As Braves talk trade (Pence?), Ross says ‘We need a piece’
Teams like the aggressive Hunter Pence (sliding) but Phillies may have an edge on Braves.
Good morning. No trades yet.
The pursuit of Houston outfielder Hunter Pence by several teams, including the Braves and Philadelphia, is what’s creating a logjam in the trade market, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. From his latest blog (which requires an Insider subscription).
… It is clear that right now, [Pence] has the greatest market value of any available player. The Astros’ initial instinct seemed to be to play conservative and hang onto him, but they probably will never again get the kind of offers they’re getting for Pence — the Phillies’ package of pitcher Jarred Cosart and first baseman Jonathan Singleton, or Atlanta’s offer, which presumably includes young pitchers they would not consider trading for Carlos Beltran. For the Braves, the stakes are high, because they already are faced with a postseason in which they may have to face Beltran, and now their most prominent division rival appears to be the front-runner to get Pence.
… [Pence] does not fit the profile of an elite offensive player, with his unorthodox swing and playing style. But he’s a good player greatly respected for how hard he plays, and unlike Beltran — a pure rental — the team that acquires Pence could have him for the next two years and beyond. He’s the type of player the Phillies could use now; he’s the type of player the Braves could use now.
… At some point, the rest of the dominoes behind Pence will fall: Ryan Ludwick, perhaps to Cleveland or Atlanta; Coco Crisp, maybe to the Braves; Carlos Quentin, perhaps if somebody will pay to pry him away from the White Sox, although Kenny Williams wakes up today just three games out in a very, very winnable division.
You know where I stand: general manager Frank Wren would be playing a dangerous game if he did nothing of significance.
I spoke to Braves catcher David Ross after Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the Pirates and he did nothing to hide his belief that the Braves need help. The team’s run totals in the last six games are 2-3-1-4-2-2.
From Ross: “I think we all know we need a piece. I don’t think we’re desperate for a piece. But another presence in the lineup would be nice. Especially being as left-handed heavy as we are, a right handed bat [is needed]. [We hear] the rumors. Wren hasn’t actually talked to me. He’s not really blowing up my phone, asking my opinion.”
Chipper Jones acknowledged the team could use another bat but he cautioned against players being distracted by the trade talk.
“I’m confident that we’ll do something,” he said. “What it is? I don’t know. To what magnitude? I don’t know. I’m pretty confident we’ll better our ballclub in the next couple of days. But the guys in here need to worry about the Florida Marlins [the next opponent]. And we’re confident we can win games with what we’ve got. So everybody’s kind of been instructed to stay tunneled in on what our goal is every day and not worry about Frank Wren’s job.”
When asked if he believed the team needs to make a trade, Jones responded, “I’m not going to alienate my current teammates. All teams can probably benefit from an injection of new blood when it’s a quality player. But we don’t have 60-plus wins for nothing. We’re a pretty good ballclub. We do it our way. As long as we pitch, we’re going to win. If we don’t pitch, we’re going to struggle.”
David O’Brien weighed in on the benefits of the Braves dealing for Quentin, but some remain skeptical that Chicago is serious about dealing him.
That’s it for now. We’ll let you know if anything serious develops.
Who would be your first choice for the Braves? Pence, Quentin or somebody else?
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Earlier: Braves would be taking a risk without major move
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414 comments Add your comment
Just Wanna Say
July 29th, 2011
11:27 am
That was Jon Heyman btw.
BravesWillNeverWinNotherWorldSeries
July 29th, 2011
11:28 am
Who cares anymore. Too broke to power up my HDTV
Southpaw
July 29th, 2011
11:29 am
It’s a toss up. If you want to win this year, a right-handed bat is imperative. However, Philly is really strong. San Fran is too. The future looks bright. It might be better to hold on to the pitching and perhaps pick up a second tier bat. Sometimes this works out better. With that said, to take it to the NLCS this year, the Braves need a player like Pence, one who will be part of the future.
