With Lee again a Phil, are the Braves playing for the wild card?

Hey, its my first second!

• Link
• Report this comment

This sounds like the hapless Frank Wren…

Which is why the phone rang in this reporter’s household after midnight Monday night, and a highly ranked official on another National League team was asking, pretty much at the top of his lungs: “Did the Phillies just sign Cliff Lee?”

And when the answer was, “Well, he’s coming to Philadelphia, if that’s what you mean,” the official on the other end of the line had this reaction, also pretty much at the top of his lungs:

“Holy [colorful adjective] [colorful noun].”

“I don’t know how they do it,” said the same guy, after catching his breath. “But between Pat [Gillick] and Ruben [Amaro Jr.], when they want something at a high level, they find a way to get it done.”

• Link
• Report this comment

You know, about 8 years ago the two time defending NL Champs and team with the best pitching staff in baseball added the best pitcher in all of baseball. How’d that work out for them in terms of making the World Series?

• Link
• Report this comment

How can the Phillies afford this and other teams like the Braves can’t. I mean it’s Philladelphia for gods sake.

• Link
• Report this comment

Now, ain’t that a pip.

• Link
• Report this comment

Yes, the Braves will be playing for the wild card unless the Phillies suffer a number of injuries over the course of the season. Phillies fans have to be extatic over this.

• Link
• Report this comment

WOW!

• Link
• Report this comment

Just don’t be critical of the Braves front office if you want your comments to be published…

• Link
• Report this comment

Phillies have money to spend, Braves don’t…………………..simple

• Link
• Report this comment

And the comment magically appears back-dated once the AJC is publicly questioned. Wow.

• Link
• Report this comment

Great get for the Phillies. However, we still have to play the games. The Braves had the best pitching staff for a decade and how many World Series titles do we have. ONE. I like the Braves team and think if we stay healthy we will have a chance against the Phillies

• Link
• Report this comment

You’re forgetting they have Jamie MOYER!!! He’s unhittable for the Braves too.

• Link
• Report this comment

Surely you can’t be serious.

• Link
• Report this comment

The Phillies had a better starting rotation than the Braves BEFORE this move. Now they’re in entirely another class. I know, you still have to play the games, and anything can happen, blah blah blah, but the truth is we’re probably fried after this ace move.

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark, D O Ledbetter is giving you multiple kudos for your 2010 Falcons predictions. Is that due to his confidence in you as a prognosticator or his utter suprise you’ve been so close on the record?

• Link
• Report this comment

This will sound a little cocky, but BRING’EM ON! I think Fredi and our team are ready for the fight.GO BRAVES!!!!!!!!!!

• Link
• Report this comment

Enter your comments here

• Link
• Report this comment

Wow that rotation is going to be stout. But in all honesty, it’s not all that surprising that the Phillies’ front office is willing to spend that much money and the Braves’ is not. The Phillies sell out all the time and have passionate fans; the Braves struggled during the PLAYOFFS to fill the Ted. If the Braves’ fans treated the Braves like a top-tier organization, then the front office would act like it’s a top-tier organization, instead of a good-not-great mid market team. I miss the 90’s (plus the music was better).

• Link
• Report this comment

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Bradley, ReidAdair. ReidAdair said: That's best-case scenario RT @MarkBradleyAJC: With Cliff Lee again a #Phil, are the #Braves playing for the wild card? http://bit.ly/hqFGUE [...]

• Link
• Report this comment

I seem to recall a bunch of no-names winning the last World Series…

• Link
• Report this comment

OK, they got Lee. The dreaded SF Giants beat his a$$ in the WS. Lets go get another good outfield bat and play the game.

• Link
• Report this comment

Bradley,

Some are talking about trading JJ for Greinke, but Greinke had one stellar season and hasn’t been nearly as dominant since then. His emotional state affects his play.

I think JJ’s upside is as good as Greinke and Greinke’s potential downside is much greater than JJ’s.

What say you?

