Braves Sign BJ Upton
November 28, 2012 at 5:15 pm by Ben Duronio under Atlanta Braves
According to Ken Rosenthal’s twitter, the Braves have signed BJ Upton to play centerfield. The contract being reported by @BNightengale says it is a five year $70-75m contract.
That contract seems very reasonable to me, and using a $5m per win estimation and assuming it is for $75m, the Braves are essentially expecting him to be a three win player throughout the next five years. While there are certainly risks in any long term deal, see Derek Lowe and Dan Uggla, I do like taking a gamble on Upton for this length and for this amount of money.
While it is doubtful that he outproduces Bourn’s 2012 season, he does provide the Braves with solid defense in center as well as a powerful right-handed bat that has historically hit left-handed pitchers very well.
Upton has had a few big seasons, most notably his 2007 and 2008 campaigns, and while it is true that he has never quite maximized his potential, that is one of the reasons I am in favor of signing him. It is rare that a free agent signing has the ability to actually be better than he has been. I caution everyone not to expect him to be better, but the potential for him to perform at a higher level is real.
What we are getting is essentially a 3.5 win player in a prime position during the prime of his career. He has had a history with “lackadasical” performances that may cause some to worry about his level of interest, but that is pure speculation and does not belong at a place like this where we are here to discuss baseball in a logical and reasonable manner.
If I had to make a quick projection of what to expect out of him, his season last year certainly looks reasonable. His average and on base percentage were subpar, but he hit 28 home runs and stole 31 bases in a pitcher’s ballpark.
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hooray! Hopefully its only for 4 years.
Apart from the merits of the deal, the timing is great. Wren will be like a kid in a candy store at the winter meetings in a week or two. He has some talent to trade, including a handful of prospects who have done well in AFL and winter ball. He can fill either LF or 3B, so his “supply” of trade targets is double what it would be if he did not have the luxury of moving Prado between two spots. And when supply goes up, the price goes down.
Good stuff! Hopefully it’s a “fair for both” contract so we can still sign a more than serviceable LF bat to really balance things out.
1000+ Srikeouts for the 2013 and beyond Atlanta Braves. Congrats Frank Wren. I always support your moves but this one I cannot support.
Well what type of “out” would you prefer?
I’d prefer productive outs. Sometimes an out is a strikeout. Sometimes an out is a productive out. Sometimes an out is both a strikeout and a productive out. If the Braves batters in 2013 are going to be collecting even more K’s than 2012, I’d like to those strikeouts be productive especially if Atlanta has good baserunners and legit threats for a steal. Sure, all outs end up sending you back to the bench but make the opposing pitcher work for it. In 2012, with a minimum of 350 PA’s, Bourn, Heyward, McCann, Freeman, Prado, Uggla, and even Schafer, all saw more pitches per PA than B.J. Upton (and by a significant measure at that).
Base runners driven in is what goes up on the scoreboard and not long AB’s. This past season we all saw Dan Uggla alter his approach at the plate to swing more and he was more productive for it. In this post, I’m advocating for #2 to play more like the rest of the 2013 lineup and be more patient with a runner on 1st and 2nd.
So what contract terms would be considered too much here? You dont really sign free agents who have potential to be better than they’ve been before.
Nice to get that out of the way! More options in left field/third base so not the urgency.
very excited, i know he strikeouts alot, but the R/L combo upton, mcann, uggla, freeman, prado, heyward makes me moist
5 years 70/75 M
“While it is doubtful that he outproduces Bourn’s 2012 season, he does provide the Braves with solid defense in center as well as a powerful right-handed bat that has historically hit left-handed pitchers very well.”
I also doubt Bourn outproduces Bourn’s 2012 season next year, would just cost more because of Borass.
Agreed FredBrave. I am happier signing Upton to this contract than signing Bourn to what he is expected to get.
FredBrave:
I confess some ignorance about Fangraphs projections, but Bill James is already up, and he has BJ and Bourn with 2013 OPS numbers of .765 and .707, respectively. By the way, he has BJ with an OBP of .329, which I think would be a pleasant direction for his career.
So on the offensive side, there is some support for the idea that Bourn’s 2d half is what a team will be getting.
Meh, could’ve traded for Drew Stubbs and gotten the same production and a much cheaper price.
And they’d have had to give up prospects to acquire Stubbs.
If you can’t fill a need with players who already have control of and you have room in your budget (which the Braves definitely did), it’s generally a better idea to acquire talent through free agency rather than in trade.
