Michael Bourn a Phillie or a Nat? Say it ain’t so, Scott Boras
Michael Bourn has been a big part of the Braves' rebuilt offense. (AJC photo by Jason Getz)
We all know that Michael Bourn will be a free agent at season’s end. We all know that he’s represented by the dreaded Scott Boras, meaning he won’t come cheap. We all know that the Braves haven’t been willing to pay for big-ticket free agents lately, unless you count Derek Lowe.
And now comes more good news: If Bourn doesn’t stay here, he’s apt to wind up playing for a team in the Braves’ division.
Buster Olney of ESPN Insider lists the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies (link requires registration) as likely-if-not-downright-ardent Bourn suitors. The Washington link has been around a while, and the Philly tie makes sense. Bourn came up in the Phillies’ organization.
On cue, Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer names Bourn as a probable target for the Phillies, who just dumped center fielder Shane Victorino and right fielder Hunter Pence. To his credit, Bourn refused to sniff at the notion, telling Brookover: “Ryan [Howard] and Jimmy [Rollins] are friends. I know Cole [Hamels]. I know Kyle Kendrick. I know they have a good team, but right now I’m worried about putting this ‘A’ on my head and going out and playing baseball. That’s about it.”
We’ve gotten used to seeing big names depart Atlanta after a brief layover here — Gary Sheffield, J.D. Drew, Mark Teixeira — but for the Braves to lose Bourn would be a real blow. They’d long sought a center fielder and a leadoff hitter, and in Bourn they’ve found both. And the thought of seeing him leading off for someone else in the same division would be rather revolting. But, as they say in baseball, that’s baseball.
Oh, and how good has Bourn been in 2012? FanGraphs assesses his WAR (wins above a garden-variety replacement player) value as 4.6 games. Among non-pitchers, that’s the 14th-best in baseball. Jason Heyward is 15th, Martin Prado 26th. Be a shame to break up that outfield.
By Mark Bradley
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202 comments Add your comment
Joe
August 8th, 2012
1:34 pm
Frank and Fredi have already said martin looks to be the 3rd baseman nxt year. No juan francisco.p
Coach
August 8th, 2012
1:35 pm
All of this money coming off of the books is going to be nice, and if we go deep into the postseason, there may be money added to acquire/fill needs this offseason. Wouldn’t it be nice if Auther Blank purchased the Braves?
Braves 73
August 8th, 2012
1:37 pm
Anyone that believes this team (offensively) would be as good as it is now, is just fooling themselves. With money coming off the books, this seems to be the biggest offseason move the Braves should make. Bourn is a known commodity that if given the opportunity, would sign with the Phils or the Nats.
Frank Wren and the Braves would be wise to open up dialogue with Boras now (if Bourn is really committed to the Atl), and have the exclusive right to work out a deal (without open competition driving up his price). This is a huge and with Chipper retiring, this move is an absolute must. There is no way to place how valuable Bourn is to this team (if you want to find out, let him and leave).
cornjolio
August 8th, 2012
1:38 pm
Trade Uggla to Boston for Carl Crawford; put Crawford in LF; move Prado back to 2B;
Give Bourn what he wants
Frank Wren
August 8th, 2012
1:39 pm
If we lose Bourn, Rick Ankiel is an option for CF. He’s not playing anywhere right now.
Dan Uggla
August 8th, 2012
1:41 pm
Once Chipper retires, this will be my team to lead.
Fell better now?
Duh.
Doug Glanville
August 8th, 2012
1:50 pm
Nats have richest owner in baseball, and Phillies are the second most profitable franchise behind Yanks. This was obvious a fear. For those saying how much money can Phillies shellout there, well that depends if they are willing to break the luxury tax. Many believe they will be willing this yr seeing how the next is when the penalty comes into play and the Phils are due for a new TV deal after next season which means they are just getting started spending.
Ron
August 8th, 2012
1:52 pm
The Braves need to re-sign Bourn, if he goes to the Nats or Phils the Braves won’t win the division for the foreseable future. But knowing Liberty Media and the Braves organization, Durango will be our center fielder next year.
Gman 84
August 8th, 2012
1:55 pm
Say goodby. He will be overpriced and even if he weren’t LM is too cheap to make it happen.
Columbus
August 8th, 2012
1:55 pm
Bourn will be a Brave. McCann is not going anywhre either I do not think and nor should he. I know there is a great catching prospect in the minors, but McCann is special and a fan favorite and he wants to win more than anyone on the team. Anyone suggesting the Braves trade Bourn before the end of the season, doesnt have much of a brain and has a 0 for a baseball IQ.
