Braves dump a pitcher (Hanson) they once viewed as gold
Once a touted prospect, Tommy Hanson leaves Braves with unrealized expectations. (Curtis Compton)
Three years ago, Tommy Hanson was viewed as a precious commodity. The Braves would tell other teams, “Don’t even bother asking about him.” When the San Diego Padres asked about him anyway, as the key to a potential Jake Peavy trade, the Braves laughed. Not Tommy, he’s our guy.
On June 3, 2009, Braves general manager Frank Wren unceremoniously cut Tom Glavine, a future Hall of Famer who was expecting a call-up following a rehabilitation assignment. Why? Because they needed the spot in the pitching rotation for Hanson, who was called up on the same day. The younger Tommy now was their guy.
He was the Braves’ future. He was young and personable, a towering power pitcher who would be a staple of the team’s pitching staff for years.
Now Hanson is gone. Funny how quickly an athlete can go from being untouchable to, “Please, just take him.”
The Braves traded Hanson to the Los Angeles Angels for a reliever, Jordan Walden. This is like not being able to afford a suit at Nordstrom on one day and then suddenly seeing it hanging on a clearance rack at Value City the next. There’s Tommy Hanson, 10 feet from the toaster ovens.
This trade wasn’t made because the Braves suddenly fell in love with another team’s right-handed reliever. It was made because they completely lost faith in the starting pitcher they once fiercely protected and projected as a franchise centerpiece.
The spin you will hear is that the Braves did this to save money. Hanson’s salary was about to jump to $4 million in his first arbitration-eligible winter, and the hope is that payroll chunk can be used to help complete their outfield, preferably for a leadoff hitter. (Shane Victorino would complete this dream sequence.)
But that’s really not what this is all about because if Hanson had become what everybody thought he would become, the Braves wouldn’t blink at paying him $4 million. Or, eventually, $6 million or $8 million, or $10 million. Because that is the status level the organization once projected for Hanson, a top-of-the-rotation staple for several years.
This is why it’s always amusing when fans become apoplectic when an organization trades a touted prospect, as if “MVP” or “Cy Young” is stamped on anybody’s forehead. Hanson was considered a guarantee, and that guarantee was just sent three time zones away for a bullpen guy.
The Braves were concerned about Hanson’s back and shoulder issues. They were concerned about his messed-up pitching mechanics to compensate for those injuries and certainly about his ability in the future to deal with that. His velocity had dropped, and if a power pitcher can’t be overpowering, it’s a problem.
It was a bad season. Hanson wrecked his truck driving to spring training. He dealt with speculative theories about what might have led to that one-car wreck. The injuries and lack of success obviously wore on him. But what upset him most was the growing number of people who viewed him as a pitcher on the decline.
When we spoke about this in August, Hanson said, “I try not to worry about it. I just worry about myself, keep trying to get better, keep trying to keep my body healthy to perform. Anything after that, there’s no need for me to worry about it because people will say what they’re going to say, and they’re going to have doubts and think that there’s something wrong with me, and they don’t know.”
It’s clear, however, that Hanson is at the point where he has to prove to others that nothing is wrong. The assumption now is closer to: little is right.
So much for guarantees.
By Jeff Schultz
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111 comments Add your comment
JB
November 30th, 2012
4:08 pm
I bought 20 power ball tickets for $2 and 20 ACC title games tickets for $2…..both now worthless.
JB
November 30th, 2012
4:11 pm
ACC title game on stand by for world record of local Boy Scouts and Boys Club attendance. Heard they have 30,000 coming….( all free of course)
JoeBravesFan
November 30th, 2012
4:11 pm
One of the Braves problems is that they hang on too long waiting for players to turn things around. Case and point, Jair Jurrjens: his trade value was NEVER higher than 16 months ago when he was being considered to start the All-Star game and we hung on to him at the trade deadline. Now he’s being non-tendered and we’re not going to get anything for him. Loyalty is a good thing, but in the end you have to do what’s best for the team…and sometimes that means trading away someone. I’m glad they didn’t make the same mistake with Hanson and let him go before his trade value was totally gone.
