Will Braves trade Jurrjens to strengthen outfield?
Giving up this home run to Washington pitcher Livan Hernandez in September was one of Jair Jurrjens' lowlights.
Braves general manager Frank Wren went into the winter last offseason determined to trade a starting pitcher in hopes of acquiring some help for the Braves’ offensively-challenged lineup. The result was the oft-lampooned Javier Vazquez-for-Melky Cabrera trade.
The only difference this winter is the Braves are coming off a postseason berth — so maybe they won’t appear quite as desperate. But an unpopular move could be forthcoming: Are you ready to say goodbye to Jair Jurrjens?
I know — dealing Jurrjens seems unfathomable. Why would Wren trade his team’s young, inexpensive and talented starting pitcher? Simple: If he doesn’t, it’s going to significantly limit his options this winter and certainly would force him to get real creative with the team’s budget.
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♦ 1.) The Braves’ payroll this season was approximately $84 million. It’s not expected to increase much, if at all. Owner Liberty Media’s Board of Directors, as you might’ve noticed, did not arrange a field trip to Turner Field for the postseason. Nobody handed out red foam tomahawks at stockholders’ meetings. In short, they don’t care. So don’t expect the club to be free to pursue a mega-dollar free agent like Tampa Bay outfielder Carl Crawford.
♦ 2.) Chipper Jones’ intention to hold off on retirement and rehab from a major knee surgery — he seems more determined than ever to come back and is a big fan of new manager Fredi Gonzalez — means his $13 million salary will remain on the books. Closer Billy Wagner ($7 million) falls off the payroll. So does big-money late-season acquisition Derrek Lee ($13 million, of which the Braves paid only a fraction).
But here comes the painful part: The Braves still have 2011 obligations to outfielder Nate McLouth ($6.5 million) and pitcher Kenshin Kawakami ($6.67 million) — both of whom were demoted to Triple-A Gwinnett during the season.
♦ 3.) The top three starters in the rotation are Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson and Derek Lowe. Lowe finished the season strong and was outstanding in two postseason starts (three earned runs, 14 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings, despite two losses). He is perceived as far more important to the success of this team than he was after last season. Also, even if the Braves wanted to move Lowe, the fact he is owed $30 million over the next two years makes that possibility unlikely.
♦ 4.) Unless Wren is willing to deal touted prospects, something he’s generally been averse to, that means he’ll either have to shop for low-budget free agents again or deal from his position of strength: starting pitching. Jurrjens is only 24 but his long-term future in Atlanta is uncertain, given that his agent is Scott Boras. Jurrjens also struggled this season with a hamstring and knee injuries. He dropped from 34 starts, 25 quality starts (allowing three or fewer earned runs in six or more innings), a 14-10 record and a 2.60 ERA in 2009 to 20 starts, 10 quality starts, 7-6 and a 4.64 ERA this season.
But of all the Braves’ tradable assets, Jurrjens is the most likely to fetch something decent in return. It’s either that or fill available starting jobs in left and center field on the cheap again.
After Hudson, Hanson and Lowe, the Braves’ next two spots would go to some combination of Kawakami (if he is kept and not paid to walk away), Mike Minor, Brandon Beachy and a low-budget free agent (back-end-of-the-rotation starters aren’t difficult to find). Kris Medlen will miss most of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Wren obviously moved quickly with his new managerial hire. But that move was kind of a slam dunk: Fredi Gonzalez was unemployed and living in Marietta. The roster fix won’t be as easy — and somebody may have to leave.
(I’ll leave you with this: Columbus, Ga., native and St. Louis center field Colby Rasmus clashed this season with manager Tony LaRussa and requested a trade two months ago. Would you be willing to part with Jurrjens if he was part of a Rasmus trade, or do you think the Braves can do better than Rasmus? And yes: I’m just throwing this against the wall. Below are all the pitchers who started games for the Braves this season, listed in order of quality starts.)
