Adam LaRoche: All of a sudden, the Braves really need him
Ol' Rochy displays that McGriff-like follow-through. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
It was a a walkaway trade. The Braves dealt Casey Kotchman, who didn’t hit enough, for Adam LaRoche, who would presumably hit a bit more and would become a free agent at season’s end. But a funny thing happened on the way to October: Ol’ Rochy, as Bobby Cox famously called him, became the most productive hitter on a team not overrun by productive hitters.
In 57 games as a Brave, LaRoche hit .325 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs. (If that doesn’t sound like much, consider: In 68 games as a Brave in 1993, the catalytic Fred McGriff hit .310 with 19 homers and 55 RBIs.) And now LaRoche is free to sign elsewhere, and certainly he’ll stir interest. He should stir the Braves’ interest most of all.
With the exception of the one-year rental Mark Teixeira, the Braves haven’t found a big-time first baseman since Andres Galarraga. They’ve tried Rico Brogna, Robert Fick, the ancient Julio Franco, the younger LaRoche and the forgettable Kotchman to no great effect. The Braves now have a 20-year-old first baseman they like very much. His name is Freddie Freeman. But he’s not quite as far along as the 20-year-old Jason Heyward, who figures to start next season in right field.
So the Braves need a bridge. Freeman probably won’t be ready until 2011. At issue is whether LaRoche, who’s coming off 57 productive games, would be willing to settle for a shorter-term contract to stay where he has become comfortable.
LaRoche made $7 million last season. He’ll want that much and more, and he’ll want it for more than one year. If you’re the Braves and you’re expecting to contend for a division title next season, do you give it to him? Do you give him, say, three years at $24 million?
Loading ...I say yes. I say Ol’ Rochy has become the key to the 2010 roster. The Braves are still going to have to find a big-hitting outfielder via trade or free agency, but it makes no sense to splurge on an outfielder while scrimping on a first baseman. And LaRoche clearly likes it here: He and Chipper Jones, as we know, enjoy plotting the murder of animals. (OK, they call it hunting.) After 2 1/2 years in the wildnerness of Pittsburgh, who wouldn’t want to play for a contender.
But the Braves aren’t the Yankees. Every dollar spent on one man is a dollar that can’t be spent on someone else. So it could well come down to this: Do you pay $12 million to re-up Tim Hudson, who’s one of six starting pitchers, or do you pay $8 million (or thereabouts) to keep the only first baseman you have who’ll be ready on Opening Day?
As much as I like starting pitching, I think the answer’s clear. In two months’ time, Adam LaRoche rendered himself nigh-indespensable. He might not hit that well again — he has never hit that well over a full season — but the Braves just saw what happens when you can’t drive in enough runs to support a splendid rotation. You finish third.
(And here, as threatened, is the post you never thought you’d see: Why the Braves must keep Greg Norton at all costs!)
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Guides
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2011 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
199 comments Add your comment
EEJacket
October 6th, 2009
10:48 am
first!
Mark Bradley
October 6th, 2009
10:51 am
Kudos, EEJ.
matt_t
October 6th, 2009
10:55 am
I agree, I think they have to let Hudson walk and keep LaRoche. Vasquez is too good to trade for a bat.
Kelly Johnson Fan Club
October 6th, 2009
10:55 am
Making the decision to re-sign LaRoche based only on what he did with the Braves would be a classic mistake. He was very good for us, but the Braves need someone who is capable of doing what he’s done the past two months every day. Color me not convinced LaRoche is capable of sustaining his ‘09 Braves level of production for an entire season.
Bradley's Buzz: Are the Braves the team to beat in 2010? | Mark Bradley
October 6th, 2009
10:56 am
[...] Coming next: What should the Braves do with Adam LaRoche? [...]
rlinaug
October 6th, 2009
10:56 am
Mark, I bet you made EEJ’s day.
