Atlanta Braves shakeup: Glavine released, Schafer sent down, Hanson called up, McLouth moves to CF

I think that we have strongly lacked production out of Schafer. He struck out ALL the time. Whatever we gave up is worth it. It is time to win Now in ATL. Us braves fans are sick of missing the playoffs. Bring your A-game Nate! Tomahawk Chop Baby!!!!

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Let’s go Braves.

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Glavin deserved a shot. If he didn’t produce, then release him. I don’t like the way this franchise treats people. I hope that Smoltz and Glavin make Wren and company look stupid.

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McLouth instantly becomes the Braves best OF this season, and imagine next year or 2011 – McLouth, Schaefer and Heyward starting. That’s a great OF.

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lol gene Glavine has already made you look stupid he didnt tell you there was a e at the end of his name.

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The stab in the back of Glavine is unacceptable to me. I have been a Braves fan since 1966 but this is Steinbrenner-like. If they weren’t going to allow him to pitch, then why the take the time to allow him to rehab? I wouldn’t blame Tom if he chose to go into the Hall with a Mets jersey on. He should have at least been given a chance to try it one more time.

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The Mclouth deal is a great, great move by Frank Wren. People complain about what we gave up – Charlie Morton may go on and have a decent career – but we have JJ, Lowe, Vazquez and KK locked up, leaving only the 5 spot. TO handle that we have Phenom Tommy Hanson, Kris Medlen, and coming around the corner from injury – Tim Hudson and Campillo (the forgotten man, but pitched great last year for ATL) Even after trading Morton and releasing Glavine – Braves are stacked with starters. Gorkys is a speedy CF who will likely reach the majors in another year or so – but Nate McClouth is a stud – and signed at a very affordable price for 3/4 years. This is not like the Texiera trade – renting a player and trading away the farm to do it. None of the players traded were likely to crack the Atl lineup anytime soon – if ever. And we still have Schafer on the farm. But McLouth will instantly become a fan favorite, and will give the Braves the power and speed they lack.

As for Glavine – see the above list of starting pitchers – we just had no room for him. I would have liked to see him pitch at Turner Field again – but I think the Braves realize they just have no need for him now – best of luck to TOmmy catching on with someone else. And it’s harsh – but I agree with their assessment – He is not going to be very effective with MLB hitters anymore.

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I like the McClouth trade. I think we gave up a little to get quite a bit in return…can’t wait to see him in a Braves uni on Thursday!

Releasing Glavine was a business decision; that’s all. I realize what he has done for the Braves (and the city of Atlanta), but you can’t sit around and ‘hope’ that the surgically repaired shoulder and elbow of a 43 yr old pitcher will carry the fifth spot in the rotation. Wren is just trying to field the best possible team with the budget he has been given. It’s time to let Hanson come up and take his shot.
If they had kept Glavine and he ended up being 0-6 with 5.00+ ERA, you would hear these same people criticizing Wren for keeping Glavine on the roster too long…..can’t have it both ways.

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OK, im just upset now about the way Glavine didn’t even get a couple of starts or hell even some bullpen work with the club or AAA. We already paid him what he is going to make and the rest are escalators based on performance, WHY RELEASE A FACE OF THE FRANCHISE LIKE THAT? Give him an easy exit and don’t talk to me about “performace decision” crap; he has performed and deserves at least a shot.

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McClouth trade is great. Maybe we gave up too much…maybe not. That is obviously the risk in trading.

As for Glavine…tough break, I’m sure he will get over it. As he so well demonstrated, baseball can be a brutal business.

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Congratulations to David O’Brien! Sportscenter Baby….ok enough of that.
I think the release of Glavine is something that had to be done but it should have happened earlier in the season or they should not have re-signed him. As for McLouth(sp?), he is a way better hitter than his .256 BA reflects and has a lot of power from the leadoff spot. He should balance out this offense to where we don’t score 10 and the 2 consistently. I don’t think I’m the only one that is excited about the arrival of Tommy Hanson. The only question I have about him is, what number will he wear?

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I don’t understand what was so bad about the way the Glavine situation was handled. We had to go through the rehab process and see if he came out of it with an arm better than any in-house replacement. And he didn’t. Why would we pay a million to place him on the roster when it was deemed that he wasn’t better than options we were already paying for?

We have a great rotation and a back-end of the bullpen that includes Medlen, Gonzalez, & Soriano (and 2 months away from the return of Hudson). There simply wasn’t room for a future hall-of-famer who should have hung it up prior to the start of the 2008 season.

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All of you who are miffed because the Braves released Glavine try to remember the last time he pitched in a meaningful game for us….It was the 2002 Division series….We lost that series because Glavines era was 15.26 in two starts….He was bombed and so were we….The Giants ace in that series was Russ Ortiz ( remember him? )….Glavine had a good year in 02 but was terrible in the playoffs….He then became a Met for 5 years and was injured in 08….The Braves did the right thing in releasing him…This decade is almost over and the majority of Tom Glavines success as a Brave was in the last decade – The 90s….

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This seems like a great deal, to plug a All Star and Gold Glove caliber player into center field for 3-4 years will help the offense and help the staff tracking down balls. This should take a lot of pressure of Francoeur, there is no added pressure out of the 8 hitter; therefore, we will still be able to utilize his defense and cannon in right.

Charlie Morton was the 3rd best pitcher in Gwinnett this year and Gorkys almost seems like free trade bait since we already have got more than enough out of the Renteria/Jurrjens deal. Great move by Wren to re-energize the team and fan base in early June. It is like we acquired an All Star centerfielder and a potential All Star pitcher (Hanson) in the same day.

See you at the Ted!

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Wren stole us braves fans a very good centerfielder and should get a pat on the back for the trade.
I wish Glavine all the best and maybe catch on with another team and thank you for all the great victorys and world series games!!

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Love the McClouth trade. With our farm depth, I don’t think we gave up too much for a player of his worth. He has several years left on his contract with a club option at the end – we will have him for several years to come. We gave up great talent for him, but in places where our farm system has great depth.

Glad to see Shafer sent back down. He was up long enough to know what he needs to work on and will hopefully be much better next time he comes up.

I am sad to see Tom released; however, don’t look at it as a stab in the back. We paid him to rehab when few other teams probably would. I wish Tom the best.

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Now, get rid of Francine and Anderson and get one more good pitcher and I’ll be happy.

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Love Tom Glavine though and I hope he makes it back somewhere this year and I’ll always appreciate everything he did for our ball club.

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Hanson should have made the team out of spring training.

Though I have a fondness for Glavine and appreciate what he has done for the Braves, (300 game winner, game 6 of the ‘95 WS) I now have more velocity than he does. Glavine always lived by his changeup. Now that’s not much different than his fastball. We will get more production from the 5th spot with Hanson than with Glavine. It’ll be interesting to see, when we don’t need the 5th starter who gets passed over, Hanson or Kawakami? Medlin becomes the long man and spot starter out of the bullpen and is an upgrade over Buddy Carlyle or Jorge Campillo.

