Braves had to cut their losses and dump Derek Lowe
Derek Lowe was 9-17 with a 5.05 ERA this season. (Jason Getz/AJC)
(UPDATED: 7:40 p.m.)
You can always tell how much a team wants to get rid of a player by how big of a financial hit it is willing to absorb from his contact. The Braves basically just announced: “Feel free to drop that concrete block on our heads — just take Derek Lowe off of our hands.”
It’s done: Lowe is gone.
Lowe, with one year and $15 million left on his ridiculous four-year, $60 million contract, has been traded to the Cleveland Indians for minor-league pitcher Chris Jones. An official announcement is forthcoming.
The Braves reportedly will get a low-level minor-leaguer in return. But this was really all about getting: 1) Lowe, a fallen former starter, out of the rotation and out of the clubhouse; 2) the Indians being willing to pay $5 million of Lowe’s salary next year.
Lowe wasn’t the worst free agent signing in Braves history. For that, he can thank Kenshin Kawakami. And he actually was a solid pitcher at times. He even was the team’s best starter down the stretch and in the postseason in 2010.
But he never was nearly worth the contract the Braves gave him, and he wasn’t even borderline decent in 2011. He had to be gone. General manager Frank Wren felt desperate for pitching help after the 2008 season and, after missing on other starters via trade or free agency, he offered Lowe a longer-term, richer contract than any other team had. Don’t blame Lowe for taking the money, blame Wren for giving it to him.
Although Lowe received “ace” money, he never was the ace of the staff through the season. He evolved into a middle-to-back-of-the-rotation guy, and his implosion this season (9-17, 5.05 earned run average) made it clear that he would not be back with the team.
Wren told our Carroll Rogers: “Once you know what you want to do, you want to get the dominoes falling, and that was the first one.”
The good news for the Braves: This lops $5 million off the payroll, so that should help the budget-conscious organization to land a shortstop and bench help this winter.
By Jeff Schultz
•
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164 comments Add your comment
Fan with no Name
October 31st, 2011
1:17 pm
Nice
Najeh Davenpoop
October 31st, 2011
1:18 pm
Who needs a playoff berth or a World Series win when you can get news this good?
ATLman86
October 31st, 2011
1:19 pm
Happy Halloween to Frank Wren! Thank You!
Robby
October 31st, 2011
1:20 pm
I am glad he is gone, but watch him get MVP next year…
hmmmm.........
October 31st, 2011
1:25 pm
Sweet. So after trading Lowe and dumping McClouth what are the Braves gonna do with that extra cash?
Feeanch
October 31st, 2011
1:27 pm
I wish I sucked at my job so bad that my company paid me to go away. Unfortunately I am so good that they keep wanting to do more while limiting my resources and capping my incentive plan!
hmmmm.........
October 31st, 2011
1:27 pm
I hope they sign a solid righthitting outfielder and use Prado like the Rangers use Michael Young
Daniel
October 31st, 2011
1:28 pm
Wow! Derek Lowe and Nate McLouth both gone! It’s like Christmas on Halloween! Two of the biggest team burdens gone!
stone
October 31st, 2011
1:28 pm
dumping Lowe & McClouth really doesn’t actually free up much cash
Quagmire
October 31st, 2011
1:29 pm
Giggity giggity goo!!
TexasBrave
October 31st, 2011
1:29 pm
Jeff your line about being out of the clubhouse made it seem like he was a clubhouse cancer. Is this true?
stupup74
October 31st, 2011
1:30 pm
Paraphrasing Dumb and Dumber:
“Frank, when I think you can’t get any dumber, you go and do something like this and TOTALLY REDEEM YOURSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
DaveinNEPA
October 31st, 2011
1:30 pm
Yes, Lowe’s contract was ridiculous…………however, we have to keep in mind that he was the BEST FA starting pitcher available at the time we signed him and we weren’t going to be able to sign him for less than four years. We all knew that the back end of the contract would probably be a problem due to Lowe’s age, but let’s not get too carried away with jumping on FW for this signing. We probably don’t get the WC in 2010 without Lowe’s September.
I wish Lowe the best.
hmmmm.........
October 31st, 2011
1:30 pm
I think its about 9 million after Mclouths buyout
Naylor
October 31st, 2011
1:31 pm
Great News!
Unleash the young guns!
oldfart
October 31st, 2011
1:31 pm
Having to pay $10,000,000.00 for someone to not play for your team doesn’t produce extra cash.
Which gives me a thought. Does the government still pay you to not grow things? Given my current retirement situation I think I need to not grow a lot of things next year. I’m too old to get paid not to pitch.
Bama Mike
October 31st, 2011
1:33 pm
Doing the obvious that we the genius bloggers have noticed for the past two years is not news. It confirms Wrens dementia is getting worse. A bold GM would remove Chipper as well. No range constantly hurt. Looks like he is posing for a trophy out there.
As long as we have the Frank and Fredi show we will be very average.
WayxDog
October 31st, 2011
1:36 pm
I tip my hat to him though…for what, I’m not sure.
J dude
October 31st, 2011
1:37 pm
Mr. Schultz, please please pick Auburn and Georgia Tech to beat Georgia this year!
HotDamn
October 31st, 2011
1:38 pm
YES!!!!!!!!! Now onto fredi the freetheloader.
randy ray
October 31st, 2011
1:38 pm
frank wren is bad,but shuerholz was a bigger fool,just look at the j.d. drew and teixiera trades, this idiot give up the future was these two guy’s,
Bama Mike
October 31st, 2011
1:38 pm
You mean the young guns with recovering arm and shoulder problems. Looks like Dan Wilson is a lock on the squad. What did he make like $1400.00 per month. Cant wait to hear Terry, Frank and Fredi spin this.
