Roy Oswalt going to Phillies, and Braves need to respond (UPDATED)

second?

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3rd

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Jeff, don’t panic… Whats oswalts ERA? We will be fine… Remember we need to hit.. pitching has not been the issue!

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Don’t give up Medlen, he has some of the best stuff in the game….and will be a big time starter in years to come. You don’t see many pitchers with the back door change up like Medlen’s….just nasty!

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The Braves have apparently lost whatever spark they had at mid season. They are not known for being innovative or making bold moves. (The trade of five players for Tex was not bold. It was stupid.) If this team continues to muddle along, they will be on the golf course in October. At least bring up Freeman. Glaus is in a coma.

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I just wanted to say, “Good luck, we’re all counting on you.”

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Just listening to ESPN radio and of course they are all over this.

They just said “If you’re a Braves fan right now, you’re floundering…you’re wondering what to do. The Phillies have cut the lead in half in a week and now have Roy Oswalt, plus Jason Werth hitting again and Chase Uttley coming back in August.”

Can’t say I don’t agree. Now the Braves are down 4-3 to the Nationals and the game may be called which will be another loss for the Braves. I am growing worried.

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Wow Phillies are strong now.

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Jeff, if you were Wren, what would you do?

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You don’t make a move just because the Phils did – unless is makes your team clearly better. I just wish the Braves had gotten Oswalt in a block move. He would have chosen the Braves over Philly. We could have given them Medlen and a couple prospects, then taken $11M or so Houston is couging up, and use Chipper’s salary from next year to pay Oswalt. That would not only make the Braves rotation even stronger, but would keep the Phils from acquiring their 3rd ace. Now the rotation of Halladay, Oswalt, and Hammels is going to be very difficult to overcome next season.

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IlliniBrave are you kidding? “We are toast?” You act like the Braves suddenly have a bad team. EVERY team has ups and downs. The Braves are currently down while the Phillies are up. After this weekend the Braves play 14 of 17 at home where they are VERY good. The road trip in between is at Houston who is TERRIBLE. Relax, plenty of time left. There is always the wild card too.

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doing something would make us look weak. We have a very solid team. If we do something great, but it is not necessary. The phillies will be terrible in 3 years. I hope we’ve learned from the teixiera trade.

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The Phillies are basically saying the future is now. Their minor league system is empty for trading purposes and many of their veterans are nearing the end of the productive side of their careers. Maybe the Braves hold on, maybe not but the future looks bright for the organization. I don’t believe Wren mortgages the future for the sake of possibly winning the division and lets not forget the wildcard option, which gets the Braves into the playoffs without having to go through Philadelphia.

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Bob in SF is right- I remember the media screaming back in 1983 that the Barves HAVE TO MAKE THE LEN BARKER TRADE- and then piled on the Braves for years after for making one of the owrst trades ever (their words, not mine). Nw here is ol’ JS syaing the Braves HAVE TO MAKE A TRADE- and will for years after happily report how misguided the Braves were for trading Player X (like Adam Wainwright, Elvis Andrus, etc) for a pennant drive that may/may not pay off..

That being said- a consistent power hitting OF or 1B would be nice to have.

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The Braves don’t NEED to respond. Thats why I don’t like this blog. JS seems to play to peoples emotions. When the Braves lose 9 straight the season is over. When they get a big lead they already one it. When the Phillies make a move the Braves have too. It’s propaganda in its purist form. Using peoples emotions in extreme cases, in this instance to gain readers. The Braves have all they need internally: http://ijpb.blogspot.com/

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Not that big, half their lineup went on the DL yesterday along with Jamie Moyer and Utley. Not worried about them. The Braves are about to play that long stretch at home where they are tough to beat. My guess is that after that the Braves will be up by 6 again.

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The dye has been cast, Bradley has spoken, the Braves are doomed.

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Halberstram, Cliff Lee has been with the Rangers for three weeks already. That was hardly a trade deadline deal.

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I love how morons highjack your name and post comments. Use your own name d*** a**.

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Kerryb

July 29th, 2010
3:46 pm
So, the Phillies add an aging 6-12 pitcher ,who at this stage of his career is a 3rd or 4th starter, and we are suppose to worry.

Hmmmm

He’s 32, playing for a god-awful team and his ERA would be 2nd best on the Braves after Hudson (starters)

But hey, rationalize away…it’s the beauty of being a Sportsfan

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When half of your position players are on the DL a guy like that is not that much of an impact.

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I hear Barry Bonds is still available.

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What did Houston get back for this? Absolute moron that Ed Wade is.

Hey Philly… here’s our best pitcher AND 11 million dollars… give us back meh.. JA Happ and some average prospects… thanks.

Has Ed Wade tendered his resignation for incompetance yet? Wow it must be miserable to be a fan of the Astros. They are Awful and they have no hope.

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Braves should try to package Infante and Minor for someone like Hart or Crawford, I would hate to give those guys up but I beleive that kind of deal would be a winner for everyone involved, Cox isn’t going to use Infante for anything other than a bench player so they might as well trade him for something we need, we need someone Like Niger Morgan to get on base and make things happen since we are not a power team. Bring up Freeman and bench Glaus before he reaches the McLouse level, Freeman is tearing it up in AAA.

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Now don’t get me wrong, I like Melky, I think he has contributed more than a lot of other to this team BUT i think now we tend to look at that trade one sided because Javy has struggled this year. A GM who knows what he is doing does not trade a pitcher who has the highest trade value of his entire career for Melky Cabrera. That is not a move that says we want to win, thats a move that says we have a budget to adhere to. This club had ZERO intention to contend for a championship they were designed to play decent baseball and perhaps stumble into a wild card and extra revenue from a play off series which they would promptly be swept in.

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We have a .300 hitter sitting on the bench while our 1st baseman (and to a lesser extent our 3rd baseman as well) is killing us because he needs an occasional rest and isn’t getting one. “Hitting out of a slump” doesn’t work when the slump is directly caused by being overworked and in pain. This is obvious from the cheap seats; wonder why it isn’t from the captain’s chair? We should work on using what we have correctly before worrying about adding pieces. Infante alternating at 1st and 3rd everyday would essentially add three bats by making Chipper and Glaus more effective when they DO play. It isn’t very complicated.

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papadawg, The Phillies are about to finish their run in between the time that the Braves had to reload to take the Division again. The Phillies and the Mets have depleted their farm systems trying to make this run for two years while the Braves were stocking theirs up. The run is about to start again. Absolutely not envious of the position the Phillies are about to be in.

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Ralph, how do you do a package for Hart and Crawford when they are not on the same team? I’d rather keep Minor. He has been mowing people down in the minors. We don’t have a lefty starter. I’d rather deal Medlin and bring up Minor who is at Gwinette right now.

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In seven starts Oswalt is 0-3 against the Braves and has a 7.58 ERA. That is a big pickup.

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@BuckheadBrave: I agree with you, though for different reasons. I think you’re right, in that they did not think they would be in this place at this point in the season. But I don’t agree with your premise that they never intended to challenge for the division lead. I think Wren brought in several 1-2-year guys as bridges to the future (e.g., Glaus-Freeman, Wags-Venters, Kawakami-Vizcaino/Teheran, Gonzalez-Salcedo). Wren is building toward 2011-2012, where the Braves will be younger, more exciting, and cheaper.

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That shows you how the Phillies have depleted their farm system. I think it is pretty stupid to trade a good young pitcher like Happ for a rented pitcher who is around ten years older than him.

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He wrote Hart OR Crawford. Reading comprehension – catch it!

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[...] Roy Oswalt-to-Phils deal is close; Podsednik to DodgersUSA TodaySource: Oswalt plans to OK tradeESPNAtlanta Journal Constitution (blog) -New York Times (blog) -Bleacher Reportall 529 news articles » This entry [...]

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Hate to say, but you got to make a trade centered around Randall Delgado for Josh Willingham and have him leave on the plane with us today.

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@BuckheadBrave: Vizcaino was the centerpiece of the Vasquez trade. A talented lefty reliever (Dunn) and Melky were important but not essential throw-ins. You people crying “Don’t mortgage our future” at the same time you’re bashing Wren’s moves don’t seem to be able to see past this season.

