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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
6,304 comments Add your comment
flange1
December 19th, 2012
5:27 pm
TOBF,
Don’t forget the Angels still have Vernon Wells!
DS1
December 19th, 2012
5:29 pm
Not a bad lineup flange
flange1
December 19th, 2012
5:29 pm
How are things out west DS1?
Heath
December 19th, 2012
5:30 pm
By the way: K Morales makes more sense in AL considering injury history. Glad we can move past trade discussions for him.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
5:31 pm
sure he does, too bad
Murph
December 19th, 2012
5:32 pm
Bethancourt needs at-bats. He’s not going to get them sitting on the bench in Atlanta.
Pretty simple.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
5:32 pm
in case you are one of those who do not read the last few comments of a page
per Wren via O’Brien. The Braves signed catcher Matt Pagnozzi to a minor league deal and plan to have him serve as Gerald Laird’s backup until starter Brian McCann returns from shoulder surgery.
He’s always been a catch-and-throw guy,” said Braves assistant general manager Bruce Manno, who was with the Cardinals when they drafted Matt Pagnozzi. “I think the bat’s improved a little bit, but his strength is still defense
DS1
December 19th, 2012
5:33 pm
cool and sunny
nolie
December 19th, 2012
5:34 pm
hot and muggy
old man
December 19th, 2012
5:34 pm
Murph:
I’ve been working today. What is “Today’s move?” What did I miss?
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 19th, 2012
5:35 pm
Wells… just cut the dude… or hardly let him play. Doesn’t factor into anything for me. Shouldn’t get much more than 100 ABs.
flange1
December 19th, 2012
5:35 pm
Good news!
Same here it was in the high 60’s and beautiful!
old man
December 19th, 2012
5:35 pm
Did they trade Trout?
unbelievable
December 19th, 2012
5:35 pm
Bethancourt needs a LOT of AB’s.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 19th, 2012
5:36 pm
Maybe Murph…
Murph
December 19th, 2012
5:36 pm
Is Laroche still available?
Freeman and Teheran to Miami for Stanton.
Sign Laroche for 3 years.
Win WS 3 years in a row.
Gotta keep the dream alive….
DS1
December 19th, 2012
5:36 pm
was cloudy most of the week while I was down your way last week, nolie.
old man
December 19th, 2012
5:36 pm
My 18 year old has been gone to school since August. Picking him up tonight. Can’t wait.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 19th, 2012
5:38 pm
Jon Heyman @JonHeymanCBS
Happiest person about trade is peter bourjos. He now is angels cf. Trout moves to lf, trumbo the dh. Best lineup in ball
They better hope that lineup covers up their sad rotation.
old man
December 19th, 2012
5:38 pm
Murph:
Would do that in a heartbeat. You don’t think they would ever do that, do you?
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 19th, 2012
5:39 pm
traded Morales (DH) to Seattle for Jason Vargas (SP)
Heath
December 19th, 2012
5:39 pm
Murph:
I’d do that.
AdirondackDave
December 19th, 2012
5:39 pm
George Allen – Those Gattis splits are unbelievable! In fact, they are so unbelievable I don’t believe them. Have to think somebody inputed those numbers backwards.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
5:40 pm
yeah been cloudy on and off a lt and the nights have been real nice, more muggy that really hot most days
where does he go old man?
DS1
December 19th, 2012
5:41 pm
flange1
Was in the high 20’s here today with blue skies and sunny. No wind. (thank goodness)
Great sweater weather!
old man
Enjoy your time with your son! They sure do grow up fast.
Murph
I’d do those deals in a heartbeat. Not sure Miami would do that deal, considering that Giancarlo is the face of the franchise.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 19th, 2012
5:44 pm
Gattis has hit .423/.494/.891/1.385 in 158 ABs against LHP in the minors, FWIW….
nolie
December 19th, 2012
5:44 pm
From what I hear from Miami friends, Stanton is not going anywhere at this time, but considering Loria I guess that is open to change daily. Doubt he gets traded this season though
Murph
December 19th, 2012
5:45 pm
I don’t think Miami will ever trade Stanton… not since he’s spoken out about being mad about how they handle themselves. I’m sure Loria has issued a standing order that Stanton now has to suffer through his remaining seasons with the Marlins… that’s just how Loria operates.
