Melky’s gone, which tells us much about the Braves and Wren
"As long as I'm managing, you're on this team, Melky." (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
Sooner or later we’ll start to ask ourselves, “How in the world did the 2010 Braves make the playoffs?” And I’m thinking that time is …
Right about now.
The Braves dumped Melky Cabrera and Takashi Saito on Tuesday, eight days after the former had made the 27th out of Game 4 of the Division Series. These were two of the bigger acquisitions Frank Wren made last winter — others were Billy Wagner, who has retired; Troy Glaus, who had nothing left after July, and Eric Hinske, who kept pinch-hitting home runs — and now they’ve been tossed aside.
The Saito move was expected. The Cabrera one was expected if you’d watched him play. And that’s kind of the point: The 2010 Braves had a lot of guys who didn’t do much — Cabrera, Nate McLouth, Yunel Escobar, Matt Diaz, Rick Ankiel, Glaus in April and August and September — and lots more who got hurt. And somehow they qualified for the postseason, same as the Phillies and the Yankees.
To say that every Wren move of the last offseason and this regular season panned out would be incorrect. Most of them didn’t. But the sum total of his tinkering was just enough to bleed out one more victory than San Diego, and that was enough. We can critique individual trades and signings, but we cannot carp about the overall effect. This team shouldn’t have been good enough, but it was, just.
Which is why the guy who traded Javier Vazquez for Melky Cabrera should be named executive of the year. Seriously.
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468 comments Add your comment
ward
October 20th, 2010
5:59 pm
i like werth, but cna wren make the move to get him. werth would be a great fit>
Mr. Rosterbaitor
October 20th, 2010
6:00 pm
DawgDad- I disagree on the Rasmus part…they’d be looking for young pitching, probably ML ready, and Medlen, who was definitely doing well before he got hurt. Vizcaino is one of the Braves top 4 prospects, and shows a lot of promise, and Myke Jones could come up this year or next and could possibly be a quality backup. Everyone knows of St. Louis’s middle infield struggles…
I agree that 5yrs80M is a big price to pay, and you’re totally right how it could affect how we approach our young superstars. However, to me, Werth looks like a perfect fit for the Braves, giving us exactly what we need in the OF (plus defense, 30+ HR right handed). Plus, he’s got a ton of postseason experience. Thinking ahead, we likely won’t need to sign extensions with our young players until 2 years from now. Then, Lowe’s contract will be up, and Chipper will likely be retiring (if he hasn’t done so already)… That means our 2 biggest contracts right now would be coming off the books, so we’ll have enough money to extend some of the yound players.
ward
October 20th, 2010
6:00 pm
what about alfonzo soriano from the cubbies. or jeff francour back if possible?
Bama Brave
October 20th, 2010
6:01 pm
A few years out. chippers,lowe, will be off the books.
Dirty Jacket
October 20th, 2010
6:09 pm
Mark Bradley: AJC’s dumpster
Bama Brave
October 20th, 2010
6:12 pm
ward, no to both.
reckingball
October 20th, 2010
6:13 pm
Who will the Braves have to hit those rally-killing, weak grounders to 2nd, now that Melky is gone?
Perhaps Fredi doesn’t like those rally-killers, as much as Bobby seemed to enjoy them.
Bobby's Cox
October 20th, 2010
6:14 pm
Good article Mark Bradley.
What’s even more, is that this team was competitive in the playoffs. We were 2 bad calls away from advancing. Or screw the bad calls, 2 ground balls away from advancing if Infante and Conrad can knock down those 2 balls that got by them (game 1, game 3).
The playoffs and the season is a testament to what Wren has done to bolster the pitching staff.
ward
October 20th, 2010
6:17 pm
to bad we couldn;t get cody ross? just another possibiliy.
Bobby's Cox
October 20th, 2010
6:19 pm
I’d rather have Kemp than Werth. Younger, cheaper, just as good, more potential. And, there’s probably a better chance we can get him with the Dodgers current payroll (divorce) issues…
ATL FAN
October 20th, 2010
6:19 pm
Mark youre an idiot, not only did the Vasquez move free up cap space, but it gave us 2 hot young pitchers…
reckingball
October 20th, 2010
6:20 pm
I believe that McLouth has vision problems. If he and McCann can get their vision impairments corrected, it will help them dramastically.
TN Brave
October 20th, 2010
6:25 pm
I give Wren an A+ for initiative and a C for results. And in business its results that matter most! We have too many big salaries with limited effectiveness. Chipper, McClouth, Kawakami and probably others. Too much $ tied up in a few, unproductive players and that’s the general manager’s job.
ward
October 20th, 2010
6:25 pm
well i;m going to finish watching the yankees and rangers game yankees are a head 6-2 6th inning rangers are trying to make a come back, but i wouldn;t mind having kemp in the line up.