• Link
• Report this comment

If this doesn’t motivate the Bravos to go acquire another outfield bat, I don’t know what will. Pretending that our lineup is season-ready is laughable, though Wren is doing what he can. Still gotta play the games-but another bat would help immensely, agreed?

• Link
• Report this comment

Impressive signing. Impressive rotation. But, its not all about pitching. Especially in that shoebox they call a ballpark. Even with the awesome rotation we had in the 90’s, we only won one title. The Phils will still have to play balanced ball to go the distance.

• Link
• Report this comment

The Yanks are desparate for pitching, lets offer them JJ & throw in someone for Brett Gardner, had 97 runs & 47 steals last year, is only 27 & plays LF, so WHEN Chipper goes down no problem, plus hes from S. Carolina so close to home for him, McOut & whoever in LF when Prado has to play 3rd is NOT gonna work thats for sure!!!!

• Link
• Report this comment

I would love to see the Braves go after Vlad Guerrrero. Think about a lineup with Prado, Heyward, Uggla, Mac, and Vlad. That’s just nasty.

• Link
• Report this comment

One begins to wonder exactly how long Major League Baseball is going to remain relevant with most people when there are all of maybe three or four teams (out of thirty) that can pull off this caliber of signing year in and year out. All of the pro sports leagues have serious issues and very likely a serious day of reckoning ahead as the next round of labor talks approach for each, but right now the NFL seems FAR AND AWAY superior to MLB at least in its approach to parity. Any given NFL team has the potential capability to land most any free agent during the offseason, unlike MLB where the discussion inevitably hovers around the Yankees, Red Sox, or Phillies when the “big names” are discussed.

The MLB Players’ Asociation may have some choice words for Lee in choosing the Phillies over the Yankees for less money. I have to give kudos to Lee for at least choosing a city over money, at any rate. The heck with the MLBPA; they don’t own Lee or any other player (supposedly), and the only reason they’d care is that Lee’s choice kept the already ludicrous so-called market price down to some degree. They and these other unions are going to have to realize that they can’t feed their avarice indefinitely without it destroying the game that employs them.

As a Braves fan, I think even with promising pitchers like Medlen, Minor and Beachy coming up, you HAVE to acquire a proven, frontline starter (the Royals’ Greinke is obviously the first choice, and the Braves do have a long-running relationship with them) if you wish for any chance in 2011. Even then you’re probably still looking at a Wild Card, but at least come the playoffs you’d have a rotation that would have a prayer of beating the Phillies. And getting a speedy table-setter would be ENORMOUS for the Braves, because historically good pitching beats good hitting, but speed never goes into a slump. A disruptor on the basepaths may be the Braves’ only hope against that Phillies rotation now.

• Link
• Report this comment

It doesn’t matter. Games are played on the field (to borrow a cliche). The Phils, with arguably the best rotation of the 2010 playoffs, lost to a team that was two runs away from losing to a crippled Braves team in the playoffs. The Phils didn’t exactly own the Braves last season, so I don’t see them doing it because they added Lee. Does it improve their pitching? Absolutely. However, they still have to pitch the games and I for one feel pretty good about our batting order, especially if Chipper can get healthy.

I look forward to the challenge and I think the Braves do as well. The one thing the Braves have in their favor, and the one thing that was pretty darn evident from what they accomplished this past season, is the chemistry in the dugout – that this is a TEAM and not a payroll. When that team is healthy, I’ll take them any day of the week over whatever the Philly’s management can buy.

• Link
• Report this comment

I will take the field against the Phillies to win the World Series. At least one of those guys will spend a lot of time on the injured reserve list. No one was going to beat the Yankees for the last few years either. Go Braves!

• Link
• Report this comment

Who knows? Injuries happen to teams as we well know from last year. Maybe the Phillies experience the same type of devastating injuires we did. Maybe our bats overcome them same as the Giants did. That’s why they play the games, instead of using computers to say who is the best….unless it’s division 1 college football.

• Link
• Report this comment

We def need to make another splash. Another big bat in the outfield, or really anywhere. The phillies counter acted our move of dan uggla so we need to counter back at them.