Seems like a deal built around Freeman and Teheran would be more than fair… maybe throw in some minor league pieces if it would help get it done. Not Ahmed types, but I’m sure there are some players the Marlins would have interest in.
But yeah, less than zero chance of it ever happening.
old man
December 19th, 2012
5:45 pm
nolie:
Johns Hopkins, in Balmer.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
5:46 pm
yeah those winter numbers are really screwy, I wonder if they did get entered wrong?
old man
December 19th, 2012
5:46 pm
Adirondack Dave:
Yeah, those Gattis splits raised my eyebrow. They really could be backwards.
Nick
December 19th, 2012
5:46 pm
The Braves are a 3rd place team no matter how you look at it. I’d be shocked if they reached 80 wins.
old man
December 19th, 2012
5:47 pm
nolie, Andirondack,
Sounds like a job for DOB, to check with his sources on those crazy splits.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
5:48 pm
great school, you should be proud.
went to high school in Bawlmer and much of our family is from that area and Harrisburg Pa, lotsa movement back and forth
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 19th, 2012
5:48 pm
and as of right now, Gattis only has 180 ABs in the winter league, 35 against LHP. I’ll call sample size here. He’s not a poor hitter of lefties
DS1
December 19th, 2012
5:48 pm
Bud would probably threaten to castrate Loria if he attempted to deal Stanton. But if you sent them Freeman, Teheran or Delgado and then threw in another couple of lower level prospects, how would that not be a good deal for a rebuilding team?
They aren’t going to be doing anything with Stanton in the next few years anyway.
greg
December 19th, 2012
5:49 pm
DOB, wow – i wish i had never heard of Muse, and could therefore experience them from scratch again. Lucky you…
old man
December 19th, 2012
5:49 pm
Dang, I can’t even spell “Bawlmer” correctly!!
It’s my brain cells, nolie. Small sample size, don’t you know!
Patrick
December 19th, 2012
5:51 pm
The Braves are a 3rd place team no matter how you look at it. I’d be shocked if they reached 80 wins.
Nick: You seem to one of the few on here who isn’t afraid to speak you’re mind if you’re unhappy about the moves the Braves are making, or…aren’t making in this case.
I am curious to know you think of the Braves not spending the 10+million dollars that they have and decided on running out two platoons: One with a 36 yr old pinch hitting specialist and a career minor league 3B who did nothing at the big league level to turn any heads last season?….
old man
December 19th, 2012
5:51 pm
TOBF: It’s not so much that he’s not hitting lefties–it is a small sample size. The weird thing is he’s crushing the crap out of righties. 50/50 some goofball is putting them in backwards.
DS1
December 19th, 2012
5:51 pm
You heard it here first from Quick Nick. 80 wins will be stretching it.
What a revelation!
Gotta run folks. Maybe later……
Murph
December 19th, 2012
5:51 pm
The Braves are a 3rd place team no matter how you look at it. I’d be shocked if they reached 80 wins.
I can live with low expectations for the team, but c’mon… who in the division outside of the Nats could possibly be better than the Braves??
Phillies? Pfffffft. Mets?? Not this decade. Marlins??? Bwaaahahaha!
No, they may not challenge the Nats for the division crown, but they will certainly not end up in 3rd place.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 19th, 2012
5:52 pm
CHConfidential @CHConfidential
Barry Bonds’ 256 OPS+ from when he was 36-39 years old was higher than Babe Ruth’s best 4 years (231, age 25-28).
Juicer!!! Don’t let him in the Hall…
Johnny Vaught
December 19th, 2012
5:52 pm
Stick to baseball
nolie
December 19th, 2012
5:52 pm
hah, somebody kissing up to nick, the guy who is always VERY wrong about how many games the Braves will win. funny stuff
Craig
December 19th, 2012
5:52 pm
For 2013 the Braves success hinges on the experienced young guys stepping up to be leaders in their roles, on the field and in the club house. Heyward, Freeman, McCann, Prado, Upton and Uggla need to carry the team. There should be room on the roster for a guy to be given a chance to shine without the pressure of losing his job after one month….the Pastor had it ….sure probably not the right choice in the first place but hey a couple of errors shouldn’t kill his career.
