How To Fix The Offense
May 25, 2009 at 7:57 pm by Capitol Avenue Club under Atlanta Braves
Note: Post Updated on 5/25/2009. See the bottom of the article.
It’s no secret that the Braves are lacking offensive production, especially in the power department. They’re 12th in the league in runs scored, 13th in Home Runs, and 13th in slugging percentage. And it’s no secret where they’re deficient. Chipper Jones, Yunel Escobar, Casey Kotchman, and Brian McCann are not the issues. The outfield and Kelly Johnson’s patented slump are holding back the offense. Jeff Francoeur is a black hole that sucks in outs, Jordan Schafer is a rookie that skipped AAA and had his AA season shortened by 30%, and a platoon of Garret Anderson and Matt Diaz just isn’t good enough, especially considering the other concerns in the outfield. While Matt Diaz has been the most productive member of the outfield hitting .288/.369/.466 in 84 PA’s, he doesn’t figure to have much value outside of a platoon role or right-handed bench bat. The others have been abysmal. Anderson is hitting .250/.277/.307, Schafer is hitting .220/.342/.318, and Francoeur is hitting .252/.257/.361. Now, I understand Schafer is a rookie and he’ll have his inevitable struggles, and I think he’s providing plenty of value with his glove and arm, but the corner positions are absolutely abysmal and something must be done. None of these performances would be justified even at a challenging defensive position like SS or Catcher, much less at the corners of the outfield.
I’ve put on my GM cap for the evening, and I have a plan to fix this offense. It involves some pretty large shake-ups, but it will get the job done. I like youth and the Braves are dealing with very limited funds, so this plan rules out the possibility of bringing in an over-priced veteran. I also like the idea of succeeding beyond 2009, so this plan doesn’t involve a rental player. It involves bringing in dynamic, young players to re-vamp the offense. Right now the offense looks like a group that just doesn’t want to win. Executing this plan would bring a new level of energy to the club. Get that “loser” mentality out of their head and bring in a winning attitude.
Getting something for Jeff Francoeur is key. It’s time for him to go. The organization knows this, most educated fans know this, all the experts know this, and I think even Jeff knows it. Since he’s a fairly worthless player, getting something for him is going to be tricky, but there’s a GM in Major League Baseball that has some sort of inexplicable crush on him. That GM’s name: Dayton Moore of the Kansas City Royals. There were rumors of a Zach Greinke for Jeff Francoeur swap in the off-season. They were bogus rumors, Moore isn’t stupid. But Moore did respond to the rumor by shooting it down and praising Francoeur in the same breath. He’s always loved Francoeur. I don’t get it, but he does. Hence, my plan begins.
What can the Royals offer us that will help us right now? Their OF all make too much money or aren’t good enough to acquire, but they’ve got a guy on their team who may become expendable once Alex Gordon returns from the Disabled List. It’s a guy you’ve probably never heard of, and I really hadn’t before this season, but he’s putting on one heck of a show over in KC. His name is Alberto Callaspo. His minor league line of .317/.369/.436 isn’t too impressive, and his major league line of .283/.338/.374 is even more unimpressive. He does play decent enough defense and can play 2nd, 3rd, SS, LF, or RF, and he does walk more than he strikes out. What I do know is that he’ll be a consistent MLB producer because of his contact rate. He puts the ball in play 84% of the time compared to the MLB average of 69%. When you’re putting the ball in play that much, you’re going to get hits. You don’t have to get lucky. Sending Francoeur, someone that the Royals (against all reason) value, along with another minor league infield prospect, like a Diory Hernandez, J.C. Holt, or Van Pope, and a relief pitcher like a Luis Valdez or Mariano Gomez would probably net the Braves Alberto Callaspo.
So far, I really haven’t fixed anything. I’ve slightly upgraded the 2B position but our outfield is still crap. We’ve got a vacancy in RF, which Diaz and Kelly Johnson could most undoubtedly fill more adequately than Francoeur, but we’ve still got a long way to go and Garret Anderson is STILL our every-day left fielder. Here comes the big part. And I mean big. Blockbuster, we’re talking here. And I’ll tell you what it is in 3….2….1.
