Bradley’s Buzz: Vazquez-for-Cabrera discussed & dissected
Javier, we hardly knew ye. But we liked what we saw. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
You’ve heard what Frank Wren had to say, and maybe you’ve even read my cool-headed thoughts on the matter. Today we leave it to outsiders. Or, in point of fact, to folks like ESPN.com’s Insiders. We start with the estimable Keith Law, who says the Braves didn’t get completely fleeced. (Link requires registration.) Writes Law:
“The key player in this trade for Atlanta is Arodys Vizcaino, who becomes one of the top five prospects in the Braves’ system and gives them a trio of potential No. 1 or No. 2 starters in the low minors with Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado. Vizcaino, who pitched at short-season Staten Island this past season, has a live fastball that sits 91-93 mph and touches a little higher. He throws a curveball that flashes plus and should miss bats at the big league level when he reaches it. He already has good feel for pitching and just needs experience and a little cleanup in his delivery, as he often finds his arm slot drifting down, at which point he starts to sling the ball instead of just throwing it.
“The Braves also get a few years of control of Melky Cabrera, a capable fourth outfielder who can play an average center field and has a plus arm. I don’t think Cabrera has the offensive skills to play every day in a corner outfield spot, particularly because of his willingness to expand the zone and chase pitches that most hitters wouldn’t consider. Atlanta could use him as a platoonmate for Matt Diaz, a right-handed hitter who has a 200-point career platoon split, or as a backup at all three outfield spots, playing him behind Diaz, Nate McLouth and — assuming he makes the club — Jason Heyward, the top prospect in baseball.
“Cabrera was a Super Two [eligible for arbitration with less than three years of service] this past offseason and should earn between $2.5 million and $3 million this offseason in arbitration, which is fairly pricey for a fourth outfielder. The third piece going to the Braves, Mike Dunn, is a converted outfielder with arm strength — he hit 94 repeatedly when I saw him in the Arizona Fall League — but he has 40 command at best on the 20-80 scale. He also has an inconsistent slider with some late break but that he has trouble finishing. It’s possible he’ll improve his command and/or control with more experience, but after nearly 400 pro innings, he’s still below-average in both departments.
“Atlanta’s need to make this deal dates back a full year to the signing of Kenshin Kawakami, to whom the team owes more than $13 million in the next two years. The Braves signed Kawakami despite having Tommy Hanson knocking on the door of the majors last winter and Tim Hudson returning from injury — a situation perfect for a one-year stopgap but one that made signing Kawakami [along with Derek Lowe] superfluous. Kawakami is untradable given his contract, and to clear a roster spot and payroll, they had to move their best starter from 2009. It’s a salary dump, and one in which Atlanta is lucky to get a young pitcher as good as Vizcaino, who is among the top 100 prospects in the game.”
And now we turn to the equally estimable Jayson Stark, who believes (as many have suggested) the Braves aren’t finished dealing. (Link also requires registration.) Writes Mr. Stark:
“Let’s characterize the Braves’ next move this way: The [Javier] Vazquez deal frees up about $9 million for the Braves to spend on upgrading their offense — Vazquez’s $11.5-million salary and the half-million in cash they’ll get from the Yankees, minus the $3 million or so Cabrera will make via arbitration. They’ll now look to use that surplus on an outfield bat, a first baseman or possibly both.
Johnny Damon is one possibility, particularly because his home in Orlando is within minutes of the Braves’ spring-training complex. Another option is free agent Xavier Nady, who could play first or the outfield and would come at a relatively low base because he is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery. Or the Braves could look to deal an outfielder — either Cabrera or possibly Jordan Schafer — for a bat. They’ve been linked in trade rumors to Florida’s Dan Uggla, who could potentially slide to first base.”
Writing for SI.com, Andrew Marchman also sees the Braves’ glass as being half-full. Quoth Mr. Marchman:
“The Braves got, it should be said, a better package for Vazquez than the Phillies did for Cliff Lee last week. The most important player they acquired is righthander Arodys Vizcaino , who, like any other teenage pitcher, is liable to break his team’s heart but who has, by all accounts, a serious chance at becoming a star.