That said I would love to see Gattis start the year in the majors and be given plenty of time to shine.
Simarly Francisco should be given a go as a starter.
Sure if they don’t show progress by the All Star break take stock and look to make change. Yeh we might write off 2013 but we then should have a seasoned team for 2014 and 2015 where we should win.
Also I would not be keen to add another guy who could be paid $10M plus and have him bat 7th or 8th….that’s likely to happen OR McCann or Uggla bat down there….makes no sense to me.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
5:54 pm
stick to baseball? why should we do that, because you want us to?
I’ll have to consider that.
DS1
December 19th, 2012
5:55 pm
Patrick
You, my friend, are a one note song. Boring as hell. Do you ever frickin read what DOB or anybody else ever posts here?
I think after today you have earned the auto scroll from me………….
Do you realize it’s still December? And do you want to spend that 10 million on mediocrity??? What’s say we try to improve the club and not worry about how much money we spend doing it?
Jeez. Broken frickin record.
Nick
December 19th, 2012
5:56 pm
Patrick – the LF platoon is very concerning, I agree. We haven’t had a legit everyday LF for as long as I can remember. This lineup is general is very piss-poor, too many low obp, high strikeout guys, no leadoff hitter, and unproven options like Gattis, Francisco, Mejia, etc. Not a fan of this years team AT ALL.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
5:58 pm
dadnabit, now I’m starting to think that 65 wins is more likely.
Nick
December 19th, 2012
5:58 pm
That $10-12M Wren said would go to “premium players” is in Liberty Media’s pockets. Its as good as gone. Hello $85M payroll and hello 3rd place.
Murph
December 19th, 2012
5:59 pm
Stick to baseball
I’d rather stick to your MOM, if you know what I mean.
’cause she’s sticky. With Murph juice.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
5:59 pm
either spelling is acceptable old man
Brava
December 19th, 2012
6:00 pm
DKnobler @DKnobler
Dodgers need a leadoff guy. Could they trade Ethier, sign Bourn? It’s been discussed, sources say. http://cbsprt.co/UdNjjn
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:00 pm
had ab 85 mil payroll last season for all indents and porpoises
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:01 pm
I bet Boras loves to read that news
MFin04
December 19th, 2012
6:01 pm
“Trout moves to lf,”
Well that about reduces his WAR by half.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:02 pm
by half? why he ain’t even worth having then is he?
Patrick
December 19th, 2012
6:06 pm
Patrick – the LF platoon is very concerning, I agree. We haven’t had a legit everyday LF for as long as I can remember. This lineup is general is very piss-poor, too many low obp, high strikeout guys, no leadoff hitter, and unproven options like Gattis, Francisco, Mejia, etc. Not a fan of this years team AT ALL.
Couldn’t agree with you more
And Nolie:
You are correct about last years payroll, which should give every Braves fan all the more reason to be upset that they aren’t spending it to make the team better
old man
December 19th, 2012
6:07 pm
Ugh. After reading Nick, I’m thinking more like 60. Yeah, 60 wins, tops.
O.M.G.
December 19th, 2012
6:07 pm
Murph…WOW
JC Brave
December 19th, 2012
6:07 pm
Best news of the whole winter so far: the Bourjos talk is over.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:09 pm
was that really Murph? i kinda doubt it
MFin04
December 19th, 2012
6:09 pm
“That $10-12M Wren said would go to “premium players” is in Liberty Media’s pockets. Its as good as gone.”
Yeh, it does make you wonder why they didn’t go after a more premium player if they were not going to spend the extra $10-15 million they have left over. Bourn, Greinke, Hamilton would have had a much more drastic effect on this team than overpaying BJ Upton.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:10 pm
yup JC, lets break out a magnum of the good bubbly to celebrate….
MFin04
December 19th, 2012
6:11 pm
“by half? why he ain’t even worth having then is he?”
Umm, heck yes he is. Especially if your options are Schafer, Constanza, Francisco, and Gattis.
We really need a LFer. Well actually we need a CF who can hit leadoff, but oh well.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:12 pm
because they intended to keep trying for another good player like Choo. It takes two,at least, to get a deal done. No way we match what they got back for Choo
Murph
December 19th, 2012
6:12 pm
was that really Murph? i kinda doubt it
Ummmm… yeah… who was that impostor? I would never say something like…
It was me. Sorry.
