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
ccrider
July 29th, 2011
1:16 pm
go ahead and trade minor. he’s not another glavine, more like another chen or reyes. (jo-jo). destined to have a decent career as a 4 or 5 starter for a bad team, only because he’s a lefty. beachy’s a righty version of minor and won’t last long.
O'Brien
July 29th, 2011
1:17 pm
Also from mlbtraderumors.com;
There’s a “huge bidding war” going on for Pence, according to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney (on Twitter links). The Braves don’t value on-base percentage as much as other teams, one NL official told Olney (Pence has a .354 OBP)..
Could this contribute to their terrible approach at the plate (unlike last year, when they had one of the highest OBPs)?
Tim Kirkjian (sp?) on ESPN right now saying the Braves is the contending team that desperately needs to make a move. he also said they appear out of the Pence sweepstakes.
Swagz
July 29th, 2011
1:18 pm
Go Phils! I dont care who we get if anyone ..we gonna win it all
the truth...
July 29th, 2011
1:21 pm
I’ll tell you what Frank Wren….you lose Pence because you wouldn’t trade Minor and you will be regretting that day for the rest of your career. Minor is nice but who thinks he is Tommy Glavine reincarnated?
If he were so good he would be here and Beachy would be in Gwinnett. Plus you just drafted another lefty with the same kind of game….go for it…you can’t lose on Pence but you can on any of the marginal attitude guys like Upton…
Surely no one outside of the organization….
Bernard
July 29th, 2011
1:22 pm
Willie Mays!!!!…after the loss of Beltran whose rental price was not acceptable…the leftovers are lets are…BBBBBBBORING!!!!!!!….and MEDIOCRE…MEDIOCRE…MEDIOCRE…READ MY LIPS FRANK…..MEDIOCRE…..theres no “TALENT” left but MEDIOCRITY and we already have enough of that!!!!!!…..our only claim to TALENT are PITCHERS THAT SHOULD NEVER BE GIVEN AWAY FOR RENTALS AND LOUSY MEDIOCRITY….SSSSSO just hold and go with what we have and build for the future and nuture your farm system…too many teams try to buy glory and not earn it through patiently building your foundation for success!!!!…I’m available if you need an assistant Mr. Wren…..TTTTTTTHINK!!!!!!!!!!…..ppppplease….those that don’t learn from mistakes of the past are bound to repeat them? duh
Bob
July 29th, 2011
1:25 pm
Didn’t get to see the game last night, but in looking at the box score, how can you have 11 hits and one walk and only score two runs? I’m thinking we might need some coaching/managing rather than Pence.
the truth...
July 29th, 2011
1:25 pm
@Bernard
How many days have you been off your meds?
DawgFan
July 29th, 2011
1:28 pm
Would be nice if the article held his stats…at least the other article on the White Sox player did so. Guess we know which writer has the better stats!!! LOL
Larry
July 29th, 2011
1:28 pm
i say get bourne and pence give it up frank,this team hugs the dam prospects more than anythingas a braves fan we all saw what pitching did in the 90s i f world series and we lost game 7 1992 1-0,some things never change hell look at last year 1 run games.im tired of the bs saying we didnt have chipper or prado,well what have they done this year?prado cant hit without mommy around,and chipper hits 1st pitch again into a dplay
Rowland Office Worker
July 29th, 2011
1:30 pm
The Braves stated goal at the beginning of the year was to make the playoffs. Not win a World Series. I assume their cost structure works by making the playoffs. They put enough fans in the stadium and viewers on TV if they do that. They can “just” make the playoffs by keeping their high level prospects and trading for a solid/boring bat like Willingham or Ludwick. If their goal was to win it all they would sacrifice part of their future for Pence or Quentin now. There is a safe trade coming in the next two days and a first round playoff loss in our future.
Fly On The Wall
July 29th, 2011
1:30 pm
Latest rumor…Kurkjian said the Braves are out of the Hunter Pence sweepstakes. ESPN SPORTSCENTER
It appears the Braves have landed Quentin for pitching prospect Randall Delgado, minor infielder Salcedo and a third player to be named later (rumored to be Shafer). Sox Radio 690
Larry
July 29th, 2011
1:31 pm
obrien
quit reading stuff that was posted yesterday,and this morning at 6am,at least keep up.i hope like hell that all of the prospects that wren loves to hug flop,YOU CANT HAVE A DAM 10 MAN ROTATION DOES ANYONE GET THAT
Larry
July 29th, 2011
1:33 pm
LATEST RUMOR….ASTROS ARE SAYING IF BRAVES INCLUDE MINOR…DEAL IS DONE FOR PENCE………DEAL ALREADY INCLUDES DELGADO
Bernard
July 29th, 2011
1:33 pm
@the truth… hee hee hee
Braves20
July 29th, 2011
1:34 pm
KMills. Well said. Anyone who has watched that kid in Houston play and not just looked at a bunch of stats, can’t help but want him.