McClouth is an instant upgrade over Shafer in CF now and can slide over to left or right when Shafer’s ready. Instant offense as far as power and run production and I think the batting average will climb in this lineup. Gold glover too. I like Mike Gonzalez’s assessment, “a baller”. Maybe bring a little fire to the lineup. I wanted this guy since I first saw him play. Leave him alone TP.

As for what we gave up. Just prospects. Morton is a head case, no confidence. He may one day be a serviceable 4th or 5th guy. Locke is an A ball pitcher and a 2nd round choice. Give me a hundred dollars for every 2nd round pitcher who has ever washed out and I’ll be layin’ on the beach from now on. Gorkys may be the best prospect of the three but does he bring a different skill set than Shafer? I don’t think so.

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What exactly is going to happen when all of our starting pitchers are healthy? Even with the release of Glavine we still have a total excess of pitching. 1. Lowe 2. Hudson 3. JJ 4. Javy 5. Hanson ? I know we’re not going to give up on KK that easily and I believe they’d like to keep Medlin pitching. Campillo I assume will go to the Bullpen. Any thoughts on that?

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As for the McLouth trade, I love it. I agree that what we gave up was not too much. Locke was a good young pitching prospect, but with the depth we have for pitchers, he was not gonna be used by us. Morton could find success, yes, but he will never be amazing. And I have more faith in Medlen/Hanson than I do in Morton. Hernandez was supposed to be a hell of a player, but he was blocked, so he was just trade bait. McLouth is an exciting player (about time…we don’t have too many of them left) with a great arm, great range, a good eye in the outfield, good bat, and he is an all-star and golden glover (well-deserved as well). Plus, he’s locked up for a few more years at a pretty cheap rate.

Schafer was not ready. I think he will pan out in the long run, but he was rushed to the Majors. Somebody’s future is in jeopardy though. Either Francoeur (McLouth and Schafer both have strong arms) or Schafer…because we all know that Heyward will take LF when he is ready (maybe sometime next year?), so somebody has to go. I don’t wanna see either go, because Schafer can play a sick CF. Francoeur I think will turn it around, but we’ll see.

I’m obviously excited to see Hanson pitch.

As for Tom Glavine, I am very angry with how the Braves handled it. To come out to the media and say that he just wasn’t good enough to join our club is a jackass thing to do. Schuerholz tried to keep relations with the fans strong, but Wren is not doing that very well. Smoltz abandoned us for more money, but Glavine did everything we asked him to do. He bent over backwards so he could stay with us, but we stabbed him in the back right when he says he’s ready to pitch. At least give him a few starts…make him show that his comeback wasn’t successful if you’re so sure about it. I think Stephen is completely wrong when he says real Braves fan will forget about Glavine. Real Braves fan will remember Glavine and be saddened that this is how his legendary career with Atlanta comes to an end. He has given the organization and the fans so much. I hope another team signs Glavine, and I hope for that game that he makes our hitters look foolish. He deserves it…and Wren deserves it…

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They gave Glavine a chance – they let him rehab. They gave him an opportunity. He just doesn’t have it anymore. You guys would be pissed off if he was put into the rotation and shelled more times than not. You would be crying that the Braves were losing. You would be crying that we didn’t make it to the playoff’s. It’s time for Glavine and Smoltz to hang it up and head on over to the glue factory.

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“The stab in the back of Glavine is unacceptable to me. I have been a Braves fan since 1966 but this is Steinbrenner-like. If they weren’t going to allow him to pitch, then why the take the time to allow him to rehab? I wouldn’t blame Tom if he chose to go into the Hall with a Mets jersey on. He should have at least been given a chance to try it one more time.”

William Burch: Maybe you have forgotten that Glavine stabbed US in the back a few years ago when he bolted for the Mets. Why allow him to rehab? because they weren’t sure whether he could get back into form and be useful for our team. And just so you know, had we “given him a chance just one more time,” the Braves would have been on the line for another $1 million- thats just not a smart business decision for a guy who still has shoulder pain and who cannot reach 84 mph anymore. Lastly, with regard to the Hall and going in as a Met, since 2001, the Hall, and not the players, have the final say on what team a player goes in as.

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Now, get rid of Francine and Anderson and get one more good pitcher and I’ll be happy.

Why would you get rid of GA. He playing well and you want to get rid of him to play who? a rookie. Great, lets get rid of our LF and RF and bring up two guys from AA. One more pitcher? You mean starter? Where on earth would you pitch in the rotation.

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The will probably move Hudson to the bullpen for the remainder of the regular season. They did the same thing with Smoltz, after he returned from surgery. If Hudson does make the starting rotation, then I suspect we will either try to trade KK, or send him to the bullpen in place of Bennett.

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This is a terrible loss for all of the Pirate fans. This loss will afect our team by I think that our team chemistry will be shaken up and the players will not be happy with our management. I think that it is offical that the Pittsburgh Pirates will have the most losing seasons ever. Very very hard day to be a Pirates fan, I am speechless and don’t expect to see any Pirate fans at the game today against the Mets or ever!

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I live in Pittsburgh but I am orginally from Atlanta and I LOVE the Braves. I must tell you, the Pittsburgh fans are not happy about the trade. Honestly, I was a little shocked to hear Tom was being released but I think his time has come and gone. McClouth is a great addition for the Braves and he couldn’t have come at a better time. The Braves will have a three game series aganist the Pirates next week and this will give us Braves fan the opportunity to see what he is really worth!!!! Welcome to the team!

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I would have hated to see the Braves trade any decent prospects for a short term rental – the JD Drew and Texiera deals just sting worse and worse every day. But McLouth has a 3 year contract plus the club option for the 4th, he is a major upgrade over anyone playing in the outfield right now, and we did not give up any elite prospects. Good trade.

I’m sad to see Glavine leave the team not on his own terms, but I’m not sure it was avoidable. Seems like the dominant sentiment on here was that it was a mistake to sign him back in the first place. So it’s a mistake to release him, now, too? Like someone else said, we paid him over $1 million to rehab and no other team would have done that much. We have a very good starting staff, and he certainly would not have been an upgrade over anyone we are currently starting. It was time to move on.

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The trade for McLouth was bold, daring, and just what the Braves need to boost up the poor hitting by the outfield. You can’t land an All-Star without giving something up. Let’s hope this gets the Braves into the play-offs. I had hoped landing Texiera last year would do it, but that didn’t happen. Maybe it will this year. Something had to be done. Wren’s decisions with McLouth and Glavine will be vindicated if the Braves make the play-offs. If they don’t, he will probably be criticized. Injuries and DL’s have really hurt the team this year so they need to get healthy.

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Great moves. McLouth is not just a rent a player and we have him for 3-4 years at a cheap price. He already has more HR than all of our OF combined. Our pitching has been outstanding and all we needed is some more O to win the division. I’m pumped.

