McCann’s on the DL. Do the Braves HAVE to land a big bat?
Rule of thumb: It's never good when your best player gets hurt. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
OK, so they probably shouldn’t run out and hire Johnny Bench. He retired in 1983. But the game that wouldn’t end — and by rights should have kept going — could well influence what the Braves do the rest of the week.
The trade deadline is Sunday. Brian McCann, the Braves’ MVP, will miss the next two or three weeks with a strained oblique. (By the way, there’s a move afoot to change the team nickname to the “Obliques.” Why is it no other club seems to have such trouble with that particular body part?) He’s the biggest bat on a team that has no other big bats.
It has been reported by ESPN’s Buster Olney that the Braves have said no to the Mets’ insistence that any trade for the two-month rental Carlos Beltran would have to include one of the organization’s four top pitching prospects — Julio Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino, Mike Minor, Randall Delgado. Does this injury change Frank Wren’s thinking?
On the plus side, the Braves still lead the wild-card chase by 3 1/2 games over Arizona. On the minus, they’re only 6-6 since the All-Star break and they’ve slipped six games behind the Phillies in the National League East. And they’re still not hitting much: They’ve scored five runs in 28 innings against the Pirates, and one of those came by way of umpire Jerry Meals’ sense of charity.
The Braves can get by for a bit with David Ross as the everyday catcher. He’s a good No. 2. But it’s becoming less clear if they can win a World Series with this batting order, and with the batting order having suffered another loss it’s no longer a given that this club will make it to October. I think it will. (The Braves can still pitch, even if the team ERA has taken a hit in recent days.) But current events do not fill me with the same sense of certainty I had two weeks ago.
By Mark Bradley
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558 comments Add your comment
Tidetown 4 Free suits
July 27th, 2011
11:00 am
Since the AJC and Cheating Lil Nikki Saban and is scared to take on the Bammer Nation.
Here is some proof that Alabama is cheating once again. Lets remind everyone they are the school in Alabama that is on Probation, not Auburn.
http://larrybrownsports.com/college-football/alabama-players-relationship-with-t-town-menswear-store-could-be-problematic/78476
Nateforpresident
July 27th, 2011
11:00 am
Who cares about anything Alabama or Auburn. GO VOLS!!
ATL born and raised
July 27th, 2011
11:01 am
We can use all those young arms in the pen down the stretch when the rosters get expanded, so we don’t need to trade for relief help unless Mike Adams gets cheaper. We need a CF or a right handed right fielder to platoon with Heyward against lefties until Jay-Hey can figure it out. I like BJ Upton or the CF for the Cubs if you want to go a cheaper route.
BehindEnemyLines
July 27th, 2011
11:01 am
I’m disturbed at the suggestion anyone thought there was ever a chance the current roster could win a World Series in the first place. That wasn’t happening even with Mac healthy. It also wouldn’t be happening with the rental of Beltran, so the point is largely moot. Wren would have to be an even bigger idiot than I’ve suspected to make a deal like what’s been thrown around.
Never Trade Young Pitching
July 27th, 2011
11:10 am
@A Brave in Minnesota, where do you live? I’m at Lake Harriet in the metro.
SharperImage
July 27th, 2011
11:12 am
Is this so hard of a decision?! Yes the Braves have the pitching to carry them to the Series but is there anyone out there who can tell me how many World Series wins the Braves have in their last twenty years of pitching dominance. Yeah, that’s what I thought. They can’t and won’t hit the Phillies’ staff this postseason with what they have in the lineup. Give up something for a bat for goodness sake!!!
stevie zero
July 27th, 2011
11:13 am
mark, not sure how wren thinks he can get what we OBVIOUSLY need without giving up one of our many prospects. this lineup has too many holes, too many .228 hitters, too many injuries, too many .140 against lefty hitters, to not be desperate for a big bat. help me out here, please
Nateforpresident
July 27th, 2011
11:21 am
I think Wren not makeing a move here shows he eithe A: dont care about winning or B: is limited on the cash Liberty is giveing him and is not at “Liberty” to admit it lol
Matt from MN
July 27th, 2011
11:21 am
Needed a bat since Spring Training. Don’t need to give up Minor, or other top prospects, for a two month rental. Stay with what you’ve got and let the chips fall where they may on this season.
dtanner
July 27th, 2011
11:25 am
aint like it used to be when they had ted turners deep pockets,only reason jon schuerholtz looked so smart
Eugene
July 27th, 2011
11:25 am
After watching the Braves for the last few years, I believe the team as a whole should take a different approach to hitting, especially in clutch situations. Whether spoken or not I also believe there are rivalries going on among the players, such as the new additions versus the old timers. I think adding a new player, especially one from New York, will only add fuel to the late season competitive fire that is already burning between the players.