Pitcher QS (GS) W-L ERA K BB
Tim Hudson 25 (34) 17-9 2.83 139 74
Tommy Hanson 19 (34) 10-11 3.33 173 56
Derek Lowe 15 (33) 16-12 4.00 136 61
Jair Jurrjens 10 (20) 7-6 4.64 86 42
Kris Medlen 7 (14) 6-2 3.68 83 21
Kenshin Kawakami 7 (16) 1-10 5.15 59 32
Mike Minor 3 (8) 3-2 5.98 43 11
Brandon Beachy 0 (3) 0-2 3.00 15 7
♦
EARLIER TODAY:
♦ Gonzalez keeps Pendleton but not as hitting coach (UPDATED)
♦ Fredi Gonzalez is Braves’ perfect choice to replace Cox
♦ Challenge of Cox’s replacement will be recreating chemistry
♦
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553 comments Add your comment
LostCause
October 14th, 2010
2:35 pm
As always, wouldn’t it depend on who you actually get for JJ?
mike in la
October 14th, 2010
2:36 pm
how bout Mcclouth and Kawakami for Beltran. Swap out some bad contracts and hope that Beltran bounces back. Keep all the starting pitching and maybe sign Xavier Nady or Magglio Ordonez on the cheap to share time with Infante in left, who will also share time with Chipper at third. Done.
Switchblade
October 14th, 2010
2:37 pm
You all forget Chipper has restructured and taken less money in the past to sign more talent…which the Braves never did. He deserves a chance to come back and every penny he’s owed.
Simon
October 14th, 2010
2:39 pm
Thats the fun of it all LostCause…speculation and what not.
I think Garrett Jones is obtainable with Pirates management believing he cannot be an everyday player, he can probably be gotten for something cheaper than JJ. Send two single A ball prospects, he costs about 500K, brings pop, hit 293 in 2009.
Chief
October 14th, 2010
2:42 pm
JJ made $480,000 last year and due to his injuries and inconsistent performance I don’t see his salary rising too significantly through arb. Plus he’s still 2-3 years away from free agency. Therefore, why would we have to move him to save money??? Trading JJ wouldn’t save us any money, he’s still on the cheap. Unless we can get back Ryan Braun I say heck no.
The Abs Man
October 14th, 2010
2:42 pm
Switchblade: All Braves’ fans would love for Chipper to time-machine back to his superstar glory.
We would all love to have yesterday’s race results before post time today also…..
mike in la
October 14th, 2010
2:43 pm
agree 100 percent Switchblade. Chipper is the most unselfish player in the game. He’s always done whatever the team asked him to do.He deserves to retire whenever he wants. How quickly fans forget
Simon
October 14th, 2010
2:43 pm
I doubt the Mets want our bad contracts. Beltran, despite all the headaches he gives them, still provides more upside than our headaches of McClouth and Kawakami.
Heisenberg
October 14th, 2010
2:43 pm
Nady had a good finish getting D Lee’s playing time at 1B after not playing much most of the year. But he is a Boras client which all but rules out the Atl. I am already on the record for taking a look at Mags Ordonez.
Simon
October 14th, 2010
2:44 pm
Im still cool with Chipper. Hes not the MVP from 99 but like I said early, his OBP was top ten in the NL and top 20 in baseball before the injury. Is it a sexy RBI or HR? No…but in baseball, as long as u dont make an out, youre being productive. He wont play everyday to keep him healthy, but thats what Infante is for.
ML Scout(retired)
October 14th, 2010
2:50 pm
I suspect the Braves learned something they didn’t like about JJ this year. As many of you have noticed, he was a little fat and out of shape, which means he probably didn’t work too hard in the off-season. He then took a really long time off with a “sore shoulder”. If you ask most major league pitchers they will tell you they have a sore shoulder the day after every start. When he finally got in the rotation this year he had some pretty bad outings, the worst one blowing a nine run lead. This is unheard of for a professional pitcher. Maybe the last straw was when he suddenly came up a minor meniscus problem just before it was his turn to pitch in Philadelphia. In my opinion, he didn’t want the ball in those pressure series or the play-offs. A lot of pitchers have pitched through a minor meniscus tear; it might be a little sore but that’s about it. I don’t think this guy has either the toughness or the stuff to be much of a winner over time. Maybe some team will give up something of value for him, but remember, other teams scouts saw his “performance” this year, and may not be too willing to trade for him. Just my opinions.