• Link
• Report this comment

Hey Mark, any idea when we can get a column from you about the best Atlanta sports story going these days: The Atlanta Falcons? The last Falcons column you wrote was on November 22nd, which is odd considering they have since gone on to win 3 more games and are nearing locking up home field throughout the playoffs. Where have you been? Oh, thats right, writing stories about the state’s awful college teams whose seasons have been over since October and the Braves whose season doesn’t begin until April.

With the kind of year the Falcons are having you guys should be writing DAILY columns about them. Instead I have to go to ESPN to find any stories on the amazing Birds these days. What gives?

• Link
• Report this comment

@juice sourcer

we sold out 123 of our home games last year. that’s how.

• Link
• Report this comment

MB, I would guess that the Braves would have to give up Jurrjens, Bethancourt, and another pitcher (Randall Delgado?) to get Greinke. I would hate to lose Delgado because I think that he’s our #3 pitcher for a while soon.

• Link
• Report this comment

Don’t you all think that since Lee is off the table that the Rangers, Yankees and other teams are going after Greinke? There’s no way the Braves can compete with those teams financially to get him. We would just have to hope that Dayton Moore’s love of the Braves would give us the upper hand to aquire him. We definitely have the prospects, but do we have the money to pay his salary? I don’t think so…

• Link
• Report this comment

Thanks for the pro sports fix, MB. I think we should remember that the Big 3 pitching rotation for the Braves produced only one championship but still five WS appearances. With their superstar staff, we can figure the Phillies will probably make it to the big show about three times over the next six years, if not more. Doesn’t leave a big window for the Braves, especially considering they aren’t exactly big spenders any more.

• Link
• Report this comment

Lets not just hand over the division yet, okay. We still gotta play the games and the big three they got are all over 30 and have been fortunate to avoid major injury. I really think that the Lee signing is gonna end up a bad one, he may have one or two really good seasons but I just cant see him being great for 5 or 6. Maybe not quite the burden of a Mike Hampton or Barry Zito but before the deal is over they are going to regret it. Jon Heyman on mlb network said this morning that this is the greatest rotation he has ever seen and the season hasn’t even started yet! We need another right handed bat more than ever now but to think that this club that owned the Phils early is going to roll over and die is a bad assumption.We still one 91 games this past season and have gotten better this offseason.

• Link
• Report this comment

Phillies pitching payroll is higher than entire braves organization.

• Link
• Report this comment

To the Phillie fan above, yes the Braves ALWAYS had a 4th in the rotation to go with Glavine, Maddux and Smoltz. Do the names, Avery, Mercker(no hitter remember against LA), Neagle ring a bell? I would put any of them up there with Hamels.

• Link
• Report this comment

Someone mentioned Moyer being a Braves killer. Moyer hurt his shoulder in Mexico or some S.A. country playing winter ball. The story I read said that he was done in baseball.

• Link
• Report this comment

Relax. It’s a great rotation, no doubt. But the Phillies lineup and bullpen aren’t unbeatable, Oswalt has back issues and Hamels has been up and down the past couple years. The Yankees and Red Sox don’t win every World Series despite signing all the biggest stars. The Braves will need things to break their way, but it’s not reasonable to assume that the best they could do is a wildcard berth. And if nothing else, think about all the guaranteed money the Phils are on the hook for down the road when the Braves will be reallocating the Chipper and Lowe money to better players.

• Link
• Report this comment

Faith is the evidence of things not seen (Heb 11:1). Gotta believe boys, gotta believe. Faith can move Mt. Philadelphia.

• Link
• Report this comment

Go Falcons!

• Link
• Report this comment

Yeah everyone, the Braves had the big 3 and only won 1 WS. Phils have better coaches and hitters and they can win multiple titles.

Can we see if we can trade ourselves to the NL Central? That way we could have a better shot at that one instead of the East.

• Link
• Report this comment

If the difference is in #3 and #4 starters, then I like the Braves’ chances with Lowe and Jurrgens. And I think the two young guys battling for the #5 spot in the rotation for the Braves will do quite well.

• Link
• Report this comment

Fire Frank Wren: you are a serious douche. Let’s see if that one posts.