P Rose
July 27th, 2011
11:31 am
Every time the Braves sign or trade for a “big bat,” the guy always seems to forget how to hit the minute he puts on a Braves uniform (Uggla, Ankiel, Lee, Gonzalez, Glaus, McClouth, etc.) Beltran will do the same thing – he will surely disappoint as the next “big bat.” Turner Field is a pitcher’s park, plain and simple. If the Braves are to win at all, it will be because of their pitching. You can never have too much good pitching, especially if you are the Braves. DON’T DO IT.
Pete
July 27th, 2011
11:32 am
The Braves scored 4 runs in 29 innings and you are asking if they need a big bat? Laughable
Brian
July 27th, 2011
11:32 am
I think two deals are needed.
1st: Trade Lowe to the Yankees for cash and a lower-level prospect
2nd: Trade cash and Simmons or Oberholtzer for Beltran. Throw in Medlen too if they start pining for our top guys. Say no way to trading Teheran, Vizcaino, Delgado, or Minor.
Add Minor to the rotation and get Moylan back in late August, call Vizcaino and Teheran up for the bullpen in September. OF time is split between Heyward, Beltran, Prado, Schafer, and McLouth. Prado plays some 3B and Heyward/Beltran get a day off from time to time to keep the rotation going.
Hanson – Hudson – Jurrjens – Beachy – Minor
Martinez – Moylan – Vizcaino – O’Flaherty – Venters – Kimbrel (Linebrink and Sherrill could still be counted on – Proctor, bye-bye)
Steve
July 27th, 2011
11:32 am
My gut keeps telling me that the Braves should make a trade with the Rays and go for BJ Upton over Beltran. He is still only 26, has 15 HR’s 53 rbi’s even though his BA is only .227. He has so much more upside and we could sign him long term at a cheaper price. I have a feeling that he would come to Atlanta and become a stud!
Pete
July 27th, 2011
11:35 am
Some of you guys are complete idiots. You win when you have the chance. The Braves have more than 8 starters that other teams want. What the hell are we going to do with 8 starters? The reason you stockpile talent is so that you can use it as trade bait if need be. The Braves could be 10 games under .500 next year, how does Minor or any other minor league pitcher help that?
P Rose
July 27th, 2011
11:35 am
Every time the Braves sign or trade for a “big bat,” the guy always seems to forget how to hit the minute he puts on a Braves uniform (Uggla, Ankiel, Lee, Gonzalez, Glaus, McClouth, etc.) Beltran will do the same thing – he will surely disappoint as the next “big bat.” Turner Field is a pitcher’s park, plain and simple. If the Braves are to win at all, it will be because of their pitching. You can never have too much good pitching, especially if you are the Braves. Prado will soon get his timing back, and Chipper and McCann will be back for the stretch run. They don’t need another 2-month rental at the cost of another live young arm. DON’T DO IT.
Mr. Obvious
July 27th, 2011
11:36 am
If Jason Heyward would stop being such a p@nsy and start playing with a little discomfort, Dan Uggla would go see a shrink about his “contract guilt” and Chipper Jones had not taken all those steroids years ago to cause his late-30s body to break down so often, we would not being having to worry about getting A BIG BAT at this point in 2011.
We already made our trade for A BIG BAT when we traded for Dan Uggla back in December.
Alex
July 27th, 2011
11:36 am
This feels exactly like the end of last season. HOLY FRUSTRATION. Now we only have two guys in the line-up who feel dangerous – Freddie and Uggla. The rest of the team has either underperformed or is hurt. And this all comes just days after we all felt the offense was finally hitting its stride. I love Chipper, but my lord, his body is a disaster. Jey Hey and Prado look out of sorts. Gonzalez is lost. Now would be a great time for a younger AAA player to step up and plug the holes. Because there are many.
Pete
July 27th, 2011
11:37 am
Heyward is a bum and will never ever be a BIG bat. He looks for reasons to be out of the lineup instead of looking for reasons to be in the lineup
Marteen is a Ballplayer
July 27th, 2011
11:37 am
I do not see why everyone is so sold on Minor. I like the kid, but honestly, if was not a left-handed pitcher, the trade would be made. Think of it this way…both Beachy and Minor were in competition for the 5th starter role in Spring Training. If Beachy was not light years ahead of Minor, Minor would have been with the team from the start, but instead, we elected to go with a 5th right-hander. That tells you something right there.
We need a bat immediately…more so with McCann out indefinitely. For all we know, this oblique could land him on the DL for 30 to 45 days. The Division simply does not look promising, but we must scramble now to secure the Wild Card. I don’t like Beltran as he is a Met and has a history of injury, but right now he is the absolute best fit for our needs. Get him here for Minor, secure the Wild-Card, and take it to the Phillies in the playoffs. No potential playoff team out there matches up as well as we do with the Phillies. Beltran will allow us to keep pace with the Phillies or even surpass them (as a team, not the standings this late in the year) despite the trades that they make.