“Melky Cabrera is a bad fit for the Braves, as they already have a crowded outfield and a very good center fielder, and most of Cabrera’s value is in his ability to provide vaguely average offense and solid defense in center, but at least he’s a valuable player who gives the team a lot of options. The third player, lefty Mike Dunn, is the proverbial live arm.
“For the Braves, the deal will be judged a success or failure based on what they do with the roughly $8 million that they freed up by moving Vazquez. They have enough starting pitching to sustain the loss, so if they can add a needed bat with that money and trade a spare outfielder to fill another need, they’ll likely come out ahead. If not, they’ll have missed an opportunity. But judged in its own right, this is a fair trade.”
Finally, Danny Knobler of CBSsports.com believes this deal could be a precursor to another. But not, apparently, the needed Big Bat Trade. Writes Mr. Knobler:
“The Braves always intended to trade either Vazquez or Derek Lowe for a much-needed bat. Cabrera could help them, but he’s not really that bat. So the Braves will take the approximately $9 million they save and keep shopping. They say they still can’t afford Matt Holliday or Jason Bay (and probably not even Johnny Damon), but who does that leave them with? Jermaine Dye? Marlon Byrd? Or another trade? [And] if the Braves believe that the 25-year-old Cabrera can be a long-term answer in center field, does that mean they’d make Jordan Schafer available in a trade?”
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217 comments Add your comment
Kentavo
December 23rd, 2009
10:32 am
You know, I’m all for Glaus and Johnny Damon – both have WS rings – and what the team needs, that know-how-to-win attitude that’s missing. Who else on the roster has a WS besides Chipper?
Hmm…Lowe. I know Damon is a lefty bat, but he is tough, tough out.
Scoob
December 23rd, 2009
10:32 am
1 year 5-6 Mill, coming off multiple shoulder surgeries, there’s no way we sign him for more I don’t think. Glaus is going to be playing 1B so we will not be signing Delgado
Patience
December 23rd, 2009
10:33 am
Much better article than the original emotional rant.
As the true experts describe, this is the first step in a “process”. It is WAY too early to judge the value of this trade. Have confidence and PATIENCE! It will work out to everyone’s satisfaction.
Scoob
December 23rd, 2009
10:34 am
Everyone is so hamstrung on Cabrera…IF he doesn’t get traded away, he is going to end up being our 4th outfielder
Bill Stanfill
December 23rd, 2009
10:36 am
The problem with Wren is that there is no consistent vision here. He signed 3 starters and he now seems eager to trade all 3. He exchanges average players with the Pirates. He gets prospects then signs guys in their late 30s. . . . There’s no clear direction that he has the team headed towards. I think he owes the fans some explanations.
curtis jones
December 23rd, 2009
10:37 am
At the end of the season, I said the Braves need a speedy outfielder who can lead off and steal 30-plus bases (that isn’t McLouth, sorry), and a power hitting first baseman. We still have neither. And we still have Chipper batting 3rd and McCann at cleanup. Still a 3rd place team at best.
Scoob
December 23rd, 2009
10:39 am
K Ros just confirmed deal is done, 1 year heavy on Performance Incentives
CharlestonBravesFan
December 23rd, 2009
10:40 am
Braves sign Glaus to play first.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/source%3A-braves-give-glaus-one-year-deal
Professor Dan
December 23rd, 2009
10:40 am
This was a horrible trade. Your first instincts were right. Any time we have to make convoluted, legalistic arguments to make something look right, it probably wasn’t.The Braves aren’t as good today as they were two days ago. Period.