The Braves are very loyal to their players (sometimes TOO loyal), but most of the players are not loyal in return. Case and point Michael Bourn: We made it very clear to him that we wanted him back. But he, like most players, is going to go to the highest bidder.
I think Frank Wren is making some very good moves so far, however I can’t help but be concerned with the amount of money and years he gave BJ Upton. I’m really hoping, and counting on, Greg Walker to help him turn things around at the plate to lower his strikeouts and increase is OPS. I can’t wait to see what they do with the extra money.
Peter
November 30th, 2012
4:21 pm
Steve Avery is another that comes to mind….. he was wonderful, and fantastic in the playoffs….
I hope Tommy has a new start to a longer career.
bulldogbubba
November 30th, 2012
4:27 pm
@Mr. Stinger2.I will be pulling for the Dawgs tomorrow and your help will be appreciated.These next 3-4 months until we can see the fruits of Mr. Wrens labor will be like waiting on Christmas.The possibilities look good on paper but will they play out on the field. I can’t wait!!! GO BRAVES & GO DAWGS!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL
notso fast
November 30th, 2012
4:33 pm
Even if Tommy wins 25 games next year, I will not have anything bad to say about this trade. He hardly ever reachs 90 mph and can not hold runners on first. I hope he does well cause I think he has given his all but it’s time to give his spot to one of the other prospects.
notso fast
November 30th, 2012
4:33 pm
Even if Tommy wins 25 games next year, I will not have anything bad to say about this trade. He hardly ever reachs 90 mph and can not hold runners on first. I hope he does well cause I think he has given his all but it’s time to give his spot to one of the other prospects.
notso fast
November 30th, 2012
4:33 pm
Even if Tommy wins 25 games next year, I will not have anything bad to say about this trade. He hardly ever reachs 90 mph and can not hold runners on first. I hope he does well cause I think he has given his all but it’s time to give his spot to one of the other prospects.
JoeBravesFan
November 30th, 2012
4:36 pm
If Hanson DOES turn things around, at least he won’t be in our league or division to pitch against us!
BubbaDaBaller
November 30th, 2012
4:38 pm
I hope he does well on the Left Coast…He’s in the American Beerball League and will have to get used to whatever end of a 12 to 9 score he gets. I think the interesting component of the “dump” was his diva-like response when sent up I-85 to CoolRay Stadium…Bobby & John Schuerholtz still maintain the Braves Mindset which is…”don’t care how good you are or think you are, our way or the highway”…just ask David Justice…
BravesGirl
November 30th, 2012
4:44 pm
I have always like Tommy Hanson, so I wish him all the best. And, it is true that most player traded from the Braves go on to make it big somewhere else.
He probably just got a case of Ugglatitis.
Klaus
November 30th, 2012
4:46 pm
Victorino is no dream sequence.
The Braves don’t need a leadoff guy and won’t be making that a priority. LF is a slugging position and expect a slugger or slugger potential guy there next year under 30 unless its Hamilton. The latter being the dream sequence.
I expect Wren to push hard for both Justin Upton and KC’s Myers with AZ’s Gordon as the fall back. He will go with the least painful trade.
Hamilton would have to gift wrap himself in a 18mm/yr three deal and even then it is probably more than that want to spend.
Kevin
November 30th, 2012
4:47 pm
Funny how a couple of seasons ago, Hanson and Jurrjens were close to being untouchable commodities. Now look where they are.
In response to JoeBravesFan, I’d rather have a loyal team than an unloyal one. Just consider the ramifications that the Marlins are going to be dealing w/ after their most recent fire sale in terms of their future ability to sign players.
Klaus
November 30th, 2012
4:47 pm
PS – Wren didnt do a salart dump on Hanson and a salary save on JJ to get the likes of Victorino.
He had the money for Victorino.
He is getting pieces and money together to get a key piece in LF or something more significant.
El Grincho
November 30th, 2012
4:54 pm
I’ll stick my neck out and be a Grinch here…but I certainly DON’T wish Tommy the best. In 2012, he never put forth the effort to change his delivery, go to a quicker slidestep with runners on, or get his act together.
