As the trade deadline nears, we offer a defense of Frank Wren
Mike Devereaux, eventual MVP of the 1995 NLCS, delivers the winning hit in Game 1. (AJC file photo)
Even as Braves fans scream, “Do something!”, it’s worth noting that the test of a general manager isn’t to do just anything — it’s to do the right thing. And sometimes what seems the right thing turns out to be …
Mark Teixeira.
The approach of another trade deadline takes us back to July 2007. The Braves made a big move, sending five prospects to Texas for the first baseman Teixeira and the reliever Ron Mahay. On the night Teixeira joined the Braves, Tim Hudson said, “Seems like they’re trying to make us win the World Series around here.”
That night Teixeira hit two home runs. Soon, two giddy fans from Auburn, Ala., had written a ditty and slapped it on YouTube. Sample lyric: “The National League it just ain’t fair-a/The Atlanta Braves got Mark Teixeira.” Also this: “The side effect is mild hysteria/The medical reason in Mark Teixeira.”
The reality, alas, was less scintillating. The Braves were 3 1/2 games out of first place when Teixeira arrived; they finished five back. They’d gone 56-51 without Teixeira; they went 28-27 with him. He was gone the next July, shipped to California ahead of impending free agency. Two of those five prospects grew up to help the Rangers reach the 2010 World Series.
The big heat on is Frank Wren to respond to the Giants’ acquisition of Carlos Beltran and to the Phillies’ trade for Hunter Pence. But a response isn’t always an answer, and here we cite another precedent. In 1983 the Braves were running ahead of the Dodgers, but Los Angeles landed the pitcher Rick Honeycutt. Determined to match, the Braves plucked Len Barker from Cleveland, but at the sky-high cost of Brett Butler, Brook Jacoby and Rick Behenna.
The Dodgers flew past the Braves in September. Barker won one game as a Brave in 1983, nine more the next two seasons. In any ranking of the worst trades in Atlanta Braves history, those two deadline deals would make the bottom five.
We mention this not to excuse Frank Wren from doing nothing yet — the guess is that Wren will move momentarily — but it’s not as if the GM has been trying to do nothing. Wren is the Charlie Hustle of general managers: His default position is to slide headfirst. Sometimes he overdoes it, which is how a team that acquired Javier Vazquez and Derek Lowe in one offseason felt compelled to add Kenshin Kawakami. But anyone who thinks Wren is sitting back watching the river flow is delusional.
Wren knows his team needs a bat, a center fielder, a leadoff man. He watches the games, same as you. But knowing you lack something doesn’t mean it’s available, and even if it is it might not be available at your price. The Phillies traded their best pitching prospect and their best non-pitching prospect to Houston for Pence. It has been reported that Wren offered Mike Minor, the Braves’ third-best pitching prospect. Does that make him stupid? Uh, no.
The Phillies sell out every game. When they lack starting pitching a few years down the road, they’ll buy more. (In recent years they’ve bought Roy Halladay, Joe Blanton, Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee twice.) The Braves can’t do that. They’ve spent half as much for this roster as Philadelphia has for its.
The Braves might have had Beltran, but Wren refused to trade one of his four top pitching prospects for a three-month rental. We can quibble over his decision — me, I’d have parted with Minor if it meant getting Beltran for however long — but nobody should suggest it was made lightly.
Wren wants to win a World Series, same as you, but there’s no assurance a big-ticket hire makes you a champ. Fred McGriff panned out. Teixeira didn’t. B.J. Surhoff, acquired by the Braves at the 2000 deadline, didn’t. Denny Neagle, acquired in 1996, didn’t. (Though he would win 36 games in 1997 and ‘98.) But Mike Devereaux, who arrived in an afterthought trade for the minor-leaguer Andre King in August 1995, became the most valuable player of the NLCS en route to Atlanta’s’ only World Series title.
More? Well, the acquisition who left the biggest imprint on October 2010 didn’t arrive in a deadline deal. The Giants bought Cody Ross off waivers from Florida on Aug. 22. He hit five postseason homers and drove in 10 runs.
Baseball, as you might have heard, is a funny old game. Those perceived as deadline winners don’t always, or even often, win in October. Consensus holds that the Giants made a winning move to get Beltran. Consensus also holds that the Phillies won by trading for Pence. At least one of those teams will not win the World Series. That’s a guarantee.