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The Braves mistake was resigning Glavine in the first place.
He bolted when,he could’ve helped and wanted to return after,becoming washed up.I say good riddance.
We traded three prospects for an all star at a position of need.That seems like a good deal to me although it’s too early to,make that determination.We’ll see how everything pans out.

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For those Braves critics who feel Tom Glavine got a raw deal by letting him pitch rehab assignments and then releasing him, you’ve forgotten something. Opposing teams also scout pitchers rehab assignments…don’t feel sorry for Glavine, another team will pick him up if he really can still pitch…

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It doesn’t matter what player the Braves get from the Pirates—they will never get close to the playoffs with the Phillies and the Mets in the division, with better talent, better managers and better organizations. The braves have one title from 95—that’s why they call atlanta loserville up in Philly–best sports city in America!!!

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I am as big a fan of Tom Glavine as anyone. Understanding the business side of baseball and his loss of velocity it is the right decision. Honestly it could have been handled better than it was, thinking over the reports of the last couple of weeks and hearing Tommy G. profess that he was ready to pitch in the Majors with little or no comment from the front office was the writing on the wall. Financially it only saves the club a small amount of money, but in the long run they get to find out just how special Tommy Hanson can be.

The trade for McLouth didn’t cost the Braves too much and his production on offensive is sorely needed. What does this mean down the road for Jordan Schafer? First things first, get himself sorted out at AAA and see what happens. If Frenchy plays as well as he can (?) and Schafer and Heyward reach their full potentials then in a couple of years the Braves are in a position that any club would love to be in.

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Braves duped again.

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PhilliesRule sorry to see that the flying Hawaiian has been grounded. Looks like the sparkplug might be gimping for a while. Go Braves.

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Longtime Pirates fan here, but sometimes I wonder why… This is another one of those occassions.
For Braves fans… be happy, be very happy. Nate McClouth is an extremely talented outfielder with growing skills, not declining. Do not worry about the average dipping slightly, he has had no support around him in the lineup and has been our only dangerous bat – therefore he’s been getting little to hit.
Outstanding defensively, taking exceptional lines to the ball with maybe 1 error over two years and double digit assists.
Not great speed, but exceptional at reading the pitchers and can steal 20+ bases per year.
Overall, our best player in several years and still young at 27 years old. A sad day for Bucco fans to be sure.

I’ve read your comments on your prospects included and frankly I’m dissapointed both from that, and from scouting reports I’ve read. The one bright spot for us is that our best prospect Andrew McCutchen gets a promotion to the bigs and he has superior talent. I hope he can live up to it.

Nate, I and I’m sure the rest of the fans here wish you nothing but the best and continued success… just not against us!

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The braves have gone from being a class organization . Too JUST CLASSLESS ! I can’t think of any organization that would treat the faces of there Organization the way the braves have. I’ts truly a SHAME.

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There is no way we get rid of Kawakami. He simply generates too much interational interest. Plus, he gives us an edge in recruiting from Japan in the future. He will never be more than a #4 or #5 starter, but we knew that going into this deal.

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“Bidness is bidness”…heard that in a movie sometime, somewhere. Truth is that Glavine left Atlanta for the Mets for business reasons (more money) and Smoltz left for business reasons (more money). Where was their sentimentality. Where was their concern for the organization that nursed them through their rookie mistakes and paid them when they were hurt (remember last year when Smoltz made a gazillion dollars per win). Fact is that players, the players union, the teams and MLB are all invested in a business. We fans don’t go out if the team is losing and complain about the lack of moves when the team is floundering (sound familiar?). Wren made two baseball moves, smart ones at that, that opened up a spot for a 22 year old who promises to be superb and is surely better at this point in time than Glavine and then gets a quality outfielder for three players who may never have lived up to promise nor played well at the major league level. McClouth on the other hand has shown he can play very well at the major league level and is under contract through 2011 with an option for 2012. As Braves fans we should rejoice and I, for one, wish both Glavine and Smoltz well other than the times they would oppose the Braves. They were key components of past Braves teams but their time has sadly passed. Maybe ten years from now we can talk about the time we added our All Star McClouth or our Cy Young winner Hanson…think about it.

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Mmmmm…so we pay him a $1,000,000 roster bonus to let him pitch one time to see if he still can get out major league players….that is wonderfully logical isn’t it?

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As Tommy G said back when he left the Braves for the Mets-”It’s a Business, I made the best decision for me and my family”. The Braves did the same thing.Uncertain what they would get from Glavine(production wise),they were contactual obligated to pay him a million dollar bonus if he were on the roster today I believe. And several other bonus’s would then upcoming. With his age & recent health issue’s, the Braves just did’nt think if fiscal responsible. A pure business move. Would it have been nice to let him make 1 more start in a Braves uniform-yes. But it would have cost them the bonus cash to do it. From what I understand Glavine was given the chance to retire a Brave or be released-he chose the latter. If the Braves had done the good PR move and kept/paid Glavine and for the sake of argument he broke down or was ineffective, the Braves would have been strapped cash wise to make other moves. The Braves budget is what it is,sorry Tommy.

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With the Glavine move we still have money leftover to sign a Power bat for LF or RF if we need to. McClouth will help out I hope. I am happy about the trade. Lets hope Tommy Hanson does the deed!

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now can we release/reassign Terry Pendleton too? Then the work will be done. Hire Larry sr.

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Great move. .500 baseball isn’t going to make the playoffs. If we can pick up an extra game per week with McLouth we’ll have a shot. Go Braves!!

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Just another bonehead move by the “worst” professional franchise in all of sports. Try justifying this. You had a guy in McLouth who was a fan favorite, had decent power, well above average speed, solid defensively and you ship him out for once again, the proverbial prospects. The organization is a joke and deserves to be in Triple A at best. Watch the lineup they trot out tonight. Freddie Sanchez in the 3 hole-lots of power there. Think about the outfield at this time last year, Jason Bay, McLouth, and Xavier Nady and now Nyger Morgan, Andrew McCutcheon, and Brandon Moss. You are lucky in Atlanta not to have to put up with this mess up here. I am done and will not attend any Pirate games. Fans as well as his teammates are up in arms over the deal. The Pirates have to be the laughing stock of baseball. Whenever a team needs to dump their slop for a quality player just call the Bucs. They’ll be sure to accomodate.

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Braves needed a centerfielder, now we have one. Braves needed a fifth starter, now we have one. I even think that Hanson will beocme the #4 and KK will drop to 5 soon. I hate the situation and timing for Glavin, but I think he would give up 4 or more runs in 5-6 innings every outing.

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I think Medlin will be a tremendous addition to the bullpen. I think he has tremendous upside on the bump, it’s unfortunate he had a few bad innings in his first couple of starts. But his last 10 innings or so were phenomenal. Think we could pitch a deal to Toronto for Kawakami? haha

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look mclouth is an exciting young player. but remember this, he only did it for one year. He wasnt even projected to be an every day player one year ago. just thought i would let you know. Dont get to excited yet!