• Link
• Report this comment

James: agreed, the Yankees have been making a mockery of MLB for years and the Red Sox and Phils are just as bad now. If you spend ~3X as much as a competitor, any victory over that competitor is hollow and it has made baseball far less enjoyable than it was 20 years ago.

• Link
• Report this comment

Great stats Bville… It shows that both rotations, while good, are almost a wash! Although I think the Phills are getting a lot of credit for their postseason accomplishments more than anything else. Also, Phillies rotation is one built on power. Ours is built on finesse (sp?). Both are effective, but win in different ways. We upgraded our offense, they lost a bit of ours. This move doesn’t worry me that much. Lee only plays every 5th day. We can’t be like the Red Sox and Yankees and worry about what other teams are doing. We just have to build a team that plays hard and the right way. That’s how we made the playoffs last year. The Braves were heralded as one of the best chemistry-wise Cox had ever had. I also think we are entering this year’s spring training with a lot fewer questions than last year.

• Link
• Report this comment

Stanford Rydeme
Where are you? You forget to post your SAT scores today?

• Link
• Report this comment

Well my number one wish would be for Arthur Blank or someone else who lives in or cares about Atlanta sports to buy the Braves so they could spend more and not simply serve as another corporation’s tax write-off. But that’s for another discussion. The Phillies in my humble opinion were the best team in baseball last season. What they did in overtaking and passing the Bravos was nothing short of spectacular. Baseball is a hard game to play but when they were healthy, they made it look easy most of the time. And if they stay healthy they won’t be a barrel of fun to play this year either. They will now have the best 4 starters in baseball . . . on paper at least . . . and probably the majority of time in reality as well. But the Braves on a number of occasions seemed to match them in quality starts head to head last season . . . they just couldn’t always keep pace with the Phils’timely hitting. Oswalt and Hamels are still great but not as consistent as Halladay and Lee and hopefully we have improved our hitting with the addition of Uggla and the return of Schafer. I’m also hopeful that Freeman will be the player we think he can be, Chipper will be able to make it back, and that McLouth will learn how to hit again. I’d still give the nod to the Phillies but the National League East will probably be a fight between them, the Braves, and the Nats . . . who have also vastly improved this offseason. The Phillies have no doubt made it tougher on the Braves by signing Lee, but winning the east is not mission impossible. I still like our chances!

• Link
• Report this comment

i could not agree as the braves will be playing for second place since our owners do not care about what the braves do.

when are these owsners who happen to live in denver sell this team to an ownership that wants to win and will make the commitment to do so.

• Link
• Report this comment

Bradley, most guys have a physical as the trade deal is pending, but I guess if you would do the Greinke deal, would you require a psych eval?

GO BRAVES!

• Link
• Report this comment

Why is anyone surprise by the Cliff Lee signing? The Phillies are what the Braves used to be, signing top players and winning divisions, going to the world series. We have to accept that the management the Braves have now are riding the franchise until the moment they can maximize their investment and sell. This is what the franchise was before Turner bought it, and will be again unless a new Turner type wants his own sports toy.

• Link
• Report this comment

This will prompt the Yankees to get Josh Johnson from the Marlins………..Since the Marlins will believe they can’t beat Philly..the Marlins will trade him…………Hey this might be a good opportunity for the Braves to trade Lowe to the Yankees now also………..If none of these work out the Mariners will part with King Felix and get the players they wanted from the Yank’s in the first place……….HOW BRAVE’S FANS WISH Ted Turner was still OWNER!

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark, I may get ripped for this.. but.. what do you think of the idea of the Braves trading JJ for another bat?

I mean,.., yes.. we can look at the Adam Wainwright deal, and shake our heads.. but.. two things come to mind. One, JJ’s injuries the last two years. Two.. JJ is a Boras client, and will we be able to re sign him, if he comes up as a free agent.

The danger in trading him, as we know, is that it leaves our rotation with 38 year old Lowe, and 36 year old Hudson, and Tommy Hanson is the only real young guy in there.