Herschel Talker
October 31st, 2011
1:39 pm
Schultzie:
WOOHOO!!! Party time. This jerk was a disaster and needed to go. Next up on the chopping block: Fredi Gonzalez!
FIRE FREDI GONZALEZ!!!
HT
HotDamn
October 31st, 2011
1:42 pm
I am so with you Herschel!!! They cant get rid of gonzalez fast enough.
hank
October 31st, 2011
1:43 pm
I thought he quit last season. Pitiful excuse for a season this year and with any success we would not have watched that LaRussa (insert any foul language) ride off into the sunset. Good bye and good ridance.
David
October 31st, 2011
1:43 pm
Watch, Liberty will pocket the cash. This is a hopeless situation without a change in ownership AND management (I mean you Schuerholz and Gonzalez; Wren has been o.k. given the budget constraints). The Braves have nowhere near enough offense to compete with the likes of the Cards, Rangers, Brewers, and Tigers. The pitching is good, but not good enough. Unless you have reliable starters like Johnson/Schilling circa early 2000’s, for example, you’ve got to have more of an offense than this team has. The pitching is good, but not close to elite. You need an elite staff to compete with the anemic offense the Braves currently have. I predict Liberty will hew close to the $85 mil mark on payroll next year, which will be significantly lower than that of the Phillies. We’re not likely to any moves of note this offseason. The culture of this team needs to change from one of complacency and self-satisfaction to one of urgency. One playoff appearance in the last 6 seasons folks! Something’s got to change…
yellow britches
October 31st, 2011
1:44 pm
Hey, was Kawakami a Wren trade or acquisition? If he was, think about this: Lowe, Kawakami, McClouth, Gonzalez(OK) and for what? Talk about sucking at your job and getting paid for it. Maybe Wren needs to look in the mirror.
stone
October 31st, 2011
1:45 pm
Derek Lowe is a team guy and a good guy to have around. He was once a very good pitcher & had a very nice career. The problem is here: he just plain sucks.
we all knew he was overpaid & given a contract that was one year too long. we were all correct. This is good news. We save a little money and we don’t have to watch Derek Lowe pitch anymore for the Braves.
Good Luck Derek Lowe. You were solid your first year here, servicable your second, & absolutely outstanding in the Braves Wild Card run in 2010.
Thank you & good luck.
bravesfaninnc
October 31st, 2011
1:45 pm
This is really great news.So how much money does this free up to sign free agent? Thanks
Plate Appearance
October 31st, 2011
1:48 pm
A FINANCIAL HIT
It’s doubtful the Indians were able to absorb much of Lowe’s salary.
You have to wonder how much of a financial hit the Braves took on this trade.
Naylor
October 31st, 2011
1:49 pm
No Bama Mike, I mean the Young guns Delgado, Teheran, Vizcaino, Minor, Beachy. We should have a nice rotation for the next few years. I’m not counting on the ones with injury problems.
kerryb
October 31st, 2011
1:52 pm
All you idiots calling for Freddie Gonzales to be fired. You have no idea what you are talking about. You wouldnt say that up until August. But they went on a skid in September mainly because their 2 best starters were hurt. Freddie didnt have anything to do with that. I say lets also unload JJ on someone. He’s a Boras client that cant stay healthy.
Joey
October 31st, 2011
1:53 pm
At least Lowe was game and I think gave it his best every start. Can’t say that about every Brave.
Good luck, Derek Lowe.
HotDamn
October 31st, 2011
1:58 pm
kerryb I have been saying get rid of fredi since about the third game. The man has no heart, no fire, just sits there till someone tells him to get up. People call him a Cox clone. He isn’t even that. He is more like a lump on the bench, just sitting quitely. Cause he doesn’t know what to do. Give him a break, and get him outta here.
Cleveland
October 31st, 2011
1:58 pm
We welcome him. He will win the Cy Young award and come back player of the year. Mark it down.
LawDawg
October 31st, 2011
1:59 pm
No, Plate Appearance, you do not need to wonder about that if you learn to f-in’ read.
Skeezix
October 31st, 2011
1:59 pm
Re: Lowe. How come I knew this was a bad deal from day one–yet FW, who is suppose to be the expert, apparently didn’t and locked the Braves into such a bad deal? Then there’s the K.K. and McLouth disasters.
How has FW kept his job? Where is the accountability in the Braves organization? I mean we are talking a ton of money that has been wasted by Wren in a fairly short time and it has significantly hindered the Braves ability to compete at the highest level. It is why we had to settle for so many weak .230 hitters.
LawDawg
October 31st, 2011
2:00 pm
Has anyone on hear expressed the knee-jerk, idiotic sentiment that Fredi Gonzalez should be fired after 1 season in which he got nearly 90 wins with a very young, underperforming, and oft-injured team? A bunch of teenagers have? Ok then.
LawDawg
October 31st, 2011
2:01 pm
*here
Mike Dawg
October 31st, 2011
2:04 pm
Now fire Frank Wren he is the braves problem he never take brave to a world series
Abnerish
October 31st, 2011
2:04 pm
I don’t think it’s fair to say that the Lowe deal, when signed, was a bad idea. At the time, Lowe was a successful, veteran pitcher with no history of arm problems and tons of postseason experience. It was a gamble that Wren took that didn’t work out. While he wasn’t as successful as everyone would have liked over his entire stint in Atlanta, you have to give Lowe a lot of credit for getting the Braves into the postseason last year. He’s a solid professional who gave his all every time out and I wish him well at Cleveland. In the end, this was the best decision for the Braves with so many arms ready for the Majors.