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These are separate deals. The trade is great. An All Star centerfielder for three prospects that didn’t figure in the Braves plans due to the number of other players at their positions.

Glavine is a different issue. Wren gets paid to make the tough decisions required to win and manage the budget. I like Tom Glavine, and I think he received a lot of undeserved criticism for going to the Mets. This is a business and he maximized his value for himself and his family.

Wren’s decision was made over time and it was also a business decision. Why call up Glavine and pay a roster bonus when you believe you have two young starters who give you a better chance to win? If Wren forgets about the money, he may want to give Glavine a chance. However, you can’t forget about the money. Glavine didn’t.

Its also about the team. A few games back it was written that Chipper pulled himself and told Bobby to play Prado because it would give the team a better chance to win. This is the same type of decision. Play the players that give the Braves the best chance to win. That is what the fans want and just as importantly, it is what the members of the team deserve.

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Hey, PhilliesRule. You know what we call Philadelphia down here? Ghost Town, because They all live down here now. And you should be happy Glavine is available, because he would be your #2 pitcher on that sorry a$$ pitching staff. OK, you won it last year, but right now it’s looking like a fluke. Same with your Eagles and 76ers…goin nowhere!

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The Pirates are the only team in baseball cheaper than the Braves.

Jeff Bennett, you need to go, sucka.

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Will McLouth be in the line up today?

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Look you cant tell if a player is a bonified major leaguer till he does it two or three years in a row chill out on the Mclouth trade!

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As hard as releasing glavine is… it was the right thing to do.. even if tommy hanson struggles a little bit.. its time to move forward and give hanson his chance.. as for the mclouth deal.. to me it is very good and surprising.. i didnt think he would be traded as he just received an extention.. but for us.. it was a good day yesterday!! now lets get some wins and get back to playoffs

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“There was a time when they could have taken more money but never mentioned playing for another squad.”

So you are saying Glavine didn’t go to the Mets for more money?

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Nostalia and tradition notwithstanding, Wren did the right thing for the Braves. Get KJ down in the order at 6 or 7 and Frenchie at 8 and we might see more production from the bottom of the order. Whole batting order is now more dangerous for the opposition. We were a 500 club with half the order actually delivering. Future has got to be better.

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Glavine is a joke, we grossly overpaid for someone named McClouth, whoever HE is, the Braves STILL have no clutch hitters on the team with the possible exception of Chipper who can be one every 10th game or so.
Face it; the Braves are a .500 team……….nothing more, nothing less. They will finish 3rd in their Div.
Big deal.
Yawn.

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I think that Wren and Shuerholz are both CLASSLESS losers! They got their opportunity and acclaim from the production of 3 Hall of Fame
pitchers.Glavine,Maddux and Smolz. Look at how classless and tacky they were all treated on their way out.

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to all the fans who is crying over glavine, get over it.. didnt he leave to the mets not too long ago? idk y people are crying over it, it was time for him to leave and get hanson up here. i think we improved a lot so far. i like the gm frank wren. yea he let glaving go but if this is the worst thing glavine is gonna go through in his life, i think he had a great life than. he got paid 11million dollars last year for nothing, y would the braves want to give him another 3.5million for nothing back. let it go, glavine wasnt smolt,z he cant pitch anymore. if i was glavine i will retire just like brett favre.

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Bottom line, are the Braves better today? For Sure! I think Tommy would be perfect in Florida. They need a verteran pitcher to go with their young staff. Tampa would also be a good fit. This is the first time since 1987 that either Smoltz or Glavine or Maddox hasn’t been on the roster…wow.

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Braves are certainly better today than they were yesterday. Can’t wait to see what happens

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I don’t get the knocks on the Braves being cheap. They made a deal for an all-star outfielder- a position EVERYONE has been beating to death and rightfully so on this blog- and called up their top pitching prospect. Hanson’s call up was a move most on this blog have been clammering for. Where was Glavine going to pitch? He wasn’t going to pitch in spots one through four. He isn’t going to pitch ahead of Hanson at this point. Tim Hudson is slated to return in August. If the Braves hadn’t been aggressive in their moves, Frank Wren would have been criticized for sitting back and doing nothing. Some of the same people hating on Wren and the Braves were likely hating on Glavine when he walked off into the sunset to take more money from the Mets. He’s 43, just had MAJOR arm surgery and in his rehab starts, his velocity may not have been what some had reported. I respect what Glavine has done for the Braves, but there comes a time for all things to come to an end. If you use the same rationale that he is a Brave from the glory years and deserves to leave when he gets ready, then Terry Pendleton should be judged in the same manner. Many has called for his exodus as hitting coach. Moves are never easy. No one will agree on everything. Cheap? I don’t think that is right in this case.

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This is perfect. Sad about Glavine, but lets be real, it’s a young mans game, the time has passed. GREAT trade, didnt give up much (in my opinion) and Mclouth is EXACTLY what this team needed. Props to Wren for making some VERY, VERY tough decisions and shrewd trade. Getting hanson up is Key, let the kid pitch. Lets do this!!! Bottom line, the braves are better today than they were yesterday!!!!!!!!

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“Obama hates Cheney’s bald head the most”……….it was not worth the “risk” financially to “give” Glavine a few starts for $1 mil. True the Braves paid him $1 mil to do his rehab thing. However, after 2 months of no injuries to our starting pitchers (who by the way are consistently going 6-7 innings pretty much every nigh), combined with the fact that both Hanson and Medlen are ready to step in…..then letting Glavine go was the smart thing to do. If injuries had happened, then adding Glavine to the roster would have made sense. However paying him potentially $3.5 mil, when the OFFENSE needs to be improved, is not the best use of precious payroll dollars.

Simply put, GREAT move adding Nate McClouth. Frank Wren fleeced the Pirates on this. Pirate fans who have seen him play every night will tell you the same thing. McClouth plays a pivotal outfield position. He can run, has a good throwing arm, has some pop in his bat, and is only 27 years old with a very team friendly contract, for the next 4 years. We gave up prospects who may never pan out, in return for a sure thing who seriously upgraded a pivotal position. He can lead off, steal a base and hit for some power. Plus he walks almost as much as he strikes out. Serious upside here. How some of you morons can see this, amazes me.

KGrove….uh….I hope that the Phillies follow your suggestion of signing Glavine and only pitching him against the Braves. Why dont you look up Glavine’s stats when he pitched against the Braves for the Mets? We “owned” him. And now he is even older and lost whatever zip he had left. In fact I’m hoping that either the Mets or Phillies will sign him. That will help the Braves. Us subtracting a “bum”, a division adding a “bum”. (when I say “bum”, I mean about “current production’).