Noah
December 23rd, 2009
10:41 am
3rd place team?? You most see major injuries coming this year. Pitching wins and on paper it looks great.
fsugolf8166
December 23rd, 2009
10:41 am
ray pugh
we talked about this awhile ago hope you remember 1 signing down 2 to go
now we need to sign dye introduce both in atlanta at the same time he can play the outfield relieve glaus and glaus can relieve jones at 3rd
please wren sign dye and if any money left sign derosa
please please please
Sporty Black
December 23rd, 2009
10:42 am
Right on Mr. Stanfill. A man (team) without vision is just walking (playing) aimlessly in the dark (for last place).
fsugolf8166
December 23rd, 2009
10:43 am
or nady
Andrew
December 23rd, 2009
10:45 am
Sporty Black…yes their numbers (Andruw and Glaus) are similar. However, Glaus strikes out far less and doesn’t swing at more down and away breaking balls than Dale Murphy. Also, he doesn’t just shrug his shoulders, grin and priss back to the bench after striking out like Andruw, either.
Jackets2009
December 23rd, 2009
10:46 am
Glaus is every bit as good as Ryan Howard if we want to compare lineups.
Course I just popped some LSD so I could think that.
Randy
December 23rd, 2009
10:50 am
This blog and the AJC generally is such a joke. It’s bad enough that we have to go to other news sources to learn what’s going on with our team. But, for AJC writers to have to use other sources to get perspective on the Vasquez/Cabrera trade is laughable. After our writers blast the Wren and the deal without understanding and addressing the possible next steps and the overall considerations of the players involved, they quote the real experts who do know what’s going on. Funny.
The Vasquez trade was never about Cabrera…it was about the next move or two. Surely, the AJC should have known that. I don’t expect the typically negative, always angry bloggers to understand it, though.
Glaus helps the cause tremendously. The fact is we don’t have $140M to spend. So, this helps.
And angry bloggers….remember the Braves were within a couple games of having the best record in the NL after June. Dumping Kelly and Frenchy and adding a leigt hitting first baseman made the difference. We have all those pieces in place now. And we basically sub Huddy for Vasquez.
Will still be tough in 2010 to beat Phils and Mets, but we’ve got better pitching 1 thru 5. We’ll be competitive. And short of adding $30 or $40M in salary, Wren is doing a good job.
Of course, I do agree with Bradley that we need a rich, committed owner….
Mel
December 23rd, 2009
10:50 am
In 03, the last time the Braves made the playoffs and the last year the braves had Mad Dog, we won 101 games and had some pretty good boppers: Lopez, Chipper, Shef, and Andrew. Smoltz was one hell of a closer and we had Russ Ortiz, he actually won 21 games that year…21. We ended up losing to the Cubs in the NLDS, but what got my attention and brought back memories was what ‘DUK said in his “Big League Stew”:
“And yet despite all those factors the Braves’ year ended like so many others before it — in a first-round series loss in front of apathetic home fans who allowed Turner Field to become overrun by carpooling Cubs fans from Chicago.”
Just maybe we get the team that mirrors our support.
FRANK CASTELLANA, JR
December 23rd, 2009
10:51 am
I like that we are trying. I like we are a baseball team with both good and bad mangt. What I do not like is WHO ARE WE ? I like being crafty and smart and we are. The question I really have is are we a PLAYER ????
What are we going to do about 1B, 3B, RF, LF, ????? Let’s see something of moves that we can PLAY WITH……
kurula
December 23rd, 2009
10:52 am
i’m pretty sure that this trade will be viewed as a big flop unless/until vizcaino turns out to be the stud they think he may be. i wouldn’t mind working a trade with cabrera. sould, in fact, like to see some of those names on a braves jersey. but i think trading schafer is the wrong thing to do. the guy was hurt last year after a really good start. i’d like to see him at least one more (injury free) season.
MAD-DONNA
December 23rd, 2009
10:56 am
…guess Bobby is gonna leave da Braves da same way he found dem; one of da worst teams in baseball!
Sporty Black
December 23rd, 2009
10:57 am
@ Andrew:
Glaus stikes out less than Andruw Jones, YET Glaus puts up worse power numbers, go figure. “Also…just shrug his shoulders, grin and priss back to the bench after striking out…” obviously does not figure into power numbers. I’m not saying it was not time for Andruw to go, Glaus is just a STATICALLY worse player.