Boo Boo Bob
October 20th, 2010
6:38 pm
“the guy who traded Javier Vazquez for Melky Cabrera should be named executive of the year. Seriously.”
Seriously….. the man who traded Javy for Melky? Javy has always performed better in the NL and isn’t suited for the NY atmosphere. So in essence Wren dumped salary with Javy for Melky and that is supposed to make him Executive of the year?
Bradley…. underneath all your questioning…. you’re really a homer aren’t you? Wren promised some offense and an outfield upgrade in the form of “we’re going to address our outfield production.” He didn’t. He won’t again this year.
Executive of the year has to entail more than lying to your fans by saying you’re going to fix your shortcomings when you know you aren’t. If that deserves some type of award then you’re living in an alternative universe!
Freddie G
October 20th, 2010
6:43 pm
Wren deserves a B for the first half, prior to the allstar break,
for the team they broke camp with plus the call up of Venters.
For the second half he deserves an F, he took a team that was in first in the NL East and which was playing good offensively and defensively, and immediately after the break started making some questionable moves, which resulted in numerous errors and poor hitting. Later more questionable moves were made which changed the team for the worse.
KC
October 20th, 2010
6:47 pm
“Which is why the guy who traded Javier Vazquez for Melky Cabrera…”
Well, we know that this statement is incorrect… or at least, very much incomplete. Vazquez was NOT traded for Melky. Cabrera was simply a PART of the Vazquez/A.Vizcaino deal. The Braves got the Yankees #1 ranked (by a few publications) minor league starting pitcher. THAT is what the Braves dealt Vazquez for. Not Melky.
KC
October 20th, 2010
6:50 pm
I should add that I agree with overall point of this piece, though. Wren is an excellent GM. Team overcame a lot to make the postseason this year.
voice of reason
October 20th, 2010
7:07 pm
welll im glad thatr a few of the fools on this blog are now realizing that js and not wren wrecked our chances for about the next 10 years and no i dont buy the “there was no place for elvis to play or we had a closer ….um did we have one 20 years old who throws 102 mph?
reckingball
October 20th, 2010
7:14 pm
The Texas trade was a monumental disaster, maybe the worst, of many made by JS, when he was GM.
Freddie G
October 20th, 2010
7:21 pm
While looking for a hitting coach, Wren should try and hire a scout from the Florida Marlins, they seem to be able to spot talent more than our Scouts. Florida Marlins had the Rookie of the year last year, he got hurt this year and they plugged Leftfield with another outstanding Rookie, also at First and at Rightfield were two other outstanding Rookies.
The plan for Wren and Gonzalez should be to find someone to play Centerfield as well as a Rightfielder and move Heyward to Leftfield.
McCann has led the Braves in homers the last three (3) seasons, therefore even a return by Chipper will not help the Braves power number. Wren needs to scout the farm system of all the MLB teams to find a good Centerfielder if such a talent is not within the Braves farm system. The Rightfielder should be obtained whether by FA or trade if the braves are to taken seriously as a contender in the NL.
urban redneck
October 20th, 2010
7:31 pm
i agree, wren made some great moves. however, if we’re giving credit, at least some goes to that rag tag bunch playing their collective heart out for bobby’s last hurrah. getting knocked out by the giants was no big deal–we were just happy to make it to the party.
Kim H.
October 20th, 2010
7:52 pm
I personally would love to see the Yankees take Melky back. He is a fantastic player with a great deal of potential. I do not follow the Braves, but my guess is that the coaching staff could use a shake up. I agree his batting is not and has not been consistnetly up to par, but there are few that can field like him because of his speed and his drive to catch the ball. I will always remember him for a play in Yankee Stadium his rookie year where he slammed into the centerfield wall and prevented a home run. He fell hard to the ground and never let go. It was amazing. I knew then that he had potential to be one of the greats. He needs a team, owner, and manager who have confidence in him and can bring confidence back to him. Learning English couldn’t hurt either.
jojatek
October 20th, 2010
8:00 pm
New ownership and more money. Period. The organization – including Wren – is among the best (Top 3?) in MLB. Let’s hope we’re not all sentenced to bear witness to the slow disintegration of a franchise that fought for 25 years to escape the shackles of its own history back in 1991. The Braves of the ’90’s are the one bright spot in the long and miserable history that continues to define professional sports in Atlanta…
Braves808
October 20th, 2010
8:01 pm
I bet all these Chipper bashers won’t be talking much when he comes up determined and produces. I also bet alot of these people were mad at Wren for releasing Glavine because he was too expensive when he clearly didn’t have much left in the tank, yet they want to do the same to Chipper. Hypocrites much?
bob
October 20th, 2010
9:07 pm
Overall Wren has done a very good job based on his options. We still have to eat McLouth’s $7M, Chipper’s $13M and KK”S $7.3M in 2011. HGH might help 2 of them, but Skip Carey’s dad is the only option for the third.
bob
October 20th, 2010
9:11 pm
btw : I am big Chipper fan, but the $13M owed him each of the next two years could go a long ways with a younger, more viable 150 games a yr option. We all get old!