On the plus side, our bullpen is gonna be sick. Can’t wait to see Walden in a Braves uni!
GAKnight
November 30th, 2012
5:04 pm
What’s this nonsense about “clearing” $4M so they can pursue an left fielder? Unless I missed something there is NO salary cap. The Braves can spend whatever they damn well want, which isn’t much.
RC
November 30th, 2012
5:09 pm
Both Hanson and Jurrjens were Boras clients as well as Bourn. This was a factor as well.
Glad they are gone.....
November 30th, 2012
5:11 pm
Ecstatic to hear that Whine-y Butt Hanson and Kawasucki JJ are both going to be gone – never to wear the Braves uniform again – both were worthless this year.
59bulldawg
November 30th, 2012
5:12 pm
I hate it for Hanson because I think he’s a classy guy. But this is a good move for the Braves.
Wrecker
November 30th, 2012
5:23 pm
Good luck, Tommy! I am sure you will be glad to pitching close to home.
slydog
November 30th, 2012
5:28 pm
some of this was about his declining skills. some of this was about money. the braves need ever ypenny over the next 2-4 years. remember, mccann comes up next year, and it’s probably best to lock up either heyward or freeman early at a lower cost. plus, next not forget about medlan.
Norman Cochran
November 30th, 2012
5:36 pm
Bingo “Lets Go”! You hit the nail on the head. “Scott Boras”!!! The Braves are a team that does not like the way Scott Boras does business. It is not that he is doing anything illegal or that he isn’t helping his client, but he has no compromise for the team payroll. Not everyteam can pay all of its players multi million dollar contracts. So a team has to do what a team has to do to put together a solid team on the field. I have no ill feelings toward Hanson I really wish him the best and I would love to see him succeed in Anaheim.
Brian702
November 30th, 2012
5:47 pm
I dont understand why everyone is so down on the Upton signing… Can anyone on here please tell me who would have worked out better for us that is available?
Felix
November 30th, 2012
5:52 pm
His mechanics are and have always been a mess. Why didn’t those responsible for evaluating talent in the Braves organization see that to begin with? Anyway, it’s the right move now and I wish Tommy good luck–but I fear that soon that elbow of his, with his pitching motion, has to blow out.
Rimfire
November 30th, 2012
5:54 pm
Hate to say it, but it’s a good move… crazy, messed uo throwing motion, cupping his wrist at a stuoid pause…then float the ball. Clear the spoy.
Rimfire
November 30th, 2012
5:55 pm
Spot…
ugaaccountant
November 30th, 2012
6:09 pm
Still better than Peavy was over this time frame. That’s what we all were screaming about back then. I’m not going to do the math, but Peavy had a 4 or so era and cost major money. Hanson was better and cheaper. We weren’t wrong.
Oldsquid
November 30th, 2012
6:11 pm
Good move for both Hanson and the Braves. If he is to have any chance of improving it has to be with a different team. He was not getting it done here.
ugaaccountant
November 30th, 2012
6:14 pm
We handled Hanson much better than we did Jair. We traded him right before his salary escalated, got value for him, and likely enjoyed the best 3 seasons of his career due to his unorthodox mechanics. A rough 2012 doesn’t mean he wasn’t a great contributor for the course of his career here.
o-my
November 30th, 2012
6:19 pm
Swisher -r- J Upton is coming…
John Leonard
November 30th, 2012
6:30 pm
Take the 4 mill we just saved and put it with the 15 mill we gave Upton,and you almost have enough to pick up Josh,then if you would of given up a minor league pitcher,you could have had Span.
ugaaccountant
November 30th, 2012
6:31 pm
Yeah, not getting Span was like a kick in the teeth
John Leonard
November 30th, 2012
6:35 pm
Ugga-a and kick were guys don’t want.
"Chef" Tim Dix
November 30th, 2012
7:16 pm
Couple things-
“The Wreck” was symptomatic of the MANY rumors of him burning through the Atlanta nightlife.
Big Red and Steve Avery both pitched for the Braves and the similarities end there.