Greg Norton
October 6th, 2009
10:59 am
I agree with you Kelly Johnson Fan Club. Now, if we could just convince Cox to let KJ go, too.
SC Ace
October 6th, 2009
11:00 am
Rico Brogna! You continue to impress, Mark. That’s reaching deep.
I bet Greg Norton could play a decent 1B and be had for less. Bobby seems to think highly of him. But that would deprive us of one of my favorite Braves offseason traditions: Trying to guess what over-the-hill, under-achieving to downright awful veteran castoff the Braves will hire to be their veteran presence in the dugout and experienced pinch “hitter” (in the mold of Norton, Chris Woodward, Raul Mondesi, even the twilight Brian Jordan).
Barb
October 6th, 2009
11:00 am
Enter your comments here
Mark, I love and agree with your definition of hunting ala Jones and LaRoche! I would hope that there are some Braves player who don’t subscribe to that lifestyle, and if so, who they are.
EEJacket
October 6th, 2009
11:01 am
He did, actually.
Barb
October 6th, 2009
11:01 am
Woops! Braves players, i.e.
Beth
October 6th, 2009
11:01 am
I agree! We need to keep LaRoche, even if it takes a 3-yr deal! I love Huddy, but I’d rather see Vasquez stay! I think Wren needs to re-sign LaRoche, one of the two closers (Gonzo or Soriano), and use Huddy’s 12mill towards finding a LF power hitter.
Beth
October 6th, 2009
11:03 am
And please…….Norton has to go!!
BDubs
October 6th, 2009
11:05 am
Surely the boys upstairs can pony up the money to keep both Hudson and LaRoche, right? And Mark, what’s the liklihood of trading Kenshin instead of Vazquez for an outfield bat???
Mark Bradley
October 6th, 2009
11:05 am
Coming next: Why the Braves must keep Greg Norton.
AndyC
October 6th, 2009
11:06 am
Can’t argue with you Mark. Freeman is no sure thing and the Braves need to make sure they are covered in case he fizzles. Even if he is a star and ready for the 2011 season and Roachy has a three year deal, I don’t think it would be too difficult to deal him. Two years from now $8M for a solid firstbasemen will probably be considered cheap and someone will take him off our hands.
brian elliott
October 6th, 2009
11:06 am
Not sure if LaRoche is the answer either. I would wait and see what develops in the market first before settling on him. I think the chipper connection weighs in heavily but to me chipper has lost some of his value also. His opinion doesn’t matter as much now. The Braves need clear direction and good chemistry as a team. A power first baseman would be nice but someone who is professional not just a hunting partner would be better.
Jt
October 6th, 2009
11:06 am
I agree concerning LaRoche. Freeman is not ready and I bet he would take a little less for 2 or 3 years to stay in ATL. I am sure he wants fair market value, but he does not strike me as someone who needs to see how much money he can get to stroke his sense of self-worth. I am not convinced that D Lowe is untradeable. I know he had a somewhat disappointing year and he has 3 years left at a relatively high price, but teams seem to take chances on starting pitching. He can eat up innings and if the price of a trade is not too high (what the Braves would ask in return is almost nothing-salary dump), I think there may be some takers out there. I would not part with Vasquez-no way. And I would prefer Hudson over Lowe, if at all possible
EEJacket
October 6th, 2009
11:08 am
In the article you posted earlier, Mark, the ESPN guy picked the bravos solely because of their pitching, it seems. Drop Hudson from the rotation, and that’s one less reason they should take the east (by the great sportscaster’s by the sea’s logic, anyways). However, I agree with you, I don’t think we need to jazz up the infield and the rotation is stacked enough as it is to let one man go. We’ve got an outfield to (hopefully not when Daryl Strawberry Jr. comes to town) worry about.
AndyC
October 6th, 2009
11:09 am
Mark
Please tell me you are kidding about Norton. Please! If you are serious you will have to prepare for the crap storm that will descend on you.