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End of an era, but it had to come eventually. Personally, I couldn’t be happier with this turn of events. I was always hoping that Hanson would get called up instead of Glavine. Plus the Braves save about 3 million in bonuses owed to Glavine. I would hope that we keep Kris Medlen up, he’s a good prospect, and with him, Lowe, Jurrjens, Vasquez, and Medlen we have the makings of an amazing rotation. As for Schafer, I hope they don’t give up on him. Wait until after this year and put him in left, or maybe right (if Frenchy doesn’t start producing). Or I suppose you could always use him as trade bait, but I would rather keep him. Mclouth is a great pickup for what we gave away. I saw him come up through the minors when I worked for the Indy Indians. He’ll be our best center fielder in a while, consistantly speaking. Go Braves, im glad Frank Wren isn’t just sitting on his hands. At least he is active.

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Yeah, props to Wren for making an EXTREMELY unpopular decision…The guy has guts.

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You Tom Glavine supporters keep bringing up Jamie Moyer, as if pitchers his age who are winning games is the norm. Here’s a news flash: There is a difference between the “exception” and the “rule”. Moyer is the “exception”. Tom Glavine nibbling and getting rocked when he has to come in is the “norm” for pitchers of his age who throw as soft as he does.

John Smoltz may well come back this year and pitch good for the Red Sox. However the Braves couldnt afford to knowingly pay a pitcher $5-6 mil, knowing that he was going to miss half the year. Hudson was hurt during his contract, so they have no choice but to pay him. However Smoltz was a free agent. It would have been foolish to sign him. The Red Sox can afford to have him waiting in the wings because they have all kinds of revenue coming in. But the Braves cant. Durability is the key. If Derek Lowe keeps pitching the way he has, and staying healthy like he has always been, then this contract will not end up being looked at as “overpaying”. At the end of 4 years, I’d like to see who has the better record, Lowe or Burnett. Imagine how much better the Mets or Phillies would be if they had outbid the Braves for Derek Lowe. Instead, the Mets paid big money to Oliver Perez. Both of those teams desperately need starting pitching. Our starters do not have a history of breaking down as the summer rolls along. Let’s see how other teams starting pitching health holds up.

Glavine will get a job with someone who will overpay for his services. And they will find out that he will tax their bullpen even more. So in essence, letting Glavine rehab in our minor league system, and “show casing” what he has left in the tank, may induce a team like the Mets or Phillies to pay him $3-4 mil to end up hurting them. So maybe this could end up helping the Braves in the long run. Do you guys remember how the Braves punished Glavine pretty much every time he pitched against us when he was with the Mets? I’d love to see an encore of that.

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Just terrible how Glavine was treated. Should have at least given him a shot for a few games. I’ve been rooting for the Braves for 25 years, but tough to cheer for this front office after the treatment of Glavine and Smoltz.

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When will our new CF make his debut in a Braves uniform. Will he start tonight vs the Cubs? I think all moves the Braves made were great. Umpires continue to slant for the opponent. They missed 3 calls last night, as the video clearly shows….wonder if it’s backlash for Chipper’s umpire comments a few weeks ago. I know Cox is going out of his way not to antagonize the umps. All his beefing and ejections in past years hurt the Braves with close calls, at least with some arbiters.

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WREN’S DIRTY DEALINGS

I felt as if I needed to take a shower to even listen to the Braves game on the radio last night — after hearing about Wren’s latest hatchet job with Tom Glavine (the fans are so quick to forget his earlier dealings with Smoltz).

It’s no surprise that Mark Lemke commented on the air yesterday that he was shocked. Everyone was. No one saw this coming — which points to the utter underhandedness of it all. The deeds done in the darkness, so to speak.

Not long ago JS called the Braves a proud orginization. No longer. They’re simply a win at all costs organization — with the players treated as mere commodities.

Make no mistake about it — irrespective of what Wren says — the Braves had McLouth’s salary to take on and dumped Glavine’s potential salary expense for joining the team. That’s how Frank dealt with a sure Hall Of Fame candidate and a long time Brave.

For the first time last night I didn’t care if the Braves won. In fact it was fitting they lost.

For in this fan’s mind they’ve already lost in a major way in the much more important game of organizational integrity — with the worst culprit being Frank Wren.

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Its simple Frankie so listen up! Stand pat with what weve got now, see how Hanson & K.K. are pitching, if they are solid you trade Vazquez & prospects for a corner right handed outfielder with power by the end of the August deadline, then you plug in Hudson to be the fifth man he should be ready by then. McClouth is a good addition but you still need a righty with some pop this offense will still struggle if you dont make any other moves. If we get a corner man with power were gonna see some playoff baseball! Go Bravos

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THANKS FRANK!! Go Braves!

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I don’t understand any fan who would want to go with nostalgia of say giving Smoltz or Glavine one last season rather than getting on with the Braves future in developing Tommy Hanson and our young players.We all know this team probably won’t be in the playoffs. The Florida Marlins have shown rebuilding can happen quickly if you concentrate on doing it. I am glad we have made a decision for our future not our past in releasing Glavine and bringing up Hanson.

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If anyone should understand this was a smart business decision, it would be Glavine. He was the biggest proponents in the ‘94 strike and he is the one that left us for the Mutts in 2003. How ironic.
He would make $1.5 million every 30 days on the roster… we just saved $4.5 Million dollars, and we have Hanson instead. Sounds great to me.

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Have been reading a lot about Glavine and seems like the sport pages all consider Glavine an ACE. Well hes not. Over the last 6 years he has a 63/60 record and let me tell you, thats not ACE status. I dont see that a lot of the Braves fans even wanted him in the first place. He left for the Mets and then wants to come back when hes injured. Oh well. He is not a life Brave. Yes I appreciate what he did but its been a long time since he did it and remember, once again he left on his own for more money.

Now its Hansons turn and he just might be that ACE. You dont keep a ACE in the minors becuase of a rusty old pitcher who wants to go out his way. I am glad Hanson is coming and I welcome McLough to the Braves. We still need someone in left field though. Anderson is not the power hitter we need and hes not that good defensively either. Fix that one spot and we are back at the top. Our pitching is great.

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Does anyone know where I can save a copy of the “Remembering Skip” Tribute Show by WGST?

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Great trade for McLouth but the Glavine release is hard to swallow. The Braves should have just come out and say that it’s a money thing (maybe again that the economics of baseball stinks) than dissing Glavine. Truth be told, Tommy Hanson is a better fit right now than Glavine (and a move that’s better for the long haul). I don’t know if the front office try to persuade Glavine to retire when he had that first set back or not but they shouldn’t have treated the deal that Glavine signed with the Braves this offseason as a mere audition, out of respect to him. I hope Chipper never had to suffer this kind of fate.

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Can someone tell me what is this teams goal ? To win am I right! Well listen here all of you so called Brave fans. I really liked Glavine too, but Wren is doing what is needed to be done to get this team back into the playoffs. This is not just a team, but also a business that he is running and for them to make money they need to win. QUESTION for all you disgruntled fans If you owned a company and had an employee that was under achieving and not worth the money you are giving him, would you replace him/her with someone? You don’t even have to answer, cause I know what the answer is.