With a limited payroll, in two to three seasons we may have four ace-level starters all under long term club control for peanuts. The trade of Escobar isn’t important in the long run because Wren signed Salcedo out of Cuba who has much more talent and will be cheaper for longer, and Alex can fill in the time gap perfectly. Assuming Freeman pans out as well (and Chipper, Lowe and KK’s money are all off the books) that leaves an enormous amount of money freed up to pursue free agents that can round of a very talented club without breaking the bank for years to come, and I didn’t even mention the young bullpen arms we have coming up.

You Wren bashers won’t be at it for long; there’s a reason he’s in there and you’re not.

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Hart ? Kemp ? Lee with Cubs? Bantista Jays plus they have 2 good relief pitchers up for trade. Ohman Balt? Royals have couple relief pitchers? Upton? Get your A@@ busy Frank Wren and get it done!
No to Ross. Maybe Dunn but he wants a 3 year deal.

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BuckheadBrave, which Braves are having career years to make Wren look good? Chipper? Yunel? Melky? McCann? McLouth?

That comment wasn’t very well thought through. If half those guys were having AVERAGE seasons the Braves would be running away with the division.

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No to willingham. we already have willingham. his name is diaz.

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This team is in big trouble. Philly going for what win #8 in a row? Another series loss for the braves and they play at cincy against tough pitching this weekend. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a sweep there and philly takes the lead in 11 days after being down 7.5. Amazing. But that’s the choke crap factor of atlanta teams. And some moron for the ajc said 8 reasons why the braves would win 7 days ago. Friggin idiots at this paper.

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Who is the idiot that said the Phillies regulars are on the down side of their productive careers – really? That team is not going to be in the mix for 5 more years, and this deal helps their cause. Are we to depend on Lowe and his constant underachievement as one of the top 3 starters? Face it – this makes Philly better. A guy with a 3.42 ERA added to a CY Young Award winner in Halladay and quality starter in Hamels – those three are as good as any 3 combined out there. If the guys on the DL come back with anything left, the Phillies will be a very formidable team. If you cannot score much, you better shut teams donw. The Phillies now have 3 guys that can go 7 innings a night, taking pressure off their terrible bullpen; an area where the Braves clearly possess an edge.

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Dunn just dunn it…out in CF.5-3, now.

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Chipper’s Daddy, I happen to agree with you. But I expect if you keep bombarding Jeff’s blog with a link to your own you’ll get banned.

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Im not a Wren fan either. He has made dumb moves. Like overpaid for Lowe and Kawakami, Yunel for Gonzalez and the Glavin deal, Tex for Cotchman!!! !omg im getting angry again!!.

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Wow, i’ve never known it to be this hot in APRIL, oh, its not april, sure seens like it.

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The Braves are sucking today like they have been for the past week. We don’t need to respnd, we HAVE to respnd to what Philly did. We need to do what it takes to get a big bat

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**respond**

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Let’s see we just scored 0, 3, and 3 runs against the Nats, and no Strasburg didn’t pitch. I’d say we need some offensive help. But as we know Bobby’s brilliant (non) offensive strategy and TP as hitting coach are tough to overcome.

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Ooh that brain mccann pinch hitting is sooo scary

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Willingham IS the ANSWER. And he is NOT Diaz. He has 60 BB. And he CAN hit RHPs.

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Meant 2 weeks

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Agreed JS. Help would indeed help.

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Buck, our 3 hole is hitting .250 with no power. Our SS was hitting .230 with 0 home runs. Melky has, what, 3 home runs? McLouth is not hitting his weight (and he’s a little guy). Glaus is hitting in the .240s. Mac has been up and down, but is still just hitting .271 with 13 HR. We may not have a single player hit 20 home runs. Omar has played part time, is a solid player (that Wren traded for, by the way), but is hardly a run producer.

If anything, Wren should be credited with putting together a team that could win despite players not producing as expected, and even contend with a Phillies’ team with a $60M payroll advantage.

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2.5 games after tonight. Phillies up by .5 by Sunday. Simply amazing.

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Now Oswalt is “old”. He wasn’t “old” when the Yankees, Cardinals and Dodgers all wanted him, was he? The Phillies offense is back on track and they’ve just added the best pitcher on the trading block (Lee wasn’t on the trading block. His being traded was a surprise to everyone).

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They just look tired. Glaus especially. Why wouldn’t you try Freeman to put a little spark in September as a part time player? Maybe a little postseason rookie magic like Andruw Jones in 1996.

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Yes, the Braves need to do something. However, that “something” would be to not drop two out of three to Washington. Apparently, that is just exactly what they are going to do.

They don’t need to rush in and pull another Lenny Barker-J.D. Drew-Mark Teixeira disaster. But, we all know that management excels at one thing- disasterous moves made while in a state of panic.

Stand by for another disaster.

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JustaFan,

I think that is what we want for the rest of this year when we have guys like Melky and Blanco who can come in in the 7th to play D and hold a lead.

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Braves lose again!!! Is this the beginning of the end?

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Booby cox looks like death sitting in that dugout. No wonder they suck.

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we should have gone after Podsednik if he was available. I feel like the Braves can be short sighted i looking for players who fit their lineup instead of looking at what they can do to change their lienup. Podesednik would have let the Braves move Prado back to the 2 hole and move some struggling players down.

1.Podsednik-LF
2.Prado-2b
3.Chipper-3b
4.McCann-C
5.Heyward-RF
6.Gonzalez-SS
7.Glaus-1B
8.Melky-CF.

That is a better lineup than we have today. Also I know it may be a little risky defensively but i seem to remember Diaz playing CF some last year. Do you think they will end up trying that to maybe get his and Hinske’s bat in the lineup at the same time?

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@FactsAreFacts: I think the majority of the posters here ARE giving the Phillies some serious respect. Many/most of us have commented on how you are a stronger team and are starting to play better. And now you have made a great trade for Oswalt. Most of us are actually recognizing the “reality” as you say. But what about you? Do you have any respect for the Braves? I have to say that, not matter where I go, no matter which stadium or which opponent, the Phillies fans are always the most obnoxious and disrespectful. I’ve seen the Phils play the Cubs at Wrigley, the Braves at the Ted, the Cards at Busch, and the Expos up in Montreal – and Phillies fans are just downright obnoxious and annoying. Why is that?

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NO WILDCARD IF THIS KEEPS UP. METS AND FLA BACK IN RACE.

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100% with buckhead. Wish PODS was in a braves uni.

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We was noticing the Braves lost again. When we was playing ball Coach would always try to put in somebody that was hitting. Bobby Cox might try that when he makes out the lineup.

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“Dispassionate objectivity is itself a passion, for the REAL and for the TRUTH.” The Philadelphia Phillies will win the Division people.

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Mets come to town August 2nd. The Ted will have 18,000 max. We don’t sit in traffic to watch this crap.

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Without being a knee-jerk reaction kind of guy, I think the Braves do need to make a move. Not so much to keep up with the Phillies, just their outfield offense really isn’t very strong.

They’ve needed a bat (more, really) in the outfield for several years now. Heyward is one; still short a bat. C Jones is now a singles hitter, Glaus is streaky, McCann seems to be back, but it’s not enough.

Too many spare parts. Infante, Conrad, Diaz, Cabrera, Hinske…Need a masher. Willingham, Hart, C Young would all do.

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FactsAreFacts, Go eat a cheesesteak

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Trading Medlen at this point in the season would not be a good move. Not only has he provided a spark to the rotation but his value increases during the playoffs. His ability to be a long man or to attack one hitter gives him great value. Why would we want Minor, who has yet to throw a pitch in the majors, take on this roll? Also add in the fact he’s left handed, and we have three pretty good lefties in the pen already. A winter move, possible. Not now. I’m in agreement Chavez and KK need to go. Send both to Gwinnett, call up Marek, and get a bat for the bench. We don’t need 13 pitchers. The struggles of Glaus appear to be linked to his health. Without his bat the team is struggling. Hinske could give him a breather. One name out there that wouldn’t cost a ton would be Hank Blaylock. Chipper can’t stay healthy so he could fill in at both corners. I still feel Blanco and Infante could handle center (sorry I’m not a Melky fan). We’ve got the bats to handle a Phillie charge as long as the guys stay semi healthy.

And would someone please explain to Hanson that throwing a first pitch fastball isn’t a sin? The man throws 95 mph and throws his second or third best pitch to start a hitter off 75% of the time. He didn’t have this issue last year. Stop trying to out think the hitter, do what you do best, and see if they can hit it. Medlen does it and look at the results. Geeze.