Sonny Clusters
October 31st, 2011
2:09 pm
Well, that’s 17 losses somebody else will have to pick up. We was hoping to see a few more changes and judging from the fans’ attitudes right now we’re betting more changes will take place. This team has added another Jones and we was wondering if he is Buck Commander material? With Lowe going to Cleveland, somebody needs to alert the Ohio State Patrol.
Abnerish
October 31st, 2011
2:11 pm
oh and Wren HAS made some good moves, too. His best is easily Michael Bourn. It was the perfect fit and he didnt give up too much in return. Heck, I remember how excited everyone was when we traded for McLouth. I remember thinking McLouth was a very good player from what I knew of him from his play with the Pirates. At what point is a trade the fault of the player and not the GM? Based on Nate’s career stats, how could anyone predict that he would go from an all-star to a guy that couldn’t hit .200?
Leon
October 31st, 2011
2:12 pm
Our long nationl nightmare is over. Derek Lowe has left the building..and for that we can be forever grateful.
Jeff Schultz
October 31st, 2011
2:14 pm
Robby — I’ll take that bet.
chris
October 31st, 2011
2:16 pm
Wren has done a great job. He signed Lowe, but he had too. I will forgive him on the Kawakami deal, since again he had to buy our young pitchers time to develop. I am pretty sure the Braves have more pitching depth than any other team in baseball. Obviously, we need to score some runs, but let’s see what Wren has up his sleeve.
Jeff Schultz
October 31st, 2011
2:16 pm
Texas Brave — “Jeff your line about being out of the clubhouse made it seem like he was a clubhouse cancer. Is this true?” … Derek is not necessarily perceived as a “bad guy.” But in any sport, no team wants an ex-starter who is going to be reduced to a secondary roll on the team because, yes, problems can develop. That’s why you almost always see ex-starters traded, not kept around as backups.
Jeff Schultz
October 31st, 2011
2:18 pm
Hmmmm: Braves paid $1.25 million to McClouth I think to NOT exercise his option. So effectively paying McLouth and Lowe $11 million to NOT play for them.
alex
October 31st, 2011
2:18 pm
1 down:chipper,gonzo,uggla,fg,and fw to go. Can FW fire FW,yes he can resign!
Peter
October 31st, 2011
2:19 pm
Braves pay $10 million, Indians pay $5 million, according to ESPN.
Jeff Schultz
October 31st, 2011
2:20 pm
J Dude — I picked Boise State. So much for that theory, Sparky.
Jeff Schultz
October 31st, 2011
2:21 pm
Yellow britches: Kawakami was signed from a team in Japan.
Jeff Schultz
October 31st, 2011
2:22 pm
Alex — Pretty sure Gonzalez is not going to be back.
Abnerish
October 31st, 2011
2:24 pm
Alex or Fredi? Or both???
HotDamn
October 31st, 2011
2:24 pm
Which Gonzalez do you mean JS? Please say Fredi….please oh please
DawgDad
October 31st, 2011
2:24 pm
Look, the Braves burned themselves thrice over trying to win one last time for Cox and the good-ole-boys, and now they’re stuck between an “all-in” shot and a rebuilding program. In September we witnessed the down-side of the “all-in” failure married to a youth-movement leveraged before its time. They aren’t out of the woods yet by a long-shot; this is an imbalanced roster with gaping holes anchored down by a top-heavy payroll going to players who aren’t going to produce (Hudson excepted). Paying $10 million for someone to NOT pitch for you is NOT the way to compete for a pennant and World Series. I don’t look for the Braves to be serious contenders until some sanity in managment is restored and they get out from under the Uggla contract.
what of it?
October 31st, 2011
2:26 pm
Wren’s fault indeed. People were laughing at us when the deal was made, and still laughing now.
Guy Dog
October 31st, 2011
2:27 pm
More and more wins folks. 2012 looking up. Selah!
Chop Chop
October 31st, 2011
2:29 pm
Wren should have dumped this guy before last season. That being said, I think the Indians actually did well in this deal. They get a proven veteran starter with no significant injury history for a cheap price.
Abnerish
October 31st, 2011
2:31 pm
I disagree. Barring injuries, I expect the Braves to once again compete for the East and WC. They will have one of the best starting rotations with Hudson, Hanson, Jurrjens, Beachy, and whoever is our 5th starter. Assuming they get someone for SS and/or another OF, they should have a solid starting 8. Their only holes will be SS and OF (assuming Prado and Heyward don’t return to form).
Stat Man
October 31st, 2011
2:36 pm
Your caption writer is out to lunch – the Braves sent the cash not the Indians.
So saying “to the Indians for a minor leaguer and cash” is incorrect. It was Lowe and cash ($10 million) for a minor leaguer.
Oh for the days where accuracy in journalism meant something.
Peter
October 31st, 2011
2:37 pm
Don’t forget about Medlen, he could be in the rotation next year.
ueeediot
October 31st, 2011
2:41 pm
If youre going to let Chipper come back next year, then you MUST pick up a SS to cover up Chippers lack of production. Otherwise, let Chipper go and find a 3B to cover up A.Gonzales lack of production.
We cannot afford to have both at mediocre levels or below in 2012.
I also cannot believe that Chipper at 38/39 is getting better at his position.
Add to that the outfield woes and it will make for another long season.