Consequence
July 29th, 2011
11:30 am
Truth – you are gay
wayn-o
July 29th, 2011
11:30 am
Best possible options:
Kemp (if Wren is going to trade prospects go all out)
Bourn (check his numbers, yes he’s a lefty but need a leadoff guy)
Quinten (wouldn’t destroy the farm & the prospects would be in the AL)
Pence (just to keep him away from Philly)
Upton (bad attitude, see Yunel, as long as it doesn’t cost A prospect)
Ludwick (safe for the farm, decent RH bat)
Melky Cabrera
July 29th, 2011
11:32 am
The Phillies are about to tomohawk chop the Braves chances of winning the division by picking up Hunter Pence.
Just Wanna Say
July 29th, 2011
11:32 am
So there are 6 best possible options? That makes no sense. haha. You pretty much broke down all of the options…except trade Kemp for Willingham.
Melky Cabrera
July 29th, 2011
11:34 am
@wayn-o why can’t I be on that list? You guys don’t like me in Atlanta or something?
Yummy Fresh Doo Doo
July 29th, 2011
11:35 am
Bourn is the better choice in my opinion. We need a center-fielder… lead off man more than anything.
steve brown
July 29th, 2011
11:36 am
The only outfielder we have playing above average is our future third baseman. This is a no-brainer, we need outfielders. Even Jeff Francouer would be a substantial upgrade. I for one am tired of waiting for potential or a return to form, that is just kidding ourselves.
wayn-o
July 29th, 2011
11:38 am
Melky, we can’t afford the catering bill
Coach (2011 Fredi G. a go!)
July 29th, 2011
11:40 am
Logan Morrison OF- 16 HR’s – 56 RBI age 23. big bat.
Omar Infante, Super utility player. SS, plays 6 positions. age 29 with tons of intangibles.
Emilio Bonifacio leadoff hitter, utility player, CF, .299 BA, .376 OBP, 24 SB’s, age 26
Edward Mujica, RH relief pitcher. Power arm, 50 innings, 6 walks – 40 K’s, age 27
Marcell Ozuna OF, five tooler in A ball. 15 HR’s – 51 RBI – 11 stolen bags. age 20
In exchange for:
Arodys Vizcaino RHP, blue chip top pitching prospect. Picked up from Yankees.
Brett Oberholtzer, LHP pitcher, top 20 prospect. 8th round pick
Paul Clemens, RHP, top 20 prospect. 7th round pick
Brandon Hicks, IF -SS, 14 HR’s – 33 RBI – slick fielder. 3rd round pick.
Nate McLouth , no description needed.
Julio Lugo, IF bench player. throw in if the fish want him.
Six for five, three pitching prospects (one blue chipper), one outfielder and two infielders (one prospect).
For the kitchen sink:
Logan Morrison, coveted big bat. Bonifacio, 26 game hitting streak, CF, lead off hitter. Infante, super utility player, vastly improved bench. Mujica, RHP, power arm, bullpen. Ozuna, five tool prospect.
Sadly enough, my triple digit baseball IQ will fly right over the head of Frank Wren and just about everybody else
GTT
July 29th, 2011
11:40 am
Did Chipper really say, “What it is?”
Melky Cabrera
July 29th, 2011
11:41 am
Wayn-o, Is you calling me fat mane? I’ve been working out with Domingo Ayala. He is no semi-pro. Go look him up. Some intense workouts.
Yummy Fresh Doo Doo
July 29th, 2011
11:41 am
The only outfielder we have playing above average is our future third baseman.
I wouldn’t consider Prado to be playing above average this year. Compared to the other two clowns in our outfield, yes… but, compared to the rest of the league he’s merely average.
steve brown
July 29th, 2011
11:42 am
As for Chipper if he was gone we would lose his leadership (give me a break) but gain the money we spend on a part time player and with that money could afford upgrades at two positions. Chipper, please lead by retiring.