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Could we be so lucky for someone to take Lowe in a trade? Dude gives up a 2 run single that turned the game to a .182 hitting back up catcher, threw him meat with the pitcher on deck. This guy is going through the motions waiting for that Friday pay check, unfortunately it it a rather large paycheck that I am affraid no team would dare take on unless we dulled the pain for them. Step it up Lowe, quit wining when the ump misses a call and start earning that money.

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think i’ll do that 912………….good day.

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sorry guys. I am an idiot.

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All,

I most certainly did afford the Braves proper respect. You may want to read my post again, geniuses. I said ” the Braves have certainly been a pleasant surprise this year, for sure” I also said that the Braves may take it in the end”, but that I do not think so. The Phillies are starting to play ball, despite all of their injuries, and will be getting guys back over the course of the next month or so. Why is it disrespectful to state that my team is a better team? We’ve proven that is the case. As for your contention that all Philly fans are obnoxious, ignorant, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah, it is SO tired. And you are so very clueless. I gave the Braves props and attempted to have an intelligent conversation here. But you choose to attack me…who’s being obnoxious in this regard? Keep it above board, boys!!

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Frank Wren, what do we do now??????? Are you still STANDING PAT??????

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Jeff – what is the deal with Smoltz? Is he still hoping to pitch for somebody this year?

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I wish our lineup looked like this.

1) Prado 2nd
2) Heyward CF
3) Jones 3rd
4) MAC C
5) Freeman/Glaus 1st
6) Diaz RF
7) Infante/Hinske LF PLATOON
8)Gonzales SS

Also If there is one name I would pee my pants to have: it is Lance Berkman who is under contract through 2011 and could be resigned if need be. he can play corner OF. Big switch hitting bat with power. Astros are already conceding this season. and a young arm would be worth his power potential/versatility.

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Nacho Daddy – First of all, nice handle/screen name. Very intelligently devised. In your case apparently, ignorance is bliss…..

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They Braves need to make a move for a big bat or they are screwed. If they can’t hit the Nationals how do they expect to hit Halladay, Oswalt and Co. when they play the Phillies in two late crucial series? They cannot even hit bottom-feeders in their division that are hovering around or well below .500. With another road series coming up at Cincy, I think we’re entering the final few days in the division lead.

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BTW yes diaz is the everyday RF in that lineup.

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Trade Hanson..you crazy!

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I wonder if they could get Johnny Damon now that everyone else in Detroit is injured.

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By young arm I dont mean one that is in the majors already too. Hanson will not be and should not be traded any time soon. but delgado? sure throw him to Houston with young and timmons or whoever they want. lol.

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BTW I agree with the others…..we sure could’ve used Podsednik in the OF, either in CF or LF. He didn’t cost much, hits more than .300, 30 steals, lots of RBIs from the top of the lineup. I think he has as many HRs as all of our OFs minus Heyward.

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Let’s get the righty bat we need from the AL! I’ll bet we could easily secure a bat from LAA angels now. Howie Kendrick is a big righty bat native to GA and they have lots of depth in the outfield, and pitching options as well. Even though they aquired Haren, that’s a move for next season now as they lost a pitcher to the dl. (forgot his name) The angels will be big sellers if they like what they hear from us. What do ya think Jeff?

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He had 7 homers I believe and yes the Braves should have got him…Podsednik (sp.) right on UPGRADE.

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How about adding an outfielder for a player to be named later depending on how he plays for us? A deal with a team wanted to cut salary.

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Braves dropped three games late since the break that they had in the bag nd could have easily won a couple more with a couple of singles with men on. I don’t think they’re for real. They’ve come back to earth in a hurry losing their spark at home and still stinking it up on the road against lesser lights. They’ll be out of first place by next Wednesday or sooner. I blame Bradley and his ridiculous “tempting the fates” column. It’s been deadly ever since. Talk about creating a curse. Bradley will never live that one down. His hubris doomed the Braves. How can a guy so often wrong in such big ways keep a column?

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What’s with not having Diaz lay down the sac bunt in the 8th? Double play was a killer. By the way, do not trade. GM’s have to smell our desperation now. We’ll lose too much.

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Does aynone want to take a stab at the 8 reasons we will not win the division ???
1. No speed on the basepaths ( not you J-Hey )
2. No real power in lineup ( Glaus leads with 14 hrs )
3. No true regular outfield lineup
4. Chipper is not leading this team ( no fire being shown )
5. Bobby will before seasons end revert to his old managerial ways ( handing in loyalty lineup cards )
6. Prado should be in the # 2 spot behind a real leadoff man
7. J-Hey should be in the # 3 spot nuff said
8. This is the wildcard after McOut gets going down on the farm their gonna bring him up & Bobby will give him one last chance to prove himself

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I cannot believe there are people saying with a straight face (I assume, anyway) that Podsednik was the answer. Amazing. And just goes to show how little is available.

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Its not that you need to RESPOND, its that the team broke camp with holes that were never filled, played over their head for a while, and now the holes are hurting them.You don’t build a team to respond, you build one to win their games, and if you do that nothing any other team does or doesn’t do will matter…

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Today was the same as the past.

Number 3 hitter (chipper) and number 4 hitter (troy) went 1 for 7.

Look at their July numbers….batting average around 225…2 home runs…15 rbi’s.

These are the power corners….except there was no power in July.

Is there any reason to believe that August will be different?

But…..DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT trade youth for a two month rental. Promote from within…Freeman for example.

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What about runners at second and third with one out and the number eight batter at the plate. The pitcher on deck? Why not walk him to load the bases for the pitcher? The eight batter had already hit an HR? Also, remember McClouth would not have been the batter the other night with bases loaded. Cox subbed him in for Hinske.

Great moves!!!

What about Uggla???

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Our pitching needs an upgrade:

I think you need a reality check with your comments that the Braves need to look to deal Hanson. Seriously dude, have you lost your mind? Admittedly he has been inconsistent at times this year (3 rotten starts has made his ERA just under 4.00 when it would otherwise been just over 2.00), but he is what 23 years old?

This is precisely not the time to panic and make a Len Barker or, worse yet, Texeira trade. IMHO the Braves have an excellent shot to still win the division or the wild card even as presently constituted. The last thing I want the Braves to do is to trade one of their premium pitching prospects, Teheran, Delgado, Minor and Vizcaino, Freeman for a “RENTAL” player who, like Texeira, isn’t going to be the difference for this team this year any way (e.g. Willingham, Cody Ross, etc.).

I also disagree with many of the posters who feel that the proper response to the Phils getting Oswalt (if one is to be made) is to get a bat. I realize the Braves’ offense is struggling now (it happens folks) and could use a right handed power bat. I just don’t want to see that at the expense of giving up the future of this team because it is very bright with lots of quality prospects (unlike the Phils and the Mets who have mortgaged their future to win now).

IF Wren responds and I said IF he does, my dream scenario would be to see if Zack Greinke is actually available (there have been recent reports that Tampa Bay was “kicking the tires” to see if he was). As a subscriber to the “you can never have enough pitching theory”, if he was, I would try to acquire him even if it meant giving up Medlen and one of those 4 pitching prospects (preferably not Teheran). Who knows maybe Dayton Moore would give the Braves the same “gift” that Ed Wade gave the Phillies in shipping Oswalt to them for a No. 3 starter at best (Happ) and 2 A level prospects (i.e. basically nothing).

Greinke, Hudson and Jurrjens, Hanson and Lowe would not take a back seat to Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels, Blanton and Kendrick and the Braves’ top 3 would be a match for the Phils’ top 3 if they both made the playoffs. Just my opinion folks, fire away with the criticism as you feel warranted.

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Actually the Fish and the Nats beat up on us all the time. Its not that suprising really.
Its the Muts and the fill-wees that cant beat us.

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@ hmmm Yes & that means not trading away young talent the Braves are not the first team to ever deal with poor effort & bad attitudes & they won’t be the last.

