Potential payroll for 2010:

Jeff Bennent…………salary arbitration
Kris Medlen…………..Up to Braves
Tommy Hanson……..Up to Braves
Jair Jurrgens…………Up to Braves
Peter Moylan…………Up to Brvaes
Kenshin Kawakami….$8,333,333
Derek Lowe……………$15,000,000
Javier Vazquez……….$11,500,000
Mike Gonzalez………….free agent
Rafael Soriano……….free agent

That’s all 5 starters and 3 relievers all under contract. If the Braves resign both Gonzalez and Soriano, that leaves 2 or 3 more spots left to fill out the bullpen. Those non-closer spots are likely to cost the Braves somewhere along the Major League minimum.

That adds up to $34,333,333 plus whatever the Braves renew both Hanson and Jurrgens with…probably near $400k for Hanson and between $500-600k for Jurrgens. That is a little more than $35 mil for the starting 5. Plus another $1.5 or so for Bennett, Moylan, and Medlen. Total for the 8 pitchers….approximately $37 mil.

Field positions players:

Brian McCann……..$5,500,000
David Ross…………$1,600,000
Casey Kotchman…salary arbitration (2009 salary $2,885,000)
Kelly Johnson……..salary arbitration (2009 salary $2,825,000)
Yunel Escobar…….up to the Braves
Chipper Jones…….$13,000,000
Martin Prado……….salary arbitration (2009 salary $415k)
Matt Diaz…………….salary arbitration (2009 salary $1,237,500)
Omar Infante……….$2,475,000
Nate McLouth………$4,500,000

That’s 10 position players, 5 of whom will make $27,075,000. Yunel Escobar will probably get $600-700K, Matrin Prado $1.2-1.5 mil, Diaz $2-2.5 mil, Kotchman $4-4.5 mil, and kelly Johnson $4-4.5 mil. At most, those 5 add up to $13,700,000….which adds up to $40,775,000 for the 10 position players under contract.

Now many of you will say, what about Jeff Franceour? I’m assuming that the Braves will not tender him a contract. If they did, that would be the worst $5-6 mil investment imaginable.

Franceour aside, the 18 players under contract total $77,775,000. That gives the Braves financial flexibility to sign Soriano and/or Gonzalez. Or they can sign one free agent closer who can be a dominant closer. Also, they will have the money to sign a big bat, power, right handed right fielder. And they’ll need to fill out the roster with 3 bullpen guys, a starting left fielder, (unless they resign Garrett Anderson to form the Anderson/Diaz left field platoon) in which they will need 2 back-up outfielders.

Tim Hudson option is for $12 mil, with a $1 mil buyout. Obviously the Braves wont pick up the option. However if they can resign him for a reasonable salary, then that would offer them flexibility to acquire a right handed power right fielder. And of course cutting Jeff Franceour.

The Braves started this season with a $96,726,166 payroll (it would have went over $100 mil if they had added Glavine to the roster, which means that the Braves had budgeted for a $100 mil payroll). If the payroll doesnt increase, then that leaves the Braves with $23 mil to improve the team. However I feel that the Braves will be able to increase the payroll some, possibly $5-10 mil if they can get the right players.

So to sum this long posting up, the Braves have some real flexibility to improve the team. Obviously the projections do not include any trades that Frank Wren can swing in the next few months. Still, if he can make a wise trade, the Braves will be in really good shape, both on and off the field.

A high school player would be an upgrade to this outfield. I still don’t know who Nate the Savior is. You don’t either. Lets wait and see. If he hits .280 with 22 dingers,20 stolen bases,100 rbis, good defense, he still is not worth what the Braves gave up in talent. It will be worth it at the gate as the fans will flock to see the new fair haired boy take his cuts. This is a business thing as proved by the Glavine cut. The Braves will still be no better than 500. I hope you don’t have season tickets. If so, you may need to seek a bail out from your Congressman. Good night.

Matt Harrison…54 innings pitched in 9 starts (6 innings a start), 68 hits, 16 walks, 29 strikeouts, 5.43 ERA, on the disabled list…are not numbers that I would say are “great”.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia…..145 at bats, .248 batting average, 5 homers, 23 RBI’s, 11 walks, 58 strikeouts…….8 out of 32 caught stealing…..are not numbers that I would say are “great”.

Elvis Andrus…..155 at bats, .277 batting average, 3 homers, 11 RBI’s, 10 walks, 22 strikeouts…..8 errors……are not numbers that I would say are “great”.

The other 3 guys are prospects. Some of you guys keep raving about all that we gave up and how they are “tearing it up for the Rangers”. Tearing it up? Those stats are not “tearing it up”.

I just wish that the Braves would either send Franceour to Triple A (maybe a miracle can happen and he can magically make the adjustments) or trade him. With the McLouth trade, the Braves are just a right handed power bat away from being a really good offensive team. Just throwing Franceour out there is simply not helping.

Also, if the Braves can get this game in, I see that Franceour is batting 7th and Prado 8th. I was a Braves fan before Jeff Franceour was born, and I’ll be a Braves fan long after Franceour’s career is over (hopefully his Braves career will be over with soon). Point is, I want to put the best team out there. 4 home runs is not going to cut it, especially after he hit only 11 last year. 11 home runs in 599 at-bats. UNREAL. This year he is on pace for 12. Do I hear “13″ home runs in 2010?

My only thinking is that the Braves will continue to throw Franceour out there until his numbers get to be so BAD, that hopefully public sentiment will finally come around and say “this guy has to go”. If you so-called Braves fans really were true Braves fans (instead of being more loyal to Jeff Franceour), then you would have pressured Braves management long ago to get rid of him. He simply is not a very good Major League hitter.

Nothing personal Jeff, I just want to see the Braves win. I loved Dale Murphy, however if he isnt traded in 1990, the Braves dont make the World Series in 1991. If Terry Pendleton was resigned after the 1994 season, then Chipper Jones doesnt play in 1995, which he played a big part in helping us win our only World Series.

How soon you guys forget. As Bill Walsh said…”it is better to get rid of a player a year too early…than it is to get rid of him a year too late”.

It is good to see that there are other whinners like me who see that Nate the Savior is no McGriff, Druw or Texira. No way this guy can carry this team on his back. He is just a draw for the fans who want an all american guy with a good attitude. These same people said the same things about Frenchy. Now they are throwing him under the bus. Atlanta fans are bush. You are right to say that the Braves of the 80’s are back.