Now, as far as you being an Andruw Jones hater, that’s on you. I can’t help he did not live up to the offensive hype that we ALL expected.
Jackets2009
December 23rd, 2009
10:58 am
If a deal for a power hitter is easy, why didn’t Frank do that last year instead of Kawakami? The best player for us in the deal is three years away, assuming he keeps on developing.
We could have brought Hanson up and not signed Kawakami.
I hate helping the Yankees get better.
They also have the option of signing Vazquez after a year.
The deck is stacked in MLB.
I like sportz
December 23rd, 2009
10:59 am
The Braves are close to a deal with Troy Glaus and he is expected to play first base.
Herschel Talker
December 23rd, 2009
11:01 am
Now we have a disgraced former (and very likely current) roid/HGH user on our team. It just keeps getting worse.
Kasim Reed
December 23rd, 2009
11:03 am
Troy Glaus? Never heard of ‘em!!
OrlandoDawg
December 23rd, 2009
11:06 am
what would it take to get a Matt LaPorta? He’s been dealt so many times already, it’s not like teams are willing to hold onto him. I would’ve rather traded for prospects and signed a Josh Willingham of sorts…
j
December 23rd, 2009
11:07 am
I could give a rats @ss about Glaus unless he comes with a time machine to get us back to when he was good. What, was Bonds not available? Get our ace back. He is not going to do well for the Yanks. He thrived in Atlanta and I am sure he would much rather be here than that dump of a city.
The last Boy Scout
December 23rd, 2009
11:08 am
This is what really happined; The Braves way over spent on D Lowe (Nobody in baseball would pay what the Wren spent on this over-the-hill pitcher)and management said, Dump some funds Now or else. He dumped the Braves best pitcher last year and will NOT get into any biding for Dammon or anybody else. Face facts the Braves’ Management is more focused on bottom line than winning World Series.
raleighbravefan
December 23rd, 2009
11:13 am
You guys need to chill. Wren’s work is not finished. Wait and see the team that breaks camp in March.
JV was a great pitcher for us for 1 year. He has never had 2 great years in a row. We will see what kind of year he has this year. He also would be a FA in 1 year. Who would you trade? Obviously there was no market for Lowe or KK. Would you trade JJ, Hanson or Hudson? (isn’t Hudson a 5/10 guy?) Do you think with your speculation, that you could make a better trade than Wren and the Braves organization when they know the FACTS of what was available.
We traded JV for the starting center fielder for the defending champs who have an unlimited budget. He’s not Holliday, but he’s not a throw away either. We also got a lefty who is cheap, young, and may improve a lot, and one of the top pitching prospects in MLB. We also got whoever we get with the $9M we free up.
We still have money AND trading pieces, INCLUDING Melky. Why don’t you at least wait and see what all the moves are before you say things like “dumbest trade ever” and predicting doom. Even if you don’t like Wren, remember that JS is looking over his shoulder. I’m sure he has been involved in every decision. Some of you still think Ted Turner owns the team.
By the way, Don, Cox was the GM who built the teams of the early 90’s.
Ernest
December 23rd, 2009
11:21 am
Good comments by Randy @10:50am. I was also surprised to see the ‘ranked’ as one of the worst trades by Frank Wren on the same day that it was made. Seems the AJC writers were attempting to appeal to fringe fans/bloggers than those who know something about baseball.
Tami
December 23rd, 2009
11:21 am
I’m willing to go along with the possibility that getting Cabrera could now mean a Cabrera trade and some cash in a trade for an actual bonafide outfielder like Holliday, Bay or Damon. I don’t think Wren is finished in dealing yet, and will be semi-surprised if Cabrera is still with the team at the beginning of spring training.