Nats not giving up any ground in NL East | Atlanta Braves
August 8th, 2012
1:56 pm
[...] esteemed colleague Mark Bradley shared his thoughts on the possibility of seeing center fielder Michael Bourn in the uniform of a division rival next year. Other teams emerging as candidates for the impending free agent’s services are the Phillies [...]
NickGranite
August 8th, 2012
1:59 pm
Has anyone else noticed Bourne is on a precipitous slide. His OBP earlier in the year was really tied to his hitting and both have dropped. Hopefully he can rebound for a good end of season run but I agree with a lot of posters here. He’s very careful with his remarks on the subject so as not to offend. He’s gone.
Myke hawk
August 8th, 2012
2:03 pm
Do people really STILL not know how to spell his name?? It’s BOURN, not bournE
JT Grace
August 8th, 2012
2:07 pm
Make him a qualifying offer, let him walk and take the draft picks.
Teams no longer get multiple draft picks if they lose a free agent. If they make him a qualifying offer and he goes elsewhere the Braves will get an extra compensatory pick between the 1st round and 2nd round. The team that signs him will lose a 1st round pick but the Braves don’t get that pick….it just disappears.
Devil's Advocate
August 8th, 2012
2:11 pm
There’s a big difference between player motivation to win championships and organization motivation to win championships. Players go into every season wanting to make magic happen. Organizations go into every season with a plan. That plan could be to retool a new identity for marketing purposes, reload to maintain a successful run, rebuild after a successful run comes to an end, break .500 to stay respectable, reach the playoffs to spark an apathetic fan base, or contend for a championship.
Our Braves are in “reach the playoffs” land. They are trying to lean on the off chance of getting in and then anything can happen. In other words, the Braves are hoping to get lucky. If the Braves as an organization were interested in winning championships then there would be no doubt about making a player like Bourn a legit offer (him accepting isn’t the Braves problem). I think if the Braves win the World Series or miss the playoffs this year they let Bourn walk. If they come just short in the NLCS or WS, they they might try to keep Bourn.
Tumbledown
August 8th, 2012
2:16 pm
Thanks JT Grace for your explanation.
Mike
August 8th, 2012
2:24 pm
it would be an insane and a pure sign of mismanagement to let Bourn go…while paying Uggla $13M a season to be a league leader in strikeouts…we need to trade him eat half the salary and pay Bourn his money…5yr/60M is fair and he might re-sign for that
JoeFan
August 8th, 2012
2:26 pm
Bourn not only looks weak against lefthanders but strikes out way to much for a leadoff hitter. Further, he will be over the hill when his next contract ends. Hopefully the Braves aren’t so enamored with his performance that they throw reason out the window.
space monkey
August 8th, 2012
2:28 pm
Dump McCann. Sign Bourn. I can’t stand the thought of Prado leading off next year.
Ken Stallings
August 8th, 2012
2:35 pm
I’d believe the Nationals before the Phillies. The Phils are already way above the luxury tax threshold and I don’t see them paying the money that Bourn will command. The Nationals have an excellent center fielder in Bryce Harper already, so signing Bourn would be a luxury no doubt.
My view is the Yankees are going to open up the wallet big time and if not them, then the Braves have an excellent chance to re-sign Bourn if they are willing to pay market rate for him.
Chipper Why(Have you been so good)
August 8th, 2012
2:38 pm
C,
That was my thinking. I certainly dont want to see him in a National’s uniform.
Tami
August 8th, 2012
2:39 pm
So…what issues would there be to NOT re-sign Bourn? Chipper’s retirement frees up some money, and I’m sure Liberty could {{cough}} up enough to keep him. Boras may very well end up being the factor. Let’s hope Michael wants to still play for the Braves badly enough to stay. But let’s also hope the Braves offer him what he deserves without getting carried away.
JoeBravesFan
August 8th, 2012
2:44 pm
You guys can talk about attendance all you want, but the fact is that Liberty Media’s CEO made more money for himself than the entire Braves roster made last year combined. Liberty Media has the money, but they refuse to spend because we’re just a tax write off for them.
I agree that we should trade McCann for 4 reasons: 1) It would free up a lot of payroll, because I have a feeling we won’t be able to afford him after 2013. 2) We could get some great prospects and/or some pitching help in return if we traded him and 3) David Ross would be a great starting catcher while Christian Bethancourt is getting seasoned in the minors. 4) We could use that money to resign Bourn.
Mr. Hankey
August 8th, 2012
2:47 pm
As a long time Braves fan letting Bourn get away would be akin to financial suicide on the Braves. The lost revenue on pissed off fans I submit would be staggering. I mean it. It would be like the Falcons letting Matt Ryan walk for nothing. (Well, maybe not quite but you get my meaning.) I’d say literally to hell with everyone else until we glue him down. It’s time to either S…t or get off the pot, Braves, and I suggest getting off the pot and cutting a check. To hell with Huddy, McCann, all oof them until we sign him unless, that is, after frank talks with him and Braves management it’s plain he doesn’t want to play for Atlanta a la that Cubs pitcher whose name escapes me at the moment. It that case se la vis, sianara, adios, and go pound sand, Mr. Bourn.