gene garbage
October 14th, 2010
2:51 pm
NO, you don’t trade JJ. You sign Jorge Cantu(they always sign someone in their 30’s closing in on the end of their career,plus Fredi likes him a lot). He can platoon with young Freddie at 1st and fill in at 3rd when Chipper gets hurt(again). you roll with this 1)Infante(SS), 2)Prado(2B), 3)Jones(3B), 4)McCann(C), 5)Heyward(RF), 6)Diaz(LF) 7)Freeman(1B), 8)McLouth (CF-and hope he bonces back) with Hudson,Lowe,Hanson,JJ,KK(unfortunately), with Medlen,Minor, and Beachy in waiting..off the bench, Conrad(PH ONLY,,lol),Cantu,Diory,Cabrera,Hinske(hopefully),Ross, and 6 guys in the bullpen, of course with Venters,Kimbrel,Moylan,Oflare,and two more….Bottom line, Wren thought we were close(barring injuries), this past year, and maybe Cantu can produce more regularly than Glaus did…
Jon
October 14th, 2010
2:59 pm
I honestly wonder if half the people that post here watch the same game that I watch.
There are plenty of good moves to make, but nobody on here will be able to guess exactly what ever could come with any consistency. May be able to get something luckily correct, but that’ll be it.
JS, I honestly wonder why you’d read half of the pieces written here.
Bill M.
October 14th, 2010
3:04 pm
Simon—McCann has a little more power than Mauer but he is nowhere the hitter. McCann ’s defense is inconsistant. You never know where it’s going. He did good against SF. If he would lose a little weight, it would make him better. They are going have to give someone up to improve this team. Their speed and defense is horrible.
papadawg
October 14th, 2010
3:05 pm
What I don’t like about Braves fans is they are living in the real world. They latch onto players like Chipper and want to keep him until he wants to quit no matter how little he’s really contributing to the team. Wake up and see what the team needs. You’ll blast other players for not doing their jobs but lets let poor little Chipper play as long as he wants, he deserves it.Please you make me lose my lunch
mike in la
October 14th, 2010
3:07 pm
Agree on the upside Simon. I just remember the Mets saying they wanted some salary relief. I think Mcclouth and Kawakami for Beltran would save them 6 mil. And who knows maybe they take a gamble on Mcclouth being younger than Beltran and a year and half removed from being an allstar
john
October 14th, 2010
3:08 pm
Larry, can you take your political comments to the political blogs? I came here to read about the Braves not your political views.
Braves Prefer To Keep Arms, Hope To Add Bat | 2010 World Series HQ
October 14th, 2010
3:10 pm
[...] and Derek Lowe would be potential trade chips if the Braves decided to change their stance and Jeff Schultz of the Journal-Constitution wonders if the Braves would deal Jair [...]
Simon
October 14th, 2010
3:13 pm
Bill M—I agree, to get a little you need to give a little but McCann is not the answer to be given. McCann is under a long term favorable contract and is the heart of the franchise. Whats more hes a catcher whom the pitching staff loves working with. Prado would almost be more of a trade candidate as the giving up something to get something
Chipper for hitting coach
October 14th, 2010
3:14 pm
There has been player managers in the past. Why not a player / hitting coach. Chippers on the DL most of the time anyway it would give him something to do other than absorb salary.
nickgranite
October 14th, 2010
3:19 pm
So Jair Jurrjens is turning into a fatazz? Say, wasn’t Andruw Jones also from Curacao?….
Kudzu Rules
October 14th, 2010
3:23 pm
RYAN BRAUN WOULD LOOK GREAT IN LEFT FIELD !
Simon
October 14th, 2010
3:25 pm
Ryan Braun is not obtainable.
J.T.
October 14th, 2010
3:26 pm
Liberty Media should sell the Braves they’re just using them for a tax write off. Sell the Braves Smoltz Glavine Maddux and some more investor.
atlbraves0327
October 14th, 2010
3:31 pm
Ok i would like to keep JJ but its not going to kill us to trade him with all of our youth..look how minor and beachy stepped it up in a pressured atmosphere where we had to win. They could start the ‘10 season off in the rotation if needed.
I say we have about what 16-18mil available for next year to spend not counting trades. so how about this:
JJ/Melky for Kemp- dodgers are fed up with him…just hope hes not turning into the late andruw jones(last few years)
Crawford- Altho it may be impossible to pry him away from the high spending AL teams we need to make it happen.
David Wright- while this is a long shot mets officails arent looking to trade him or reyes but said they would hear offers. We could def use him at third and may split chipper and freeman at first. Wouldnt put alot of pressure on freeman and he could learn from a great and it wouldnt put chipper playing too much on his old body, but healthy he can still mash.