By Mark Bradley
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354 comments Add your comment
ryan
July 30th, 2011
3:56 pm
I think the Braves will make a move with all injuries we get Bourn or Quentin they would be good moves we wont catch the Phillies it would have a disaster to trade away the farm.
Mark Bradley
July 30th, 2011
3:57 pm
Kudos, Stevie. (Belated kudos, but kudos nonetheless.)
Pete
July 30th, 2011
4:00 pm
Mark, do you or DOB ever have an insider info?
NFL, NFLPA working on final details of new CBA – Atlanta Journal Constitution | News Channel 12 | Latest Breaking Local News and World Headlines
July 30th, 2011
4:00 pm
[...] As the trade deadline nears, we offer a defense of Frank Wren [...]
BooBoo
July 30th, 2011
4:01 pm
Maybe they can trade for a batting coach, one who has a proven track record for teaching batters to swing at the strikes and let the bad pitches go by. Also, teach them not to close their eyes and dream of home runs while they miss pitches. Open and watching the ball, hitting it where it is pitched kinda guy. Maybe teach them to choke up and bunt with runners on first and third with one out, rather than hitting taylor-made double play grounders to short. I would like one that would even teach how batters can work on getting hit by pitches with the bases loaded, but with so many injury prone outfielders on the team, that might be too dangerous.
Alaska Braves Fan
July 30th, 2011
4:03 pm
Mark: Your comments are exactly on target. It has been very difficult for some Braves fans to deal with the fact that the Braves don’t have an unlimited ability to buy what they seem to need while also keeping all their top prospects. As with most facets of life, this is a matter of keeping a balance, and it also partakes of the Hippocratic oath: First, do no harm.
Wren has done a very good job as GM, particularly when one considers the resources with which he must work. I would love to see one more right-handed-hitting outfielder who hits for average and a bit of power on the squad. I would be horrified to see us give up some of our excellent prospects for that one player, particularly for a rental.
As much as I want to see the Braves in the Series this year, I also know that next year, and the year after that, and so on, I’ll want to see our home-grown youngsters winning for us.
ABF
Steve
July 30th, 2011
4:04 pm
The Atlanta Braves are hitting .242. It is amazing that other GM’s get the job done, but not good old Frank. One time to the playoffs under his tenure. ONE TIME.
stevie zero
July 30th, 2011
4:04 pm
gracias
Cheesehead
July 30th, 2011
4:06 pm
Bourne rumored to be going to the Red Sox!
Sonny Clusters
July 30th, 2011
4:06 pm
We were injured today in a Big Green Egg incident in our back yard. We are day to day. We do expect to watch the game and we hope Chipper is back in the lineup. Whether or not the Braves get another player we hope that the new relief pitcher and the new center fielder will get more playing time and maybe they can contribute to some more wins. Constanza looks to be as fast as Stinky Wintes and that is fast.
Cheesehead
July 30th, 2011
4:07 pm
39 Stolen Bases and batting 304, come on Frank…Do It!!!
Cheesehead
July 30th, 2011
4:09 pm
Stinky Wintes? WOW He sounds Fast!!
Ralph
July 30th, 2011
4:09 pm
Mark, to me it has nothing to do with Beltran or Pence, I never wanted either one of those I just want a center fielder that can catch the ball, throw the ball, get on base and steal a base.
Bama Brave
July 30th, 2011
4:10 pm
DO IT FRANK!
Ray
July 30th, 2011
4:11 pm
the fact that Frank has done nothing means that he hasn’t liked any of the deals presented to him. he will end up making a move, but most likely it won’t be a good one.
it’s very suspicious that Ed Wade always trades top players to his old team, the Phils. with about 8 teams bidding for Pence, is that the best deal he was offerred. I find it hard to believe.
the Phils will always get a return on a good player when he becomes a free agent as they will offer arbitration. meanwhile, the cheap Braves walk away and get nothing (Sheffield, Drew, Lee) or are forced to give away an impending free agent (Soriano, Texieira). everyone for us becomes a rental.
yet Frank says the budget isn’t a problem. and the moon is made of green cheese.