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Prince Fielder is a free agent at the end of the year, and the Brewers are not expected to re-sign him. I would swap Glaus for Fielder and throw in a AA prospect for him, and we could carry his salary for the last two months of the season. Then I would keep Cabrera or INFANTE (please, Bobby, put him in somewhere!!!) in CF. We have to find a deal where no one else is looking to get someone great at this point. I know Glaus had an amazing late spring, but since then…

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As I said earlier on another post, the Braves cannot stand prosperity. First place scares them to death. They do better when they are 2-3 games out of first. Also, BC needs to start reading those memos from FW to the players instead of ignoring them. The one like today that said, “O.K. boys we are in first place now, so play like it. You are playing the Washington Nats for crying outloud, not the Yankees, or the Phillies. Play with some heart and some enthusiasm. You guys are looking like “zombies” out there right now! The Nats are in LAST PLACE and you act like they are “world-beaters”. So, get your act together or you’re all on the trading block!”

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Bautista’s our best option, he woudlnt cost us TOO much. Plus he has a great arm in the outfield and can take over for chipper at 3rd next season when he retires.

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Bautista is a beast. There had been chatter in Philly that the Phillies were scouting him, although the presence of our scouts in Toronto could have been because we were scouting their bullpen (i.e., Scott Downs). He would be a great addition to either the Braves or the Phillies.

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@dcp: good point – I was a bit too sweeping in my statements. It’s just that up here in IL, both the Cubs and Cards fans really hate the Phillies fans – they always seem so damn annoying. But you are right about not making generalizations. Thanks for the reminder.

And I generally agree with your comments here. I think we are looking at a really bright future, beginning perhaps as early as next year, but certainly in 2012, where the Braves could be the dominant team in the division for the rest of the decade. We will be very young, but super-talented, and super-cheap, with money to spend on 2-3 solid veterans to bring experience and maturity (though guys like B-Mac and Prado and Heyward seem to be mature beyond their years).

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KneeCap – (BTW, yet another intelligently devised screen name; when will it end?) – Did you actually say the Phillies can’t beat the Braves? Remember, head-to-head doesn’t mean SQUAT if/when we win a fourth consecutive NL East and make a 3rd straight WS appearance this year. Geesh, and some of you gals say we’re over the top as fans….

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If the Phillies get Bautista, Im sorry but we will not win the division. We cant compete with that. The braves lineup is mediocre and has been for years. Not one hitter strikes fear into the oposing pitcher. We have a team full of contact hitters. We need power and we need it now.

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Bautista has 30 homers and 70+ RBI in Toronto’s launching pad. BUT, he’s hitting .256. I know he’s a kid that projects well, but the deal would be for this year. How is that worth one of our stud pitching prospects and who knows what else?

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RollTide86 ..”contact hitters”….you need to apologize…..and rescind that comment…

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2.7 wins above replacement level soundds nice for Bautista, but how much of that is attributable to his homers in Toronto?

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Haha ok I receind the conact hitter statement.

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Anybody hear anything about Greinke being available?

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It’s a great move for the Phillies, and lines up their top 3 starters with anyone else’s, which is what is needed for a playoff series.

The biggest question for what if anything the Braves do is payroll flexibility. According to Cot’s, they were 84 million on opening day, versus 97 million last year. Assuming that to be the limit, there’s definitely some moves to be made and stay within budget. Also, KK’s pitched what, twice in a month? Makes me believe they’re shopping him, or gave up on him. Throw out the win/loss record, as a low 4 ERA pitcher making 6.67m next year (My guess is 3.3m still owed this year) would have a winning record with run support and be an ideal target for a team looking for a back of rotation guy.

He has to be valued somewhere, if not in Atlanta. (Texas, who while going through bankruptcy is still spending? New York? St. Louis? Or the unlikely Philadelphia?) That potential move could also free up some money.

Worse case, if using last year’s payroll as the ceiling, you’re looking at picking up someone in the 12-13m range, or an expiring contract. Who fits that? Dunn? Werth? Fielder?

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YES TO KEMP!!!!!!! They need pitching bad. Give them Medlin he makes me nervous, bring up Minor and it adds a lefty that strikes alot of people out. Kemp is legit!

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If a trade is made I hope it works out and not like Gonzalez for Escobar. Come on Wren!

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It’s hard being a major leaguer…. Did you see how hot it was today?

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You guys should not trade Kris Medlin. C’mon now.

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Jose Bautista? No. 30 year old guys that suddenly find power typically do not project as long term solutions.

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Okay, nice chatting with everyone down there. Best of Luck to the Braves the rest of the way from this Phillies fan!Time to ride the bike…..

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I’m panicking….now we go to Cincy…and I do not like the karma….(anybody remember Conrad’s walk-off granny..)

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Oh, I am certain Oswalt would rather have gone to ATL, no doubt. I mean, he is a good ‘ole southern boy, after all. That is completely understandable. But what does that matter now, my man…?

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912 Dawg:

See my earlier post. It may, of course, be nothing but internet scuttlebutt, but I read somewhere the other day (might have been Rosenthal) that Tampa Bay contacted Greinke to see if the Royals might consider trading him. If true and, given Dayton Moore’s past employment with the Braves, I think it would at least be worth making a call to see about his availability. Let me assure all the panicking nervous nellies on here, if Wren could acquire Greinke (not 27 until October, already won a Cy Young IN THE AL, absolutely nasty and not afraid to pitch inside), such a move would MORE than answer the Phils acquisition of Oswalt.

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JOD,

I don’t know what that really means. We have been “building for the future” for awhile now, you can’t bank on that. Remember when our future was Langerhans, Kelly Johnson, Jeff Francoeur, and Kyle Davies? Yeeeaahhh i’d rather go ahead and win now thanks.

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LaRoche’s LH/RH splits aren’t drastic enough to be a huge improvement over Glaus, and is pretty pricey for a platoon player. Yes, I know he’s a second half player, but I just don’t see a Glaus/LaRoche platoon as something that would put them over the top.

Glaus is streaky, as he’s shown, and when he’s on he puts numbers up that well, wins him player of the month awards. If given the choice between LaRoche, LaRoche/Glaus, or Glaus… I’d have to go with Glaus.

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BuckheadBrave

July 29th, 2010
6:02 pm
JOD,

I don’t know what that really means. We have been “building for the future” for awhile now, you can’t bank on that. Remember when our future was Langerhans, Kelly Johnson, Jeff Francoeur, and Kyle Davies? Yeeeaahhh i’d rather go ahead and win now thanks.
——–
Well let me know when you find the manger that will be leading this team to a title, cause it is not the current guy. Good luck with that! Dumb

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I just don’t see KC trading Greinke. His contract is very affordable, considering the level of talent he possesses. 7.25m this year, and 13.25m for 2011 and 2012 respectively. The level of prospects one would have to give up to get him would make the Tex deal look like a steal in the Braves eyes.

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912 is the area code of the Max security Prison in Reidsville,Ga…..just sayin….(tryin to re-inforce my point on the Tex trade on my earlier post) I think Wren does nothing….

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Cracker Jacket

July 29th, 2010
6:05 pm
Braves need a big bat! Trade Derek Lowe and throw in a few of those low cost players for Dunn!
—-
While we are at it send Chaves and KK in the deal

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As the old song goes….

“We had joy, we had fun, we had a season in the sun.
But the wine and the song,
like the season, all have gone.”

If changes are not made, don’t expect a post season.

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The current guy already has. Let’s not lose perspective on Bobby Cox here, sure he does some questionable things and there are those of you who thinks he should have won more but your are being a spoiled little child to complain about what he has done here. There are teams every year that hinge their hopes on guys like Dusty Baker, Lou Pinella, Buck Showalter, Bobby Valentine…now those guys are overrated not Bobby.

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Sorry, im not in the mood to morgate next few years for Boobi’s senile self… No thank

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At least we’ve never had to be in that position, where you hope your team hires Bobby Valentine. Look at the Cubs they fire Dusty Baker and replace him with someone MORE overrated in Lou Pinella.

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Chris Young is signed to an affordable contract through 2014, and they expect to compete before then with he and Upton as the core. So I highly doubt the Dbacks are looking to move him.

LaRoche, K. Johnson, and Qualls would be what I would suspect the DBacks to be shopping.

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Adam Dunn would be a mistake. The braves would be paying for a player who is having one of the better years of his career to this point. They would overpay for a LEFTY hitting Strikeout, Walk, HR Machine.