Why doesnt Frank Wren make noise in the FA market about even TRYING to spend the money for a real all star SS? At least show me youre TRYING to get players in here and not just watching the other GMs get the talent for practically NOTHING (Phillies pitching staff)
Peter
October 31st, 2011
2:42 pm
I think 2012 will be the first year that the Braves have a legitimate shot at overtaking the Phillies in the East. Yes, we all kind of wishfully thought that they could beat them the past two years, but the reality is that the Phillies were a much better team. They will be a year older next year, and I see the Howard injury limiting them even more on offense. Meanwhile the Braves will also be a year older, and more experienced. Hopefully a new hitting philosophy will breathe life into a lineup that I believe CAN be very potent. And hopefully the starters will be able to go deeper into ball games and stay healthy. But the gap is closing between ATL and PHI.
nashvillewill
October 31st, 2011
2:43 pm
The parting shots about Lowe are unnecessary – he is gone and that is enough. Wish him well.
Teheran and Delgado, Hudson and Minor, Beachy and Medlen provide a wealth of talent, though not much experience. Hinske resigning was another mistake. Hinske was horrible in chances down the stretch. At least not a $10 mil mistake.
And who is SS? And who is LF? RF? Many holes to fill.
Bschro3000
October 31st, 2011
2:43 pm
I disagree that his contract was “ridiculous” … that’s the price of doing you starting pitching shopping in the free agent market. Who was the FA starting pitcher on the market? AJ Burnett. For Wren – who was building a staff from scratch – he bit the bullet and started building a better minor league system. I wish Derek could have had a better end of this year – and i think he will have a good 4 or 5 starter role in Cleveland.
This also shows the power of young starting pitching … we are going to start trading our pitchers soon and build our World Series team dealing from this strength … an incredible turn around if you consider what our pitching was like when we signed Lowe.
Ohmagawdyes Ohmagawd
October 31st, 2011
2:46 pm
Hope he finds less clueless State Patrolmen up in Ohio…
DawgDad
October 31st, 2011
2:48 pm
I have to ask all of you optimists, did you watch ANY of the games in September? The Braves collapsed and played like a 100+ loss team, not contenders. The current reality, folks, is losing series after series to everybody they play.
DK Frosty
October 31st, 2011
2:48 pm
At least the Braves saved $22.5 million by signing DLowe instead of A.J. Burnett
Bschro3000
October 31st, 2011
2:49 pm
DawgDad – The Braves will enter 2012 as the leaders to win the East and we will be back in the WS 2011 and be the leaders in our division for the next 5 years. Phils and Mets are in a lot of trouble.
1eyedJack
October 31st, 2011
2:49 pm
Derek Lowe sweats 180 proof.
1eyedJack
October 31st, 2011
2:50 pm
Kawakami’s salary comes off the books too, right?
pat
October 31st, 2011
2:50 pm
LOL! Yeah, I bet he wins 24 games next season with a 1.01 ERA wins the cy young and MVP…Why? becuse that’s how it goes with the Braves….
ronaldh
October 31st, 2011
2:51 pm
At some point Frank, the bird, Wren needs to be held accountable.
“Lowe wasn’t the worst free agent signing in Braves history. For that, he can thank Kenshin Kawakami. And he actually was a solid pitcher at times. He even was the team’s best starter down the stretch and in the postseason in 2010.” Just who is the genius who made both of those free agent signings? He is none other than Mr. Wren. To give lowe 4 years at $60 million is beyone anyone’s ability to comprehend.
Gwinnett Fred
October 31st, 2011
2:52 pm
A LOT of the saved money will have to go to Jurrjens. He will certainly get a big raise from his $3.25 million contract of 2011 when he hits arbitration in a couple months. So you armchair GM’s don’t go spending the $10 million the team has “saved” by dumping Lowe & McLouth just yet.
pat
October 31st, 2011
2:54 pm
And Lowe was better than Burnett….He made D. Lowe look like an ace in comparison….
I don’t have any shots on Lowe, I liked him, he seemed like a good guy and was genuinly interested in doing well, he just didn’t execute.
Happy Trails D….
DetroitBraves
October 31st, 2011
3:01 pm
Don’t the Braves have several arbitration raises they are going to have to pay out this season? That probably eats up the $5 million before getting to other needs. I don’t know that for sure. I guess I could look that up. Either way, Lowe’s contract was dead money and the Braves have better arms. Paying $10 million for nothing sure beats paying $15 million for nothing. There has been good Wren and bad Wren over the last few seasons. Today it was good Wren (though good Wren was only cleaning up bad Wren’s mess).
Dave in Buford
October 31st, 2011
3:02 pm
There sure are a lot of experts on the blog today.
the only real reach out of all those “bad deals” was Kawakami, and only because he had never pitched in the U.S. major leagues … he was, however, a proven major leaguer in Japan, so I still find it difficult to excoriate Wren for that one.
Lowe was a proven starter who gave you a lot of innings and Wren got him at a time when he had no starting pitching except a couple of unproven kids. Going 9-17 is way out of line given his history, so how can you sit there and say Wren should have known he’d suddenly blow up? Nuts.
Ted M
October 31st, 2011
3:07 pm
i hope Gonzalez doesn’t come back but I bet he does
Ted M
October 31st, 2011
3:08 pm
Who could we trade for at short?
ZJ
October 31st, 2011
3:12 pm
Jeff, we still have 6-7 starters in the mix. Any chance we trade JJ or Tommy Hanson for an outfield bat? Say Andre Eithier?
falkor
October 31st, 2011
3:12 pm
Happy Trails Lowe……
Frank Wren gets credit for salavaging a small portion of his huge mistake.
I remember the 2007 pitching staff, and at the time Lowe and Kawakami both made sense….and for Wren haters, so did trading Javier Vazquez at the peak of his value, granted b/c these other 2 pitchers were so expensive.