Bama Brave
July 30th, 2011
4:12 pm
thats more stolen bases than we have in three years….
bvillebaron
July 30th, 2011
4:12 pm
Steve:
Try to be a little fair will you. Schuerholz depleted the minor league system in the Texeira trade in 2007 notwithstanding the fact that he had an aging team that needed to be rebuilt. I think Wren took over in 2009 (maybe 2008), but the fact is that the Braves had the 7th worst record in MLB in 2008 (which is why they picked Minor 7th in 2009). The team that Wren has built has thus gone from the 7th worst in MLB to the 5th best record-wise as we speak in less than 3 years, made the playoffs and will make them again this year with or without a trade. He also is hamstrung by virture of the fact that Liberty Media gives him a budget that is 1/2 of the Phils budget and also doesn’t have a former Phils GM now working in Houston and making sweetheart deals for his former team while asking a king’s ransom from the Braves for the same player. It is amazing to me that Wren would even take a phone call from Ed Wade to discuss a trade for Bourn after the Pence negotiations and I for one hope he doesn’t panic and give up too much to get him to appease the chicken little “we got to make a trade” fans.
Cheesehead
July 30th, 2011
4:12 pm
Ralph,Hello Bourne…Get R Done Frank!!!
BobDawg
July 30th, 2011
4:14 pm
Spot on Bradley…. I grew up in S. Jersey and my Dad still lives up there and says the town is “coming apart at the seams” over the Iggles and Phils trades yesterday…. I am Atlanta thru and thru since going to UGA in the 70’s. (unlike Kindaide on 680). Phila is a huge blue collar sports town with no college sports interest at all. They live and die with their teams and sell out every game and have deep pockets.. Wren has to pick and choose his moves “wisely” and will do the right thing and the bloggers are spot on so far. My Dad & I have a good time going back and forth on our teams… Go Braves and Go Falcons!!!
Ted M
July 30th, 2011
4:14 pm
Ludwick stinks, FW please don’t even think about that trade.
DELAWARE'S ONLY BRAVES FAN
July 30th, 2011
4:16 pm
Mr.Bradley I live 30min.south of filthadelphia.And every day I have to hear all of their trash.(local radio is all ready planning the WS parade)With TBS gone I must depened on the dish to see games,and on your paper to give me any and all info on this team that I have given every summer to for over 35years.Can you tell me why is it that every media outlet had something to say about the Pence deal by 11pm last night.Yet the AJC was silent?I would hope that with so many people who hang on what comes out of your paper ,that next time something that affects the braves future. someone would print it while it is a breaking news story.
Cheesehead
July 30th, 2011
4:17 pm
Furcal to Cards?
Nate
July 30th, 2011
4:18 pm
Maybe, maybe not as far as a trade making a difference making the postseason and/or winning after making it. Andrus remains highly overrated. Feliz is a decent pitcher, but the Rangers have had issues with him. They let Salty leave for nothing. But I do know the sides that take more warriors into the battle tend to come out on top more often than not.
Hillbilly D
July 30th, 2011
4:20 pm
Did you really say Denny Neagle did not pan out? 36 wins in 2 years is not panning out?
Good point.
Nate
July 30th, 2011
4:21 pm
And one more thing. I thought the goal coming into each season was to win the World Series. Why hang on to prospects to keep spinning your wheels fighting to make the postseason the next few seasons when you can make a couple of trades to take your shot at winning it all this year?
Pete
July 30th, 2011
4:21 pm
Andrus career OPS+ is 78. Which is terrible. Plus he has already made 20 errors this season. Very very over-rated
The Real Brave
July 30th, 2011
4:22 pm
There waa a trade to be made with Houston and it was blown!
Ask this simple question are the Braves better off now after the Phils trade?
Simple. NO!
Granny's Hammer
July 30th, 2011
4:22 pm
“…The Phillies traded their best pitching prospect and their best non-pitching prospect to Houston for Pence…”
Umm, no they didn’t. They traded their two best SINGLE-A prospects. their best hitting and pitching “prospects” are Brown and Worley respectively, and they’re busy working their respective way into the major-league lineup.
If Atlanta has the ocean of pitching talent that you fans say it does, then what’s the big deal? You have a team that is bordering on great…. Why does Wren dither?
Cheesehead
July 30th, 2011
4:24 pm
BJ Upton 102 Strikeouts in 364 AB’s Batting .228. Ouch…Frank can you say Michael Bourne?