I would rather the Braves go after Brad Hawpe of the Rockies. Very Solid Track record although he has struggled this year with injuries and is in the last year of his contract (club option for ‘11). PLus in a bad year he still has an OPS close to .800 which is good. Only Prado, Heyward and BMac have an OPS over .800 (Hinske and Conrad do as well but dont qualify in ABs)

The guy is a High OBP hitter(over .380 the last 3 seasons) which I think will gel best with the braves this year. He is an OF who could platoon with Diaz or take over full time and Allow Cabrera to roam in center

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BTW Berkman is not a solution for 1st, rather LF, or RF should we move Jason to CF.

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Anyone know who the Marlins are getting in return for Cantu?

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@BuckheadBrave I would rather have Jeff Francoeur than Nate McCloth we can trade Nate to the Mets for Francoeur. Maybe Jeff can revive his career back in Atlanta with a second chance.

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James. while e are at it lets get smoltz avery glavine justice millwood javy lopez and andres galeraga and just dump all our other players. lol

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James

July 29th, 2010
6:18 pm
@BuckheadBrave I would rather have Jeff Francoeur than Nate McCloth we can trade Nate to the Mets for Francoeur. Maybe Jeff can revive his career back in Atlanta with a second chance.
——————————-
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, no Francine “strike’em out” Francoeur! Thats just parallel option, and in some cases worse.

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I’m a dreamer…we get Frenchy back and he has his MOJO back…and we win it all….(I’ve been drinking..)

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Oh James lets also try and pry Greg Norton from his manager job and play 1st?

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Jeff Francoeur and Jason Heyward on the same team would be a good look those guys are both products of the Atlanta area I would love to seem them play together. J-Hey in left field, Francoeur in right field and Andruw Jones in Center. We can trade Melky Cabrera to Chicago White Sox for Andruw Jones.

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Problem I have is the guys we would need to give up in order to get a trade completed… IMHO, Hanson, JJ, Medlin, Minor, and few others are untouchable… That is who these other teams want.

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In all seriousness

A small move to bring in Andruw Jones, espically if it comes with another mid-level move like Bautista or Willingham would be a good move

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I wouldn’t mind a small move to bring Andruw Jones back, Especially if it comes with another mid-level move like Bautista or Willingham

that would be subtle but strong “tweaks”

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joemoedee

Andruw Jones has 14 hrs in limited playing time….name me ONE Braves outfielder who even has that many in FULL Playing time??? Oh..wait..you can’t

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Re:James

Frenchy does nothing for our offense. While I agree that it is nice and warmy and fuzzy to see JHey and Frenchy out there….I think it hurts our ability to win the WS with him out there. Does nothing for us offensively….the Mets aren’t even starting him fulltime.

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one over-rated pitching prospect (like viscaino, heard he has durability issues) and jordan schafer maybe an infield prospect (not freeman, lipka, salcedo) for McCutcheon or Fowler. solves the cf defense, consistency, and give us a true lead-off for prado and j-hey to move around the bases. we need youth and signability in this trade if we don’t think hinske, diaz, mcclouth, blanco, cabrera will be long term outfield pieces.

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Jeff Schultz, you hearing anything?

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There would ber less pressure on the Braves to make move had they not given away a couple of games since he break. The first thing the Braves need to do is recover from those losses or else any new player is just going to be stuck in the same funk.

Just look at the guy they picked up in the Escobar giveaway. Where is all the power he was supposed to have? He might have been hot in Toronto, but he has come here and not distinguished himself offensively.

If the Braves want a bat, Houston would give then

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Before the Oswalt became a Phillie I felt as thought the Braves couldn’t move foward with World Series Dreams with this line up as currently constructed…. Glaus who has always been a streaky hitter has hit a cold streak…. In order for this team to get anywhere in October he has to hit. So we could bet that HOPEFULLY when late September & October roll around that Glaus will be in a hot streak. The Braves bullpen is plenty good, and with Jair pitching well since his return the Staters are pretty good too. But the offensive line up obviously needs more pop. The Ideal thing would be a right handed hitter with pop and can play some CF/ or LF and let Melky play CF everyday…. The Yankess won it all last year with Melky in CF. This lineup is 1 run producer away from being able to achieve something special here… Because being 31 in On-base % is great, but you can’t drive in runners from first and second with walks! And come October when you have to consistently face teams 1,2 &3 starters runs will be at a premium and sometimes you need a player to be in scoring position when they’re in the batter’s box if you know what I mean…
But whatever we do make sure we dont for some reason trade away Eric Hinske…. he is our good luck charm! He’s been in the last 3 World Series with 3 different teams! The Braves could be the 4th with one good deadline deal…. Get it done Wren!

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@Keith Frency needs a change of scenery he can come back to Atlanta and shine again I think he will prove alot of people wrong if he makes a return to Atlanta.

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There would ber less pressure on the Braves to make move had they not given away a couple of games since he break. The first thing the Braves need to do is recover from those losses or else any new player is just going to be stuck in the same funk.

Just look at the guy they picked up in the Escobar giveaway. Where is all the power he was supposed to have? He might have been hot in Toronto, but he has come here and not distinguished himself offensively.

If the Braves want a bat, Houston would give them Carlos Lee is they picked up his salary. We see they didn’t extract a very high price for Oswalt, so Lee might be had for an even lesser price.

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@coach smith Yes you are exactly right Andruw Jones has lost weight and he got pop back in his bat he has 14 homers he can provide some power in the braves lineup.

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Oswalt was actually pretty expensive, Kirkinga. They had to hand over Happ, a good prospect, and 11 or 12 MILLION DOLLARS…can’t remember which one it was.

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@coach smith – .222, .158, .214, and .207. Andruw’s batting average over the past 4 years. Since May 1, he’s been good for .189/.280/.384 line. During that same time Melky has been good for .292/.339/.416. How would that be even REMOTELY an upgrade?

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Of course it does.

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Does anyone really think the braves will do anything?

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Jeff what is the most logical productive scenario via trade? Is Gary Matthews Jr worth a shot?

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I hope they will not do anything stupid, but with the moves so far, I would not be suprised ( i.e. Escobar)

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me too 912 Dawg…side note..I remember when Georgia had 2 area codes 912 and 404…I’m old….

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Its time for football! Braves are toast.

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If an everyday-caliber outfielder isn’t available immediately, I’d turn my attention to bringing Freddie Freeman up to get some actual production out of first base. Right now our starting pitching, outside of Hudson, is suspect at best, but not much can be done about that; the Braves need to shore up this anemic offense ASAP or they’re going to be a .500-class team the rest of the year.

And mediocrity only wins in the NFC West, not the NL East.

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Schultzie:

Realistically, based on budget, who is your preferred choice? If Wren doesn’t pick up anyone, then he should be fired. Standing pat is not an option. We are at DEFCON 2.

HT

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Hershel please tell me I don’t have to put my on MOP level 4 gear….if so…I’m going to the can so I can take off my gasd mask…I can’t breath or smoke in it….

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How many times have the Braves been to the playoffs under Wren? Can we trade for a new GM?

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I agree that Blanco has earned the right to be the everyday center fielder, but Medlen could anchor this rotation for the next decade. The kid is still learning and he is just fantastic. If you are gonna ship someone off, get rid of Lowe. The guy is supposed to be a seasoned veteran workhorse and he flat out sucks. When was his last quality start or win? Dude lost today to the worst team in the division. If Lowe is still on this team next year then I am no longer a Braves fan.

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(The trade of five players for Tex was not bold. It was stupid.) From an earlier blogger, just had to repeat before saying yes, we need another bat but only if we want to be in the playoffs. Trading one mediocre shortstop (although one with a brighter future) for another is not the kind of move that will get it dunn, pun intended.

Why can a bunch of nimrods like we bloggers see that the Phils would launch a serious challenge as soon as they got healthy and not Mr. Wren?

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@ BravefaninPa “win 14 in a row then talk to me”. Win 14 in a row of WHAT? division titles ?
1 WS in those 14 yrs. Phila. alrerady won one in the last two years. The Phillies just made a steal of a deal. The Astros pay 11 mil of Oswalt salary for next too. While our G.M. makes a trade for a
so-so shortstop. And you want to talk about our 14 years in row of failure except for ‘95. The old saying “nobody remembers who finished second”.

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Dr. Kenneth Noisewater at 8:01:

I know where the Braves offense went. Blame the nose-picking, wife-beating, waddling turd that manages our team.

HT

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Braves have to many holes to fill. 1b, rp, cf, power hitter, lowe, kk, etc….get the picture?