Paul H
October 6th, 2009
11:09 am
Mark, are you serious about Norton? That’s not a punchline?
jerrytc
October 6th, 2009
11:10 am
I agree, keep LaRoche. But the Braves have 6 starting pitchers. The big right hand boomer should come from a trade for a starting pitcher.
And we know other players will be involved.
Do not count on Jason Heyward for 2010. He will be ready when he is ready, not when the Braves want him to be ready. We tried that this past spring with Schafer, remember?
Are you prepared to go into 2010 with an OF of Anderson, Diaz, McClouth & Church?
Greg Norton
October 6th, 2009
11:13 am
I’m excited to see what you are writing, Mark. Heck, Mark Bowman over at MLB.com already wrote my obit.
John Kruk is my sugar daddy
October 6th, 2009
11:14 am
Speaking of great Brave first basemen of the past, how can one neglect the one and only Tommy Gregg.
im4ball
October 6th, 2009
11:15 am
To me, keeping LaRoche would depend on what other changes/ additions the Braves can make. LaRoche is not the panacea. He alone can not fix the Braves problems. Rememeber that LaRoche typically starts very slow and this is something the Braves just can not do…get stuck in an early hole. Also, LaRaoche is not a 4 hole hitter which is something the Braves very much need. At best, LaRoche is a 6 or 7 hitter.
It would be nice to be able to shop for a while but then the Braves would risk losing LaRoache. While he may not be the ultimate fix for the Braves, he still could be a decent addition.
I saw an article where Cox suggests that Prado could be moved to RF and that cox thinks Kelly Johnson needs to be playing at 2nd. wow….Cox is just too stuck on existing players to see that last year was the abberation in Johnson’s career and not the norm. Kelly is servicable at best but not someone the Braves need to fix their problems. I like the idea of options with Prado. RF is they can find a decent 2nd base or 2nd if they can find and outfielder but to me, Kelly is not the answer.
Mark Bradley
October 6th, 2009
11:16 am
I am very serious about Greg Norton. The next post will concern him.
O'Brien
October 6th, 2009
11:16 am
Mark,
I agree that the Braves need to resign LaRoche. Although he starts off slow, he usually heats up around the All Star Break. Sign him for 3 years, $24 mil, and then trade him at the trading deadline during year 2 of his deal (2011 season) or at the season’s end. By then Freddie should be ready.
However, as far as Hudson goes, I think the Braves can decline his option, and resign him for about $8 mil per year (~ the same as LaRoche).
That being said, do the Braves Let Hudson go, and use his $12 mil to find a power hitter, or trade Vazquez for a power hitter and resign Hudson? (Mark, that can be your article for another day, because I would like to know what you think).
Greg Norton
October 6th, 2009
11:17 am
Could Diaz move to first if LaRoche is unsignable? I think Diaz is either a free agent or is up for arbatration again. Also, if the Braves sigen roch to a long time deal would he be able/ willing to move into the outfield or is Freeman capble of that? Can Diaz be could on a regular basis?
Is Schafer avaliable for trading, seeing the braves may let diaz go every day and the need a power bat?
By the way Dump Hudson stick with Javy, especially with the noted influence he has had on some of our younger pitchers.
While all the hate Braves fans, I CAN take a walk?
BDubs
October 6th, 2009
11:18 am
Sorry if this ends up being a repeat post.
But seriously, Mark, do we have to give up Hudson or LaRoche? Surely the boys upstairs can pony up the money to keep them both.