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Let Glavine move to another club and let him get rocked and then come back and say it was about money. It was about winning and the Braves want Hanson and not Glavine. They could no longer aford to wait for what they knew was not going to happen. That being Glavine coming back strong and winning games for the Braves. I cant wait to see how long it takes him to retire after he finds a team to take him. It will not look good for Glavine. He should just go ahead and accept the Braves response and call it career. He only has himself to blame when he bolmbs and goes down with another team. After all, I thought he wanted to retire a Brave.

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We have one good player left, and now we ship him off to ATL for what? A pitch that couldn’t hack it in the majors, another that is in his 2nd tour in A ball, and A kid that may turn out to be pretty good, in a few years. I’d say the Braves got one on us with this deal. The raves shouldn’t expect him to hit 25 homers in their park, but he hits well and runs like a deer. You guys will like him a lot. Thanks for not sending us Franceur, or however you spell it. He sucks guys! Why don’t the Braves send him down with your center fielder? You guys must not have much on the farm in the outfield. Good luck, and please stop sending us your trash!

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Great trade! Very wise release! Now release Pendelton, he is clueless!!!

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so many fair weather fans out there, this was a great pickup for atlanta, he’s not a rental thats the best part, he’s a hitter, basestealer and goldglover. the glavine decision was best for the team, and he left this team for a few million more to the mets, so when fans scream about wren remember this, everyone wanted jordan and got em then anderson was gone, then he struggles, wanted hanson up, now he’s up here, there’s plenty of pitching depth and huddie coming back too, needed a bat, went and got an all star, it’s up to the players, all falls on them now, the pitching is there, so no more excuses

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Glavine dogged us in 02 so I am fine with this.

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I think the Wren haters on here need to chill. The Braves have been VERY patient with Glavine during his injuries last year and this year, but at the end of the day, once he was “ready,” he still didn’t bring to the Major League club what Hanson does.

Everyone wants to see the Braves as contenders again, but you can’t do that if you are not putting your best possible team on the field. Glavine would have been a very expensive #5 pitcher who the club didn’t seem to be impressed with. So, its time to move on (even if it hurts a little).

You think JS wouldn’t have let a player go who was too old to perform at the same level, even though he was an icon? You’re mistaken.

And, btw, since the Braves stuck with Glavine this long, he is ready to pitch if someone else wants him. Without the Braves’ patience and rehab help, that wouldn’t have happened…

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well joe from what we see his 9 hr and 34 rbi project out some where around 27 and 100+ and a 90 percent career sb avg 100 percent this yr and a.997 fielding percentage so I think he’ll turn out fine

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For those who think Glavine should have been given another shot- how many of you think that he would have dropped the $1 million roster bonus in exchange for a start or two?

The Braves would have been stupid to give him $1 million out of “sentiment”. Both Glavine and Smoltz placed $$ over loyalty, but think that The team should be loyal unilaterally. Wren did the right thing and they can both just kiss my grits.

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[b]Braves point of view:[/b]

McClouth is a great addition for this team. In all of my “fantasy” GM-ing, I never thought he would be available as a trade chip, so the fact that Wren got him was a complete surprise. He should probably fit in well in the top of the order to really help this team compete. I just don’t want to see him in the middle of the lineup unless chipper is out. We gave up nothing for him. Morton and Locke were extremely expendable since they did not have a place on this roster any time in the near future. Gorkys is a loss but McClouth could be around for a while and we still have Heyward/Scafer/Francouer to fill OF spots for a while.

Glavine: Poorly handled deal in my opinion, but there wasn’t much else that could be done. Wren made the mistake of signing him and had to cut his losses, so I can’t complain. Just wish we’d never signed him so we wouldn’t have to deal with Glavine ever being an issue.

Hanson: Finally, the future ace is on his way! He was easily the best option for the 5th starter spot, and I actually think he could pass by atleast Kawakami before the season ends.

Medlen: He was destined to the bullpen anyway, but it was nice to see that he has the abilty to start incase he is ever needed. He has a future, it’s just not going to be in the rotation. Does he have the stuff to be a future closer?

[b]From a Pirates point of view[/b]
It’s understandable to be upset about losing McCLouth, but really, does anyone expect the Pirates to compete this year and even possibly next? Huntington did not pick up junk,Gorkys Hernandez is a future star and Morton and Locke will both be more than capable pitchers at some point in their career. And now the Andrew McCutchen gets his chance in the OF, he could be quite good also. It was a move towards the future that will probably look good for the Pirates a few years down the road. Pirates fans are just going to need patience for a little bit longer.

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To reiterate a point earlier, starting center fielder for the Atlanta Braves the next few years:

Nate McLouth

NOT

Nate McClouth (Used 20 times in posts above)

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GREAT MOVE! Now dont get me wrong, I love Glavine, but i think it would just be embarrassing if he came back. His stuff is just not major league quality anymore. Mclouth will be a huge help in the putfield and offense for the braves. Great move Braves!

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When I hear McClouth my ears hear Ken Oberfell. When I hear Hanson my ears hear Craig McMurtry. Hello 1980s–nothing like assured mediocrity.

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Wren did Glavine a favor. Likely saved him from the embarrasment of getting smacked all over the diamond. Too bad Glavine’s ego or greed or both blinded his judgement and he had to be saved from himself. It’s like going back to your old girlfriend for one last one when you;ve been rejected by you last one…hoping for pity and one last good time. It never happens – so I hear.

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Growing up in the ’90s Maddux and Glavine were my heroes and they always will be, so needless to say I’m taking the entire thing personal in that “Oh dear god you just punched my grandma in the face,” type way. It’s not the way I would treat the only person that delivered you a World Series (not counting ‘14 Boston and ‘57 Milwaukee) But after letting my emotions die down it probably is a good decision; it just proves you can’t have a soul in baseball, especially when your chasing after an elusive pennant. I’m not on the Hanson bandwagon yet, but I hope he can help me jump onto it. If he has what everybody says he’s got then we’ll be in good shape.

As for the McLouth deal I think it was brilliant, especially since his contract is through to 2012. Having him in the lineup with Francoeur (whenever he shows up to the Ted with his bat) and then having Anderson/Diaz in left (with Heyward next year?) I think the team is in good shape, provided everyone can stay healthy past a stretch of more than ten games at a time.

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So Smoltz wanted the Braves to give a washed up Glavine a million dollars? Thank God Wren didn’t give in to the sentimentalists and baseball groupies. Which is what has happened too often in Atlanta sports, a la Dale Murphy, who had stats worse than Frenchy’s his last 3 years in Atlanta.

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let’s go and get cory hart from the brew crew

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Jerry…….Murphy’s average was down his last 3 years, however his walks, homers and RBI’s were way better than Franceour’s numbers the past year and a half.

The Murph’s stats in 1989……..20 homers, 84 RBI’s, 65 walks.
1990……..24 homers, 83 RBI’s, 61 walks.
1991……..18 homers, 81 RBI’s, 48 walks.