Carlos Quentin. There, I said it. Yes, I’m crazy. I just suggested we try to pry a guy who in 130 games last year hit .288/.394/.571 with 36 HR, 26 2B, posted an OPS+ of 148, scored 96 runs, drove in 100 runs, and received 41% of the voting share for AL MVP even though he was out for the last month of the season. Oh yeah, he’s also only 26 years old and isn’t yet arbitration eligible, so he makes the league minimum. Can you think of a more difficult player to acquire in a trade?
Quentin in Atlanta? Ain't the craziest idea I've ever had.
Well, probably, but there aren’t many. The good news is this is his last pre-arbitration year. He’ll get more pricey each year from 2010 to 2012 when he’s eligible to become a free agent. He’s not represented by Scott Boras, though, so signing him to an extension that locks him up long-term and/or controls the cost of his arbitration years isn’t out of the equation (which makes the proposition of moving him less desirable for the White Sox). With the back-story complete, I’ll attempt to answer the question, “What’ll it COST, Man?”.
The answer: a lot. As always, it starts with a pitcher. In this case, seeing as they’re trying to win right now, it’d have to be a MLB ready pitcher. And I don’t see him being moved without Tommy Hanson or Jair Jurrjens involved. Maybe you use Kris Medlen or Charlie Morton to start the package, but without Hanson or Jurrjens, I think [White Sox GM] Kenny Williams probably hangs up the phone. And the White Sox don’t even listen unless they’re improving their team right now, so the fun doesn’t stop with one of our two best young pitchers. Next, you give them something to replace the pop they’re missing with Quentin. Barbaro Canizares was born the be a DH, and he could probably even handle left at US Cellular Field. He’s probably the next piece of the deal, since the Braves have no use for a DH. We’re still not there, though. Helping the White Sox offensive issues is the next step, and they’re having problems producing at 2B and 3B. Alexei Ramirez can play 3B, SS, or 2B, but Kelly Johnson could plug one of the 2B or SS holes, and he’s still a valuable offensive player who is sought after by many clubs. The acquisition of Callaspo along with the reality of Omar Infante returning in a matter of months and Martin Prado as a serviceable utility infielder makes Kelly Johnson expendable from the Braves organization’s standpoint. So, we’re at Kelly Johnson, Barbaro Canizares, and one of Jurrjens and Hanson for Quentin. In order to make this deal work, the White Sox are going to need more to help them win now. A reliever, perhaps. The two I mentioned for the Callaspo trade, Valdez or Gomez, would be good candidates. Send the one you didn’t send to Kansas City to Chicago for Quentin.
Finally, in order to sort out some organizational depth and blockage problems while sweetening the deal for both sides, send Gorkys Hernandez, our 3rd best position player prospect who plays a blocked position (by Jordan Schafer) to Chicago and Chicago sends Dayan Viciedo, a young (19 years old), Cuban 3B prospect who plays a position that will eventually be blocked by a combination of Alexei Ramirez, Chris Getz, Kelly Johnson, and their top prospect, Gordan Beckham.
So, the Braves net Dayan Viciedo and Carlos Quentin while the White Sox net one of Jair Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson, Barbaro Canizares, Kelly Johnson, one of Luis Valdez and Mariano Gomez, and Gorkys Hernandez.
On the other front, the Kansas City front, that is, the Braves give up Jeff Francoeur, one of Luis Valdez and Mariano Gomez (so they’ll both ultimately be gone), and one of Diory Hernandez, J.C. Holt, and Van Pope and net Alberto Callaspo.
Overall, the Braves team looks like this:
LF – Quentin
CF – Schafer
RF – Diaz /B. Jones or G. Anderson
1B – Kotchman
2B – Callaspo
3B – Chipper
SS – Escobar
C – McCann
Bench: Prado, Ross, Norton, Diaz/G. Anderson/B. Jones, and another utility infielder.
Rotation options: Lowe, Vazquez, one of Hanson and Jurrjens, Kawamaki, Medlen, Morton, Hudson (in August), Reyes, Glavine, and if you’re desperate in July, Ben Sheets will be available.
Bullpen remains the same: Gonzalez, Soriano, Moylan, O’Flaherty, Bennett, Carlyle, and Acosta/Parr/Campillo/etc.