WVBrave
October 20th, 2010
9:51 pm
For the lineup to be a good one McCann has to bat in the five hole. That means adding to bat’s at the four and five.
Braves808
October 20th, 2010
10:00 pm
hunter pence, milton bradley? are you kidding me?
YoungerThan ThatNow
October 20th, 2010
10:00 pm
MB… getting on late with this article, so since I wasn’t around when it was posted I guess this is almost old news now. But I do have a couple or three observations…
Here goes…
Mark Bradley
October 20th, 2010
9:46 am
“I don’t think the Braves will touch Milton Bradley (no relation).”
Thank God on both statements! And whoever said that he had been “rehabilitated” or “straightened out” or whatever the term was… there’s not enough rehabbing or straightening out in the whole universe to help this guy. I doubt he’s welcome at his own family reunions… and I didn’t think you two were related. He’s ah, ah, ah… a little ‘taller’ than you are. (Not that it makes any difference… I’m just sayin’.)
October 20th, 2010
10:17 am
“The Giants got Cody Ross off waivers. The Braves had a better record than the Giants at the time, which meant that even had Atlanta claimed him — I’m not sure it did — the Giants’ claim would have taken precedence.”
How many times does this have to be repeated?!? This is not an opinion people… it’s a fact!
And… I haven’t yet heard if the Braves brass liked my suggestion for a new hitting coach… Howie McCann. Well, crazier things have happened. (Like some team trading for Milton Bradley.)
Narrow Urethra Franklin
October 20th, 2010
10:05 pm
Add in the Booby Factor, and it’s easy to see the underachievement.
Napoleon XIV
October 20th, 2010
10:07 pm
“I bet all these Chipper bashers won’t be talking much when he comes up determined and produces’
Ha. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. You just can’t make this stuff up
YoungerThan ThatNow
October 20th, 2010
10:11 pm
Also… all this talk about Chipper coming back as hitting coach… don’t kid yourselves. When Chipper retires we won’t see him back at the Ted again unless it’s to accept some type of post-career honor (hall of fame, etc.) or to be in attendance for a similar honor for Bobby Cox. NO WAY THAT HE’LL EVER BE A HITTING COACH FOR ANYBODY!!
Think about it… the guy’s making over $13 million a year to play the game… and could still get it and probably more if he cared to stay around for one more contract after the current one is up… and to think that he would come back to be a hitting coach for hitting coach’s pay?!? Even if he was the highest paid coach in baseball, it wouldn’t come close to being enough to get him to continue the same lifestyle he’s had for over 15 years now… to be a coach.
And yes, I know the lifestyle seems pretty good to all of us here and we would all love to “have to do it” just one year, but he’s about had enough of it… he’s already said so… and if he was gonna be a hitting coach it would take more time than he’s putting in now… year-round. He’s got more money than he and his next four generations could spend and he’s ready to enjoy it now, enjoy his kids a little bit while he can, enjoy hunting days at the Double Dime and fishing days wherever he wants to go. I don’t blame him.
It’s a great thought, and no doubt he would be great at it… he already is… but it’s a pipe dream.
I had the rare priviledge of spending a very little bit of time up close, watching his dad when he was hitting coach at Stetson University back in 2001 and 2002, and if there’s a hitting coach with more knowledge, patience, demeanor and wisdom than Mr. Jones had then, I would like to meet him… and Chipper is definitely cut from the same cloth.
These D-1 college kids (pretty good ones too) didn’t walk away thinking… “hey, Chipper Jones dad just taught me a little about hitting”. It was more like… “man, that dude knows what he’s talking about and I don’t care if his son is Milton Bradley”.
You would come closer to signing Larry Wayne Jones Sr. as hitting coach than you would to signing Chipper on as hitting coach.
But, IMO Howie McCann is the man to hire!
Hoosier Aaron
October 20th, 2010
10:14 pm
The Dodgers just signed Ted Lilly (34 years old) to a $11 Million – 3 year deal ($33 Million total).
The last two years Lilly is 22 – 21 with a 3.40 ish ERA.