In the playoffs, it is a coin-toss on who wins a Phillies/Braves series. In my opinion, it is a no-brainer to do what it takes to get us there.
GTT
July 27th, 2011
11:38 am
If they were on a huge roll and breathing down the Phillies’ necks, maybe. I think next year is their time, so sit tight and do what you can do. Trading Minor is not a bad thing, just not for two months during a season when they likely aren’t going to win it all anyway.
Mr. Obvious
July 27th, 2011
11:39 am
If McCann had eaten more of his hamburgers and done fewer sit-ups this past offseason, he wouldn’t have so many oblique muscles to strain.
Lone Wolf
July 27th, 2011
11:40 am
Why not Bourn and Upton or Pence?
Southpaw
July 27th, 2011
11:42 am
I think addding Hunter Pence to our team as a permanent member is a good idea. It will be costly. Houston will want something valuable in return and resigning Pence will be expenseive, but we will have a team in place for now and for the future. I hated losing Wainwright for a rental. I liked getting Smoltz for over a decade. Get Pence and keep him. We need a bat and a centerfielder.
Roseman
July 27th, 2011
11:45 am
To Brain…you are dead on the $$$ with Minor for Beltran, especially after the McCann injury. Mark B-do you not agree? I fear that he will land in San Fran, or even worse, in Philly. Do it now!
oldmike
July 27th, 2011
11:46 am
Trade Minor, Schaeffer and a AA prospect to Mets for Beltran or Astros for Pence. Or that package to Rays for Upton. Make something happen Frank W. This team doesn’t hit enough to justify the pitching staff anyway. All we have to show for it arfe a large number of well pitched losses with quality starts inside of them.
ryan
July 27th, 2011
11:48 am
The Braves have to make a move now i thought is was a Braves blog not a college football blog Pence or Beltran get it done Wren .
Braves20
July 27th, 2011
11:48 am
It appears we are falling out of the Beltran sweepstakes. Looks like the Giants may snag him. Just as well – Boras client. Agree with Southpaw, go for Pence even if it means one of four solid pitching prospects and any position player off the major league roster short of McCann, Prado or Freeman.
joe kill
July 27th, 2011
11:49 am
hey mark if schafer goes on the dl could the braves call up jose constanza from gwinnet hes just like schafer esstential maybe even faster could that be an option maybe in centerfield
PMC
July 27th, 2011
11:52 am
WHat good is pitching if you lose games 3 to nothing?
ryan
July 27th, 2011
11:56 am
I would be ok with Pence instead of Beltran younger and we could probably sign him long term the Braves have a ton pitching prospects maybe we wont have to give up Tehran how about Minor and Delgado and third prospect not named Tehran .
Ken Stallings
July 27th, 2011
11:59 am
Frank Wren is 100% right to tell the Mets to shove it! Of course the Mets want one of our top four minor league pitchers. It is because any one of them could likely start right now on the Mets roster! Furthermore, all of these four pitchers are among the best prospects in all of baseball!
I would rather sign a contract right here, right now formally foregoing the playoffs than agree to the Mets’ terms. The Braves are not the Yankees and without that huge payroll option cannot just replace one star with another! Therefore, like most teams in baseball (the Mets being one of the few exceptions) you have to live on the value of your farm system.
That the Mets cannot get it done despite their big checkbook proves that you still need a good farm system. Part of the reason the Braves are struggling in their lineup is the Tex trade.
Yes, no doubt last night/morning was a tough one, and no doubt the Braves hitters are hitting a rough patch for nagging and chronic injuries. But, the Braves stand poised to have one of the best lineups and pitching staffs in baseball for the next decade. And you don’t harm that with a two month rental to make the playoffs, especially when you cannot afford yourself to replenish those losses with bit ticket free agent signings.
Hankie Aron
July 27th, 2011
12:00 pm
Mark- Wouldn’t it be easier if we just removed the obliques of all the players, do you really need it after all?
Richham
July 27th, 2011
12:05 pm
Ross always plays really well, I’m not actually that concerned about this injury. I think you stay the course and don’t trade out of desperation. I would be manning the wires though looking for trades. Bullpen concerns me a lot more.
don
July 27th, 2011
12:08 pm
No. The Braves should win the wild card with what they have now. They won’t catch the Phillies. Trade or no trade, they will play the Giants in the first round of the playoffs and lose.
Wren needs to do nothing. Unfortunately, he has a track record of reacting and making bone-headed moves at this time of year. Three facts are absolutely true in this process. First, Wren will panic and make a move. Second, it will be a move in which the Braves will far overpay for whatever they get. Third, the Braves will gain nothing and will regret what Wren gives up for years to come.
I’ll bet no GM ever refuses a call from Wren.