The White Sox come out looking like:
LF – Barbaro Canizares/Scott Podsednik/Jayson Nix
CF – Brian Anderson
RF – Jermaine Dye
1B – Paul Konerko (Canizares back-up)
2B – Chris Getz
SS – Kelly Johnson
3B – Alexei Ramirez
DH – Thome (Canizares backup)
Bench: 1 of Canizares/Nix/Podsednik, Corky Miller, Wilson Betemit, and Josh Fields
Rotation: Buherle, Danks, Floyd, Jurrjens/Hanson, Colon/Contreras/Richard
Bullpen: Jenks, Thornton, Valdez/Gomez, Dotel, Linebrink, Carrasco, Broadway
And the Royals:
1B – Billy Butler/Mike Jacobs
2B – Mark Teahen
3B – Alex Gordon
SS – Mike Aviles
LF – David DeJesus/Jose Guillen
CF – Coco Crisp
RF – Jeff Francoeur
C – Miguel Olivo
DH – Mike Jacobs/1 of the LF/Billy Butler
Bench: Jacobs, DeJesus/Guillen, Diory Hernandez/J.C. Holt/Van Pope, John Buck, Willie Bloomquist
Rotation: Greinke, Meche, Davies, Bannister, 5th starter
Bullpen: Farnsworth, Cruz, Gomez/Valdez, Mahay, Tejada, Wright, Ponson
The Royals get their coveted Francoeur, improve their bullpen, and lose a little bit of quality in their utility player. Probably something they’d be willing to do given Moore’s irrational love of Francoeur. The White Sox improve their starting rotation, bullpen, infield, and get a prospect who will undoubtedly be at least their 4th best prospect, and add flexibility at the LF, 1B, and grab their DH of the future while sacrificing the organizational depth at 3B and giving up one of the best young outfielders in the game. It’s a tough proposition to swallow. You’re talking about dealing an untouchable player for an untouchable player. But when you think about it, it makes sense. Nobody is untouchable, they just have higher prices than others. And when 2 teams have untouchable players that fill each others needs, a swap makes sense.
And the Braves improve their outfield, get more versatile with their infield, and add some speed while sacrificing some organizational pitching depth, one of the best young starters in the game, and sacrifice some organizational depth with their infield. They also gain a lower minor league 3B prospect and give up a AA CF prospect.
To Recap:
Braves send: One of Jurrjens and Hanson, Kelly Johnson, Barbaro Canizares, Jeff Francoeur, Mariano Gomez, Luis Valdez, Gorkys Hernandez, and one of the following: J.C. Holt, Van Pope, and Diory Hernandez.
Braves receive: Carlos Quentin, Alberto Callaspo, and Dayan Viciedo.
White Sox send: Quentin and Viciedo.
White Sox receive: One of Jurrjens and Hanson, Kelly Johnson, Barbaro Canizares, Gorkys Hernandez, and one of Mariano Gomez and Luis Valdez.
Royals send: Alberto Callaspo.
Royals receive: Jeff Francoeur, one of Mariano Gomez and Luis Valdez, and one of the following: J.C. Holt, Diory Hernandez, and Van Pope.
Now, this is bound to stir up a LOT of contraversy. I want there to be plenty of discussion, but for the sake of discussion, throw out the “untouchable” label. Because in reality, nobody is untouchable. Frame your discussion around the question “What would it take to get X?” not “There’s no way Y team will give up X”. And as always, please be respectful. And have fun. Throw out an even crazier idea than I had (if there is one). I’d love to hear them all. Please do share.
Update: White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf gave an interview in which he implied that nobody on his club is untouchable. I guess Quentin doesn’t fit into the scope of “nobody”.
Loading ...
Interesting quote relating to the topic:
From An Economic Evaluation of the Moneyball Hypothesis (2006) published in The Journal of Economic Perspectives:
“The diffusion of statistical knowledge across (seemingly) a handful of decision-making units in baseball was apparently sufficient to correct the mispricing of a skill. The underpayment of the ability to get on base was substantially if not completely eroded within a year of Moneyball’s publication.”
Authors are Jahn K. Hakes and Raymond D. Sauer.