Mr. Hankey
August 8th, 2012
2:49 pm
We’ll see just how much the Braves want to win on this one, folks. If they let the stud walk I will officially wash my hands of them. Damn near did after last September. DO YOU HEAR ME LIBERTY MEDIA? Don’t you know they’re scared now.
Clark Howard
August 8th, 2012
2:51 pm
re-signing a .236 hitter like Brian McCann to longterm big bucks would not be prudent, especially with a .210 hitter like Dan Uggla on the books for 3 more years.
Devil's Advocate
August 8th, 2012
2:57 pm
The people doubting Bourn’s abilities sound a lot like those who think Josh Smith isn’t the best talent on the Hawks. It’s funny that players other championship contending teams desire isn’t good enough for Atlanta teams. Hmmm….
Lowcountry Bulldawg
August 8th, 2012
2:59 pm
Again the Nats would have to make a move of Morse or Werth to have a slot for Bourn. No room for him in the OF! Laroche could be moved and then slide Morse to 1B but as it sits the Nats do not have a slot for him!
The Phillies have Utley,Howard,Lee,Hamels,Rollins,Papelbon and Halladay signed for 2013 at roughly 125.5 million. So it makes it tough to see how they would sign a 30 year old OF to a 5 year 15 million dollar or so deal. The Phillies have 19 other slot on the roster to get the 2013 payroll to match the 173 million payroll for 2012. Amaro Jr will have his work cut out for him.
Hillbilly D
August 8th, 2012
3:32 pm
Trading Bourne? I saw that mentioned earlier and that’s not going to happen because A) he’s a free agent at year’s end, if they were going to trade him, they would’ve done it at the deadline and B) he’d now have to clear waivers and some lesser team would likely claim him to block one of the higher teams.
Either the Braves re-sign/extend him or they lose him.
wins-by-a-link
August 8th, 2012
3:39 pm
I guess we will find out just how serious Liberty Media is about building a winning team over the long haul, If Liberty does not make a serious run at signing Bourn then we will know that they are not interested in winning a championship, I have a feeling that they will not make an offer or a competitive one to Bourn.
Alaska Braves Fan
August 8th, 2012
3:43 pm
The situation with regard to Bourn reminds me of an old joke. A guy asks a woman whether she’ll go to bed with him for a million dollars, and, after some hesitation, she says, “Yes.” This fellow then asks her whether she’ll go to bed with him for $20, and she says, indignantly, “What kind of a woman do you think I am?” The guy’s response is, “We already have established that; now we’re just haggling over the price.”
For the any baseball team, quite clearly, there is a salary level above which the team cannot afford Bourn, or any given player. When one adds up all the factors – Bourn’s numbers, the Braves’ needs, Boras’ predatory and avaricious approach – it seems the Braves will try very hard, but likely will fail to outbid other teams with more money to spend. Who’s to fault for the team’s not having much more money to spend? Not an easy question to answer, partly because everyone involved has at least slightly different interests. I’m just glad I’m not having to work all that out.
ABF
Clark Howard
August 8th, 2012
4:06 pm
In recent years teams with comparable or even smaller payrolls than the Braves have reached the World Series.
It can be done. However, when you consider what Dan Uggla is making & what little offense he is generating, its time to unload him even if it means eating part of the contract.
Chief Pitchanono
August 8th, 2012
4:13 pm
Even more reason for us to keep him. But if washington is gonna offer him jason worth kinda silly money then were probably screwed. I dont think philly can offer him anything crazy they already spent there silly money on pitching. I do think the braves will make him a very good offer and if he truly wants to be a brave he will accept.
Michael Bourn
August 8th, 2012
4:39 pm
Sho me da money !
Dan Uggla
August 8th, 2012
4:40 pm
This will be my team to lead in 2013 and beyond …
BRAVESFAN
August 8th, 2012
4:59 pm
After the disappointment of Bourn last year I expected he would of set personal records coming up to his big day but I’m still waiting for him to show up. If he wants wants the money let’s see the goods. I’d replace him with someone younger who isn’t on the decline.
Zing
August 8th, 2012
5:05 pm
Bourn is a fine player, but he doesn’t deserve linchpin money, and that’s the kind of money he’ll get in a bidding war with the Phillies and Nats.