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6 runs in 3 games vs. Washington sucks. The Phillies and their owner are active, the Braves and their owner are re-active, which is better, well, who are the defending champs? Wren will screw up again.

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Bobby Cox blew the chemistry of this team when he inserted Nate McClouth into the line-up….If it ain’t broke don’t fix it !!!

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Just an observation, but let’s put the phillies little run they are on perspective, their last 2 series have been against the worst 2 teams in the National league.

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ok… gonna get a lot of hate here
weeks and capauno from milwaukee
or gallardo and fielder
get two of the four, u can trade freeman and medlen and someone
in return get gallardo, fielder, braun, capauno, combination of two

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@NolesmanJax Rockies 52-50 one of the worst teams? We scored 6 runs in 3 games against one of
the worst in the leauge (Nats) W/O thier ace, against one pitcher that hasn’t won in 2 years and your going to put the Phillies “little run into perspective”. BTW Phila. winning AGAIN ! No we’re just fine.

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They won’t do anything. They have too many holes to fill like 3 starting pitchers, 1st and 3rd basemen, left and center fielders and not to mention young closer and setup men.

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I honestly wouldn’t do anything rash, it’s not worth it. Why, so the Braves can mortgage the next 5 years or so just so Bobby Cox goes out a _possible_ winner? I’m not a Bobby Cox hater, but this is about the TEAM, not any individual regardless of who they are. Fill the breaches from within and let the players play. Their pitching IS going to come around, it’s their offense that needs a fire lit under it. They gotta quit kicking the ball defensively too, a problem surfacing lately. Dog dayz? Maybe, but IMHO Wren needs to be like the Riverboat Gambler here, hold ‘em and let this play out. The Phillies are NOT going to be this hot for the rest of the year, and minus the Doc I’d take the Braves starting rotation ANY DAY over the Phils staff. Gotta hold the line, and make sure they get on a roll at the right time (September) to get themselves into the position to mount a serious play-off drive. I’m just sayin’… :-p

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i would love crawford he would answer leadoff, centerfielder, speed, prime player outfiled with crawford and heyward wow

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not a bandwagon fan, but they do need help, cf and a little more pitching, hamels, oswalt, and mr halladay plus their line up out does ours

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I know Diaz has been a hot hitter, but, down 1 run in the 8th with runner on first, no outs, BC has got to bunt the runner over. We all know what happened next…..

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Rockies? Reds? Phillies sweeped them both in the past 3 weeks. Not exactly the dregs of the NL there.

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Can we cut the “mortgage 5 years” crap please. The Tex trade was a horrible trade. Yet, somehow, the Braves are in first place right now, contended last season at the end, and have a farm system ranked in the top 5 in baseball. So one of the worst trades in your franchise history in terms of giving mass numbers of prospects doesn’t set you back 5 years, I really can’t envision a scenario where one trade would. But then again that’s just me. Did the trade hurt? Sure. Would the Braves have been better off including Escobar and Reyes instead of Feliz and Andrus, heck yeah. Oh well. The franchise recovered. So something far less expansive, which is probably what will happen, is not very risky. At some point, you have to try to win.

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Twins just got Matt Capps….. why couldn’t they get him before today’s game

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Correction: Phila. has just won 9 in a row. Didn’t someone else have a streak of 9 in a row?
Wait, that was us but it was 9 losses in a row ! But we’re just fine. We got no-hit by a guy that Phila.
LIT up last week, but WE’RE FINE!

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Nate had a great night in AAA. He had home-run and was 2 for 5. Thats a new start.

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Folks the owners are a CORPORATION………. the bottom line is more important than winning……..that is the reason we are the team we are.

Look at Harley Davidson…..Great Quarter after firing 2000 folks…….with 1500 to 2000 more to go.

Troy Glaus the “BIG ” pickup this season ……and we pay him what ? 1.75 Million ! That is commitment to a BIG BAT !

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Maybe so, but whatever we do…it needs to be a smart response. The last time we got worried about another team making a move or two down the stretch, we ended up with Len Barker.

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There is no question that the Braves have to make a move to get another bat in the lineup. First off by trading Escobar the Braves said that the future is now so eliminate his negative presence in the clubhouse. Bobby’s gone after this year so why couldn’t he suck it up until the end of the season IF Escobar was the franchise’s SS. Secondly, by demoting Mclouth you are now looking at two platoon situations in left field (Hinske-Diaz) and center (Blanco-Cabrera). With Glaus in a slump and Chipper being Chipper (nonproductive) this line up has way too many holes and is too inconsistent. Philly plays in that bandbox of a stadium and when their boppers come off the DL they are gonna score runs like crazy. At the very least they need a bat that can play everyday in left, Blanco will play center EVERYDAY and bat leadoff and prado will bat second in the lineup and move Heyward to third or sixth depending on the bat that was traded for. Who am I willing to give up? The
Braves have always had a rich farm system and always will. I would be willing to part with Hansen and bring KK back to the rotation. Medlen as everyone will find out will be the better pitcher of the two. Stand pat? Do that and the Braves are playing for the wildcard. Guaranteed.

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Y’all are the reason why Atlanta is such a crappy sports town according to everyone else. Two weeks ago y’all wouldnt shut up about how great Bobby is and how great this team is and now there are hardly any of you that can say something positive. If you’re off the wagon then stay off because myself and no one else wants you cheering with us anymore. FW does need to make a trade though and I am pretty sure that he will. I am not crazy about the man either, but he has done pretty good this year (i.e. Hinske and yes even Glaus).

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liberty media needs to step up to the plate and give frank wren the power to go get a big bat and resign this person in 2 yrs like MR FIELDER IN MILWAUKEE, OR ANDREOR KEMP OR EATHIER IN LA . THE PADRES GOT A GOOD PLAYER, PHILLIES GOT A GREAT PLAYER, BRAVES PRICELESS BUMS.

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I am a huge braves fan but the people who actually thought that the braves were better than the phillies BEFORE the Oswalt thing are delusional. The long season is playing out and the phillies will catch and pass the braves with or without oswalt. The real standings that we braves fans should be looking at are the wild card and that ain’t lookin too good.

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Chris Young . Cf. Arizona – .266 , 17 home runs, 63 RBI .333 OBP, .463 SLG – $3.5 MIL
Jose Bautista. Rf. Toronto – .256, 30 HR, 75 RBI, .366 OBP, .585 SLG- $2.4 MIL
Cory Hart. RF. Mil – .292, 22 HR, 70 RBI, .349 OBP, .568 OBP – $4.8 MIL

Dear Frank Wren, As a Braves fan the past couple of weeks have been great, and we cannot and I repeat CANNOT surrender this lead to this Phillies, because this rotations even gels together, or Chase Utley comes back. If we are gonna fight them to the end lets do it puttin the best team forward and givin it everything youve got as a organization. Above I have listed three players that could help in the outfield, that would allow Eric Hinske to focus more on the infield to allievate some pressure of Glaus, and give him some rest for the stretch run. Now do your homework, and see which one you can get out of the three without giving up a whole lot. Did you see what Ruben up there in philly was able to do, to get Oswalt. They gave up Happ ( haha) and average prospects at best, with one that has potential upside. I’m sure we could get one of the three above without putting a dent in our great farm system. For Corey Hart you could work the angle that he is coming off a wrist injury and could impact his long ball as that the Braves would be taking a risk on him. For Chris Young, the Dbacks are just tryin to get young again, and with all the firings of coaches and GM ..trading Haren..they have made it known they are trying to trade players. Young would cost good players to the extent like the other two would. Plus the athleticsism* of Heyward and Young would be phenomenal. And Jose Bautista..well obviously the Blue Jays wanna sell High on this guy..with this year he is havin. He is about to be thirty and already has a third on his total home runs this year. Lets make somethin happen! GO BRAVES.

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Don’t look now, but we also need pitching. Lowe is a joke. And Hanson is sketchy. We need Greinke and some speed to counter the Phillies. We can’t manufacture runs. We rely on the big hit. Otherwise, we’re staying home in October. And for God’s sake, stay away from Berkman. All we need is another slow guy who occasionally hits.