the truth – couldn’t agree more. If we lose Pence because of an unwillingness to give up Minor, that dude better be hanging up 15 win seasons and low three ERAs next year or the year after. And as pointed out, what is Gilmartin but a younger Minor who will be likewise fast tracked?
lobo
July 29th, 2011
1:34 pm
Ludwick= rental FA
Willingham=rental FA
Pence =2 more years
CQ= one more year
Upton= 2 more years
Larry
July 29th, 2011
1:35 pm
Wren said yesterday schafer is the future,cannot trade a player while on the dl,do you people know anything about baseball?mlb says unless commissioner approves no deal for player on dl go look it up
lobo
July 29th, 2011
1:38 pm
if schafer in deal thats good
extremus
July 29th, 2011
1:38 pm
It isn’t often that you get a quote from a player admitting that their team needs an addition, as obvious as the need is for the Braves now. The reason for that rarity is that to add someone who can help the team win…someone else has to GO, and baseball teams tend to be close-knit groups from what I’ve seen and heard. I’m sure it’s not easy for Ross or anyone else to recommend trading for an impact bat when it could mean the loss of a teammate or prospect they have gotten to know personally; they all know it’s part of the business, yes, but by and large they pull for each other, and I’ve NEVER seen anybody make “recommendations” about WHO should go…it’s already hard enough for them to admit that there’s a need for help outside the 25 guys they have currently in the clubhouse.
Having looked at the numbers, I think that Quentin could be a good fit; he’s got nice power and more importantly seems to hit for average as well, for what it’s worth. We’ll see what the Braves end up doing soon, I’d guess.
Larry
July 29th, 2011
1:41 pm
since being around pro baseball for 25 years,i think i know something…Wren is the only gm that holds onto prospects,yes the tex deal did not pan out,we all know that,but before deal how many ws did this team win holding onto prospects?i thought so.the only reasoning is wren plans to go to a 10 man rotation next year or 8 man.the starters we have now are all coming back.i being a scout for 15 of the 25 years think that delgado is worth more than minor,but what do i know?jj,hanson are both boras agents and no way atlanta signs both in 2 years,you can dam sure bet the phillies will.
lobo
July 29th, 2011
1:42 pm
Larry..we know that but its easy to get approved ,also if player makes less than million you don’t need approval. Schaer makes 450,000.
Who u talking to DA..bloggers are smarter than u..
southgabrave
July 29th, 2011
1:43 pm
Some of you guys kill me. You want to give up either what you dont want (McLouth, Gonzo, Schafer, etc.) or the entire top tier prospects, up to 3-4, for one player. I see why some of you were released from your GM jobs.
For 1-none of us know what FW is actually working on. You assume since Yahoo sports or The almighty ESPN hasn’t reported it in the press, FW has contacted the AStros about Pence. I am sure he has contacted every GM in some sort of fashion. Sometimes another team will not trade their top player to you for a reason. Maybe FW needs one of the 3 players the AStros want for Pence that FW is going to use in another trade for a Relief pitcher or someting else. Sometimes one trade may stop another from happening.
I too hope FW gets an impact player but, it has to fit our needs. What are the Braves needs, a corner OFer…nah. We need a bat that can hit RH pitching and still fit into the position that is weakest. We dont need to acquire someone and have to move all our players out of position to accommidate a trade. This then weakens your defense. So we need a CF, RH relief pitcher, a bench player or a ss. So for everything some of you want to give away could we try to get at least one need if not 2?
For a bench player Marlon Byrd is available. He is hitting over 300, play all OF positions, good defense and could be a bench upgrade for little. We probably could get Bourn cheaper than Pence and still get Byrd for what we will have to give up for Pence(A. Jones is available in Baltimore also). Now a 300hitter to play CF AND HITS RIGHTS!!! We still need another pitcher in the bullpen, but scoring more runs early keeps your starter in longer, so it reduces the need for the bullpen being used so early and often.
I want an impact player but it doesn’t have to be 3-5 hitter in the line-up. Heck Reyes would be a perfect impact player (game changer) and he hits lead-off. I use him for example only guys, I know we couldn’t acquire him. I want the trade to happen sooner than later but, I dont a Willingham or Ludwick type player to be our main trade. We need someone that is a starter at either CF or SS.
Larry
July 29th, 2011
1:43 pm
dont even ask what i would do,i emailed frank last year to sign mcutchen,you rem frank?hows that working out for ya?
jack
July 29th, 2011
1:44 pm
mcout takes two strikes down the middle and then he has to hit the pitcers pich. he strikes out on a ball in the dirt or pops out to the catcher
Larry
July 29th, 2011
1:46 pm
excuse me but my sources are not from espn,yahhoo or whatever,i posted that about the astros because i know 100%what they want from the braves,i cant say who the other 2 players were but they were good,…period
lobo
July 29th, 2011
1:47 pm
Larry go take your med…wren would lol at u.