Well, that is very thorough, definitely. Dayton Moore probably likes Franceour because he doesn't value OBP all that much. See: Mike Jacobs. He says he values it, but doesn't necessarily apply it.
http://www.statisticianmagician.com/
first let me say–awesome win tonight against halladay- you gotta be pumped up about that.
the NL east stood tall tonight against their AL counterparts. well not the marlins. yikes.
well you sure did your homework man…i wonder how much Moore still likes Francouer. perhaps he thought 2008 was an outlier and that frenchy was due to bust out this year. sad to say that doesn't seem very likely. so i'd say that part of your deal is wishful thinking.
we know that the while sox are really looking to get a front line starter. i'm sure they would love to have JJ–but i doubt that they would give up quentin. they are an old team and they can't lose a guy like that. perhaps you might be able to pry jermaine dye away? he'd be a good fit for a couple of years, wouldn't he? cost you less prospect-wise. I'm afraid i have very little knowledge of your farm system man, so i couldn't make an educated guess on who would be the right fit for dye.
great job though !
Nah, it did. I just have to approve them. Our ownership group isn't willing to spend the kind of money on Jermaine Dye, who makes 11.5 million dollars this year and has a 12 million dollar mutual option for 2010 with a 1 million dollar buyout. Otherwise, it'd be a lot easier to pick up that bat. When you're dealing with limited funds, you have to get creative. And I know the White Sox probably don't want to move Quentin, but the Braves would be equally un-enthralled with the possibility of moving Jurrjens or Hanson. Sometimes you make them an offer they can't refuse, even for an "untouchable" player. And I'm pretty sure Moore's love of Francoeur goes beyond baseball, some kind of sick crush, so he still loves him (joke).
And yeah, that game was incredible. A taste of October baseball in May. Best I've seen all year. Phuck the Fillies by the way.
hey i left a fairly long comment here last night. i guess it didnt go thru…
hey –thanks for the add over in your blog roll–Ive done the same. looking forward to hearing what you have tp say about this weekend’s braves/jays games man.
so i just read this from Rosenthal:
The Royals might be the top suitor for Jeff Francoeur if the Braves shop him, but not everyone in Kansas City’s front office is keen on him. The Red Sox are known to have an eye on Francoeur.
what do you think?
Well, first of all, I’ve never liked Rosenthal’s work and I believe he takes lip service and speculation from other GM’s around the league and blows it up like he has the inside scoop, when really he’s just full of it.
Secondly, He didn’t tell us anything we don’t already know about the Royals and Francoeur.
Thirdly, I HIGHLY doubt the Red Sox are interested in Francoeur. They may have been at one point, but currently there’s probably no way they’d seriously consider acquiring Francoeur for anything useful now or in the future.
So I didn’t really take much from the Rosenthal article.
I happen to agree with you that he’s a total hack, but he must have heard it from someone..i’m just curious who it might have been. he doesn’t seem to be the kind of player the sox like. no disrespect intended to frenchy. I’d love to see him get straightened out and have a great career as a brave
I imagine the conversation went like this:
Rosenthal: Hi there, Mr. GM. What can you tell me about the market for Francoeur?
GM: Well, Ken, as you most probably know, there isn’t much of one. For some reason, Dayton Moore still loves him. I don’t know why.
Rosenthal: Come on, Mr. GM. Tell me something everyone doesn’t already know.
GM: That’s pretty much all I know, Ken. No team in their right mind really wants him.
Rosenthal: Can’t you give me ANYTHING?
GM: Well, this isn’t real news, but you might find it entertaining. At one point, the Red Sox actually looked at bringing Francoeur in. Can you imagine? I mean, talk about a player completely opposite their philosophy.
Rosenthal: I’ll go with that.
you’re a funny guy—
and you’re probably spot on with that scenario :)
Well now another source has confirmed Rosenthal’s report. Am I crazy or is Francoeur to the Red Sox insane?
well as joe has alluded…the sox generally prefer guys with a different approach than fracouer’s. guys that don’t just come up hacking. working the count and taking walks is their thing.
the sox also have kotsay coming back–or perhaps kotsay’s back injury is worse that we know and they are looking for francouer to replace what he does. maybe they are worried about rocco baldelli’s illness. what do you think?