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The only team to lose in the NL east yesterday.
Cincy will sweep this lousy team, philly, a good team, will at least win 2/3 against wash and the lead will be a half game into next week. Some idiot said there was 8 reasons why they wouldn’t lose their lead. What a moron

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The Braves’s players need to earn their salaries. That is what is needed. Big bat? How about a little consistent production out of what is there now. Don’t overpay for someone else’s rubbish. There is no need for a panic trade. Someone needs to kidnap Wren and to hide him until Sunday morning. Otherwise, a disaster is likely.

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Yunel is OVER and that is a good thing!!! He was poison to this team….you guys are the same ones that wanted to can Glaus in April and early May…it’s baseball folks…get your mind out of football mentality!!! We DO have a weak #3…whether or not we can limp into the finals with that weakness remains to be seen…but giving up the future is ridiculous…think Adam Wainright, Elvis Andrus, etc.
We are getting ready to make another run. This team is good, very good!!!!

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and everyone needs to shut up about landing adam dunn. what give away a bunch of prospects..and give away those prospects to help someone within our division..i think not! plus hes gonna be a F/A at the end of the season. he will not be a lock to resign with Atlanta..plus he will be highly coveted by a lot of GM’s..and the braves wont be able to do get in a bid with other teams. Than if u dont resign him, the braves gave away a lot of talent potentially for a half yr rental. The braves need power hitting in the outfield. We are just gonna have to rely on Troy Glaus getting streaky again. We’ve got Freddy Freeman , waiting for his time to shine at first base..no need to go give away our young prospects to a division team..who will be better in years to come..for a position that doesnt need to be filled like..hmm..centerfield. If they dont get outfield help..they just need to keep Blanco as our everyday CF..and than see where Nate down the road , to see if he just needs to stay the year there. Dont just bring him up because he is making like 5 mil this year.But hey heard he was 2-5 w a home run in Gwinnett..thats a start!

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With direction the Braves and Phillies are headed since the All Star break, the Phillies would be in first place without Oswalt. They may have spent money unnecessarily.

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Plate Appearance…I believe that the Gonzalez trade is going to turn into ANOTHER MCLOUTH-LIKE TRADE for Wren, which the Braves certainly didn’t need.

Completely agree on that statement.

The Braves were doing great before the All-Star break…they trade Escobar…and now the team struggles. Coincidence? Not likely. You move one player out, put somebody else in…somehow, it doesn’t work as well anymore.

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Phillistein, didn’t Oswalt have a third year team option for like $16M that he wanted guaranteed before he would agree on a trade?

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Just the facts. The Braves are 1 game under 500 since the Escobar trade and Toronto is 5 games over. At the N-R-D-Day that good chemistry thing Escobar left in Atlanta don’t look as if its working.

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Clay

July 30th, 2010
8:44 am
Phillistein, didn’t Oswalt have a third year team option for like $16M that he wanted guaranteed before he would agree on a trade?

Yes he did. At first he said he would not approve a trade to a team that didn’t guarantee 2012 money. However, not only did Rueben Amaro get Wade the moron to kick in $11 million but the Phillies DID NOT guarantee Oswalt 2012. (They may allow them to resign Werth – hopefully)

The down side is that if he walks in 2012 they lost Happ – who is only 27.

But, you pays yur money and takes yur chances. You guys have played surprisingly well. And frankly, I’m glad there’s a race in the NL East – keeps everyone on their toes. And as I always say – look at the bright side – you could be the NY Mutz

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“You guys have played surprisingly well.”

After last year’s second half, you write that? Seriously? Pfft.

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Phillistein, has the correct ans on 16 million.

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Don’t condescend to me

July 30th, 2010
9:01 am
By the way, you haven’t taken first place back yet. It’s heading that way, but nothing is certain.
*********************************************

I hear ya.

A lot of “IF’S”

However, I’m optimistic. Utley could be back in 4 weeks or so. And we’re getting to the time of year when Howard normally goes NUTZ.

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However, I can sense the Braves season slipping away. I just never felt as strongly about a trade as this one (Escobar-Gonzalez). If Chipper Jones hits 40 HR and has 120 RBI, then if he wants Escobar out, then fine. But Chipper is a shell of his former self. In fact, for the money he gets ($14 million in 2010; .251 BA, 7 HR, 41 RBI), we could have got 2-3 good players. And the Braves didn’t want to pay Adam LaRoche $6 million/year. Are you freakin kidding me?
And Bobby Cox will be gone after this year (so no reason to jeopardize our future for his sake).

I also wonder about the anonymous quotes about Escobar: “Bobby hates Escobar” and “Escobar doesn’t have a lot of friends in the clubhouse.”
It makes me think these quotes come from only 1 player (probably Chipper Jones). I’m happy for Escobar; from Sportscenter highlights, I see it is all smiles and he is on an offensive tear in Toronto.

And it’s not because I don’t like Gonzalez (he’s had a fine career; seems to be a good teammate), it’s just I’ve see what Escobar can do. Trading him away reeked of panic from the Braves management.

Bottom line: Escobar is a Chevy Corvette (not 100% reliable, but still a high performance vehicle); and Gonzalez is a Cadillac Cimaaron (looks like a Cadillac, but just really a Chevy Cavalier with leather seats).

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just read on MLB the Braves are talking to Brewers about “Fielder “.Can U believe that?

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Frank Wren please do not make any moves. If you bring Bautista, Dunn, Willingham, DeJesus, Young, and send players (like Medlen and Minor), you will look real dumb! these are all players with major flaws. I would not mind you bring player like Braun, Crawford, with reasonable cost, but other teams will be stupid to let them go. So no trade please! stand pat.

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There isn’t a reason to panic, the braves have one of if not the best home records in baseball and they lost some tough games on the road. BFD.

What has changed that we didn’t already know. Derrick Lowe is a #3 starter at best and he is RIDICULOUSLY overpaid. The guy is incapable of shutting anyone down. He was brought in and overpaid because at the time the Braves needed a good starter. It was a bad deal and everyone knows it including Derrick Lowe.

The Braves STILL have a 2.5 game lead and they have slumped the past week. They still have a lot of ability, they still have some excellent starting pitching that is much deeper than the Phillies and if they hit at all they will be in the playoffs and they can still win the division.

Philly HAD to make a move to have a chance. The Braves need a clean up hitting bat…they do, but if it’s going to cost the farm to get an average player for 2 months it would be a waste.

There is no hard deadline tomorrow. They can make a move all next month.

We are fine…and the Braves are winning the division!

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just need to do something to get the offense going again. whether it be a trade or shuffling the lineup or whatever.

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the braves need to get a power hitting, rbi producing, nice, calm team player to play center field. Or move J-hey to center, and get someone to play right. The key is… power. The braves do not have a true 4 spot batter. Brian is more like a 5 or 6 and so is Glaus.

This sounds crazy but…. i think this would be a pretty good lineup.

1) Martin Prado-2b
2) Matt Diaz/ Hinske-LF
3) Jason Heyward-RF
4)Brian McCann-C
5) Chipper Jones-3B
6) Troy Glaus-1B
7)Alex Gonzalez- S.S.
Melkey Caberra-CF
9) Pitcher

Sounds good to me. And it could sound even better with a lagit power hitter.

AND THE BRAVES BETTER KEEP MEDELEN OR THEY ARE SCREWED IN THE FUTURE

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LOL! Attention Braves fans. Your team is going down now. You have no shot at winning this division. Good luck in 2013. Hahahahaahhha!!!!!

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Bobby’s legacy? It is a fine one. But the Braves are living in the past with him. Time to send him out to pasture with Chipper. This is and has been the Phillies era for the last 4 years. Remember, Braves fans. Think 2013. Until then, you will be looking up to the Phillies in the standings.

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Ben, you hit the nail on the head. Another Frank Wren mistake. Frank is like the US Congress, the more he does the more bad things result. Please don’t make the previous bad decisions worse by trading away another all star performer for the sake of putting lip stick on this pig. They are not going anywhere.

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I hope we dont waste prospects (or young starting players with elite talent) on aging journeymen.

Would love to see a move for an impact leadoff hitter or 3 or 4 hitter. Anything short of that is just giving away prospects for the sake of saying they did something.

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With the Nationals killing the Braves like they are now (due partially to the fact that they actually have a clean up hitter in Dunn and some other good players like Willigham and we have pitchers like Lowe who can’t help but groove pitches in key spots) and we want to ship them Medlin?

No thanks. The Braves could easily have added Dunn when he was available. I’m not really sure why they didn’t considering it’s not like his defense is much worse than Garrett Anderson.