Hard to know how to feel exactly
DetroitBraves
October 31st, 2011
3:13 pm
@Dave in Buford, you may be right. Lowe posted an xFIP this year better than 2009, and nearly the same as 2010. Fangraphs also has his value over the 3 years with the Braves at $11.8M, $10.9M, and $11.4M. So he was overpaid, but maybe not by as much as a lot of us would have assumed. That said, the Braves have no need for him now and he’s clearly not worth $15M. As a result of the trade they may well get $11.4M worth of production for something closer to $11.4M.
Ted M
October 31st, 2011
3:14 pm
pretty soon the yankee’s will pay someone $75 million to take A-Rod off their hands
King Vitamin
October 31st, 2011
3:14 pm
D.Lowe did the best he could. He took his turn every time it came around and gave us a solid 3 2/3 innings no matter what.
PMC
October 31st, 2011
3:15 pm
Oh to be in a position where someone would pay me 10 million to go away.
Next time, maybe the Braves will sign a prenup.
PMC
October 31st, 2011
3:15 pm
Thing is, he’s a really really good pitcher for 5 million dollars
King Vitamin
October 31st, 2011
3:18 pm
What the hell is an xFIP?
Dave in Buford
October 31st, 2011
3:18 pm
You’d have to trade Hansen AND JJ to get Eithier, but that isn’t as nuts as it sounds … I think one (or maybe even both) of them are Boras clients and given the Braves history with that guy, they could easily be traded before they get to free agency. Eithier is not happy in LA and of course they have some serious franchise issues atm.
PMC
October 31st, 2011
3:18 pm
Wren has really done a fantastic job on the whole since he got to town as a GM. He has built a team that is future focused that could have won this year, they just forgot how to play baseball for a month and never hit well as a team all year. That said they are in transition from 10 years of plodding, singles hitting and wait for the 3 run HR. It has been 15 years now since they won a WS game. Wren is trying to move them into a faster team with better situational hitting that can score more runs. It doesn’t happen overnight.
steve brown
October 31st, 2011
3:21 pm
Question: which is worse the Braves front office (Tex deal, McClouth, Lowe, Kawakami) or the Hawks front office (Joe Johnson, dumping Jordan Crawford, still in possession of Smith)?
steve brown
October 31st, 2011
3:24 pm
Almost forgot-7 years of the part timer Chipper Jones.
Bravo, FW
October 31st, 2011
3:27 pm
Jair will be next. We’ve got pitching, and we need a shortstop, and offense.
DetroitBraves
October 31st, 2011
3:31 pm
@steve brown – I’ll vote Hawks are worse. The Teixeria deal was still Scheurholtz. The others you mention aren’t good but they dealt for Jurrjens and Vizcaino while developing all those young pitchers in their own system. Plus Freeman came through the system and I still have hopes that after an offseason and a new hitting coach Heyward will start to resemble what we thought he would be. The Braves have had some bad ones but there are some good ones too so on average I’ll give them the nod over the Hawks.
steve brown
October 31st, 2011
3:37 pm
Is “Sure”holtz still involved in decision making or does Wren do it all? I’ll bet “Sure”holtz is still involved.
Ted M
October 31st, 2011
3:39 pm
Andre Ethier is a lefty…we need a righty
DetroitBraves
October 31st, 2011
3:44 pm
I bet Scheruholtz is still involved too. But since deals are usually tied to a GM, the Tex one was his. And I guess the others are Wren. Wren was on the staff at the time of the Tex deal. It should probably also be mentioned that while that deal is roundly criticized by both us and the media now it was met rather favorably at the time. Doesn’t mean it was the right thing to do, even without hindsight, but a lot of people fell for it right along with the Braves at the time.
MitchC
October 31st, 2011
3:50 pm
Jeff, I’m mixed on this deal..
Yes, Lowe was terrible for us last season.. but.. for a budget conscious team to pay a guy 10 mil to play for another team? Maybe he should have stayed, and could have helped us in some way.
Hopefully the 5 mil we save can get us a good player, even as a backup.
Paul
October 31st, 2011
3:51 pm
if they don’t re-sign Alex Gonzalez they should sign Yuniesky Betancourt since the Brewers don’t want him anymore.
lovethosedawgs68
October 31st, 2011
4:12 pm
DawgDad, You’re sounding cheaper than Liberty Media. Whoever the Braves sign at SS, if they sign a SS, they will sign them for just one year. Pastronicky will be ready by 2013. To the rest of you negative Braves fans, You are so jaded from all of the winning, you can’t see how well the Braves are set up for the next 5 to 7 years….. Take a deep breath and let the past go!!!
Rico Carty
October 31st, 2011
4:24 pm
Give me a call.I can still hit and play as many games a Chipper!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike Bobo
October 31st, 2011
4:32 pm
Was Wren the GM who traded for Mark Tex? Just look at key parts of the Rangers this year (SS, Closer, SP) and see what was given away for Rent a Mark!! Attrocious.
joejoe
October 31st, 2011
4:45 pm
I had already said I didn’t want to attend a Braves game next year that Lowe would be pitching.
It hurt to watch him struggle.
LAC
October 31st, 2011
4:47 pm
frank wren is THE new don waddell of how to ruin a professional sports team.
Question is… Will he help run the Braves out of town too ???
Where would they go ? winnipeg ???
Wish for More
October 31st, 2011
4:58 pm
Any chance at all we could get somebody to take Wren off our hands?
I want to take a dump on Lowe
October 31st, 2011
4:58 pm
I’d like to take on dump on that loser’s head. Seriously, who gets paid more to do less with their life than Lowe? I will never forgive that piece of crap for the way he screwed our whole season. And I turned on Fredi as a manager solely because of his decision to start him againt Philly with the whole season on the line.
Frank Wren
October 31st, 2011
5:15 pm
You mean Dan’s agent is a pimp? I’ve been dealing with a pimp?