I’m not ready to comment yet about getting Glaus. I’ve heard his name a lot, but I’m not sure what kind of player we actually have yet since he’s recovering from surgery. Obviously, it does mean a definite no to keeping LaRoche, which is very disappointing. To me, all the offseason moves thus far have been for a lot of maybes, semi has-beens, and recyclables. I certainly hope that this does not mean pure disaster for the 2010 season.
EW
December 23rd, 2009
11:25 am
Stop blasting the journalists on a BLOG. Blogs are discussions, not legitimate news sources. It’s like comparing TMZ to ABC news. Both may be informative, but one is for primarily for entertainment. That’s why you see MB and JS quote ESPN, this is purely a discussion forum. If you want to read stories, go read them. And MB is not and investigative journalist, he’s a writer who gathers information from multiple source/stories and writes about them. It’s not his job to break news.
nelson
December 23rd, 2009
11:26 am
For me a good change , atlanta went gaining , of all forms melky is not el salvador is a good signature by atlanta have not yet completed . for my good change
Random
December 23rd, 2009
11:28 am
Transaction Analysis Blog
The Vazquez Trade
by Christina Kahrl, Baseball Prospectus
Traded RHP Javier Vazquez and LHP Boone Logan to the Yankees for RHP Arodys Vizcaino, LHP Mike Dunn, and OF-S Melky Cabrera. [12/22]
So it’s all about the money, or money management, or soul-less bean-counting. Really? I guess what I find silly is the proposition that the Braves are being cheap, and that somehow that’s what’s killing them. It’s easy to say, but I guess I don’t buy the logic, let alone the emotion.
For example, let’s go back and look at what they did with the relief exchange. They elected to bring in Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito for at least $10.2 million before they had to deal with the Rafael Soriano imbroglio. You don’t get Wagner and Saito and Soriano; they were operating with an either/or proposition, and they’d picked Wagner and Saito, making the mistake of thinking they’d get draft picks for Soriano. In retrospect, you can wish they’d have gone for Wagner and Soriano, and gone sans Saito, because we can pretend to know they’d have spent just $1.7-4 million more or so (Saito’s incentives put the final bill in doubt for the next 11 months). Obviously, that wasn’t the path they took, but that decision was made before Soriano accepted arbitration, which is why it’s speculative to suggest they’d have gotten Soriano at the same price the Rays got him to agree to; maybe he does, and maybe Soriano goes to the hearing, and that probably costs you more than $7.25 or $7.5 million. Claiming to know doesn’t make it so, and one of the easiest mistakes to make in the market is to overpay for relief pitching, even allowing for Soriano’s performance while healthy.
Instead, I’d argue that what’s in play here is less the question of expense as much as it is about preference. The Braves preferred to have Tim Hudson back over banking on Vazquez, signing him to a three-year deal after the year. Can you blame them? Consider the two pitcher’s performance records via SNWP and SNLVAR, to give both a rate and a counting stat:
Hudson Vazquez
Year SNWP/SNLVAR SNWP/SNLVAR
2009 .519/1.0 .608/7.4
2008 .593/4.5 .493/3.3
2007 .600/7.9 .552/5.3
2006 .471/3.5 .488/2.7
2005 .563/5.3 .511/4.1
2004 .570/5.1 .497/3.2
I can’t say the Braves made a mistake here. Age isn’t a big factor, but Hudson is a year older. As we know, Hudson’s 2009 was abbreviated by injury, and his 2006 isn’t cause for joy, but he’s supposed to be healthy, thus the three-year deal. The Braves didn’t get to trade Vazquez for what he was in ‘09, any more than they can bank on what he was in ‘09 being what they’d get in 2010. Vazquez’s recent swings from valuable to exasperating are a matter of record, with the recent peaks still separated by another one of his trenches, which doesn’t help a proposition that selling high is going to yield maximum return. It’s one year of a reliably unreliable starting pitcher, equally capable of greatness or making his manager a Maalox junkie. Not finding a rube willing to give you everything for Christmas because he thinks Vazquez is suddenly going to be reliable does not make you a badly run franchise, it instead reflects a smarter marketplace and a potentially more contrained range of possible actions.