BillEGoat
August 8th, 2012
5:06 pm
Yes, Bourn is very valuable, but his batting average has been sinking like a rock. IF he can cut back on his strike outs (he has a LOT) and put more balls in play, he would be even morre valuable. Wirth his speed, he does not seem to beat out that many infield hits. His K’s against LH pitchers are a problem. With a K, he gives himself zero chance to get on base, whereas any ground ball he hits is a potential infield single and a baserunner. I think perhaps the HR’s he has hit MIGHT be encouraging hom to go after the long ball. He has the potential to be at the very TOP tier of players, and I hope he stays in Atlanta, but I do hope he can make a little more contact.
Zing
August 8th, 2012
5:07 pm
Maybe if Turner hadn’t foisted that terrible local tv contract onto Liberty in what seems to me to be an increasingly squirrely deal.
Inquiring Mind
August 8th, 2012
5:31 pm
Why do players come to the Braves like Bourn & Uggla and strike out far more times here than with their previous teams?
Is it the Braves’ culture of swinging for the fences ?
bob
August 8th, 2012
6:10 pm
I have mixed feelings about this issue.
On the one hand, there is no question the Braves need a leadoff hitter with some speed. I recall the days when the Braves traded Brett Butler and lost a leadoff hitter and lost some speed and then spent a great deal of time looking for a replacement.
If the Braves do not sign Bourn, who will be the leadoff hitter? I am not aware of anyone in the farm system who can fill the role.
Further, it will be double trouble if the Nats or Phillies sign Bourn.
The Braves lose their leadoff man as well as lose Jones (the top dog) and will flounder for a few seasons.
Let’s wait and see the approach the front office takes on this.
Chipper's ACL
August 8th, 2012
6:17 pm
If the bidding gets insane you must let him walk. Pagan will also be a FA, plays a solid center, switch hits, can steal bases, and doesn’t strike out as much. If Mac is delt during the winter, a young CF could be in the deal. Maybe Marte from Pitt. Lots of tough calls will be made this off season. Mac’s option. Huddy’s option. JJ will be released I’m sure. Hanson has not been a stable force in the rotaton and is also a Boras client. Will Sheets be brought back? Can they continue with the pen arbitration raises (Venters, the O man) or will one be traded? With the obvious being youth in the rotation in 2013 is it time for an overhaul? I believe a few good deals for young players could keep the team competitive and lessen the payroll.
Mister Frisky
August 8th, 2012
6:45 pm
Let him walk!
foultip
August 8th, 2012
6:52 pm
Maybe we can ask Uggla to renegotiate his contract and use this extra money to sign Bourn. We’ll throw in a few sessions of batting lessons to sweeten the deal with Uggla.
richie
August 8th, 2012
7:00 pm
Jeter Weaver is a Boras Client. and he signed. a 5yr. 85 mil extension with the Angels . Book or no book the agent works for the player . Instead of opting for t he free agency. route, he chose to stay , even though it was against. Boras. wishes
Coach (2012 Fredi's Beisbol Fandango)
August 8th, 2012
7:02 pm
Move Heyward to CF, end of problem except for the lead off part. Which leads me to the Reds Billy Hamilton……
Dude’s a lightning fast lead off type who is blocked in Cincinnati, and this is one fan who would love to see our Braves offer for him in trade.
J-bone
August 8th, 2012
8:09 pm
Its Boras job to get Bourn a lucrative offer,but its up to Bourn to decide where he wants to end up.
If he wants to be a Brave, he will be.
Teddy B
August 8th, 2012
9:10 pm
With all the bad money coming off the books next season, I hope we lock up Bourn, long, long term deal with Mr. Jason Heyward because 2013 might be an even bigger year for him as he rises to super stardom so does the price, Prado just because he plays all the positions and still manages a .300+ avg every season, and some pitching. Enough pitching to where we aren’t losing all our big defensive/offensive guys.
I’m sure Wren will take a run at keeping everyone and some players may give a hometown discount like Chipper did, so at least there is some hope.
Teddy B
August 8th, 2012
9:23 pm
One thing on our side is Bourn really likes it in ATL and really likes the guys on his new team. He is always talking about how much he likes it here and if you fall in love with a place and your team, it is much easier to work out a deal. Greinke wasn’t in any kind of love with Milwaukee after they started losing. He soured on them. So he wasn’t going to accept a deal from them at all he wanted O-U-T.
ATL is known for having guys like Chipper Jones spend decades with us and everyone knows we treat our guys fair. Might not be the biggest contract a player could get, but if you sign with the Braves you’re playing with a heck of a group of guys. And Boras will try to tell him to test the waters but Bourn might tell him no just sign me back up with this kick *&$ team because we’re winners.
Spud
August 8th, 2012
9:38 pm
What percent of Boras clients re-sign with their team? I’m guessing less than 5%. Chances are the Braves are going to be needing a new CF and lead off hitter next season.