Robert
October 31st, 2011
5:18 pm
This is about the lesser of two evils. Flushing $10 million down the toilet hurts, but paying a mediocre middle reliever $15million not only costs even more but might hurt the team on the field as well
As long as this guy Jones doesnt have any felonies on his record, this deal was a win for the Braves
Octoman
October 31st, 2011
5:21 pm
At this point I feel like they need to just clean house, starting with Wren. It is the only way to get rid of the foul stench of what happened in September.
Bill
October 31st, 2011
5:24 pm
Great job Wren….Chris Jones will be up in year are two and we need another lefty. The extra cash will go to get SS are LF ..
Robert
October 31st, 2011
5:25 pm
“But this was really all about getting: 1) Lowe, a fallen former starter, out of the rotation and out of the clubhouse”
Please dont buy into the Braves organization’s habit of bad mouthing the character of every guy they get rid of
This was about cutting bait and minimizing the losses from a bad decision by the front office . Derek Lowe had his juvenile moments – as evidenced by his little drag racing adventure last season. But he was not a distraction in the clubhouse – and to suggest he was now after he has parted ways with the team on less than ideal terms is classless to the extreme. (It’s also pretty much standard operating procedure for the Braves)
What suddenly made Derek Lowe a clubhouse cancer? – Did he (gasp) suggest that maybe Chumper shouldnt bat third?
Chipper Jones
October 31st, 2011
5:28 pm
“Sweet. So after trading Lowe and dumping McClouth what are the Braves gonna do with that extra cash?”
Hell-OH?
They are need lots of money to be able to pay me enough so that I can get to 500 home runs.
Or did you forget that ?
Mike
October 31st, 2011
5:29 pm
Jeff, in hind sight, it wasnt a bad deal getting Lowe. Even Kawakami was a good pickup that first year. Kawakami, Lowe, and Vasquez gave the Braves a chance in the rotation and actually pitched pretty decently.
Yes we wished he pitched better, especially this year which is the first total dud for him. But he helped keep the rotation afloat while the young guys came along. In fact, if the Braves didnt get pitching rich all the sudden out of the minors, Lowe might still be needed in the rotation.
wawel78
October 31st, 2011
5:36 pm
I guess we agree to disagree. Lowe signing was much worse than KK.
stinger
October 31st, 2011
5:40 pm
Wren is an idiot..Lowe was a big time bust…we’re paying Chipper ungodly money too! The Cardinals won a championship because they spend the money wisely…Wren you don’t have a clue!
Heb11:1
October 31st, 2011
5:41 pm
With all due respect, every general manager in baseball has made this mistake. Case in point, Theo Epstein, who signed Dice K for a king’s ransom, and did not get his money’s worth. The free agent market is a bit of a crap shoot. All things considered, Wren has done a really good job with this team. Lord willing, the Braves can recover from last September and come out swinging next year.
Instant Dawgma
October 31st, 2011
5:44 pm
Are all the Lizards back in their closet now?!!!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Feel that Bulldog Bite lizard
Chipper Jones
October 31st, 2011
5:56 pm
“How has FW kept his job? ”
There is legend about a set of pictures showing Bobby Cox with a young Cambodian boy (actually it’s Rafael Belliard but whats the difference?) . Mark Lemke found the negatives at the end of the 1990 season, and made several hundred thousand dollars over the ensuing years selling copies of the pictures to marginal Braves players. When Lemke left the organization, he sold the negatives to Randall Simon, who steadfastly refused to sell John Rocker a set of the pictures
Things started to get out of hand when Dan Kolb left the team and sold the negatives to Pete Orr, who seemed to know that even having the pictures wouldnt keep him around long enough to qualify for a big league pension. To that end, while he made $740,ooo in official salary in 2006 and 2007, Orr’s tax filings with the IRS attest to him making no less than $1.5 million from distributing copies of the pictures AND the negatives. By 2007, it seemed everyone had them. Andruw Jones even had a set. Scott Thorman had like six sets. The heighth the insanity when Yunel Escobar Xerox’d a100 sets and sent them the Braves COD from Toronto.
When Bobby Cox finally retired, the saga of the pictures seemed to be at an end. The end of the 2010 season found dog-eared and sticky copies of the pictures littering the clubhouse trash cans. Chipper Jones, ever the dutiful son, stayed an extra day in Atlanta making sure all the pictures were shredded. (or so he thought)
Fredi Gonzalez was going thru the drawers in his new office this past February when he found a small parcel with Canadian pstmarks. He turned the box over to Frank Wren, who had actually never seen the pictures until that moment. Just as a goof, Wren scanned a set onto his computer and started playing around with Photoshop. He amused himself substituting various celebrities for either Cox or the little Cambodian kid – sorry, I mean Belliard – and then he had an epiphany.
He surreptisiously photoshopped JS’s pictures in place of Bobby Cox.
That set now sits in a secert safe whose combination is known ONLY to Frank Wren and his wife
Chipper Jones
October 31st, 2011
5:58 pm
And that’s why Frank Wren’s job is safe
Josh Smith for 3
October 31st, 2011
6:06 pm
Chipper Jones – take it easy, Hemingway. You must be bored if you’re writing four paragraphs on a sports blog
Speaking of Chipper, we’ll have alot of free cash if he ever retires…
Cane Ain't Able
October 31st, 2011
6:27 pm
Jeff, why didn’t Braves get an OF or 3B prospect in return ? Is this C.Jones supposed to be good ?
swes32
October 31st, 2011
6:30 pm
I say Frank Wren trade J.J. to Texas for C.J. Wilson
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
October 31st, 2011
6:32 pm
braves wont spend the money, they will save it after chipper retires and try to resign mccann for a long term deal.
