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
Nic
July 29th, 2011
3:51 pm
shyrider
dont matter some sucker did……STILL LMFAO
RAW HAD THE BEST POST EVER….F HILLARIOUS LET ME ADD ONE TO IT
Schafer-man i hope they dont do a drug test i cant hit without the juice,omg im screwed
Nic
July 29th, 2011
3:52 pm
rob guess u didnt watch the game where braves went 17 innings without scoring these players dont give a shyt
Jim Pierce
July 29th, 2011
3:52 pm
Steve: “Overpaying for Pence” has two sides. One: It improves the Atlanta Braves Two: It keeps him OFF the Phillies.
Nic
July 29th, 2011
3:53 pm
rob
watch the phillies this weekend show you how to win a series if not sweep the lesser teams
DA
rick
July 29th, 2011
3:58 pm
why is everyone upset for?we all know the braves will get someone cheap,we are not the phillies ,redsox,yankees.why as they are my favorite,im not spending money by watching them tv is better
Steel Bells
July 29th, 2011
3:59 pm
Worth repeating!!! “Steve: “Overpaying for Pence” has two sides. One: It improves the Atlanta Braves Two: It keeps him OFF the Phillies” I agree Jim 100%
rick
July 29th, 2011
4:00 pm
anyone here thinks we can match up with the phillies,sf right now ,i got one thing to say……..
HOW IS THAT HOPE AND CHANGE WORKING OUT FOR YA????
rick
July 29th, 2011
4:02 pm
Steve dont matter,jj hanson are both boras agents,expect philly to get one which one you think they prefer jj or hanson?
LONGISLANDBRAVESFAN
July 29th, 2011
4:02 pm
I dont get why we are being so stubborn. WE CANT HIT. we cant score. Why would we let Pence go to the Phillies? Does our ownership not want to win? So frustrating if he goes to Philly. Willingham/Ludwick wont make difference.
FEAR
July 29th, 2011
4:04 pm
no nothing on willingham.. didnt happen…but would not be surprised if it did. just like the ankiel/fartsworth crap last year
Steel Bells
July 29th, 2011
4:04 pm
Ever wonder why they never go after any names anymore…not since Mark You Know Who.
rick
July 29th, 2011
4:04 pm
i like the reds to get pence and bourn and i think they will
don
July 29th, 2011
4:05 pm
Buster Olney said that, if you honestly review the facts, Pence could well turn out to be another Nate McLouth. He is much more likely to be Nate McLouth than even Raul Ibanez. Wren doesn’t need another McLouth deal to add to his miserable record.
FEAR
July 29th, 2011
4:06 pm
it’s the curse of the Tex trade…..because of that and to a lesser extent the Drew trade we will now NEVER trade pitching prospects again……..
Fly On The Wall
July 29th, 2011
4:07 pm
Tonights line up?
FEAR
July 29th, 2011
4:07 pm
we’re gonna get willingham or crisp and some punk RF to help on the workload….we’ll get the WC by blind ass luck and get bounced in the 1st round
ricky
July 29th, 2011
4:08 pm
since sf took 2/3 from philly,while haliday,lee did not pitch they are pissed.expect them to get pence fer sure.meanwhile braves will get willinham/ludwick/
wren already said getting nieves was best trade he made.
The Bream Team
July 29th, 2011
4:08 pm
Hunter Pence gets to hit cheap home runs in Houston ala Chris Burke.
don
July 29th, 2011
4:09 pm
Jim and Steel. Does it really improve the chances of the Braves getting past the first round as the wild card? Somehow overpaying to keep Pence from the Phillies lacks credibility. You don’t commit suicide just to keep someone else from obtaining something that they really don’t need.
The Bream Team
July 29th, 2011
4:09 pm
I wish we would talk to Colorado about Ty Wiggintin
Boycott The Braves
July 29th, 2011
4:09 pm
If Frank Wren doesn’t get off his A$$ and do something of significance to help bolster the saddly sagging offensive team, the fans ought to Boycott the Braves. Don’t show up, let the seats go empty and maybe that will send a message to Liberty about how inept its Braves Management Team is. Frank Wren should be run out of the City Of Atlanta – he ought to be boo’ed every time he enters the stadium or the clubhouse. He is an IDIOT.
The Bream Team
July 29th, 2011
4:11 pm
Why did the Brave schedule the Bobby Cox night on a night where we have to listen to those stinking Cubs fans.
ricky
July 29th, 2011
4:11 pm
lineup not posted yet figuring where to play lugo,conrad,agon at
The Bream Team
July 29th, 2011
4:12 pm
I’m disappointed the crowd at the Ted never got up the Ole! Ole! Ole!-Ole! chant
ricky
July 29th, 2011
4:13 pm
houston not posted line up yet either hmmm??