Rick C
December 19th, 2012
6:13 pm
“Nick: You seem to one of the few on here who isn’t afraid to speak you’re mind if you’re unhappy about the moves the Braves are making, or…aren’t making in this case.”
Nick is just always unhappy about everything. Anyone know how many wins he predicted for the Braves last year?
Nick
December 19th, 2012
6:14 pm
Frank Wren has worn out his welcome in Atlanta just like he did in Florida and Baltimore. He’s just not a good GM. Quite the contrary actually.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:14 pm
bad Murph, no wonder the poor lil’ 4 year old has troubles….
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 19th, 2012
6:14 pm
Greinke, Hamilton
Yep… had 30mil to spend, we could have afforded either of those guys if we’re going with internal options after just getting 1 subpar player. 15mil to a guy who should be hitting 6th or 7th… sigh
Best news of the whole winter so far: the Bourjos talk is over.
Worst news.
MFin04
December 19th, 2012
6:16 pm
“because they intended to keep trying for another good player like Choo”
Ok, but now you’ve pretty much screwed yourself into a corner, and have to pretend like you want AAA players in LF and that was your plan all along. I really don’t like the BJ Upton signing, he just doesn’t fit what the Braves needed, but besides that, they need an impact bat in LF. Not sure where they are going to get it, but they’re going to have to get it before the season starts.
Murph
December 19th, 2012
6:18 pm
bad Murph, no wonder the poor lil’ 4 year old has troubles….
I know…. I just can’t help myself sometimes.
Nick
December 19th, 2012
6:18 pm
If the 2013 Braves end up 80-82, it would be considered overachieving.
MFin04
December 19th, 2012
6:19 pm
“we could have afforded either of those guys if we’re going with internal options after just getting 1 subpar player. 15mil to a guy who should be hitting 6th or 7th… sigh”
Gotta add Bourn to that list as well. He’s a better overall player than Upton and he FITS what the Braves needed. They need a power on base guy in LF and a speedy CF leadoff guy. BJ Upton is a poor on base guy, with bad defense in CF, and can’t hit for average. Bourn at least gets on base and plays great defense in CF. And it appears Bourn is going to end up pretty darn cheap compared to what everyone thought.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:19 pm
I don’t like the BJ signing much either, but I sure did not want them pouring 25 or more mil into one player, I am fine with the fact that they did and are trying for another starter, just a bad year to need two players the way the salaries skyrocketed.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:20 pm
that lost its charm long long ago nick
JC Brave
December 19th, 2012
6:20 pm
Frank Wren has worn out his welcome in Atlanta just like he did in Florida and Baltimore. He’s just not a good GM. Quite the contrary actually.
Yeah, that freaking moron! Why doesn’t he take money from his own pocket to sign players? Such a greedy and selfish bastard…
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:23 pm
Bourn was gonna be the last to sign,y’all would have gone crazy long ago with no addition at all
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 19th, 2012
6:23 pm
For 2014
LF
Upton 14mil
Heyward at least 8mil
3B
Simmons 800k
Uggla 13.2mil
Freeman at least 4mil
C
Medlen (8mil), Minor (800k) , Teheran (500k), Delgado (500k) , 5th starter (500k)- 10.3mil
Kimbrel (5mil), JV (3mil), Walden (1.5mil), Avilan (500k), Gearrin (500k), 2 relievers (one guy at 1mil, other league min)- 12mil
Laird (1.5mil), Reed (1.5mil), Mejia (500k), Francisco (700k), Janish (1mil)- 5.2mil
67.5mil, round it to 68. We have 32 mil or so to spend on LF, 3B, SP, and C. And I’d say that LF and SP are the highest priorities… tough. Gotta hope that Gattis is the real deal, Terdo can learn 3B, or our pitchers really step up.
MFin04
December 19th, 2012
6:23 pm
“just a bad year to need two players the way the salaries skyrocketed.”
I think this year has been cheaper than most years. I mean you look at Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford year those contracts were crazy. Uggla ended up being a bargain as well.