Sheamus
October 31st, 2011
6:37 pm
I’m glad McOut & Liquored-UP Lowe are gone. Braves now need a power OF bat to replace Heyward.
Sheamus
October 31st, 2011
6:42 pm
That was funny Chipper Jones. 4-real. LMAO.
Sheamus
October 31st, 2011
6:44 pm
I think Nate McOut bought a set of those pictures too. Nate faked injury the last half of the season because he knew he couldn’t hit a turd out of a burning paper bag…
SmyrnaBob
October 31st, 2011
6:46 pm
Could have been worse, A J Burnette could have taken the Braves offer first. If so, even Cleveland would not have taken him.
Really?
October 31st, 2011
6:46 pm
Kawakami, Lowe and McClouth, if you remember, were ‘panic decisions’ because we couldn’t get the people we wanted, but management felt we had to do something so that it at least appeared we were trying to build a better team. Unlike those bad moves, this year Wren did not panic, held on to the young guns and bagged Bourne. That was a stellar move. Really.
Sheamus
October 31st, 2011
6:56 pm
I’m glad Nate McCrap is gone !
mudcat
October 31st, 2011
7:04 pm
Not having Lowe pitch every 5th day should result in an extra 4-7 wins next season. Great trade!
rudy
October 31st, 2011
7:11 pm
thats a LOWE blow….hehe
MitchC
October 31st, 2011
7:37 pm
Jeff, another point:
Your article is very “Hostile” toward Lowe. In reality, until this year, he really didnt pitch that badly. Yes, a 4.67 ERA isnt good in 2010, but he still won a lot of games for us over the first two years of that contract. We dont make the postseason in 2010 without him.
Lowe’s age us another reason why we couldnt think he would have a comeback year in 2012.
He had a bad year in 2011, but,I dont have the hosility toward him that you seem to.
Hurt Kurbstreit
October 31st, 2011
8:02 pm
That was a bad deal from the get go. Fire Wren for making that deal.
Lefty Groove
October 31st, 2011
8:28 pm
Lowe sweated a lot when he pitched. All alcoholics I’ve known sweat profusely…
Lefty Groove
October 31st, 2011
8:30 pm
I’m sweating right now…
WREN HAS TO GO
October 31st, 2011
8:51 pm
What a completely clueless signing of Lowe. I cringed when I learned about it. Kamikaze was a complete brain-dead move. Trading for McLousy was yet another one. Signing Chipper to a multi-year $15m deal was insane. I swear I could do a better job than Wren. He’s a dunce.
Bravo, FW
October 31st, 2011
8:59 pm
Javy Vasquez and JJ are/were both FW acquisitions, I believe, as is Bourne. Pretty sure at least one of the young arms was brought in a trade as well…again, by FW. After watching a bevy of former Braves, all given away by Schuerholz for Tex, playing in the World Series for the Rangers I’m not about to throw Wren under the bus. With the resources he has, he’s done yeomans work. What we really need is a decent owner who has an interest in, and the pockets for, making the Braves competitive financially.
TRADE CHIPPER
October 31st, 2011
9:21 pm
To the AL for a real shortstop.
WREN HAS TO GO
October 31st, 2011
9:26 pm
Bravo FW,
Wren must be thrown under the bus to save the Braves from another 15 years without a World Series win. WREN IS A DUMBA$$. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO PUT IT. HE NEEDS TO GO. WREN IS A CLUELESS A$$CLOWN. WHEN SOMETHING GOES RIGHT, IT IS JUST LUCK. HE LEARNED NOTHING FROM SCHUERHOLZ.
Peter
October 31st, 2011
10:05 pm
When are we going to cut our losses and run Frank Wren out of town like the did in Baltimore ?
5150 UOAD
October 31st, 2011
10:05 pm
http://www.ajc.com/news/forsyth/forsyth-raises-big-buzz-1214005.html
UGA fans please read this and sent the DUMB ARSE a note that BEEs are GREAT for the local neighborhood.
I have kept bees off and on for years. UGA’s Keith Delaplane is a great asset to the Ga. beekeeper society. and I respect that DAWG a lot. Please send a note that you don’t mind bees in your neighborhood. They are there already and a person keeping them is an asset to the Food and plant production in your neighborhood.
Peter
October 31st, 2011
10:19 pm
Abnerish you are very wrong about Bourn……. we will have him one more year…..do you know who his agent is ?
Name another great deal, or player we have because of him please ?
He got run out of Baltimore after creating the highest payroll in baseball at the time, that produced zero.
Hillbilly D
October 31st, 2011
10:19 pm
5105 UOAD
I don’t live in Forsyth County but whoever is running things down there is an idiot. Bees aren’t livestock, they aren’t domesticated, they pose no harm to anybody and are very beneficial to the environment. You’d think it’d be a no-brainer. Maybe Pete Amos can talk some sense into them, sense he’s an actual local, and probably has a little common sense when it comes to bees.
On the Lowe deal:
Chris Jones appears to have pretty decent numbers in A ball. Maybe he’ll pan out. I commend the Braves for trying to correct a problem, instead of sticking with a non-producing salary, like so many teams do.
5150 UOAD
October 31st, 2011
10:54 pm
HillWILLIAM you would think that but you are talking about people that want to be elected and they are STUPID to a bad cause for publicity.
UGA had a DR. Keith Delaplen(?) that is have met at Berry College for the BEEKEEPERS School. You know I am a TECH fan but 7734 I want to LIVE long enough to see many more GT v UGA games and BEES and CLEAN WATER are the KEY tom that. LOL please tell your friends to make a STINK even if you are not in that county or this Crap could spread.
gcs
October 31st, 2011
11:14 pm
The Braves can’t even dump Derek Lowe right!