BravoMike
July 29th, 2011
4:14 pm
The problem with getting something significant in a trade, is that you have to give up on promising young talent. I wonder if Frank is upping the ante some on Pence. The phils have offered ALLOT, and there’s no deal from the Stros? Pence is a nice pieice, but I wonder if we don’t wind up with Ludwick, who the club has had an eye on for a while. Remember, we still will probably need to address a RRP, unless we try Teheran in that roll. I’d like for Pence to be here, but worry about what we give up to get him.
ricky
July 29th, 2011
4:14 pm
i send delgado minor,agon,hicks for colo ss
FEAR
July 29th, 2011
4:14 pm
tha’s cuz pence is going to the phils….the braves lineup isnt up because they’re looking for a beer vendor to bat for Agon
ricky
July 29th, 2011
4:16 pm
according to all the sources the braves are no longer looking for a middle reliever,this has been posted 10 times,and astros want bourn and pence to go .i think the 3rd team is cincy because they want bourn,and philly wants pence
ricky
July 29th, 2011
4:17 pm
cincy has the pitching that houston wants,they are the 3rd team
Teejayy
July 29th, 2011
4:17 pm
I don’t want Pence, there I said it. Pence would require too many prospects.
Bourn is perfect for us, a leadoff hitter who plays CF with speed. By the way, he’s hitting .287 against lefties.
BOURN IS THE ANSWER
July 29th, 2011
4:17 pm
We. Need. Michael. Bourn.
ricky
July 29th, 2011
4:19 pm
milwaukee has posted theres houston,atlanta has not,could it be?
ricky
July 29th, 2011
4:20 pm
DAMN houston has pence,bourn in lineup,and chic.has quintin in theres looks like tomorrow
Teejayy
July 29th, 2011
4:21 pm
^What?
ricky
July 29th, 2011
4:27 pm
nate on dl,constanza playing tonite diory designated for assignment to make room on roster….YES
ricky
July 29th, 2011
4:28 pm
THAT WAS TWEETED 2 MINUTES AGO GBYE DIORY
ricky
July 29th, 2011
4:29 pm
Constanza CF, Prado 3B, Freeman 1B, Uggla 2B, Hinske LF, Ross C, Heyward RF, Gonzalez SS, Beachy P
ricky
July 29th, 2011
4:30 pm
BYE SCHAFER,NATE,THAT F DIORY GOOD RIDDANCE TAKE HICKS,AGON WITH YA
polskidawg
July 29th, 2011
4:36 pm
If the Braves are trading any young pitching (Beachy, Minor, Viscaino, Teheran, Delgado, etc) – then I
d want some significant. Something like Ellsbury or Adam Jones, not Upton, Quentin or Pence.
Jeff Francouer
July 29th, 2011
4:40 pm
Bring back Francouer!!
Braves buff
July 29th, 2011
4:43 pm
Mclouth just got disabled
Go get coco crisp
Broncs
July 29th, 2011
5:01 pm
BJ Upton? BJ UPTON???
Stop taking about this freakin’ HORRIBLE player. Yes, you recognize his name. but do you also realize he’s TERRIBLE?
I’m not exaggerating here.
2009: .241 BA, .313 OBP, .686 OPS — 11 HRs, 152 strikeouts
2010: .237, BA .322, OBP .746 OPS — 18 HRs, 164 strikeouts
This Season: .227 BA, .307 OBP, .702 OPS, 15 HRs, 100 strikeouts
How does this player make us BETTER? Because he is on pace for 25 homers? So what? When your OPS is .702 that means you SUCK! We already have enough suck to go around…
bravesfanforever
July 29th, 2011
5:03 pm
Well I think Pence is what we need. The lineup should go like this prado,pence.chipper.freeman,uggla,ross,heyward.gonzalez.Of course when big mac gets back.you take out ross move freeman down a slot and put McCann back in cleanup.I was wondering why all of a sudden McClouth comes down with an injury just before trading deadline.What a waste of human flesh.We also might want to look at Clint Barmes for the bench and as a back up and send lugo packing.Lowe also scare me.He has a hard time going over 5 innings.He needs to be gone in the off season as well as Larry parrish.If one or two players were struggling offensively I might give him a break,but when most of the team is struggling he needs to go.
BirdDawg24
July 29th, 2011
5:04 pm
wheres dale murphy when u need him? phillies will probably get pence ,this season is just about over for the braves. wait till next year.!!!!!!
Mike R.
July 29th, 2011
5:11 pm
@Broncs
Would you rather have 25 HRs (in a hitter’s park), 15 steals and a .280 average
OR, 20 HRs, 40+ steals and a .230 average…?
Personally, given our lineup and lack of speed, plus the fact that I doubt Pence’s perceived power holds up at Turner Field (see: Nate McLouth), I’d go with the second.
Not to mention, BJ Upton at least has the potential to turn into a great player, Pence has hit his peak.
In summary, BJ Upton > Pence, all day.
choozer
July 29th, 2011
5:21 pm
I vote we trade for Bourn and Quentin. Since it’s obvious we’re never going to have everybody healthy, there will always be spots in the outfield for them. And they definitely upgrade our lineup.
Dennis Reynolds
July 29th, 2011
5:23 pm
Constanza getting his shot!!!!!!!!
Been calling for it for months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CH
July 29th, 2011
5:23 pm
FRENCHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dennis Reynolds
July 29th, 2011
5:24 pm
Whats with the slamming of Diory?! He wasn’t that great, but he was coming thru clutch for us off the bench when he was with the big club