The problem with Upton is that we are paying him to be something he isn’t. He isn’t a good defensive CF, he doesn’t hit for average, he doesn’t get on base. He hits for power. That’s a lot of money for an average amount of power in CF. I really hope Bourn ends up with 100+ million. If not, we spent money on the wrong CFer.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:24 pm
I think this year has been cheaper than most years. I mean you look at Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford year those contracts were crazy. Uggla ended up being a bargain as well.
you gotta be kidding
JC Brave
December 19th, 2012
6:27 pm
just a bad year to need two players the way the salaries skyrocketed.
Next year will be ugly for the Braves with all the needs the team will have… Because we all know the money will eventually disappear.
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 19th, 2012
6:27 pm
Gotta add Bourn to that list as well. He’s a better overall player than Upton and he FITS what the Braves needed.
He won’t be signing for a while though, and will cost too much imo. But yes, he is better than Upton. Provides more runs on offense, in fact last season, he provided BJs average production in a season by July 31… add in his defense, it’s not even close. If Bourjos was able to get close to his 2011 #s, he’d be more valuable than BJ. But we’ll see what happens, but I’m not expecting him to suddenly break out at age 29 when he’s been in his prime for a bit already and has stagnated for the past 4 seasons.
Murph
December 19th, 2012
6:27 pm
67.5mil, round it to 68. We have 32 mil or so to spend on LF, 3B, SP, and C.
Wrong. Despite what Wren has said, payroll for roster players has been closer to $83mil over the last few seasons.
The Braves will likely spend no more than $15-20mil next offseason.
O.M.G.
December 19th, 2012
6:28 pm
Murph, you feeling OK? First you say sometime nice about Samantha and then that. What’s next, saying something nice about NM Lee, no you couldn’t do that know matter how you may be feeling. LOL..
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 19th, 2012
6:29 pm
haha, well yes, that is true Murph
JC Brave
December 19th, 2012
6:30 pm
67.5mil, round it to 68. We have 32 mil or so to spend on LF, 3B, SP, and C.
Why are you assuming the payroll will be increased up to 100mil? That won’t happen.
MFin04
December 19th, 2012
6:31 pm
nolie – What numbers are you looking at?
Werth got 7/$126
Crawford got 7/$142
No one is anywhere close to those this year. Not in CF. Heck you could get Upton and Bourn for those prices. Or Upton, Victorino, and Pagan.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:32 pm
worst thing to happen to the Braves is making the play-in on what really amounted to an 85 mil payroll…disaster looms ahead
TheOnlyBravesFan
December 19th, 2012
6:34 pm
well, we’re supposed to be around 95-100 this year, since Frank was willing to add Choo, I’m going to assume that we were near 90mil past season… we should use some of the extra TV money next year, so I’m bumping us up to 100.
Murph
December 19th, 2012
6:35 pm
Murph, you feeling OK? First you say sometime nice about Samantha and then that. What’s next, saying something nice about NM Lee
I truly believe that NM Lee is dead in a ditch somewhere outside Atlanta. There’s no way he’d travel all the way from northern New Mexico to ATL and abide by the Hanna Rule. No way.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:35 pm
everybody got overpaid, the total amount of a couple of contracts has much less affect than seeing Shane get three years 39 mil, and there were a dozen other terrible signings and they were of players who were once thought to be in the Braves price range but ended up with way more than they are worth. even BJ got more that was thought 4 months ago.
South Bound And Down
December 19th, 2012
6:36 pm
Wow great top 50 Dave,where did you grow up,to much weird crap
for me,Sinead Oconner really.How bout some Metallica or some
southern rockers!
MFin04
December 19th, 2012
6:36 pm
I can’t wait when we lose Kimbrel, Heyward, and Freeman all to free agency or deal them away.
The blog will self-destruct.
JC Brave
December 19th, 2012
6:37 pm
The only way the Braves will get such increase in roster payroll, is with new ownership imo. And LM won’t sell, sadly.
MFin04
December 19th, 2012
6:37 pm
“even BJ got more that was thought 4 months ago”
That’s because one team, I won’t mention any names, was stupid enough to offer more than $50 million for him.
nolie
December 19th, 2012
6:39 pm
one team always offer too much. he was headed to Philly so consider it a preemptive strike
MFin04
December 19th, 2012
6:43 pm
“he was headed to Philly”
Good. I would’ve enjoyed watching his terrible defense and strikeouts for another team.