Tmac
July 30th, 2011
4:28 pm
All the people screaming for Wren to do something need to realize that this team can (and probably will) make it to the playoffs as constituted. I believe that adding a small piece to this puzzle and getting our opening day line up back minus McLouth plus Schafer that we will not only compete, but we can win. Great article Mark
jerry
July 30th, 2011
4:30 pm
Wren is in no rush because he knows damn well that no matter who he gets, if anybody, the Braves will not catch Philly. Or win the WS.
Pete
July 30th, 2011
4:31 pm
TMAC< Schafer is worse than McLouth. McLouth has an OBP of .340 In almost 400 major league at bats Schafer has an OBP of .300. with 105 strikeouts and 45 walks. 3 homers and 15 rbi. Those are dreadful, dreadful, dreadful numbers
jimmya
July 30th, 2011
4:31 pm
just think it was wren who got us the team we have
Cheesehead
July 30th, 2011
4:33 pm
Totally disagree Tmac, Just look at the Brewers pick up of Jerry Hairston Jr Today! They are loading when the Braves Sit Pat. The Brewers are preparing for the Post Season!
chief pitchanono
July 30th, 2011
4:39 pm
I agree, there is no way they two of our “aces” plus others for pence. Hope they enjoy phillies #1 & 2 prospects. Still believe after the Oswalt deal last year and now this with Pence, the Astros GM is looking for another job in philly. Hopefully he gets canned by their new owner soon. Anyway Bourn is the guy the Braves need to get, of course the big “if” will be can they do it and not be ripped by the Astros. I’m just not sure. I don’t trust them, i’m sure Wren will make an offer, but he has to hold pat if price is too high. Otherwise Bourn is the guy the Braves need the most anyway. He is a true difference maker and certainly would fit perfectly with the Braves. He is a lefty, but he hits lefty’s well so that shouldn’t matter. You figure he can’t ask as much as for him as he did for pence, so I go back to him with pretty much the same offer. 1 top prospect and maybe a little less of the second tier guys and see if they bite. Scoreing two top pitching prospects a top hitting prospect and a few second tier guys should make him pretty happy. If not we know he was working for philly all along and he can kiss our butts. Then we can bring on Coco – Good Luck Wren and Go Braves!!!
DELAWARE'S ONLY BRAVES FAN
July 30th, 2011
4:40 pm
Mr.Bradley,I live 30 min. south of Filthadelphia.Each day it gets worse.(the local radio is all ready planning the WS parade)With TBS gone I watch every game on the dish.And read everything your paper has to keep informed.For 35 years I have given this team my summer.So can you explain to me how it is that by 11pm last night every media outlet had something about the Pence deal.Yet the AJC was silent.With so many people hanging on to whats going on with the BRAVES.Something should have been posted.
DELAWARE'S ONLY BRAVES FAN
July 30th, 2011
4:41 pm
Enter your comments here
Ron E.
July 30th, 2011
4:46 pm
Yes let’s not make a trade to try to win the World Series this year because a few years ago we traded a bunch of prospects (Salty – blocked by McCann and has sucked, Andrus – blocked by Escobar and has career OPS+ of 78, Matt Harrison who this year is the first he has an era under 4.71, and Neftali Feliz who isn’t as good as Venters or Kimbrel) for Mark Teixeira and we didn’t win the World Series (for reasons that had nothing to do with Mark Teixeira). /sarcasm
Cheesehead
July 30th, 2011
4:46 pm
Minor will be no better than a 4th Starter, Braves have more than enough Pitching, Everyone forget about Kris Medlen? Deal Minor plus a B Prospect & be done with it! Michael Bourne!
Theo Williams
July 30th, 2011
4:46 pm
Yeah, just like the Giants had NO SHOT of winning it all last year. What about when the Marlins beat the Yanks? Boston from wild card to WSC? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Any team that gets into the playoffs can win. Get that through your thick skulls.
Brent
July 30th, 2011
4:47 pm
I think it’s funny that you’re using ONE deal, the Teixera trade, to justify Wren not making a deal. Teixera didn’t “significantly change” the dynamics of our offense. It was simply adding another strong power hitter to the lineup. How many teams that are power laden fizzle in the playoffs? Adding Bourne WOULD change the dynamics of our offense, or should I say “complete” our lineup. It would change pitch selection for the 2nd slot – 5th slot in the batting order. “Bash brothers” does nott win the World Series. Manufacturing runs, strong pitching, and strong defense do. Let’s call Wren out and see if he has the guts to make a deal (ala Scheurholz). Scheurholz got us to how many division titles/playoff slots by making late season deals to try and get us over the hump?