Huh? Stubbs produced over 3WAR once in 3 years. Upton produced over 3WAR in 5 years out of 6.
You losers would cry about whoever the Braves signed.
Someone below said trade for Drew Stubbs? Stop making our fan base look so bad with stupid trade suggestions, Drew Stubbs is absolute garbage and is nowhere near Uptons caliber.
Love this signing. Upton is essentially Bourn but with a shitload more pop and the bonus of being right handed. Neither one really hit for average and both strikeout a fair amount. And, as already stated, we’re signing Upton through his prime where Bourn is tailing off of his.
Better yet, we still have room to juggle things. Good job Wren.
good signing, that is exciting and good that we didn’t have to battle too much with the Phillies for even more money. Doesn’t really solve our leadoff spot though. Upton has speed but bad on-base %. Prado can do it be i liked him in the 2-hole a lot better.
A left fielder that can bat leadoff, another bullpen piece (hopefully not Durbin) and trade Jurrjens for something minimal and we’d have a very successful off season.
Jurrjens is getting non-tendered this week. There isn’t a team in baseball that would pay him $4.4 million (the minimum arb salary he could be given) when there are so many freely available AAAA pitchers making league minimum.
Now for his younger brother…
Upton stinks, but it’s a move in the right direction. Hopefully he doesn’t spurn us and hinder any future signings.
Sign Victorino and throw him in left and hoooo boy you got a stew going.
Upton doesn’t stink. He’s a +3 to +4 WAR center fielder with some upside potential. Wren did well to slot an average to above-average player in at a key defensive position. So much better than returning to the days of Nate McLouth-caliber players.
I like Victorino in left and lead off. IDK how much it’s going to cost to sign him and how long tho. I’d be okay with 2 years and a club option if necessary but no guaranteed third year.
Maybe trade for Span to play left.
flip it… span is significantly better in CF DRS is right behind bourne last year.
Now that Upton is getting paid, will he reverse course and give up some power to increases his contact rate?
The price per win is going to go up over the next 5 years with more TV revenue flowing throughout baseball, but I still don’t like the deal. Bourn had a craeer year at the plate I agree he won’t duplicate, but let’s be honest: he’s a better defender than Upton. At least he’s right handed.
Lol at the people suggesting Stubbs as just as good as Upton.
Span is a better defender at center. If anything, if we got both Upton and Span, Upton would play left.
He’s exceeded 150 strikeouts in five of the last 6 seasons.
Between Freeman, Heyward, Uggla, and Upton, we’re looking at 600+ strikeouts.
Not sure there were better options out there though.
One positive is that the Braves were able to sign him without a big overpay. That is a good sign for other free agents.
Should the Braves offer essentially the same deal to Bourn? I’m skeptical of Bourn’s ability to get a better deal than this in the open market. Maybe he’ll come back eventually. Could we afford it?
Wouldn’t this ensure Bourn gets a better deal?
So we now have a little over 57 million tied up in contracts. We had a little over 36 million from Lowe, Chipper, JJ, and Bourn going bye bye. Add in raises to to most of the young players on the team. 15 million a year to Upton and I say we have maybe 10-15 million for next year to fill out the roster. We could sign a LF or do what I think would make Ben happy and give Todd Cunningham a shot at LF and extend Prado, Heyward or Medlen. I would expect us to what for others Beachy, Freeman, and Kimbrel until they are arb eligible. I would prefer to extend some players and give Cunningham LF a shot. If he fails make a trade midseason. I also would be happy with a bench of Laird, Johnson (hopefully), Janish, Francisco, and either Gattis or Mejia as a bench bat. They are old enough thay should no longer be prospects, time to find out if they can be role players.
Line Up
Cunningham
Prado
Heyward
Upton
McCann or Freeman
Uggla
McCann or Freeman
Simmons
What are you, Cunningham’s agent or father?
I think this is probably the best that the Braves could have done for a CF. However, I’m not confident in how the Braves will use him. Since he’s fast and steals bases, I’m willing to bet that Fredi will use him in the leadoff spot, even though he has had a low OBP in recent seasons.
Ah, but he also hits dingers, which is emphatically Not A Lead-Off Thing To Do. I think Fredi will be pulled in different directions on the lineup position decision. (Good news being that he’s been pretty willing to adjust the lineup throughout the season.)
You may be right about the leadoff spot. Especially if they sign someone like Ross or Swisher for LF it is either him or Prado, possibly Heyward?