Wren has done a lot of good, he still has yet to address the obvious need for a true clean up hitter and production in left or center…. not to mention the huge drop off in production at 3rd base.

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go get dunn

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Please not Fielder. Get Dunn or Crawford. Maybe Hart if he is healthy. NOT Fielder

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Trade for Berkman!
Pardo 2B
Chipper 3B
J-Hey CF
Berkman LF
Glaus 1B
McCann C
Gonzo SS
Melkey/Diaz RF

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Not worried about Oswalt, but keep checking AJC every 15 minutes to see if Wrenn has pulled the trigger to fill the OF void. He needs to do something before I get fired for surfing the Internet too much.

Was hoping they’d leave DC with Willingham in tow.

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wren needs to get his head out of his a** and do something or this season is over i have a bad feeling wouldnt it be nice to get berkman and myers from houston

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No matter who the Braves might acquire, Bobby Cox is probably going to blow it anyway – SO THE BRAVES ABSOLUTELY MUST NOT GIVE UP GOOD PROSPECTS FOR A TEMPORARY PLAYER.

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Poor old Bobby! Who will we blame next year?

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Berkman? Give me a break, if they got Berkman I would throw in the towel, he’s playing horrible this year, do yourself a favor and go check out his stats, then you can come back and delete your post. FW is the most frustrating GM in all of baseball, he needs to be sitting next to JP Riccardi on BBTN. He trades our future for a rental in Teixeira, imagine if we had Andrus and Feliz right now. Also he makes a panic move in the offseason by signing Derek Lowe to a ridiculous contract which he clearly has never shown he deserves. It seems like Glaus doesn’t care anymore just by watching his mannerisms. Bobby, for some unexplainable reason, still has Chavez in the bullpen, and has wasted 2 of Kimbrel’s 3 options, when we should have just kept him up. The middle of our lineup is just like our past few seasons, old and washed up, it’s sad to see this, but I think it’s downhill from here, I just don’t know how to stay positive when we are losing series to the Marlins and Nats, if we can’t beat Miguel Bautista and Scott Olsen, then how in the hell are we going to contend with and rotation. I think the only thing that helps us now is a big move for a guy that we can control for a while, my hope is that the Dodgers move Kemp for the same reason we moved Escobar (attitude) or the Rays move Crawford to get something in return for his expiring contract, but only if we can get a long term deal done. I don’t really know what to say right now as a Braves fan, it’s hard to watch them lately, hopefully things get better soon.

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Priority 1: Go get a center fielder. Bourn, Kemp, someone that can actually play center AND get on base. Make a long-term acquisition, because you have no long term in-house.

Priority 2: Shore up first base. Could be a corner outfielder or a first baseman to ease the load and reliance on Glaus. Could be Freddie Freeman, and that flyer doesn’t cost much. Spend the bucks on center field and look to the future at first base now.

Priority 3: Need another arm in the bullpen. Wagner and Saito are aging-wilt-in-the-heat risks and Venters/Moylan are a wear-down risk. I suspect this will be shored up both internally and with a relatively low-profile acquisition.

We haven’t lost anything with Escobar gone because he wasn’t contributing anything to begin with. Gonzalez is a solid and steady veteran ss but he’s not a splashy improvement. Right now, there’s a huge talent hole in center field and we’re getting sub-standard production out of the corner infielders. That is what is dragging the team down. Infante/Diaz/Hinske/nor anyone else on the roster not named Glaus or Chipper will solve those problems; we need help.

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Roy Oswalt is a good pitcher but has never done well against the Braves so i am not too worried. I like the idea of Berkman coming but, I am unsure of what it will take to get him. Any deal should include McClouth though

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We Braves fans have to live with the losing as well some lucky winning. If not for Prado & Heywards’ unexpected contributions we would be in last place even with our pitching. Whatever we decide to do, it may effect us for the next 3 to 4 yrs. Has Bobby actually wowed anybody with some great managerial moves in the first half of this season, NO !!! Bobby is a great evaluator of talent to a fault, he does not combine players strengths & weaknesses together, therefore hiding our teams flaws.

Everyone in the league knows our style of play. Take a look around us, Manuel continues to do a fine job no matter what he’s given. Dusty has Cincy playing live ball, you never know what to expect with that young group. We have been blessed enough receive a lot of timely hitting, but when the pennant race is coming down to the wire you have to make your own breaks. Face it folks we just don’t have enough pop in our lineup to sustain staying on top.

I feel sorry for Wren a lot of the behind the scenes stuff we have no idea exists. For example look at the A-Rod situation, Texas is bankrupt & they owe him 24.9 mil six yrs later after trading him to NY ??? WTF !!! So Wren is in a tight spot do you make colossal blunder because the fanbase is screaming ? Knowing even if he makes the so-called right move Bobby may not get it done, & the franchise is stuck with a big tab & robbed of its young talent ta boot ? Or do you play it safe stick with what you have, bring up the younguns, & let Bobby take the blame if it backfires ? All I can say is, I hope some of that late inning luck we’ve been used to this season goes Frank’s when he makes a decision, he is going to need it !!!

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Yeah!

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LMAO I was looking at some of the proposed new lineups on this blog if we made a move brought in help, everyone is bashing Glaus, yet they still keep putting him in their batting order !!! DUH ?

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I don’t know what to do. I am in over my head.

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No options?? Kemp, Adam Jones, Bautista, Come on Wren pull the trigger!

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braves doin what dey always do sit on their ass during the deadline. and 2 u guys bragging on this so called great farm system do u really know how freeman or any of the other guys will pan out what if they don’t turn out to be good players then what?

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Mike Minor is ready to be called up, We need to go big or go home and I think medlin is our best trade chip.

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Any trade rumors floating around right now?

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I just wrote this on Mark Bradley’s column:

I’m going to go ahead and call it: Braves are working on a deal for Torii Hunter. He was held out of the game two days ago without reason (and they had an off day yesterday). He’d be an absolute perfect fit, has said in the past that he’d love to play in ATL, and I’m sure the Angels would be interested in the Braves pitching prospects. It makes waaay too much sense for it not to happen.

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T Hunter? I guarantee you will not get him. Are you living in a dream world? LOL!!!!

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Hm… just responded and it didnt show up…

but anyways, all what I wrote was that it’s not that ridiculous to think the Braves are trying to get Hunter. He’s making $9 million more than any other player on a team that’s looking like sellers. TX is going to be able to keep that young, talented team together for a while, so now wouldn’t be a bad time for them to start trying to get some young, power pitching prospects, and what better way than to unload Hunter, his contract, and look to the future?

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I guess the Braves should go after Matt Kemp Dunn to Tampa.

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Enough of this the Blue Jays arewinning since Esco came on board and we ar losing….THe Blue Jays are 6-0 against the lousy O’s since Esco came on borad they played two series against the worst team in baseball ansd swept both….The B-Jays could have won all 6 withMickey Morandini playing SS

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T Hunter is a bigger race baiter than Terrence Moore…I’ll pass. I’d rather trade a few minor league studs and lock up Carl Crawford long term

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Figured I’d go out on a limb and point out something that other people hadn’t seemed to notice/thought of yet. If they really want to compete they need a difference maker in center. Hunter is probably the best fit and I thought it was a little suspicious that he was held out of the lineup. I’d be VERY surprised if ATL hasn’t at least spoken to the Angels about him. I agree it’s not the most expected or likely trade rumor, but I still think it’s very possible. And, hey, at least I didn’t just spew out the same thing everyone on here has already read on the internet 8 million times already.

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ryan- ESPN says many thing. Many.

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25 hrs left

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Florida and the Nats are much betterthan the O’s. I’m happy for Yuni but let’s wait to see how the season plays out before we rush to judgement. Word is the other Brave players couldn’t stand him. I didn’t hear one Brave say they were going to miss him.

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Petro
The Braves will have 11 xtra home games when they get back from Cincy. That lead will be back up to 5-7 games when the schedule evens out

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Petro
Too bad we don’t get a chance to play the Phils this month. We waxed you in Philly. Oswalt will be on DL with a stiff back soon.

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Flared up alot last year bro….
http://espn.go.com/sports/fantasy/blog/_/name/bell_stephania/id/4364311

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What’s the matter Beekay? Deep fried cauliflower and sweet tea got your tounge?

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what are the chances of getting jacoby ellsbury?

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