DLowe 31 – 22 with 4.30 ish ERA….$15 Million – 2 years ($30 Million total).
Almost the exact same IP as last year (193.2), lower ERA than last year, more K’s than last year, WHIP down from last year.
I still believe that DLowe is priced well within the market.
He has trade value (without eating salary)
Okay, I’m a Braves fan….but if I want to win a game today…would I rather send DLowe or TLilly out to get me that W?
I do not think DLowe will be wearing a tomahawk next year and I don’t think we’ll have to eat salary to make it happen.
Honestly, other than the Ankiel/Farnsworth trade – I think FW has done a good job with his deals. I hated that one like poison.
I can honestly say I didn’t know the Melk Man took worse angles on balls than many 9 year old kids I’ve coached.
I thought McLouth was a great deal at the time….the way the Pittsburgh fans went nuts – they did too.
Yeah, KK hasn’t been a bed of roses but we needed pitching….how Japanese players will work out in MLB is somewhat a roll of the dice, I think.
DiceK has won 13 games (total) the last two years and the Sox owe him $10 Million the next two years.
Lauging
October 20th, 2010
10:18 pm
Thank you for the best laugh i’ve had in ages! Executive of the year. That is rich. This year Frank Wren put on a clinic for how to overcome the best pitching staff in the game with the worst combination of defense and hitting. A team with that staff should still be playing “Same as the Phillies and Yankees.”
Laughing
October 20th, 2010
10:33 pm
Thank you for the best laug I’ve had in years!
bobby cox's sox
October 20th, 2010
10:35 pm
Panic again.Trade off more prospects who will help others kick some rear ends.Watching Texas kick early has caused me to disrespect Mr. Shourholtz.Gimme an E or an spelling bee.While I may not can spell,spell, Someone needs to take a hickory/ash bat {not maple} to his suspended high an mighty well……..you know ……Kansas City was his first free agent fiasco.Best of luck Fredi,wouldn’t want to be you.You started shedding early,keep it up.Top and I mean TOP to bottom.
Trey
October 20th, 2010
10:49 pm
Mark, I am guessing your blog has been relatively quiet since the Phillies fans have seen their team fall after claiming a WS victory. They are possibly about to lose tonight!
Trey
October 20th, 2010
10:49 pm
Jeez, these comments don’t post
Napoleon XIV
October 20th, 2010
11:56 pm
Giants are up 3-1. Philly has gone cold. Thanks Booby. Thanks Brooksy.
ward
October 21st, 2010
12:06 am
giants still suck, and looks like home field advantage, with the umps to me.they should call the game right at the plate. a lot of balls called strikes for thier pitchers..san fran are just plain lucky, not good or great.just lucky….
ward
October 21st, 2010
12:12 am
i;m not going to give a team credit. especailly the way they play. san fran is just one of those teams barely sqeeking buy, and the lucks going to run out on them….. if they make to the world series……………
ward
October 21st, 2010
12:20 am
the rangers and yankees are better did anyv one check the san fran players for steriod use befoer the game?
ward
October 21st, 2010
12:21 am
sorry about my spelling
ward
October 21st, 2010
12:23 am
what about the pitchers on the giants. it looks like sreoids to me.
Jake
October 21st, 2010
7:07 am
Sign Rowand or crawford then sign Werth
Wolverine
October 21st, 2010
8:16 am
Eric Hinske was released ? That’s a stupid move if so. He would be my primary pinch hitter and replacement OF next year.
Bradley “I’m not a fan of trading arms for bats”.
Mark, what good does 200 arms and zero bats do you ? You can’t pitch but 15 of those 200 arms anyway. If the Braves would have had an Adam Dunn and Carl Crawford they would still be playing. They need a leadoff CF to hit .300 with speed and a power hitting OF. And Diaz,Ankiel,McLouth aren’t that either…
Wolverine
October 21st, 2010
8:17 am
I’m sure Brooks Conrad will be released, eight ?
Wolverine
October 21st, 2010
8:19 am
I’m looking for Sabretooth, if you see him tell him I’ll be at a bar in Atlanta. I’ll buy him a drink. Later Bubs…
stew
October 21st, 2010
9:23 am
My wish list for the off season:
National League – Dan Uggla,Casey McGehee, Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, Chris Young, Hunter Pence, Matt Kemp, Ryan Zimmermann, Rickie Weeks, Marlon Byrd, and Andrew McCutchen
American League – Carlos Quentin, Michael Cuddyer, Nelson Cruz, Billy Butler, BJ Upton, and Ryan Raburn
I think they’re all righties. If we could get 2 from the list, I think our lineup would be much improved. We need more balance. We have a leadoff hitterr (Prado). There are others who I think may not be obtainable.