I think Simmons has the best chance to lead off if we don’t sign/trade for someone that can lead off.
I wrote some more extensive thoughts on this signing http://thewhole42minutes.blogspot.com/2012/11/bj-upton-great-player-stupid-narrative.html. In short, I love this move for the Braves, great value and getting younger and more right-handed is a shrewd choice by Wren.
I doubt Fredi will use him in the leadoff spot. Heyward can steal bases and he is in the three hole (where he belongs). I see Upton in our 5-6 spot. I like the deal for all parties. Atlanta does not break the bank, Upton gets good money to play and he fills a need for a RH power bat.
I also think a change of scenery will be good for him. He does not seem like a guy wired to be a focal point to carry a team. With Mac, Freeman, and Heyward in the lineup around him, he can just slide in and be another cog in the wheel. We also cannot forget that Tropicana is a pitcher’s park whereas Turner plays more balanced. 28 HR at the Trop can be 35 with Turner hosting half the games.
In the last 4 seasons, his wOBA is .323; Freeman’s was .342 last year. He has suffered from some low BABIPs while they were really high during his great 08-09 seasons. Maybe somewhere in between those 2 years and the last 4 is what we could expect?
But I hate this signing. Another free swinger who we can’t count on to be a tough out/put the ball in the play in a tough playoff situation. I’ve seen enough of that in my lifetime, including in that goddamn wildcard game. I’d rather trade for Span, tell Uggla his ass is in LF like it or not, and get a slappy 2B like Scutaro….
Also I’d go with Prado leading off and McCann hitting second when he returns. Prado on 1st or 2nd would negate the shift that is killing McCann’s career.
Like the deal. Think he’ll provide good value for the money. Depending on who we get for left, though, I can already feel Fredi penciling Simmons in for the leadoff spot.
VROOOOOOOOOM (kinda)!!!!!!
Agreed. I’m puzzled by all the pooh-poohing of Simmons in lead off. Honestly, he reminds me of a young Jeter. Almost identical size and build as rookies.
If Simmons is our leadoff option, you’re giving your most unproven hitter the most plate appearances on the whole team. That’s not a good idea. If that’s the case, though, I hope it works out.
And apart from relative size and skin tone, I’m not sure why he reminds you of Jeter.
ESPN is reporting that it is a 5 year deal worth 75.25 mil
I love it. Let’s stick Juan at 3B and let the derby begin. Who cares about the big strikeout numbers when we have the potential to have a more powerful offense in the east, while adding much needed power to the right side. We did pretty damn well last year with Bourn and anyone complaining about strikeouts should check out his numbers, especially in the second half. A “true” leadoff man is pretty overrated anyway. Christmas came early for me.
My brother and I have been talking about this for a few days now. The Braves ranked 7th in Ks last year (MLB). Guess who the top 8 teams were? Oakland, Houston, Pittsburgh, Washington, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, us, and Cincinnati. As I recall, most of those teams had pretty good seasons. Maybe Ks aren’t so bad after all (provided they come with power)
To that point we ranked 20th last year in HR and 22 in slugging. Maybe we should embrace a free swinging approach and throw a party with every home run we hit. This looks like FW taking a page out of Baltimore’s or Oakland’s book. Hit HRs and lock them down with your bullpen.
Obviously this will free up a corner outfield position for Jose Constanza, who will hit leadoff.
Ding ding ding!
That makes me sad… Because it’s probably what Frediot is already thinking…
I sure as hell wish Choo had one more year left. His .370 OBP would look really nice in LF and leading off.
I completely agree. He hit .300 as a leadoff hitter and maintained a high obp although he does K a lot. I would love to see him as a LF, that would make the outfield one of the best in the majors. We can only dream though…
Here’s a frightening thought. What if Fredi decides to use Heyward in the leadoff spot and bat Upton 3rd. Heyward can steal some bases and has a decent OBP (I don’t have the numbers in front of me right now) but he has the ability to walk. I wouldn’t be surprised if for whatever reason the Braves can’t get a real leadoff hitter then the lineup could look like this.
Heyward RF
Prado LF
Upton CF
Fransisco 3B
Uggla 2B
Freeman 1B
Whoever is catching
Simmons
Pitcher
As a Braves fan living in the Tampa Bay area, I was really hoping the Braves would pass on Upton and instead let Philly waste the money. Better than over-paying for an aging Bourn, perhaps, but not what I was hoping for (or expecting) from the front office.