Franceour’s stats in 2008……..11 homers, 71 RBI’s, 39 walks
(projected) 2009……..12 homers, 77 RBI’s, 19 walks

The Murph was at the tale end of his career. Franceour is 25 years old. So comparing a PROVEN superstar’s tail end of his career numbers to a baseball player who is supposed to be in his prime is laughable.

I see that during the rain delay FoxSportsSouth is showing the “Jeff Franceour life story”. Trying to get people to “feel good” about seeing Franceour out there, hoping that he can live up to his “potential”. However, he just doesnt have the ability to produce in the manner that the Braves need from a right fielder. Plus he will be asking for $5-7 mil in arbitration next year. I think that Braves management is so afraid of taking the public relations hit that many of the so-called Braves fans will be dishing out if they were to get rid of him. But Damn, how much longer can the Braves afford to keep putting his “easy out” bat in the line-up.

Just because someone is a nice guy who is from the hometown, does not mean that just throwing him out there is going to “make” him the superstar you want him to be. I am a BRAVES fan. I want to see us win. I could careless about hurting the feelings of people that I dont think are TRUE Braves fans. Many of you are more loyal to certain players than you are to the team.

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As far as the trade for McClouth and the moves with Shafer, Hanson and Medlin, I think they’ve covered. The best part of all these moves is that they took place now, not on July 31 when it may have been too late. Timing is everything and this was perfect timeing.

As for the Glavine situation, I’m not “diappointed” or anything worse that John Smoltz referred to in his latest bashing of the Braves. I find it annoying that players make moves for their “families” and take the money and run; that’s ok. But if the Braves make a decision that is best for the team it’s not. Excuse me guys, but you cannot have it both ways.

A lot of this has to do with the fact that these great Braves cannot hang it up, let it go. They do what’s best for themselves without considering if its best for the team. They have diminished their legacy by their actions. Mad Dog had the class, the vision of his place in life and in the game and saw it was time to leave the game. Too bad his mates don’t follow his lead.

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I love the Mclouth deal becuase the Braves only had to give up 3 prospects and 2 were pitchers, which the Braves have plenty of. The Braves were right to release Glavine. After all, he was only resigned to be a temporary fifth starter until the Braves decided that Hanson was ready. The Braves determined that he is ready, so Glavine was of no use to them. It didn’t make sense to give Glavine a shot and pay him $1 million for him to play in the MLB. It was a good move by the Braves. Good luck elsewhere Glavine!!!!!!!!!

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“What exactly is going to happen when all of our starting pitchers are healthy? Even with the release of Glavine we still have a total excess of pitching. 1. Lowe 2. Hudson 3. JJ 4. Javy 5. Hanson ? I know we’re not going to give up on KK that easily and I believe they’d like to keep Medlin pitching. Campillo I assume will go to the Bullpen. Any thoughts on that?”

The Braves aren’t done beefing up their line-up. If our winning percentage increases like logic dictates it should, the Braves have plenty of trade bait to play with. Expect to see another blockbuster move before the deadline, though perhaps this time they might seek to replenish some of the young talent they have recently traded away.

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This was a very good trade that instantly improves The Braves. As far as Smoltz’s bitterness towards The Braves goes, he needs to move on with his life – Glavine has had a great career, but would most people want Glavine or Hanson as the fifth starter this year? Smoltz, who was my favorite Brave, might also want to remember when he started 1-11 early in his career and the “heartless” Braves ownership stuck with him. Have a Sam Adams and a lobster roll and chill Smoltzie.

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well said Drixie – maybe – just maybe – Hanson is a #1 next year – who knows, but he has the stuff…. Can he handle it? Time will tell

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ihope glavine goes back to the mets, I need to make alot more money, the braves rocked glavine easy money, I will also make a lot of money when the yankees and redsox comes to atlanta then the phillies, oh boy HAPPY days are hear again , SMOLTZ WILL DESTROY ATLANTA, as far as glavine ITS ABOUT TIME TO GET RID OF HIM, THE DAYS, OF THE GLAVINES, CLEMENS,MADDOX,SMOLTZ AFTER THIS YEAR, IS OVER, PITCH WHEN YOU WANT IS OVER., WHEN TEAMS HIRE THESE ICON PLAYERS FOR I/2 THE TIME AND BIG BUCKS IS OVER,hanson should have been here when the year started,although he will lose saturday to the brew crew, this mclouth trade,will not help the braves, because THEY CANNOT HIT THE DAMNNNNNN BALL,PATHETIC,GREG MADDOX WAS THE BEST PITCHER TO PUT ON A SORRY BRAVES UNIFORM EVER,he lost so many games 1-0 or 2-1 it used to make me sick, what THEY DID TO SMOLTZ WAS A TRAVESTY NOT GLAVINE, smoltz never left glavine did, this is why i make so much money on the braves betting against them most of the time, they sux .period

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It’s a biz, not a charity. Glavine left us when it was in his best interest. This move was in OUR best interest. I appreciate Tommy and all he’s given, but this ain’t team bowling with your neighbors.

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willieg

What team do you root for or are you just another bipolar idiot?

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Altho willieg , i would feel just as you. forget the last two posts of mine

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As Dan said “(Tom) Glavine…tough break, I’m sure he will get over it. As he so well demonstrated, baseball can be a brutal business.”

Greg Maddux showed class when he retired last December. He said it wasn’t fun anymore. How can it be fun for Smoltz and now Glavine? They are scratching and clawing as they are being dragged off of the stage. Can they still pitch? Probably. Can Hank Aaron still hit a ball out of the park on a good day. possibly. He was that good folks.
This is hard. I LOVE those guys! Avery retired at 30! The Big 3 had their day. We basked in the glory for a long time…it was amazing to say the least.
To John Smoltz: It was all about money? You know too much? give me a break! who went to Boston/Mets(Glavine) for more money? That’s right. Those guys made HUNDERDS of millions during their careers!
Smoltz/Cheney 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Braves have not been the most loyal team to longtime favorites, but this is baseball. There is no crying right? It is all about winning and how much can 2 pitchers who have played less than Mike Hampton in the last year provide? They are done and cannot accept it. Just ask Aaron, Murphy, Niekro how tough it is. All of these guys had their day in the sun and inevitably each day will end. Thank you for leaving it all out there…You will not be forgotten…….a Braves fan for life

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my bad, i meant Cheney/Smoltz 2012……..get a life and deal with it.

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I realize that the Braves only have so much money to allocate towards payroll. I want the Braves to spend money on the right players who will help us win. After this year, the Braves will be in really good shape concerning payroll.

Potential payroll for 2010:

Jeff Bennent…………salary arbitration
Kris Medlen…………..Up to Braves
Tommy Hanson……..Up to Braves
Jair Jurrgens…………Up to Braves
Peter Moylan…………Up to Brvaes
Kenshin Kawakami….$8,333,333
Derek Lowe……………$15,000,000
Javier Vazquez……….$11,500,000
Mike Gonzalez………….free agent
Rafael Soriano……….free agent

That’s all 5 starters and 3 relievers all under contract. If the Braves resign both Gonzalez and Soriano, that leaves 2 or 3 more spots left to fill out the bullpen. Those non-closer spots are likely to cost the Braves somewhere along the Major League minimum.