They don’t need any more pitching!!! Get someone who can hit a couple of home runs or steal a dozen or so bases. Jeez.
.
NO MORE WREN
November 1st, 2011
12:44 am
How long are the Braves going to continue to let Frank destroy this franchise? Look at all the horrible deals he has made. Crazy! Add fat Fredi to that list as he is going to end up a bust as well. When can we get back to being a classy organization again? Geez! Bye Wren, Chipper, McLousy, Diaz, fat Fredi, Conrad, TP, blah blah blah.
Watch the Cards get Francona and continue winning while Wren signs some washed up player and acts like it is a big deal. Tough times to be a Braves fan these days.
Columbus
November 1st, 2011
1:51 am
Chipper has the option on his contract, not the team….
Chipper was one of the teams top producers last year rbi’s obp, 2 out rbi’s.
He made the All-Star team in 2011.
I will take him for 110-120 games ANY TIME!
Now we need…….SPEED!
Columbus
November 1st, 2011
2:01 am
Ummmm…..Frank Wren is NOT destroying this franchise. He is doing a GREAT jobs with the money he has and let us NOT forget, Schuerholz IS STILL TEAM PRESIDENT. We NEEDED pitching bad when Lowe was signed. Wren just dumped him and that was a good move. The only thing Lowe did was eat up innings. We freed up some money to spend elsewhere, which is good. That was a good move. Signing BOURN was a GREAT move! Getting UGGLA was a GREAT move. Uggla is a keeper!
Had Heyward hit worth a FLIP or been put on the pine and Constanza played, Braves would have easily won the wildcard. Had Hanson and JJ not got injured for such a long time. Bravesd win the wild card easily. If all of the previous things had not happened, Braves challenge the Phils thorugh September with HALF OF THE PAYROLL PHILLIES AND YOU IDIOTS SAY WREN IS DESTROYING THE TEAM? YOU ARE IGNORANT TO THE FACTS SON!
BRAVES HAVE HALF THE PHILLIES PAYROLL! Much less than the METS too! Have you seen the team payrolls in the NL?! Wren has done FANTASTIC!
Go run your fantasy leagues where everybody has the same playing field……
schultz likes barbie dolls
November 1st, 2011
7:10 am
By Lowe U did the Job and was trade to cleveland where u can pitch before 6,000 fans now so you should win 17-8 record and era of 2.78 for Indians for 2012 Frank Wren will just eat spam and laugh at fans here as he gets low grade for top notch people he trades away!
Corzine
November 1st, 2011
8:16 am
Yes I am a big time lib and yes I diverted customers money at MF Global but it’t those mean republicans fault. Just don’t check obama’s campaign funds please for the money.
Mountain DAWG
November 1st, 2011
8:29 am
Yo Jeff! That GA-FLA game was big around here and you blew it. Man up!
Why have your comments about the results been missing? How do you like your crow served, friend? Would you like fries with? Maybe some gator meat on the side?
JackDennis
November 1st, 2011
8:44 am
Jeff: Your “explanation” on Lowe’s clubhouse stature was weak. Maybe your original statement would have best been left out.
reckingball
November 1st, 2011
9:07 am
JackD………Agree.
In fact, I would have to call a BS on JS’s explanation, or generalization of Lowe’s clubhouse stature.
spider
November 1st, 2011
9:26 am
and the real losers are the fans who buy tickets to supports the stupidity in pro sports
PapaDawg
November 1st, 2011
9:27 am
The fine tuning has begun, Thank You Frank Wren
ZJ
November 1st, 2011
9:28 am
Atleast those of us who buy tickets to the games have skin in the game, Spider. Its like the saying if you don’t vote you can’t complain. If you don’t support the team with money via tickets, gear, etc, don’t complain when the team cannot afford the players you want.
Bobo is Not the Problem
November 1st, 2011
9:34 am
Terrible, terrible trade. You couldn’t find anyone to pay more than $5mm for Lowe? Really? The guy’s career is littered with ups and downs. He’s old, but he could post a 3.50 ERA next season. You never know. Way to suck, Braves.
Bobo is Not the Problem
November 1st, 2011
9:35 am
ZJ, you are dead wrong. Any fan can complain, and we often do. You just have to suck it up and take it.
Bobo is Not the Problem
November 1st, 2011
9:36 am
“The Braves reportedly will get a low-level minor-leaguer in return.”
Jeff, we have known exactly who this person is for some time now, Ever think of updating your reports?
DogTheMan
November 1st, 2011
9:40 am
It does not matter. We will go out adn get somebody who has not been productive for 2 years and say they are ready to reclaim thier glory days. Will we go after Prince Fielder? NO!!!! Will we try to find a bat NO!!!! So why are the Braves rejoicing. The same ole same ole!!!!
DogTheMan
November 1st, 2011
9:40 am
It does not matter. We will go out adn get somebody who has not been productive for 2 years and say they are ready to reclaim thier glory days. Will we go after Prince Fielder? NO!!!! Will we try to find a bat NO!!!! So why are the Braves rejoicing. The same ole same ole!!!!
Sam
November 1st, 2011
9:55 am
Don’t blame the bankers for taking the money. The Fed gave it to them.
Lowe aside, Braves’ offseason may lack major moves | Jeff Schultz
November 1st, 2011
9:57 am
[...] manager Frank Wren made the right decision dealing pitcher Derek Lowe to Cleveland so early. With the trade of Lowe to Cleveland (which will [...]
ZJ
November 1st, 2011
9:58 am
Agree to Disagree, BOBO. Oh, and BOBO is the problem.