I see the “need”. They probably seek some J.D. Drew/Baldelli/Kotsay insurance. And Francoeur is seemingly available. I just don’t get it. Why would they want Francoeur, of all people? Defense, maybe? They could get a guy like Josh Willingham or someone of the like, someone much more compatible with their style of play, for a similar price. I don’t know. It’s probably nothing. And I still think I’m either crazy or Francoeur going to the Red Sox is insane.
Per our AJC Beat Writer, David O’Brien:
“Talked to someone in Braves organization who sort of dismissed the Red Sox rumor. Said he hadn’t heard one thing about them having any serious interest in Francoeur or scouting him recently.”
Here’s the link
The only problem with this is the Jurrjens/Hanson part. Jurrjens looks like a cy young candidate right now and Hanson is the most coveted minor leager in baseball. You would mortgage that and get a player who might be here a year and a half? That trade might compare to the Texeira trade in it’s level of embarrassment. The key to baseball these days is young talent. Brandon Jones, Heyward even Gorkys would fill these roles. Get some guys in that haven’t been juicing for 10-15 years and maybe you can even have a HEALTHY team.
I’m not just willing to give up Jurrjens or Hanson, even for Carlos Quentin unless someone Kenny Williams would be crazy enough to do it practically straight up and he’s not going to do that.
The Braves never should have signed Kawakami or Anderson. They should have just signed Adam Dunn and called it a day. I know he strikes out a lot but he also walks a lot and hits a lot of home runs.
A semi-trained gorilla with a bat would hit as well as Frenchy is right now, so I don’t see how anyone can justify the “Dunn strikes out too much!” arguement.
My biggest problem is that Anderson just looks like he doesn’t care anymore. He runs roughly the speed of smell and just generally seems to be lackadaisical.
Your article is insane. There is absolutely no way the Braves are including Hanson or JJ in a trade to anyone. Period.
As far as the Braves getting Garrett Anderson, I think that was a spur of the moment signing after Griffey turned them down. GA was signed less than 24 hours later. Anderson has no power so far, but he’s at least getting hits on a more consistent level than Schafer or Francouer.
bill,
Carlos Quentin is under team control for 4 more years.
Ryan,
If we’d non-tendered or traded Francoeur, not signed Anderson, and not signed Glavine we’d have had enough money for Dunn and still could’ve broken into the Japanese market by signing Kawakami (not that I think it was worth it). Which is probably what we should’ve done in hindsight. But you know what they say about hindsight.
Brent,
Yes, the article is admittedly insane. And you’re probably right about Jurrjens/Hanson. But does that mean they shouldn’t? I don’t know. If a young, cheap, hitter with some serious pop under similar team control were to come from it, it’s probably worth thinking about.
I just don’t want the Braves to give away the farm again like they did when they got rid of Tex. JJ is a consistent workhorse for the Braves and Hanson looked very good in spring training and now in Gwinnett. I just think it would hurt the Braves more to get rid of starting pitching. That is the only reason why the Braves are still close in the NL east.
I like everything you’ve done except a few points:
1 – Quentin is hurt. He has a foot issue that he will have all year long most likely.
2 – You can’t give up Hanson or Jurrejns. Give up freeman or tehran or Locke, or jo jo, or morton or even Medlen. But it can’t be Hanson or Jurrjens.
Next year is Javy V’s last year.
Lowe is fine and servicable and dependable, but he is old. Hudson might be gone next year. Kawakami is about as dependable as the weather in Miami.
All of this leads to the point that our pitching is deep but the two most talented are Hanson and JJ and they are the only ones with a real shot at being our 1-2 anchors for years to come.
They are the 2 you build the long term rotation around.
Years beyond Lowe etc…
Other than all this, I’m with you.
Here’s what the Braves need to do:
1.) DFA Norton / promote Barbaro Canizares for PH/1B
2.)Demote Schafer to AAA / promote Brian Barton
3.) Trade Jo Jo Reyes to pittsburgh for 2B Freddy Sanchez. Pitt picks up remainder of 2009 season salary. It is well known they do not like his contract.
4.)Kelly Johnson for Jermaine Dye straight up. The Whitesox are trying to get younger and we don’t want contracts that will block our future outfield.
5.)Trade Francouer for a player to be named. (getting rid of French and not adding to this years payroll would be worth it.)
The acquisitions add right handed bats to the lineup, increase both positions AVG OBP and SLG tremendously.