Tori Hunter- if the Halos would take on a big part of his contract. He cant be happy about the move to right field and him in center and Heyward in right would be dirty. I think Hunter just needs a change of scenary.
Jacoby Elsbury- doesnt give us the pop, but gives us speed on the bases and in the field and his is a contact hitter.we need a leadoff hitter.
If we could somehow get a combination with the freed up money and a trade for ellsbury and david wright i think we could play with the Phills.
Werth i dont think is the answer..the guy is getting old and doesnt really fit for us i dont think.
704_Brave
October 14th, 2010
3:34 pm
A few points:
1) With a small budget, teams must have strong pitching and defense. We had the former in 2010, the latter was abysmal and must be improved.
2) I’d like to see more youth and more speed out there. The station to station strategy is getting old, perhaps Fredi can institute a different way of thinking and start a runner once in a while.
3) The Braves need to beef up the farm system. Period. Other than a couple of guys, there’s not a whole lot of help out there.
4) I’d like to get rid of the following: Diaz, Melky, Ankiel, Glaus, Lee, KK.
5) Chipper would help a lot by deferring money or retiring. I honestly don’t know how much he can help next year but he’s earned the right to give it a shot.
6) I would trade Lowe if possible. Too much money for a 38 year old starter…don’t care how hard he works or how sturdy he’s been. He’s 38 making $15MM per.
7) Keep JJ until he’s a FA unless an offer is made that can’t be refused.
9) Not sold on Rasmus either…seems like there are some make-up problems there as well.
10) Need a substantial bat, need a CF and LF. Also, it’s time to plugging holes with the platoon system. I know it worked for the Yankees of the 50s that Cox grew up with, but we ain’t got no Mickey Mantles on this roster to hide the platoons…
11) Glad Fredi will get the shot here. Looks like Hubbard took the fall for the fielding woes, but that’s the nature of the business and probably deservedly so. Can’t wait to see everyone at Disney in March…
Plate Appearance
October 14th, 2010
3:37 pm
Is it possible to trade Frank Wren for a needed outfield bat?
Perhaps if we add some of the players he’s traded for it might help — like Gonzalez, Cabrera, McLouth, or Ankiel.
Texas Frenchy
October 14th, 2010
3:52 pm
Reality check 101: were stuck with Chipper & his huge salary & his part time playing for sure, another year of McClouth since nobody would be dumb enough to take on his 6 million salary, & until we get new ownership no big money is going to be spent because they dont care. Which means Freeman @ 1st, McClouth or Melky in CF, & Diaz & Hinske in LF. All adds up to still need a CF, LF, SS, Gonzalez needs to go we dont need lazy duds, Infante needs to start somewhere everyday, JJ trade value will not be good since he was hurt most of the year, keep him with Tommy gun, D Lowe, & Huddy thats a great rotation if healthy!
BravesFanForever
October 14th, 2010
3:54 pm
Here is the problem with our situation with Liberty as I see it…
The Braves have for the most part developed pitching and not much hitting. To get hitting, we have to make trades or sign free agents (which are not usually great investments). Since the Braves are not willing to risk a bigger contract or deal away too many minor league players, we often left with spare parts, i.e. players who are one-dimensional.
This is why we have so many guys who are either good hitters, fielders, or runners but not any two of the above.
I don’t know that this team is EVER going to really compete for a title unless a lot goes right in one season: 1) A lot of players peak at the same time–usually young players coming into their prime–and it has to be timed as they come up from the minors, not an easy thing to do, 2) keep veterans around long enough during productive years (we may have missed Chipper’s time) combined with #1, 3) we make shrewed trades where the Braves get the better end of the deal preferably with multiple trades (yeah, riiiiiiiight… After the Vasquez for Melky trade–hah!), or 4) we get extremely lucky with the minors and get a boat load of talent coming up at the same time (like the early 90’s).
Otherwise I think we are going to be left with some pretty good teams but never any great teams. There’s only so much you can do with a limited budget. It’s actually a pretty decent budget compared with the rest of the league but when you can’t deal for the talent you need to fix problem areas mid-way into a season (McGriff, Oswalt), then you probably aren’t going to get very far in the playoffs.
I think 2011 can be more fruitful than 2010 given that we have another chance to reload in LF and CF, Heyward is going to be in his second year and we can always hope that he will come closer to his potential after getting his feet wet, Freeman has a chance to put forth a Heyward-like first season (which would be FANTASTIC given what we got from 1B this year), and Lowe might actually be decent next year (which unfortunately may not make up for starters 4 & 5).