Go for 2
July 27th, 2011
12:10 pm
More stellar reporting Mark…everyone…Mark is basically conceding that if you want any insight go over to ESPN.com…that’s his source…Do you have any leads or research capability Mark?
The Braves are a mid-market team plain and simple. Unfortunately they have a lot of $$$ tied up in Chipper and a failed pitcher who is in AA playing out his contract. F Wren has learned, most likely, from the terrible Texiera trade (how many All-Stars did the Rangers get?) and needs to groom the team more in the image of say the Twins.
GF2
GF2
Pete
July 27th, 2011
12:11 pm
Yes, Because the Twins are in the World Series every year. SOme of you guys are idiots
ryan
July 27th, 2011
12:12 pm
It appears to be Beltran to the Rangers or Giants the Braves out i think we go after Pence or Rasmus maybe a Ludwick .
Go for 2
July 27th, 2011
12:15 pm
Pete:
who’s the idiot…look at the performance of that orgainzation vs the braves over the last 5 years. Also, take a look at how much more fundamentally sound the Twins are…not even close. Unlike the Braves, you don’t get to play at the MLB level unless you can bunt, take good at bats move runners (note: I am a Red Sox/Braves fan)….and take a look at attendance Pete….again who is the idiot?
GF2
Born2Buzz
July 27th, 2011
12:19 pm
I’d give up one of the minor league pitchers for Beltran immediately. We don’t need 7 starters. And can we throw in McLouth as well. His bad play on Monday definitely cost us the game and his play last night should have cost us the game. Throwing to the wrong base and not being able to get down a bunt are inexcusable for a major league player.
Pete
July 27th, 2011
12:19 pm
Attendance? What the hell does that have to do with anything? The Braves won their division for over 15 years and lost in the playoffs every year but once. It ruined the fans.
The Twins are hitting under .250 and have an OBP of .307. They also only have 20 sacrifices They are not the SOLID team you think they are.
If you are ever in contention to win a title you make that move to do it. You never wait until next year. Next year McCann may be hurt, Hudson and Hanson have to have tommy john. You just never know.
Theo Williams
July 27th, 2011
12:20 pm
Ya’ll need to understand that the asking prices for Beltran and Pence are not even close. The Mets asked for the Braves’, Phils’, and Giants’ best prospects, and all of the teams said no way. Beltran will only cost a pair of descent prospects. The Astros are asking for a deal surrounding 2 of the big 4 (Minor, Teheran, Delgado, and Vizcaino) for Pence, aka they want the moon. We simply need a big bat to fill in for Mac. Beltran is not out of reach if we overpay for him. If we don’t want to do that we should pursue the little-mentioned Carlos Quentins and Marlon Byrds of the market. But now with the injury sustained to Brian it is no longer “should we get a big bat or a leadoff man?” It’s “Which big bat should we/are we going to land?”
Brother John
July 27th, 2011
12:24 pm
I don’t see how this team has the record that it has obviously produced. Every batter on the team hitting .220 to .199. Players dropping like flies with every injury imaginable. Schafer playing hurt. It’s unreal. Whoever penned the moniker “Goofy” on our esteemed manager hit the nail on the head!! Maybe he read it and actually showed a little fire last night!! And that ump, obviously had to take a sh__ or something (or get to his bottle??) — but we’ll take it. What’s not to love about baseball?? I’m sure I’m not the only one who watched all 6 hours and 39 minutes of the game. GO BRAVES!!
Furman Bitcher
July 27th, 2011
12:24 pm
Theo you are exactly right. they want two not one. If the Astros would take just Minor and a couple of lesser names he would have already been in the line up last night
whodatbrave
July 27th, 2011
12:25 pm
David Ross is a career .236 hitter. We need a bat to replace Mac’s. David Ross is arguably the best backup catcher in baseball, and brings a lot to the team, a bat however is not one of those things.
TP
July 27th, 2011
12:26 pm
The value of Beltran to the Braves is questionable. Other teams will simply pitch around him. What does that get us but another runner left on base. It is too late to expect a miracle for this injury ridden, lack of hitting team to get to the playoffs. Trades made in desperation tend to cause a team to give up too much for what they get in return.
Mister Frisky
July 27th, 2011
12:27 pm
A Bat?How about several bats.What team have you been watching this year?
Not Impressed
July 27th, 2011
12:27 pm
Without a doubt they need a bat!!!!! Heyward is the biggest BUST and DISSAPOINTMENT since Francouer……needs to be sent back to the Minors – maybe he can re-learn to hit – Larry Parrish is obviously a waste of a hitting coach and needs to be given his walking papers!
FEAR
July 27th, 2011
12:30 pm
yeah sadly now we really need a trade. BMac was the only one really getting it done. We might have to bite the bullet and trade one of those ’spects but I would only do it for Pence. Dont wanna see another Tex with Beltran.