Larry
July 29th, 2011
1:47 pm
lobo
if u learn how to read ,especiall dob,he posted it early this week about schafe
DA
Larry
July 29th, 2011
1:48 pm
lobo
keep making up shyt blog loves you
lobo
July 29th, 2011
1:48 pm
good points southgeorgiabrave
southgabrave
July 29th, 2011
1:48 pm
Prime example now The “stros want Delgado and MInor plus a 3rd for a corner OFer! If you are going to trade both they better be in seperate deals or for more than just Pence. You don’t give away 2 pf your top 4 upper tier PITCHERS and another top player for just Pence. We would still need that CFer
henry from TN
July 29th, 2011
1:50 pm
some one we can platoon with hayward a right hand that is good against left hand ..
Larry
July 29th, 2011
1:50 pm
BRAVES EXEC.DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE STATS LIKE OBS,ETC.
HERE IS YOUR SOURCE http://WWW.MLBTRADERUMORS.COM
lobo
July 29th, 2011
1:50 pm
dob is not the gospel, his opinion no better than others
southgabrave
July 29th, 2011
1:50 pm
Kemp maybe… that at least fits your needs of a good hitting CFer with D.
Mitchell
July 29th, 2011
1:56 pm
Whoever we get, they’re going to suck when they come here.
This team is all pitching. I’m not opposed to trading Mike Minor but if it’s for some guy who was an All Star a year ago he’ll only end struggling to stay in the majors within another year, then what’s the point.
We need a new hitting coach.
Larry
July 29th, 2011
1:58 pm
The braves are looking at
pence…lf or rf,we all know chipper wont last thats why pence,also platoon with heyward against lh pitching
upton yeah he can play cf but reputation?we saw that with escobar,french,maybe a new scenery could help
quentin same as pence
ludwick,wallingham platoon both can hit lh pitching
personally i would give up minor,2 lower prospects,player later,but i would also want bourn,and 2 get those 2 players yes,i would include delgado
braves get bourn,pence
astros get delgado,minor,nate,schafer,kk is free.also player to be named later,prob.hicks,young,hernandez
lobo
July 29th, 2011
1:59 pm
we need cf, ss,rh hitter,relief pitcher..hitting coach and mgr.
lobo
July 29th, 2011
2:00 pm
Larry you keep believing that crap…
Gatorman
July 29th, 2011
2:01 pm
Pence is a good player, and would upgrade the outfields hitting. McClouth has played his best this year, but he simply is a light hitter and average outfielder. Most teams would have him as a utility player instead of starting him.
Larry
July 29th, 2011
2:02 pm
if im gm no way im giving up both delgado,pence if bourn included yes but not just pence,the astros are being smart,reds are asking for bourn,pence,why not the braves?because wren thinks schafer is our savior,and nate is doing fine till schafer gets back.
if reds get both imagine this
bourn
stubbs
pince
votto
phillips
WOW
Larry
July 29th, 2011
2:03 pm
lobo i give u 10-1 odds schafer stays put wanna bet?
lobo
July 29th, 2011
2:04 pm
Gatorman..you may be right but he has higher obp,hrs than schafer
Larry
July 29th, 2011
2:06 pm
we need someone like ludwick to come here,come on guys his avg.will fit right in the others will be out of place,lol
Trade Talk
July 29th, 2011
2:06 pm
Phillies will get Pence because they always get what they want. In the process, they should become the first team in the NL to get hit with the luxury tax…wow. Meanwhile, Braves will snatch up Ludwick and maybe some bullpen guy that will not turn any heads.
JimmyT
July 29th, 2011
2:07 pm
I like Pense because he does several things well that help his team win. R H bat that hits for average, some power, drives in runs, decent speed and good base runner, good fielder and good arm. Quentin may have more pop, but I’m not sure he’s as good a hitter as Pense. Like Upton because he’s athletic and a good outfielder. Better speed than the other guys, but he’s inconsisitent and hasn’t played to his abilities yet. Do we really need another outfielder who hits 230 -235?
Larry
July 29th, 2011
2:08 pm
•Upton is “available,” but a number of teams linked to him appear to be focused on other moves at this point, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark writes. The Phillies, Braves and Pirates, for example, are working on other fronts. The Nationals remain interested
Fly On The Wall
July 29th, 2011
2:10 pm
Another holdup n #Astros’ Pence talks w/ #Phillies: Astros also trying 2 move Bourn, Wandy, B. Myers. #tradedeadline #MLGB
Larry
July 29th, 2011
2:10 pm
with moylan coming back,braves are no longer looking for a middle reliever,pick your source,they all said it.
O'Brien
July 29th, 2011
2:10 pm
Southgabrave,
If the Braves get Marlon Byrd and a RH reliever,while the Phillies get Pence and San Francisco gets Beltran, what do you think our chances are of winning the Pennant?
lobo
July 29th, 2011
2:10 pm
damn larry you may final have something right. Reason Fredi has a love affair with js and so do some fans like u..give him the juice and he will perform…for 2 years he sucked and still does. if thats the ans for cf the braves in trouble. i know about the injury crap and its happen again. right? trade his A@@