Cheesehead
July 30th, 2011
4:47 pm
Ron E. “In Plain English?”
papadawg
July 30th, 2011
4:48 pm
You just had to bring up that Barker trade didn’t. Guess who owned the Braves then and a lot of folks want him to be owner again. He also signed a sore armed Messersmith who bombed
Cheesehead
July 30th, 2011
4:49 pm
Well Said…Brent!
Cheesehead
July 30th, 2011
4:53 pm
We was wondering where Sonny Clusters went? To the Dairy Queen?
Theo Williams
July 30th, 2011
4:57 pm
Oh my word, people. HOW do you know that Bourn will be a bust??? And if memory serves me correctly JS made the deal for Tex. The only “bad” deals that Wren have made have been nothing players for nothing prospects. Wren traded Renteria for JJ and Vazques for Melky. Renteria and Javier are old and doing nothing of consequence for their clubs.
brandon
July 30th, 2011
4:58 pm
I can’t remember the posters name, and I wasn’t going to sift through all the posts in this blog again to find it, but to say Tex didn’t play well enough when we needed him too?? In 54 games in ‘07 as a Brave he hit .317/17 hr/56 rbi! In his overall Brave career, which was 5 games short of one full season, in 157 games he hit .295/37 hr/134 rbi! I’d say he did pretty dang well, but the rest of the team didn’t produce, except for Chipper hitting .364 in ‘08. Had Andruw Jones hit better than .222 in ‘07 and produced like he did the previous 2 years in which he hit .263/.262 with 51 hr/41 hr, then ‘07 could have been an insanely unbelievable run to and through the postseason. That’s just my thinking…
Reid Adair
July 30th, 2011
4:58 pm
Sorry, Mark, but I wholeheartedly disagree. The fans aren’t anxious for Frank Wren to make a move just because the Giants landed Carlos Beltran. Look at the batting averages for the everyday lineup; count how many players are batting .240 or less.
The fans realize that pitching cannot carry this team the rest of the way. There has to be some semblance of offense, and right now the Braves’ best hitter (Brian McCann) is on the DL.
John Galt
July 30th, 2011
5:01 pm
I agree with P. Bull Terrior that, as much as I hate it, The Phillies are simply the best team in baseball. I believe that our pitching makes us the 2nd best. The way I see it we should avoid a rash move and prepare to win in the playoffs.
Many a power hitter has flopped in the playoffs and many a hitless defender (Lemke, anyone) turns out to look like Mickey Mantle in the playoffs (Cody Ross, more recently). So how can you best prepare for the playoffs? Hang on to good pitching, stengthen it if you can, and focus on speed and defense.
As I see it, that means that before anything else, we need another arm in the bullpen, whether we acquire it or it comes from the farm. I’d like to see more of Martinez and see at least one of those minor league arms pitching some middle relief.
With an eye always on the WC standings we need to be patient, if we can, about Chipper and McCann’s return. They need to be completely healthy before returning, and macho-man toughness and eagerness is NOT what the team needs right now. David Ross, in particular, allows us that luxury re: Brian during the regular season.
This means also that we stand pat in the outfield unless a favorable deal comes along. I would love to see Carlos Quentin platooning with Heyward (unless Heyward needs a trip to Gwinnett to rediscover his swing) and playing some LF against RH pitching when Prado or Chipper need a breather. In a short series, I’m OK with the defense Gonzo and Schafer provide up the middle, though some offense would help. I believe Schafer, when healthy, can create a lot of disruption if used aggressively.
I still believe there is too much panic in these blogs, though it seems that a majority of the writers have assumed a level-headed reality about the decisions Wren has made in the last few days. Remember that we have a 4.5 game lead in the WC and a better record than anyone except the Phillies, the Yankees and the BoSox despite the rash of injuries and Uggla’s horrendous start. From where I sit we are all right at this point, all things considering, ESPECIALLY considering the financial restraints with which Wren has to work. Consider the payrolls of the 3 teams with better records than the Braves.
Theo Williams
July 30th, 2011
5:01 pm
We’re anxious cuz our offense sucks. End of story. We’re not trying to keep up with the Jones’s, we’re trying to keep up with the Dbacks.