJOR LEAGUE fr agt this offseason

• Link
• Report this comment

For 2014, $28.75 million in Upton, Uggla and Laird with projected arb. guys that “should” be tendered in Heyward, Medlen, Venters, Kimbrel, Freeman, Beachy, and Walden.

Francisco, Schafer, Martinez, and Janish as the question marks, imo.

That’s a lot payroll flexibility. Probably around $55-60 million in those 10 players.

• Link
• Report this comment

OMG – It’s always an interminable time between the end of the WS and the beginning of ST. But even IF we did make a move, there would still be constant griping and citing of why/why not we should have picked up whatever paragon we might have picked up – or didn’t.

Life in DOB Blogland Dude. It is what it is and is every year at this time.

• Link
• Report this comment

Five years, $50-65 million for Prado.

Five years, $70-85 million for McCann.

Both will be 30 years old on Opening Day 2014. So I guess I just can’t see them keeping both unless we unload elsewhere.

• Link
• Report this comment

I’m out of here – got to get Murph’s Wurlitzer ready to mail tomorrow – figured Mayan Apocalypse day would be an appropriate day to mail it. Later.

• Link
• Report this comment

sign both of those guys, they’ll be 10-5 pretty soon, will be terribly hard to unload if they ever do struggle and we need the payroll space. Who do we think will be the healthier of the 2, starting into their mid 30s?

I’d think that person would be Prado. And with AL teams able to offer the DH option to Mac, they can offer more years and $$, at least as I see it.

I’d go 5/55-65 on Prado, would consider 6 years. Mac, 3 or 4 years, maybe a 5th year option… 13-15 AAV

• Link
• Report this comment

DOB – thanks for the sexy list, that was hilarious. The celebrity comparisons were spot on for the most part, although I think he missed out on Mike Rizzon and Billy Joel.

• Link
• Report this comment

just about everyone stinks at Petco… Headley looks good, but he’d be SO MUCH better away from that wretched place

• Link
• Report this comment

fw doesn’t have time to deal with the braves right now while he’s on his annual scuba diving trip

• Link
• Report this comment

fw doesn’t have time to deal with the braves right now while he’s on his annual scuba diving trip

Even if he is, the man’s not allowed to take a vacation? In the offseason?

• Link
• Report this comment

You know who Baseball Info Solutions projects as 2013 HR champ? Giancarlo Stanton (43)

He’ll be lucky to see 43 strikes.

• Link
• Report this comment

Jon Morosi ‏@jonmorosi

Orioles are still in talks with free agent Joe Saunders. They want to add a starter.

• Link
• Report this comment

Reading these old blogs is kind of funny to see how these things actually turned out…

“The Braves now have what some scouts say are three of baseball’s highest-ceiling pitchers in the low minors: Teheran, Vizcaino and Randall Delgado, 19, who had 141 strikeouts in 124 innings at Class A Rome last season.

With that trio and 23-year-old major league standouts Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson, the Braves might have more elite young arms than most organizations ever dream of. And the potential for their 2012 or 2013 rotation is staggering.”

“For those who suggest the Braves would have been better off keeping Vazquez and not signing Tim Hudson to an three-year extension, again, it will take time to know if the right call was made. It might be a valid point.”

• Link
• Report this comment

That roster would be like a $50 million dollar payroll. I sure hope it doesn’t come down to that level. Really hope they go outside the organization to fill some needs next year and don’t hand it all over to Gattis and Bethancourt. If that’s their plan, we had better go get a stud pitcher to front that rotation. I mean, the money has to go somewhere.

Efrim — I don’t know if they are going to a 50 mil payroll but I would not be surprised to see them cut it into the 70’s while other teams go up and up.

Very cheap org — how much longer can we win in spite of Liberty Cheapedia is anyone;s guess.

I do not think they have intentions of keeping either Mc Cann, Prado, Malholm and they may go so far as to disrespect Hudson. I think Huddy will stay if they do not insult him.

We are going into the bottom 10 in payroll soon, maybe even lower.

• Link
• Report this comment

Bobby Crosby had a good rookie yr some time back but never fulfilled the promise.

Injuries were a part of it.

• Link
• Report this comment

Hard for me to see McCann back after this year. If he performs really well, he’ll likely be to expensive. If he doesn’t perform well, then Braves could afford to let him go. Seems kind of like a no win situation if you’re rooting for him to be a Braves lifer.

• Link
• Report this comment

With each new day that comes by, a new crap player is brought up on the blog.

Today’s freaking bum is: Will Venable.

What’s next? Are we gonna talk about Jeff Francoeur tomorrow?

• Link
• Report this comment

There are two guys who haven’t been talked about much that I’d like to see the Braves pursue for their LF/leadoff spot:

1. Coco Crisp: Makes $7 million in 2013, has a $1 million buyout or $7.5 million option in 2014. Pros: Switch-hitter, good speed, experience as leadoff hitter. Cons: OBP isn’t great (but not terrible), lot of money for just an “ok” fit.

2. Eric Young Jr.: One year away from arbitration, meaning potentially 4-years of control. Pros: Switch-hitter, great speed, good OBPs, able to play multiple positions (similar to Bonifacio), doesn’t appear to have a spot in Colorado. Cons: Somewhat unproven, last year was the first year he’s posted a good average, has history of injuries, must be some reason that Colorado hasn’t given him more playing time the past 4 years.

Considering how high the asking price for other players has been, and how similar Young looks to Bonifacio, I’d like to see the Braves go back to the Rockies about Fowler again, balk at the price, and then “settle” for a smaller trade for Young. I love his skills, and just feel like he’s the kind of guy that needs an opportunity. To me worst case scenario is that he’s your new Infante.

• Link
• Report this comment

Yoakum way underrated…has several great albums….why is freeman wearing #16 in pic.?

Taken in spring training of 2010. You’ll also notice that Heyward is wearing #24, not #22.

• Link
• Report this comment