Brave Hokie
July 29th, 2011
11:42 am
Do NOTHING Frank ~ the Braves ‘ll be ahead of the curve when MLB goes to the 8 man pitching rotation …
Brave in NJ
July 29th, 2011
11:42 am
@ Coach (2011 Fredi G. a go!)
I would rather see a blockbuster like the one you listed for Matt Kemp instead of Morrison/Bonifacio.
Dumbo
July 29th, 2011
11:44 am
No trades for this bunch….Chumper pushed and pushed to get Drew & Texiera to take the load off, heck, they traded away half the minors so Chumper wouldn’t grunt, but now…..Chumper, he just sits with all his aches and pains collecting 14 mill…..Put a fork in ‘em.
Peter
July 29th, 2011
11:45 am
Quentin
Braves20
July 29th, 2011
11:46 am
Pence by a landslide. Three reasons – best available, under control for another two years and if we don’t get him guess who will be playing RF for the Phillies next week (and in the playoffs).
Cost will be high but you pay more for a BMW than you do for some of the well worn Dodges out there.
Yummy Fresh Doo Doo
July 29th, 2011
11:46 am
Having Chipper on the team just screws everything up. Clogs payroll, hinders future plans, screws up the defensive alignment. We’ve got to cater around his health issues and it’s annoying. Never should have gave him that big extension… he’d be better off DHing, padding his career stats for the Rangers or somebody at this stage in his career.
Chop101
July 29th, 2011
11:48 am
Enter your comments here
chc4
July 29th, 2011
11:48 am
Why do people keep mentioning Matt Kemp? He is not on the market. Yeah the Dodgers are broke but they won’t trade Kemp or Kershaw. At some point there needs to be a reason for a buyer to want to buy them. Those two guys are it.
Holoman
July 29th, 2011
11:48 am
Crisp & Pence or Quentin would be very nice. Crisp can leadoff and play CF and Pence or Quentin could hit 2nd,3rd,or 4th. Forget about McOut and Heyward. They have been given more than enough opportunity to prove themselves and failed. As a matter of fact, those two are the reason the Braves are in this predicament to start with. If McOut was hitting .285 15 50 and Heyward .300 20 60 (AS EXPECTED). then the Braves would not need to make a move. Add that to Chipper being gimpy then a move or a couple moves must be made. We all know it. So does Mr. Frank Wren !
Bluestreak
July 29th, 2011
11:48 am
Why not drive up the price on Pence to make the Phillies pay or balk then turn around and trade for Bourn and Quentin? Would that be doable? I would think we could pay just a small amount more for the two than for Pence. That would give us a leadoff hitter with a better average and more speed than our current guys (though I love Shaffee, I think he would go in the deal for Bourn…unless we could somehow send McLouth instead) and a guy with some pop and decent defender. That would let us keep Prado at 3rd and give Chipper more time to heal fully for the playoffs. That’s the kind of bench you need in the playoffs anyway; deep with good hitters.
Peter
July 29th, 2011
11:50 am
If the Braves truly believe that Teheran, Vizcaino, Delgado, and Minor are hugely important parts of our future, than I’m all for not trading them for what’s currently available. I only hope they are not balking at these deals because of fear of repeating the Teixeira fiasco.
Chop101
July 29th, 2011
11:51 am
Seems as though the Braves are going to pick up Ludwick. Thats about right considering his downward trend and batting average that is on par with the rest of the Braves outfield except Prado. But Ludwick’s numbers could improve at the Ted right?
justafan
July 29th, 2011
11:52 am
Pence and Bourn would be #1 on list..
BJ Upton and Fransworth would be cheaper and BJ would be a 30-30 plus player in Atlanta. He is a five Star player, Defense and cannon for a arm. power and speed..just need to get his average up some.. most scouts agree on that. I know the GM’s on blog will not but Wren knows.Just getting away from Rays will help just like Rasmus getting away from Cards.
Fransworth is hitting 97 on gun and has 20 saves with 1.98 era.
But who knows I don’t, I’m just a Braves fan.