Consider what else has been in play this winter. The Braves also wisely preferred to skip on all of those tasty rumors that put Jair Jurrjens somewhere else. They understandably couldn’t find anyone excited about adding a back-end rotation starter like Kenshin Kawakami in December, when the market’s awash in that sort. Nobody wanted to take on Derek Lowe’s deal (which I guess was cheap of them to sign… or perhaps not so much). So you don’t get Hudson and Vazquez, you have to pick, and the Braves had already, picking Hudson. We can backbite on why they spent to bring Kawakami over, but we can also kibitz on why they spent so much on Lowe (which was congratulated as a good idea a year ago, not unreasonably). We can fidget on why they spent on bringing Tom Glavine back, only to end up not employing him. And we can second-guess why they traded for Vazquez in the first place last winter, pretending to know that they were going to flip him a year later. I didn’t, but I liked the deal for both parties then. In retrospect that trade’s boiling down to Tyler Flowers and far-off Santos Rodriguez for two years of control of Vazquez, plus assorted party favors. At the time, concerns over Flowers’ ability to remain at catcher and the happy having of Brian McCann made Flowers movable. Subsequently, the Sox have the benefit of Flowers’ improved receiving—which was not a guaranteed result last year.
So Frank Wren moved the one year of Javier Vazquez he had at his disposal, and instead of magically answering all of his club’s needs right now this instant in this one trade, they went for considerable upside value. Not with Cabrera, although having him under control for a couple of years and having him available to deal later for a team looking for a center fielder makes him a readily convertible placeholder. If Jordan Schafer doesn’t pan out, the Melky man’s a better alternative for the immediate future than, say, Gorkys Hernandez was going to be before they decided to win in ‘09 by trading Hernandez to the Pirates. Nor is Dunn critical, although his combination of mid-90s heat and a power slider makes him a lefty relief prospect worthy of the name, and someone who could step directly onto the big-league staff and join Eric O’Flaherty in providing quality work from the left side, setting up Wagner in a bullpen that seems to be filling up.
No, the real prize here is Vizcaino’s upside, which basically short-circuits any neat totting up of benefits to issue any final pronouncements, because the Venezuelan’s power assortment of a quality curve and reliable mid-90s heat has only been fired at New York-Penn League ballplayers. I’d just point you towards Kevin Goldstein’s Top 11 Prospects list from earlier today, and suggest that this is someone worth having, someone worth waiting for, and certainly someone you can risk adding on the off chance that you just avoided Vazquez’s next step along his recent Saberhagen-like polar career path.
Similarly, in the same way that we don’t know what Vizcaino’s going to turn into and can’t write the obit of this exchange for perhaps another half-dozen years, as with any work in progress, I think it’s silly to say somebody’s being dumb or not spending enough, and try to use money alone for scorekeeping purposes. Maybe they’re being cheap, and maybe not, and maybe we’ll know better by February. I take it for granted that the Braves aren’t done, and may get in on that corner outfield bat they need; whether that buys time for Jason Heyward to develop or keeps both Melky Cabrera on the bench, that’s certainly worth doing. For the sake of argument, if they wind up with an outfield of Matt Holliday, Nate McLouth, and Heyward, does that mean they’re smart again? Or not smart until Vizcaino blossoms? Or not smart until we see what Vazquez does in his latest veering swing through an inconsistent career?
Now, as a matter of preference, you can prefer Vazquez to giving Hudson a three-year deal. I think the performance records argue against it, but your mileage may vary. Similarly, you can argue for keeping Soriano at an arbitration-generated rate of compensation, but that wasn’t the club’s plan; they’re banking on Wagner and Saito. There might be a pattern of saving some money on their balance sheet for 2010, but until we know if the Braves are done or not, we don’t know if they’re being cheap, or if they aren’t just simply making a few tough choices. Talking about Soriano sort of misses the point, because he was gone as far as their plans were concerned; it took his action of accepting arbitration to re-add him to their menu, however briefly. We can pretend they might have kept [Vazquez], and… what, cut Kawakami? Send Tommy Hanson to Gwinnett? Hope for a better trade in February, when their other actions depend on getting this done now?