The departures of francouer and Johnson’s arbitration salaries makes Dye and Sanchez salary more affordable. Not to mention Glavine, Norton, and Anderson’s salaries all coming off the books.
lineup:
Yunel
Sanchez
Chipper
Dye
Mac
Anderson/Diaz
Kotch
Barton
Doesnt that seem more feasible then trading Jair or Hanson. Now are future has both young ACE’s.
HCO,
Money is an issue, and Jermaine Dye makes 11+ million dollars this year (too lazy to look it up). I also know that Sanchez makes a hefty chunk of change and the Pirates wouldn’t trade him for Reyes. And Barton is currently hitting .242/.330/.347, so I don’t imagine that’d be much of an upgrade. It would be nice if money were no object, though. I’d love to have Dye in Atlanta.
French makes 3 mil this year and is probably going to another arbitration case and will probably get a raise. Glavine 3Mil, Norton 1 Mil, and Anderson 2.5 mil will all be off the books. That’s a total of 9.5 mil between them, which is only a 1.5mil difference for Dye.
Kelly makes 2.5 mil and undoubtedly get a raise for 2010. So say he gets 4 mil…Sanchez will make 8 mill next year. That’s only a 4 mil difference and yes they would take only Jo jo, they have made it very public that they HATE his contract. Your basic salary dump case. Oh and Not to mention the benefit of being able to keep BOTH young ACE’s.
Major League Stats:
Brian Barton 152 AB .268AVG .354 OBP .392 SLG 746OPS
J. Schafer 156 AB .205AVG .317 OBP .295 SLG 612OPS
It’s obvious Schafer has a better future but, how can you say he isnt an upgrade for 2009?
Because Schafer has compiled the numbers at the MLB level and Barton has complied the numbers at AAA plus Schafer is a much better defender and saves us runs in the field and Barton’s defensive skills haven’t been the same since his knee injury. I’m not saying my idea is better, it probably isn’t.
Then how about adding prospects (like Gorkys)to include Nyjer Morgan. Gives us a true leadoff with good D.
Francoeur to the Giants makes sense, trade him for a prospect
You arent gonna get much for him, so a prospect is all you can hope for really. Maybe a middle innings reliever
http://scottstipoftheday.blogspot.com
Why give up JJ or Hanson at all If you are all about the future then why not wait for these guys to become Koufax and Drysdale. You don’t trade good young pitching ever.
Josh,
Simply not true. If a trade comes along that benefits your organization you make it. Regardless of weather or not good, young pitching is involved.
The Giants don’t want Francoeur after what they saw from him in their series with the Braves earlier this week.
I would love the trade with the White Sox but i do not believe the Braves are willing to give up Jurrjens or Hanson. Jurrjens has been our most solid starting pitcher this season and last season and Hanson will be up here in no time. Jurrjens and Hanson are the future of the Braves rotation and i just don’t see us trading either of them
Haha, Brent. I certainly agree. I’d be amazed if anyone ACTUALLY wants Francoeur. Other than the Royals.
hey! are you the same PWHjort that posts under DOB’s blog sometimes?
they posted this blog on mlbtraderumors.com as you already probably know… so i checked it out and this was a really good read. as a poster said earlier you were very thorough. good stuff. how often do you do a blog here? i have bookmarked this page and will be checking back on it periodically. thanks!
If the white sox trade any of to the braves it will be dye. And I can put up with the lousy of production for at least this season cause schafer is only going to get better and we have heyward coming up soon. By the way, wheb the braves were a powerhouse in the 90s it was cause of their pitching. I would trade lowe or vasquez before j.j. Or hanson.
Hey Braves Phanatic,
Yes, that is me. I operate and maintain this site. I also write for http://www.braveslaunchpad.com/, but it is down right now so this is my primary project. When (and if, my boss is very busy these days, long story) The Launching Pad goes back up I’ll be doing blogging over there and using this site as more of a reference page and prospects guide, but seeing as TLP is down, I’m doing blog posts over here for the time being. Feel free to stop by anytime!
Take it easy.