I thought about JJ because he;s young, and may still have value. Maybe that’s a knee jerk, not wise reaction.. What do you think?

• Link
• Report this comment

Mark: Why did you and JS write essentialy the same article today? Are you in a contest to see who gets the most responses? Anyway, my answer is no, the Braves will be playing to win the NL East. No team worth its salt
would concede first place just because another team may be the favorite of the media.

• Link
• Report this comment

Phillies formidable? yes… Invincible? no

• Link
• Report this comment

McLouth will have a big comeback year, as will Shaffer.
Chipper will hit around .300 with a little over 30 HRS.
Braves will take the NL Eastern Div. in 2011.

• Link
• Report this comment

Hard to see the Braves winning the division, but their pitching should have them in the WC chase all year.

• Link
• Report this comment

SawThat1nce…………..What are you smoking that has you high enough to believe what you posted at 5:56pm?

• Link
• Report this comment

F*in’ Denny Neagle.

That guy holds a special place in the Braves post-season Hall of Shame whether the average Braves fan realizes it or not.

How he ever managed to eschew the considerable blame he deserves for the collapse in Game 4 of the ‘96 World Series is amazing.

If he had just done his job and not let them back into the game, it never would have come to what it came to.

• Link
• Report this comment

The best team does not always win. We are all quick to talk about those Braves teams of the past but they only won one world series! So someone else was better or just got lucky every other year! However, baring an injury the Phillie will win 100+ games and walk away with the divison. The Braves will have to play for the wild card and hope for a little luck in the Playoffs.

Our pitching should be pretty good as well! Need another bat or two?

• Link
• Report this comment

Golly gee. If the great Bobby Cox couldn’t manage to hold onto a 7.5 game lead against the injury riddled and nearly defeated Philadelphia Phillies, what hope is there that poor old Fredi Gonzalez can even try to compete with Charlie Manuel and his staff of aces.

Actually, I like our chances.

As long as Fredi doesn’t get all soft and start making excuses for players when they collectively lose track of the number of outs in an inning among other glaring mental lapses in the most critical time of the season.

It still boggles the mind how a team could have 26 wins in their last at-bat, 13 walk-off victories at home, the best home record in the majors and 40 plus come-from-behind wins and ultimately stumble to the finish line and barely scratch out a wild card spot on the last day of the season… and then lose both of its home playoff games and fans still claim it was one of the best seasons by Bobby Cox in his legendary career.

I don’t get it.

It’s bad enough we end the 2009 season with six straight home losses and by doing so finish in 3rd place after going 15-2 in mid-September. Then we get a final tease, a full summer in first in Bobby Cox’s last year and once again it slips away.

If you really had to choose your manager to try to take on the Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and co. Phillies in 2011, would anybody say Bobby Cox?

It’s definitely not going to be easy, but I think Fredi can do it.

• Link
• Report this comment

The Sky is falling…The Sky is falling…..(Not So fast my friends) Era. proves 3.46 vs 3.47 lifetime career ERA of each top 4. With Uggla and Chipper back we improved our offense….Chipper may not be the same power hitter, but will still get walked a lot…Phillies lost offense in Werth..And we also have a better bullpen…Not to mention Fredi Gonzo has won with way less!

• Link
• Report this comment

I’d be more worried about the Nationals, since the only thing the Braves are competing for is last place in the NL East. Hey, Arthur Blank: forget about a new football stadium and invest in a new Atlanta sports franchise!! Please??

• Link
• Report this comment

just saying……….Brad Lidge looks like he’s made it back from the bad year he had in 2009.

When you have 2 starters (Lee and Halladay) who pretty much are locks to complete 10 games every year…….to go along with two other starters (Oswalt and Hamels) who consistently go 7 innings…..you dont need a “terrific bullpen”.

With Lee and Halladay going back to back…there will be stretches where the Phillies wont even need to use the pen for a couple of days.

• Link
• Report this comment

Hello

• Link
• Report this comment

the good news is that the Yankees didn’t get him and will not be in the World Series..or at least win it.