Until we see what else the Braves do, I say we see how things play out, and judge Wren’s execution accordingly. Admittedly, I’m giving the Braves a pass until then, but even if nothing else does happen, I think we ought to be judging their elective decision-making in choosing Hudson for three years over Vazquez for one and picking Wagner and Saito as next year’s first-rank relievers on more than just a payroll sheet.
Doug
December 23rd, 2009
11:30 am
Mark,
Did you catch Joe Sheehan’s article at Baseball Prospectus on the Braves/Liberty Media. Pretty much hits the nail on the head.
I think Wren is done unless he can find another cheap outfielder who allows them to keep Heyward in the minors through Memorial Day and push back his arbitration. Just like we did with Hanson last year, which cost us a few early(and valuable) wins.
Let's Go
December 23rd, 2009
11:34 am
Bradley is the type of writer that likes to throw blood in the water to make the sharks go crazy. Braves subject matter isn’t as bad as his UGA – GTECH ones because he can get that feeding freenzy going fast but it’s pretty close.
The way I see it the Braves today are a better team than they were on at the end of the season just from the improvements the Bullpen has made. Lack of runs was a problem but that bullpen caused just as many losses and that problem has been addressed. They still are behind the Phils but I think they are better than the other 3 teams in the division.
Yes, at times last year the Braves had trouble scoring runs and they still have not addressed that problem but at times last year the Braves were knocking the cover off the ball and the key was not hitting home runs but getting runners on base to give the 3-4-5 hitters RBI chances. Instead of a Power hitter the Braves need a true leadoff hitter that gets on base and makes things happen. McLouth admits he is not a leadoff hitter and would rather hit in the 3 or 5 spot. Pardo is not a leadoff hitter but makes contact so fits perfect in the 2 spot. Escobar is too much of a prima donna that can’t play with a hangnail so you don’t know if he will play so you have to bat him 6, 7 , or 8. Matt Diaz too much of a free swinger. Infante, maybe but where do you play him. Cabrera may get the chance early but he is a lot like Diaz with a very wide strike zone.
Even with a power bat the Braves still have a problem at the leadoff spot so all the power in the world is not going to score you runs if no one is on base.
shmoe
December 23rd, 2009
11:34 am
Glaus has huge upside. Sure, he’s recovering from surgery, but he was a gold glove caliber defender at 3rd, and will handle first very well. also, last year aside, he is definitely a slugger. his career batting averages are disappointing however.
heartofdarkness
December 23rd, 2009
11:35 am
Braves are giving Bobby Cox every chance to go out while proving he is among the best managers of all time. Given the Braves will have a solid pitching staff backed up by an old, injury prone, slow, underpowered team in a pitcher’s ball park playing average defense. Bobby cements the deal by finishing at .500 for the season. Every ounce of overstatement from Chip Caray will be necessary to put this exercise in futility in a favorable light. Joe Simpson will probably be gone from the booth by mid-season, moving to the Braves bench as the fourth outfielder, which means the team will be loose and of good attitude.
Really?
December 23rd, 2009
11:36 am
Glaus huh? Another cheap hasbeen who is getting old and his stats have declined every year over the past 5 years. Not to mention he barely played last season due to injury.
Really? Melky and Glaus are going to carry this team to the World Series?
Really?
December 23rd, 2009
11:37 am
Word is the Braves have a call in to Barry Bonds and Reggie Jackson because these guys use to be able to hit the long ball and they are hoping that they still can.
myra
December 23rd, 2009
11:39 am
whos troy glaus?
isnt it supposed to be spelled GAUZE?
as in broke down.
someone said he could back up Hoss.
sounds like Hoss will have to back him up.
give me laconic laroache.
at least he can play defense ….even though he doesnt hit till July.