It seems we may have more than enough relief pitching–and more from the minors if we need it and we might even get lucky and Teheran might be up next summer at the rate he is going.
So… Trade Jurrjens for a LF or CF (along with a combination of non-non-tradeables), sign a free agent LF or CF, and hopefully either one of these guys will have at least some speed.
The only thing I can hope for with Fredi Gonzalez is that he gets the team to run more. There is no reason why they can’t bring in some specialists and teach these guys how to take an extra base. Combine this with getting on base and I think this team has got it made.
The Dude
October 14th, 2010
3:55 pm
No Way! The Braves have made some horrible trades in the last few years, and this would be one of the worst. Adding one player isn’t going to get this team to the World Series. Keep what you have, then 2012 looks much better. There will be tons of money then once Chipper, Kawakami, McClouth are off the books. Plus, we have some great young pitching in the Minors. We’ll need the vet presence of JJ and Hanson to go along with those young arms. Then use the extra cash to sign 2 OF’s and a shortstop.
Don’t trade JJ just to fill a hole. Rasmus was mentioned in the article…a .270 20HR guy is not going to get us to the WS. Now, it’s different if he was 30 30 guy.
Paul
October 14th, 2010
3:58 pm
If I was to trade JJ, I’d want a little more than Colby Rasmus. This really comes down to ownership not wanting to increase the payroll. I would love to have Carl Crawford. If he was the only new addition to the Braves in the off season, I would give Wren an A+ for the off season. But do you honestly think the Braves will pay him what he wants? Not even close…..
nelson
October 14th, 2010
4:01 pm
I believe that the solution is not to change to jurrjens , find their way out of Lee, McClouth, Cabrera,Diaz, Kawakami, who bring us baseball players capable of winning HERE we do not want more mediocre who do nothing, i’m crazy by see the Braves with a OWNER not a corporation as we have to nothing to care about the team , BETTER THAN SOLD TO THE BRAVES TO A OWNER AND GET OUT !! LIBERTY MEDIA
varoadrunner
October 14th, 2010
4:04 pm
Where is our next Andruw Jones or David Justice or even our next Chipper Jones? Is our best bet for a center fielder from within, Shafer? I can see our next third baseman in Prado, but then who plays second? Our outfield this year was horrendous. Frank Wren missed the boat last year in building an outfield. It seems the GM position is a “on the job training” position. He has made some good moves but he has also made some terrible moves. If he’s as smart as he seems to be, he will have learned and will make this a better off season for acquiring talent. Be smart Mr Wren, you almost did it in 2010, but the OLD talent you brought in could not stand up to the grind. All helped at one time or another, but could not contribute on a daily basis – LEARN FRANK.
Leah
October 14th, 2010
4:06 pm
Enter your comments here
Leah
October 14th, 2010
4:07 pm
I don’t think we are that in need of outfield help to deal Jair Jurrjens. When he isn’t hurt he is a great pitcher for us. I don’t think we can afford a guy that Jurrjens is worth, honestly.
NEW CARS
October 14th, 2010
4:08 pm
We have Hanson, Juurjens, Beachy, Minor, Venters, Teheran, Delgado, Hoover, Vizcaino, Carlos Perez, Christian Martinez and guys like Devall, Cordier, Scott Diamond and Stovall that could turn into something. Out of those we need to decide who might be available and get us some hitters.
Billy Spires
October 14th, 2010
4:12 pm
Trade Jair Jurrgens to the Arizonia Diamondbacks ( winningest pitcher had 9 wins ) for CF Chris Young !! Throw in McClouth too if they want him !!
BravesfaninNashville
October 14th, 2010
4:13 pm
IMO it’s not the time to trade JJ right now. He is injured and didn’t pitch well this year. Trade partners will account for this. I say we keep JJ and re-establish his value. Unless we get blown away by an immediate impact outfielder I think we should keep him because it’s all about pitching. Also it would be hard to trade JJ and get an outfielder that is proven who won’t have a much higher salary than JJ. If we are taking on salary then we might as well sign a free agent like Worth and keep our great pitching as while it’s under team control so cheaply. I think the time to trade JJ is in the last year of his contract to a team that really needs pitching at the deadline and pick another teams pockets ala the Texas trade.
fart gargunkel
October 14th, 2010
4:15 pm
Billy Spires, Chris Young is a great idea. I just don’t think JJ straight up is a good deal for us. C Young had an awesome year last year, but can it be repeated? He wasn’t worth much the couple years before that.