O'Ventbrel
November 30th, 2012
7:16 pm
Acquiring Chase Headley seems like the only reason Prado would stay in LF. Some of you have said that Wren already had enough to sign Victorino, so with that in mind I would say the Braves probably pursue a younger outfielder like Gordon or Myers from KC or even the other Upton.
Dawgdad (The Original)
November 30th, 2012
8:38 pm
He was supposed to be the second coming, but alas! Anyway, I have thought for a long time, someone should question why the Braves seem such poor judges of talent. Most organizations would have scouted Tommy and said, well he surely has been successful, but his mechanics are just not going to allow him to perform like this for long, better options out there.
keith
November 30th, 2012
11:32 pm
One more injury plagued season and they don’t even get Weldon. They were not signing a long term deal (Boras, shoulder, back and prospects in waiting). The 4 million is spent along with the available $10m for a high quality OF.
Alex
November 30th, 2012
11:55 pm
I said 2 years ago they needed to trade him. Funny I could see the writing on the wall.
COOPER
December 1st, 2012
12:04 am
I was a control picture until I was 21 and never had a losing record so I know a little about what pitcher have to deal with. A few years ago I said that if Hansen does not get better control of his fast ball then the braves need to trade him while they could still get something for him. They didn’t do it and now have to settle for a middle of the road reliever but at least they can unload his salary.
Hansen never lasted past the 5TH or 6TH ending and the only reason he got as many wins as he did was because the offense supported him a lot and the Braves have had great relief in the bullpen for a few years now. Hansen also walked 5 or 6 per game. When he lost his 95 to 96 MPH fast ball that was the last straw. Wish him the best but if the Braves are serious about winning another world series they have got to make unpopular decisions at times and this decision has is at least one year late but better late than never.
Najeh Davenpoop
December 1st, 2012
1:45 am
What I want to know is, what happens to this guy now?
COOPER
December 1st, 2012
2:38 am
should be inning , poor job of proof reading , sorry.
Rowsdower
December 1st, 2012
3:27 am
First!
MitchC
December 1st, 2012
4:53 am
I’m bothered by this move. Along with the cutting of JJ, we just got rid of two pitchers who are younger than age 28, to keep a guy in his late 30s.
Cutting JJ is something I could understand. He hadnt been good for us lately. Even with his “Bad” season, Hanson still won 13 games for us. He would seem too young, with too much potential, to give up on.
Someone mentioned Adam Wainwright, and I see the correlation. Something tells me that Mr Hanson will be motivated to be pretty good for the Angels next year.
Sad.
Lil' Barry Bailout
December 1st, 2012
6:16 am
Nice kid and I wish him the best. Maybe someone in the Angels organization can get him back on track.
Mr. Thomas Anthony Jones, SR
December 1st, 2012
7:22 am
The Braves give up on a player in a split second. They have no loyalty to players. They are a disgrace. Give the player a chance to get better, God’s sakes!
bravofan07
December 1st, 2012
7:50 am
similar to the Kevin Millwood deal a few years ago. At least he’ll get to go be a hero near his hometown.
Mark's for the Braves
December 1st, 2012
9:03 am
I hate to say it, but good move. Always liked Hanson, but never thought he would be good enough to be our ace or anyone else’s ace. Let’s sign Justin Upton or Shane Victorino now and win the NL East. Can’t wait till 2013!
Dan
December 1st, 2012
9:19 am
Wonder in the Uptons were a package deal. Move can put the Braves in the driver seat. Justin says he would like to play for the Braves and this is not a Dwight Howard move because the owner for the Diamond Backs has gone public 3 times now saying they will listen to offers to trade Justin so no loyalty there. The thing is if I was the Yankees, Chicago, Dodgers and Red Sox am I going to deplete my team for a player that is going to sign with Atlanta in 3 yrs? I am thinking this possible puts Atlanta to get Justin and at a reasonable price? I know I would be putting that in everybody’s ear at this years Winter meetings
Ted M
December 1st, 2012
10:43 am
Why didn’t Frank Wren trade Hanson for Trout? LOL I haven’t read all the comments but I’m sure someone thinks Wren is stupid for not making that trade.
Ted M
December 1st, 2012
10:50 am
CYBORG HANSON TOMMY hahahaha