• Link
• Report this comment

Sure, the Braves COULD win this year. But more likely the Phils big four combined with a more question-riddled Braves roster could sink our wild card aspirations. The Braves should still keep an eye on the future. Lowe, Hudson, Chipper are very old, Gonzalez is getting nearer to the end of his shortstop days, and Uggla may not be a second baseman much longer (if he is now). The Braves infield defense could really hamper the pitching this coming season.

• Link
• Report this comment

Yes. Unless there is an injury to that staff.

• Link
• Report this comment

let’s see Mark, refresh my memory. how many world series did that braves starting rotation win?

• Link
• Report this comment

So the braves should just pack it in already…season over…….seriously? Wait…weren’t the yankees and phillies supposed to win it all last year?

• Link
• Report this comment

Dear Philly Fans, and those writing the Braves off, I would just like to point a few things out:

1. Fielding Melky Cabrera, Troy Glaus, Nate McClouth, and losing Chipper, Jurjjens, Prado, Heyward, and Diaz for considerable stretches the Bravs still won 90+ games last year. This year we have replaced all of the above bad players with Type A players while adding Right Handed power in Uggla (Uggla averages 30+ HRs a season) and a potential ROY first baseman in Freddie Freeman.

2. Cliff Lee does not have stellar regular season numbers – they are good but not stellar.

3. Even if Lee turns in a Cy Young performance that still means that the Phillies have four awesome starters and a black hole in the #5 SP position. The Braves have 2 awesome pitchers, 2 great players with the potential to turn into awesome, but unlike the glaring hole in the number 5 spot we have two really good young pitchers. THEN we also have a potential future Ace who should be ready to break into MLB by July. Thus the solidity at every sport in our overall starting rotation may equal the Phils first four starters.

4. The Phillies just lost a middle of the order RH power hitter who they cannot replace. This makes the middle of their order not nearly as intimidating. Conversely the Braves just added an even bigger hitter than the Phils just lost. Thus Braves offense just became better than the Phils.

5. The Phillies have NO bullpen beyond Brad Lidge, none, nada, zilch. And with their offense just having lost a major contributor, they better hope that their big four can pitch at least 8 innings every game (and even if they do the SP arms may be jelly by the time the playoffs arrive). Conversely, the Braves have the best bullpen in MLB (along with SanFran). Thus our SP will have more confidence and will be better rested. An off day for our SP will not hurt nearly as bad as an off day for the Phils SP.

All things considered, despite all the bruhaha and nutcases going wild on (N)E)SPN, I think the Braves have every chance and then some at challenging the Phillies this year.

Bring it on Philladelphia….(just please do not throw up on us, and keep your spandex in the closet)

• Link
• Report this comment

I would also like to point out that with their mega contracts totaling over 150 million, to multiple players over 30: phinancially the Phillies are phu*ked in phour years

(sorry MB and AJC that was just too tempting)

Meanwhile the Braves have the number 2 farm system in baseball (second only to KC), that is just now beginning to bud and will begin to peak in 2 years.

• Link
• Report this comment

The Braves are hopeless losers this season as much as the Tech basketball team!

• Link
• Report this comment

Loved that I do not think Jurr is better..make that deal in a min. sure glad your not our GM markie..Christmas wish list..Chipper hits 20.. Uggla hits 30…Jey Hey hits 25.. Prady hits .325..Freeman hits .270 with 15 dingers… Gonzalez hits 15.. Mcann his usual..hanson wins 18, ,jurr wins 15, Kimbrel saves 30, huddy wins 15, and lowe wins 15 and the rest of the bullpen matches last year

• Link
• Report this comment

Lee sure didn’t help Texas against San Francisco. I think Jason Werth ,being gone, negates a lot more that has been mentioned. The one player that lit us up was Werth. Philly’s get pitching heavy and they loss bats, it is a hard combo to complete.

• Link
• Report this comment

Wild Card??? They won’t make the playoffs.