Jake,
I deleted your first comment because it was a blatant violation of my commenting policy, and you think it’s a good idea to spend 40 million dollars on pitching in an offseason and “put up with lousy production for a year”? Heyward and C. Johnson are more than a year away. They’re both at Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach this season and they’ll be ready to tackle the upper minor leagues next season, but they won’t be ready for Atlanta. And it’s far from a sure thing that Cody Johnson will pan out and actually make it as a big league regular. I agree that Schafer will get better, and I can also put up with a season of lousy OFFENSIVE production FROM HIM, but all of the corner outfielders on our roster aren’t a big part of our future and it’s not that hard to find corner outfielders. After spending 40 million dollars on pitching, you can’t just sit back and watch your offense fail. You HAVE to do something to win now. And my idea is ludacris, but we’ve gotta do SOMETHING.
Like the idea… a bit of stretch, but hell, it might be the shot in the arm the braves need. We need some sort of production from our outfield and like you mentioned, I’m willing to wait on Schafer for this season…ish because of his glove and arm.
My one problem though with the trades is moving Anderson/Diaz to right. It sounds like we don’t have any other options, but Anderson is more of a defensive liability this season and I never thought of Diaz as a good glove.
If not this season, who do you see taking over RF?
Dude, all I can say is that I am extremely glad you have no say in the transactions the Atlanta Braves make. You overpaid on everyone of those trades, and left us in no better shape this year, and certainly not in the future.
Please tell me why it takes 3 players to get the guy from KC?
And the White Sox trade is laughable. No way the Braves need to trade Hanson or JJ unless they are getting Pujols. Those guys are the cornerstones for a pitching staff for a long time. Quentin has had one good year. I won’t even mention all the other players you just threw in there for no reason.
I agree Frenchy needs to be traded if we can get value. I think if we hadn’t signed Anderson, we could justify keeping him, but Anderson has a contract, and has no value on the trade market at this point.
Just like Kenny Williams, at the mention of Hanson in a deal, I just hung up on you. Hanson is untouchable. He’s got to be. Quite possibly, he’s the best pitcher in our system, yes…the best.
I’ll trade Medlen, any reliever you want, even Diory Hernandez…but Hanson is untouchable. I hated trading Flowers to the White Sox already, why would we get rid of not only our best hitting prosect (who could move to 1B), …and then also Hanson.
Don’t make the mistake we did for Teixeira…Hanson is going to be a stud pitcher. I also think eventually our stud rightfielder is going to come from our system with Jason Heyward.
Here’s the trade to make, Medlen, Kelly Johnson, and Gorkys Hernandez for Carlos Quentin. That may not be enough, so we could add another reliever of some sort…but Hanson is untouchable…and J.J. should be too.
And honestly,…I’d rather have Dye from the White Sox based on what we’d have to pay to get him in comparison to Quentin.
Kevin,
Dye makes too much money and Medlen, KJ, and Gorkys ain’t nearly enough for Quentin. If the White Sox traded Quentin it’d create a huge hole for them, sort of why this idea doesn’t really make too much sense in the first place.
For the guy who said the Pirates would deal Freddy Sanchez for Jo Jo Reyes straight up… You’re out of your mind.
Yes, the newPirates brass have an issue with his deal but he’s still a solid hitter that gets on base a lot. Reyes hasn’t proven that he can do anything at the major league level except lose.
What about Russell Branyan? I know he’s not a marquee name but he comes cheap (1.4 mill this year) and is raking. I know he’s a retread, but why does it matter when he’s hitting right now?
He wouldn’t be a great defensive outfielder, but I’m confident he would at least look like he pretends to care which is more than I can say for Anderson.
Luke Scott is killing the ball so it would be an ideal time for Baltimore to sell high on him, but I don’t know if he’ll be worth what they’re going to want at the moment.
I like the Branyan idea, Ryan. I watched his first 2 AB’s last night and he looked really good. It’s only 2 AB’s, but I think he could rake in the NL.
I think Luke Scott is their DH when Huff leaves as a FA and the Orioles are at the tail end of a lengthy re-building process, so he wouldn’t come cheap, if at all.
It would seem that Jason Heyward has justified the Braves reasoning for keeping him with the team right out of the gate. He’s a top candidate for rookie of the year and could even garner some all-star votes if Braves nation will cast enough his way.
As it is, all doubt about the young right fielder has vanished. Dude is for real.