Baba O'Riley
December 23rd, 2009
11:41 am
So this is the “power bat”? We ARE the Pirates. Welcome back Nick Esasky. Maybe we can sign Rickey Henderson to lead off and play LF. Like Troy Glaus, he was once good too.
mudcat
December 23rd, 2009
11:41 am
Troy Glaus is a great pickup if he stays healthy. Potential 25-30 HR, right-handed bat, slotted 4th in the batting order. Should help Chipper and take some of the pressure off McCann. A 1 year contract with incentives, that’s usually the best kind! Gives Freeman more time.
Baba O'Riley
December 23rd, 2009
11:43 am
Enough of this “Melky was good enough to play for the Yanks” crap. The ONLY reason Melky played for the Yanks is because they didn’t need his bat with their All-Star lineup. We ain’t got an All-Star lineup. melky is a “good fit” for offensively stacked teams. NOT HERE!
myra
December 23rd, 2009
11:43 am
i cant believe i just said id rather have Laroache
i know Chipper would be happier.
bvillebaron
December 23rd, 2009
11:49 am
Bill Stanfill:
Wren has no clear vision? Well, let me try to explain it to you, okay? He had 6 quality starters and needed offense. He tried to trade Lowe rather than Vazquez for money purposes, but wasn’t offered squat. Consequently, he traded Vazquez who becomes a free agent after this season. If this was Vazquez for Melky straight up, I would agree with all the critics here that this was a lousy trade. The fact is he freed up money to address other needs and acquired a 19 year old pitcher who was the Yankees 2nd or 3rd rated prospect. One of the SI writers claims that the Braves made out better in this deal than the Phillies did in the Lee deal. Look at it this way, we still have 5 quality starters (I will take Hudson, Jurrjens, Hanson, Lowe and Kawakami over Halladay, Hamels, Happ, Blanton and god knows who–the ancient mariner, Jamie Moyer and day of the week) and, without considering Vizcaino’s upside, we have Hudson instead of Vazquez and M. Cabrera instead of Francouer. I have said this before and will repeat it again, Hudson ALWAYS HAS BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE a better pitcher than Vazquez. Some of you have become delusional about Vazquez based on last year’s career season. Hudson’s lifetime record is 148-78 whereas Vazquez is 142-139. Hudson has a career ERA of 3.48 and WHIP of 1.26 whereas Vazquez is 4.20 and 1.25. I also would take Cabrera over Francouer, particularly considering how poorly Frenchy played in Atlanta and given the fact that Cabrera is a switch hitter who can play all 3 OF position and has a throwing arm similar to Francouer.
While Glaus is a risk given his injury history, he did make it back to the bigs last September, is still only 33, and hopefully is over his shoulder injury. If healthy, he will be the RIGHT HANDED power bat the Braves need (probably 25 to 30). More importantly, Wren was looking for a 1 year “bridge” to play 1B until Freeman is ready to go in 2011. LaRoche didn’t fit because he is looking for more than a 1 year contract and also is left handed.
Gary
December 23rd, 2009
11:50 am
OK Wren ‘wait and see” apologists. There’s your “big bat”.
TROTTINGHOME
December 23rd, 2009
11:53 am
THANK GOD IT WAS DAVE O’BRIAN WHO REPORTED THE GLAUS SIGNING
Don
December 23rd, 2009
11:56 am
Now we have apparently signed Troy Glaus to play first base – A .250s hitting, high strike out, overweight, injured player coming off serious surgery, who has almost no experience at first base. Remeber that even if he does hit a few home runs, a .250s hitter usually does most of his hitting against the weaker pitching in the league – which means a lot of it in meaningless situations.
Don
December 23rd, 2009
12:00 pm
Until the Vazquez and Glaus moves, I had thought that Wren had done a farily good job (with the exception of keeping Bobby Cox, but his hands are probably tied on this). But these two moves are absurd. Are we sure that Bobby has not taken over as G.M.