• Link
• Report this comment

Wild Card is not all bad!! Phils pulled off a big deal! Can the four starters all blend? What about chemistry? What I like is the way so many are giving the World Series to the Phils already. Lee did not get Texas through the World Series. The Phils had three of the four for last year’s playoffs….and they failed. The Braves have strenthened their bullpen (better than Phils). The Braves have strenghtened their bench (better than Phils). The Braves starters can more than match up with the Phils. And, Chipper will be back. As a leader. As a player. I think Wren may have another move up his sleeve. Go Braves!!

• Link
• Report this comment

I entered this under the blog story, but it bears repeating. I got curious while watching all the uproar over the Lee signing. So I went back and looked up who the eight highest spenders were for the past five seasons, how many made the playoffs and how many went to the World Series and won (to test the notion, “If you don’t spend you can’t win”)

Here’s what I found:

2006–3 out of 8 top spenders made the playoffs, none in World Series (Cards over Tigers)
2007—4 out of 8 top spenders made the playoffs, one in World Series (Red Sox, winners)
2008—5 out of 8 top spenders made the playoffs, one in the WS (Phillies, winners)
2009—4 out of 8 top spenders made playoffs, both WS teams were top spenders (Yanks over Phils)
2010—only two of the top 8 spenders made the playoffs (Phils and Yanks). Neither advanced. Neither WS contender was a top spender

In five years, 18 of the top 40 spenders made the playoffs. Only 4 of these made it to the World Series. In three years, one (and in one case two) of the top eight made the series, Only once were both WS contenders top eight spenders. 3 of the 5 champions were top eight spenders.

It appears that knee-jerk spending doesn’t replace baseball savvy, injuries, the unpredictability of people from year to year, and a little plain luck here and there. It seems that team chemistry, leadership, and other intangibles might actually make a difference.

Bottom line: don’t cede the title to the Phillies just yet. They won their title in a year when they were not yet a top eight spender. They are a great rotation, and I think you have to pick ‘em to win the division. The Braves rotation doesn’t match them. But that doesn’t mean they win the games. As far as I am concerned, “W” is all that matters at the end. The rest is just to kill the time.

• Link
• Report this comment

[...] The AJC’s Mark Bradley has a column up today with the headline: “With Lee again a Phil, are the Braves playing for the wild card?” [...]

• Link
• Report this comment

*stands*

• Link
• Report this comment

Cliff Lee has ptched nine years in the majors with a 102-61 record, with only one 20 win season. His record at Texas last year after being traded from Seattle was 4-6 with a 3.98 ERA. Let’s wait a while before we start comparing him to Whitey Ford, Sandy Koufax or Steve Carlton, Hall of Fame lefties.

• Link
• Report this comment

Gary in BHam said it with facts and others may have said it as well but the bottom line is “money don’t buy you a WS title”.

What I would add is that vaunted Braves pitching staff that Bradley references (Glavine, Smoltz, Neagle, and Mad Dog) didn’t advance to the WS that year either.

In fact, one could argue that the fact the Braves won only one WS in the 90s was because and due to its pitching. Glavine and Wohlers came through in ‘95 and the pitching did not in ‘96 (aside from game six which we lost 1 to 0) and did not in ‘99 (we got shelled in virtually every game). (In ‘91 you can definitely blame Lonnie but also Leibrandt too, in my opinion.)

LET’S GO BRAVES!

• Link
• Report this comment

[...] comparison is so inviting that even a world-class dunce like yours truly has made it: With Cliff Lee, the Phillies would seem to have a rotation capable of challenging the best ever, [...]

• Link
• Report this comment

And if you were curious as to what Cliff Lee’s numbers were through his first 4 here they are too:

Lee – 76 games 35-17 4.38 ERA 354 K’s

I wouldn’t be so quick to jump off the Jurrjens bandwagon. May be one of the best #4 starters in baseball.

• Link
• Report this comment

The back end of the Phillies pen should worry that front office some too. They have major vulnerable spots with lefty help in the bullpen as well. Brad Lidge re-vitalized himself towards the middle of last season and Ryan Madson isn’t what he used to be. As I’m sure most us Braves fans remember, leads don’t mean anything if you can’t keep them (Dan Kolb anyone?).

• Link
• Report this comment