Furman Bitcher
July 29th, 2011
11:52 am
The Braves are gun shy form the Texeria trade
Furman Bitcher
July 29th, 2011
11:53 am
The braves have 4 Ludwicks alreay on the team. I would take Ludwig only if Adams is in the deal
Condom-less Chipper J
July 29th, 2011
11:53 am
Hey guys, it’s hard being a big league player…
somedays the clubhouse caterer doesn’t get here until 3:30 / 4 o’clock…
Furman Bitcher
July 29th, 2011
11:54 am
If you are a Braves fan you dont want farnsworth for the 3rd time
Brave in NJ
July 29th, 2011
11:55 am
@ chc4
There is a price for every player on every team. Everyone is on the “market” whether it is advertised or not. With that being said, the price of the package being offered for Hunter Pence is absurd. The amount of quality prospects needed to get this deal done makes me think there is a better CF available at THAT price.
justafan
July 29th, 2011
11:55 am
Franworth is better now than ever….check it out.
Furman Bitcher
July 29th, 2011
11:56 am
Bluestreak I like your idea. Drive up the price on Pence, let the Phils overpay and while they are fat and happy take Bourne of their hands for less.
Furman Bitcher
July 29th, 2011
11:57 am
Your justyafool if you think the Braves would go a 3rd round with him. He is from here and something happens to him once he gets home that softens him up.
justafan
July 29th, 2011
11:57 am
Just saying..Ludwick , Willingham would be rental players. Both would be free agents in 2 months..just say no!
justafan
July 29th, 2011
11:58 am
Bitcher you the fool sir.
JK
July 29th, 2011
11:58 am
Please Wren, please do not trade for BJ Upton. We do not need another overhyped player. We need a player with a high baseball IQ. We need a winner.
Bluestreak
July 29th, 2011
11:58 am
Peter,
I think there are enough pitcher that are not the top 4 that are valuable to other teams, especially if they are packaged, that we can make a trade or two and not severely hurt our depth.
Joshua
July 29th, 2011
11:59 am
Why is it that the only people who think the Braves should acquire Michael Bourn are Braves fans? No national media has suggested this…in the Braves organization has suggested this…no other GMs in baseball have suggested this….
Could it be that you people who want Bourn just have no clue what you’re talking about? I think so.
chc4
July 29th, 2011
12:00 pm
Brave in NJ — Kemp is an MVP caliber player that is under control for at least a couple more years. I suspect the price would start at Teheran, Vizcaino and Freeman. Not even worth the discussion.
fred
July 29th, 2011
12:01 pm
explain what you call overhyped player
justafan
July 29th, 2011
12:04 pm
The Dodger are not trading Kemp…why keep on about him. They said yesterday they might trade Either (sp) but it would take alot-lot.
Bravo Bravos
July 29th, 2011
12:05 pm
How about a deal for pence and Bourn? Maybe send McLouth and Shaf along with a pitching prospect
Brave in NJ
July 29th, 2011
12:06 pm
@ chc4
From what I read, Kemp is signed through the end of 2012 as he recently signed a two year deal to avoid an arbitration case. I would prefer to get stronger up the middle and CF/SS are two glaring areas we need help in. I’d even take back Furcal to move Gonzalez if it was necessary.
RJ Voorhees
July 29th, 2011
12:06 pm
Buster Olney tweeted that a NL official told him that The Braves “do not value on-base percentage as highly as other clubs do.” That certainly is true ala McPopUP and others.
Bluestreak
July 29th, 2011
12:07 pm
Bourn by himself would not help us, as he doesn’t fill a RH hitter need. But, if you get him and a RH hitter, then you improve your leadoff situation and fill the need for RH power.
The things that all of us hear are not the only things being discussed. That’s usually the chaff that clubs spit out for media types to follow and get them off the trail of what is really going on.
justafan
July 29th, 2011
12:07 pm
Joshua..you must not read the trade rumors on MLB, ESPN, Fox, Sports News and must I go on…you the one with no clue sir.