And Mark, fill me in on this one. Why is everyone sure that Vazquez will be the one to get traded? Can we not trade Kenshin and a prospect (or KJ) for an outfield bat?
w
October 6th, 2009
11:20 am
Enter your comments here
This is an easy decision. Sign O’Roche and Hudson. It is easier to trade a good starting pitcher. There are a lot of teams looking for pitching. But the key is to keep Hudson and trade Lowe and KJ for a good hitting outfielder. You can never have enough good pitching and if need be Lowe can close. NEED POWER, NEED POWER, NEED POWER. Make good long lasting trades and not one year/few month rentals.
kcob95
October 6th, 2009
11:20 am
Based on the previous article, bobby is already contemplating moving prado to RF and letting Kelly Johnson resume his place at 2B. Am I the only one who thinks Bobby is out of his mind. What do we owe Kelly Johnson that we need to move Prado? This is why he should retire earlier. Keep Kelly on the bench and let Prado play the position. Move McClouth to RF and let Jason Heyward play center.
Fast Eddie Perez
October 6th, 2009
11:23 am
Hire Freddi Gonzalez back & make him manager when Booby goes to the farm, we should run Booby out of town just for THINKING about putting KJ back at 2nd, Yeah Booby & lets keep NORTON for another year of pain & suffering, & by the way, has Garret woke up yet??? Wren will make the right moves, hes done a good job in a short time, just need to keep Booby out of the way on any decisions, his mind has definetely started to go!
John Kruk is my sugar daddy
October 6th, 2009
11:23 am
Yes, Greg, you had quite a nice OBP, and everyone is quick to forget that great RBI single against the Nationals in the final weekend.
People Eating Tasty Animals
October 6th, 2009
11:28 am
Good article overall but you show your ignorance and attitude towards
hunting. I bet you you don’t call Chipper or Adam animal murderers to their face.
Phil
October 6th, 2009
11:28 am
Florida State has had enough of their “senile Bobby”, yet we have to suffer through another year of ours.
glorydays
October 6th, 2009
11:29 am
I’m thinking a realistic title chance is at least a year away. We should focus on that team, not next year. With that in mind. I suppose Chipper is an icon but he is no longer an effective defensive 3rd basemen, he literally cost us games by playing there this year. He is not covering much ground these days at third and he is consistently banged up. Move him to first. Sign Hudson as he will be reasonable. Trade Vasquez, he won’t be here after next year as he will choose the take the money and run. What we really need is a good young third baseman, I am not aware of one in the farm system, so trade JV for the needed good young 3B. Now, after next year we have a young, very solid team that will be ready to grow into a championship. That is all I have to say about that.
AKT163
October 6th, 2009
11:29 am
Great article Mark. If you were Frank Wren, would you trade Tim Hudson or Javier Vazquez?
Don
October 6th, 2009
11:31 am
In discussing who we can afford to keep or add etc., the sad, sad thing is that we have a huge chunk of the payroll budget already obligated for THREE MORE YEARS to an aging player who is already just a part time player, who is a poor defensive 3rd baseman, and now apparently is no longer a good hitter. — And we are stuck with him for 3 more years at a huge salary. With salary budget limitations, you cannot pay players huge salaries just because they have been good in the past. Relating to LaRoach, remember that we were seeing him in the last part of the season when he is productive – and his first part of season numbers are usually not at all good.
AlternateReality
October 6th, 2009
11:38 am
I think LaRoche is a pretty affordable alternative at first, plus he’s pretty good defensively.
There aren’t a lot of other choices out there for acquiring a first baseman. Moving Chipper is iffy – I can’t get the visions of Caminiti trying to play first out out of my head.
I’d rather see the Braves keep try to trade a pitcher to get a power-hitting outfielder.
Don
October 6th, 2009
11:38 am
This discussion like all others relating to next season is pointless. With Bobby Cox back the 2010 season is over before it begins. The only remote posibility is if our Pitching should be so great (so far, far superior to all other teams) that it would make it impossible for even him to mess it up enough to lose over the long 162 game regular season schedule. The only possible explanation that makes sense relating to the Braves officials keeping him – is that he must have been given a commitment years ago that he could keep the managers job for as long as he wanted it.