ChippersLoveChild
October 14th, 2010
4:19 pm
Unless the Braves offer Hanson and Heyward, Braun won’t be going anywhere. He is the best position player not named Albert in the NL.
JT Grace
October 14th, 2010
4:19 pm
LOL’ing at the people on this blog who would not trade Jurrjens for Colby Rasmus. The Cardinals would NEVER make that trade. It would take Jurrjens plus a top rated prospect and someone like Kimbrel or Dunn to even sniff a young, not yet arbitration eligible, 5 tool CF like Rasmus.
Jurrjens is a decent middle of the rotation starter. He isn’t the ace that some of you seem to think that he is.
A more reasonable trade might be Jurrjens and a couple of prospects for Matt Kemp.
Michael
October 14th, 2010
4:23 pm
I think I would deal Jurjjens as long as we donlt give him away. Even up for Rasmus? Sure! They are similar as young guys with a huge upside but rasmus is a CF while Jair is a SP. I think we keep Lowe because something happened with him down the stretch and he looked great. So add him to Huddy and Hanson and you have 3 solid starters. Minor and Beachy might step up and no one would be surprised. Medlen will be convalescing still. But there are two other to think about 1. Get Javier Vasquez back. The Yankees are getting ready to take out a contract on this guy for the crappy pitching he has done for them for the SECOND TIME so I feel confident they would pick up some of the salary and guess what? I think they might still be enamored (don’t have any idea why) with Melky Cabrera. 2. More importantly I think we shouldn’t neglect Julio Teheran who will be our future ace just about the day he shows up.
704_Brave
October 14th, 2010
4:30 pm
Ryan Braun isn’t going anywhere and BTW is a player with a -5.1 defensive WAR. Great offensively, bad defensively.
Matt Kemp is a guy who doesn’t get on base that much and strikes out a lot…couple that with a below average defensive WAR and he’s not the answer.
Colby Rasmus is unproven and could have upside, though he’s not a great defender…
atlbraves0327
October 14th, 2010
4:39 pm
Kemp was awesome until last year…i think he needs some new scenary..he is the dodgers andruw jones imo…rasmus shows he can be good but isnt dependable so i dont think thats the answer.
i think wren should make a hard run to get ellsbury and a right handed power bat.
i know it will never happen but could you imagine a ellsbury/kemp/heyward or crawford/ellsbury/heyward outfield??
im not positive but i dont think ellsbury would cost us that much and that is a good starting point for our offense.
and getting Chris Young is a horrible idea…the dude stikes out more than he gets a hit..def not what we need.
Train Wreck Bystander
October 14th, 2010
4:45 pm
I have no problems with trading JJ after reading his comments in Tuesday’s AP story (I read it on ESPN):
“When you come in here now, you know what kind of rules you have. You hope it’s not going to be different, just the same type of guy, someone who let’s us do our thing and have fun. I don’t want a sergeant to come in here with a bunch of rules.”
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5678820
hangman
October 14th, 2010
4:54 pm
why is no one saying “TRADE CHIPPER? wouldn’t that be the simplest solution?
atlbraves0327
October 14th, 2010
5:02 pm
hangman…are you actually a braves fan? yea lets trade away the most valuable asset to the team. This is the guy that has taken pay cuts just so other players would stay or sign with them. He is still the face of the braves and is a big player in that clubhouse..I.e. think before making dumb comments
JT Grace
October 14th, 2010
5:07 pm
Hangman, Chipper can’t be traded because he has a no trade clause (as a 10/5 guy). Unfortunately, the Braves will need to pay him his salary for the next two years if he wants to continue playing.
JT Grace
October 14th, 2010
5:12 pm
rasmus shows he can be good but isnt dependable so i dont think thats the answer.
Rasmus is a 23 year old former 1st round pick 5 tool outfielder. He plays outstanding CF defense and likely will be a 30 HR guy in his prime. He isn’t “dependable” yet because this was only his 2nd year in the major leagues. Barring an injury he will be an outstanding major league baseball player.
lee baker
October 14th, 2010
5:14 pm
how about jj mclouth and one of our prospects not named tehren
for ryan braun