That adds up to $34,333,333 plus whatever the Braves renew both Hanson and Jurrgens with…probably near $400k for Hanson and between $500-600k for Jurrgens. That is a little more than $35 mil for the starting 5. Plus another $1.5 or so for Bennett, Moylan, and Medlen. Total for the 8 pitchers….approximately $37 mil.

Field positions players:

Brian McCann……..$5,500,000
David Ross…………$1,600,000
Casey Kotchman…salary arbitration (2009 salary $2,885,000)
Kelly Johnson……..salary arbitration (2009 salary $2,825,000)
Yunel Escobar…….up to the Braves
Chipper Jones…….$13,000,000
Martin Prado……….salary arbitration (2009 salary $415k)
Matt Diaz…………….salary arbitration (2009 salary $1,237,500)
Omar Infante……….$2,475,000
Nate McLouth………$4,500,000

That’s 10 position players, 5 of whom will make $27,075,000. Yunel Escobar will probably get $600-700K, Matrin Prado $1.2-1.5 mil, Diaz $2-2.5 mil, Kotchman $4-4.5 mil, and kelly Johnson $4-4.5 mil. At most, those 5 add up to $13,700,000….which adds up to $40,775,000 for the 10 position players under contract.

Now many of you will say, what about Jeff Franceour? I’m assuming that the Braves will not tender him a contract. If they did, that would be the worst $5-6 mil investment imaginable.

Franceour aside, the 18 players under contract total $77,775,000. That gives the Braves financial flexibility to sign Soriano and/or Gonzalez. Or they can sign one free agent closer who can be a dominant closer. Also, they will have the money to sign a big bat, power, right handed right fielder. And they’ll need to fill out the roster with 3 bullpen guys, a starting left fielder, (unless they resign Garrett Anderson to form the Anderson/Diaz left field platoon) in which they will need 2 back-up outfielders.

Tim Hudson option is for $12 mil, with a $1 mil buyout. Obviously the Braves wont pick up the option. However if they can resign him for a reasonable salary, then that would offer them flexibility to acquire a right handed power right fielder. And of course cutting Jeff Franceour.

The Braves started this season with a $96,726,166 payroll (it would have went over $100 mil if they had added Glavine to the roster, which means that the Braves had budgeted for a $100 mil payroll). If the payroll doesnt increase, then that leaves the Braves with $23 mil to improve the team. However I feel that the Braves will be able to increase the payroll some, possibly $5-10 mil if they can get the right players.

So to sum this long posting up, the Braves have some real flexibility to improve the team. Obviously the projections do not include any trades that Frank Wren can swing in the next few months. Still, if he can make a wise trade, the Braves will be in really good shape, both on and off the field.

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How low have we gone that a .256 hitter is a savior? Its a good trade, but not a game changer. McLouth should be the third man in the outfield, not the first.

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THE LAST PART OF BUSTER OLNEY’S COLUMN
(On Tom Glavine)
(From the ESPN web site)

Tommy Hanson, who now takes a spot in the Atlanta rotation, is going to be a star, and he might have a chance of making the Braves better in the short term as well. He also plays for minimum wage, and because the Braves spend less on him than they might’ve spent on Glavine, they are in a better position to stay within their budget while pursuing outfield help. If you are running a fantasy team, this is the move you make.

But the Braves aren’t playing a board game. They were dealing with Glavine, who had played a major role in hoisting up the franchise after decades of failure.

Glavine had honored the contract he signed with Atlanta in February, done the work, pitched where he was told to pitch and done so with good results. At the very least, he had earned a start or two or three in the majors. If he had gotten pounded, well, then it would’ve been clear that Glavine couldn’t help the Braves.

But the Braves cut him and shoved him out the door before they had to pay him any more money, a move that is beneath them.

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Smoaks is still PO’ed that the braves did not give him a 10M contract to sit on his “BUTT” while he rehab. He need to keep his mouth shut about what the Braves is doing now. On Glavine he needs to retire along with Maddox and Smoaks they are used up. Go to the beach and wait for your turn to be voted into the HALL. All three deserves it. Just for the record I love all three and think they WERE the best in baseball. So have a great retirement.

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I approve of each and every move the Braves made. The Braves owe Smoltz and Glavine exactly nothing. They were WELL paid for the years they with the Braves. I like Smoltz and Glavine, they helped make the Braves the team of the 90’s. It is time to move on with Hanson, Medlin, Lowe, Vasquez, Jurjens,McCain and Chipper(who seems to appreciate his good fortune and has earned ii). Way to go Mr Wren and all the scouts/managers and execs.

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I have been a Braves fan all of my life and I love Smoltz and Glavine too but it is so hard for me to understand why the fans post all day every day about we want to compete again, tired of this losing, tired of not winning the division that we were so accustomed to winning. Then everybody dumps on Wren in the offseason for not making some moves to pick up some outfielders. Now some fans want smoltz and glavine back despite their age and effectiveness just because of their service with the Braves? As for Glavine, he made his bed when he jumped over to the Mets in my opinion. As for Smoltz, I was disheartened by his move but I don’t feel he is a 6 Mil a year guy anymore. It is time to step into 2009 and thank the guys that helped us in the past but move forward. Letting them go is not “disrespect” or forgetting what they have done. It is doing what is best for the team. Hanson may finish with a 7.00ERA as someone previously stated but I don’t see how anyone in their right mind thinks that Glavine is a better option unless you are living in 1995. Teams let people go, this is professional sports. You can’t have it both ways. We either compete to win at all costs or we bask in mediocrity by hanging on to aging stars because “we owe them something.”

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Tom Glavine didn’t seem all worked up about our city when HE LEFT to go to the Mets a few years back. NOW all of a sudden, he is crying about what he did for this city, Please…..Tom Glavine was a GREAT PITCHER for The Braves, BUT at 42, with 18 to 20 year olds hitting him at Gwinnett and Rome, I think he would have been hammered on the Major Leage level. This “I think they wanted me to get hurt” is a bunch of BS. I don’t think anyone in The Braves organization EVER wants to see anyone get hurt. And the million bucks The Braves would have had to pay, come on, these days that is chump change to any Major League teams. Was it handled as smoothly as it COULD have been handled, maybe not. But baseball is a BUSINESS of WINNING, (Business being the key word there) and I, for one, don’t think Tom Glavine was at his best to help The Braves win.

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I want Schuerholtz back as the GM. Wren is an embarrassment – how is it possible that he didn’t know this would be a mistake and a P.R. nightmare – - all for ONE MILL? Bad judgement, Wren! John Scherholtz has to clean up his mess? EMBARRASSING.

And as for the McClouth trade… I think Wren got a mediocre player for a top prospect. Braves are going nowhere, unfortunately.

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