Blackberry Cobbler
October 6th, 2009
11:39 am
We’ll need 2 first basemen ’cause as much as I like LaRoche, he won’t be worth a flip until the 2nd half of the season. So pay 1/2 years salary and pay the other 1B 1/2 year.
jeff
October 6th, 2009
11:39 am
Don’t sign LaRoach, unless we can sign him for 1 year. 2011 will be a much better opportunity for the Braves. Don’t make a decision that is going to negatively impact the salary over the next several years like the Lowe contract, when it’s not going to help the overall team past next year.
Q
October 6th, 2009
11:43 am
Trade for Adrian Gonzales or Adam Dunn and don’t pick up Hudson’s option. Use that $12 million toward a power bat.Let both closers go and if he’s available (rumor has it he might be)trade for Joakim Soria of the Royals.I know it would take alot of talent out of the farm system for these trades but Soria is a young stud closer under contract the next few years and if you got Adrian he is under contract the next two years cheaper than LaRoche would be and that gives Freeman time to develop.If you have to “settle” for Dunn it would be a 1 year rental but you wouldn’t give up as much talent as you would for Adrian.So the money from Hudson and the closers would pay toward the power OF bat, the new stud closer and the powerhitting first baseman.What do you think of these moves MB?
Braves_Guru_32
October 6th, 2009
11:44 am
Don’t be a tree hugger Barb! This is the south and Chipper and Roachy are some down home, country strong boppers! Glad they are here and bring that “life style” to the team!
And to answer your question, I’ll just throw out a few names, but I could keep going… Lowe, Jurrjens, Anderson, Vazquez, Prado, Soriano…
Billy
October 6th, 2009
11:44 am
Would Jermaine Dye be a fit in the Braves Outfield and Lineup next season?
Keith Lockhart
October 6th, 2009
11:45 am
Hey fellas, I’m willing to take the job for a very affordable rate. I’ve been working on my swing and I’m primed and ready to hit at least .230 with 7 HR’s. With me and Norton in the fold, you can start molding those rings.
TommyP
October 6th, 2009
11:49 am
I’d like to see Laroche back for another two years with a team option on the 3rd. If a team option isn’t feasible, a 3 year deal would still be pretty good ’cause Laroche does seem to be improving and he’d be trade bait IF Freeman pans out.
The question boils down to Vazquez or Hudson. With Vazquez you can get something for him (power hitting OF). If you decline Hudson’s option, you save the money but get nothing in return and the FA market doesn’t look good for power-hitting OFs. With our budget it sure makes sense to get something for the guy you jettison. And Vazquez had a CAREER year.
Put Laroche at 1B, Prado at 2B, Chipper-3B, Yunel-SS, McCann-C, McLouth-CF which leaves two OF spots open. Ideally, you net a right-handed power hitter that plays RF and let Diaz hold down LF ’til Heyward is ready. (and maybe platoon to begin with)
AlternateReality
October 6th, 2009
11:50 am
Don’t assume that Heyward is going to be the savior just yet. Even though he looks like the real thing, but I see a lot of similarities between him and Andruw Jones at the same point in their careers. Remember that when Andruw came up as the reigning minor league player of the year, he was not expected to carry the team, just to be a cog. It took a couple of years for him to really become a contributor offensively.
I don’t expect LaRoche would sign a 1-year deal – I’m sure there would be better offers out there – and anyway that assumes that Freeman would be fully ready by 2011, which is an unknown.
Murphy's Boy
October 6th, 2009
11:53 am
We have to keep LaRoche. The Braves cannot keep the revolving door open at first base. Besides, what are we hoping that Freeman becomes? A .275 hitter with 30+ HR potential. We have that now in the form of LaRoche. How about getting Uggla from the Marlins? That would go a long way toward filling our need for a big RH bat!
TommyP
October 6th, 2009
11:54 am
Alternate Reality: Andruw and Heyward are entirely 2 different cases. Heyward has already shown major league discipline at the plate (walks and K’s). Andruw just isn’t one to compare Heyward to except they both have immense talent.