I bet this is a way Wren can get Span for less in a trade. Having Span play center and Upton in left would be fantastic.
I’m not sure if trading for Span, Fowler or another center field type player is a good idea. A lot of Upton’s value is derived from his ability to play a decent/ good center field. A center fielder with an OPS of .760 is special, a left fielder with an OPS of .760 decidedly less so. I think it would be best if the Braves pursued a more traditional corner outfielder like Willingham (even though he’s left handed) and let Upton stay in center.
That would be the premier defensive alignment in the Majors..
Upton, an avg. defensive CF according to fangraphs would be an immediate top if not the top LF in the league defensively…
Span was just behind Bourne in DRS last year..
Absofrigginlutely. I’d love to see this happen.
I’m guessing the question of his position came up during his visit to ATL. I just don’t see them playing BJ anywhere but CF.
Yeah I think old man is right. From the sounds of DOB’s tweets, Upton is the center fielder, hands down. If they get Span, sounds like he’ll be in left.
doesn’t that just make you so mad though? Span is so much better at CF… ugh…
Agree with dave. As long as we make it to the “real” playoffs this year and upton helps us do it, im ok with it. Glad to the see liberty give frank a chance to make a splash.
Looks like I was right after …I had people calling me a troll 3 Weeks ago when I suggested Bj Upton and/or trading 4 Justin Upton…looks like frank wren and I areon same page.hate 2 say I told you so…
You suggested we sign both Upton’s. Which isn’t going to happen. In 2 years we would have 30 million dollars going towards one family.
But think ab that $30M at Christmas!! Mama Upton would be gettin some nice presents…
would like to see the Braves go after Myers. If KC is willing to take John Lester Wren should be able to put together a package that would work better for KC. Braves have a stockpile of pitching but are very limited in the organization for hitters that project to play MLB. May be a little short till Beachy returns but why not give up a front-line pitcher?
I would love to have Myers, too, but we don’t really have a front of the rotation guy we would be willing to give up. The only thing I can think of is if they were willing to bite on Minor, but I doubt they would. They don’t appear to be interested in prospects, so Delgado and Teheran are out.
The trade price for Alex Gordon would be cheaper I imagine. He bats lead off. Mid 800s OPS. Gold Glove. He is lefty and has around a 100 OPS points split, LHP/RHP. Gold Gloves in LF and RF would sure help out BJ some.
What’s wrong with Gordon?
That OBP scares me, but maybe working with Greg Walker will help clean that up a bit.
I’m sure his approach will change when he comes to Atlanta. He will have more lineup protection than he ever had, not to mention the Braves are full of patient hitters (not named Freddie Freeman). His 2012 BABIP was pretty far below his career average, and I think he’s primed for some big numbers in coming years. I worry about his last 2 seasons under contract, but he may be an Andruw Jones type by then, hitting .220 with 40 homers, which is productive in its own right.
Anyone watch MLB Network last night when this signing was announced? Not sure what they were smoking…but they showed Upton leading off and Uggla batting cleanup. WTF!? Not sure what genius at MLB penciled that one in, but it was laughable, not even Fredi would be that stupid!
I think this is a great pickup for the Braves, sans the numerous K’s by Upton, which I hope he can cut down somewhat on now. I’d rather see him producing 20-25 HRs if he can increase his OBP and BA and reduce his Ks. Overall I see BJ being a plus for the team, probably hitting in the 5 or 6 hole, probably behind Freeman.
God help us if this turns into another Uggla debacle…which I honestly don’t believe it will but still some level of concern. I sure as hell hope Uggla’s sorry ass spends the entire winter in the cage learning to put the damn ball in play.
People being bad at their job = not surprising
I think BJ Upton is an above average player bu I’d rather sign a player that gives a crap. Friends and family who watched him every day for the past several years agree he’s a good player who gives forth minimal effort.
Well his minimal effort is worth 3-4 WAR. Begone.
You cant measure how much a player cares, sheesh! (sarcasm)
Upton is alright but $15 a year for a .750ish OPS? I get that he’s better than that when you consider defense, baserunning and premium defensive position, etc. Nevertheless, it’s still a .750 ish OPS. I’m sorry but i need an .850ish OPS to justify that money. You gotta believe you can always find someone younger or cheaper who can run, throw, field and play center and get you a .750ish OPS.
This according to mlbtraderumors
The Braves agreed to sign B.J. Upton earlier today, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears the team discussed the idea of both signing Upton and trading for Denard Span. Talks with the Twins failed to progress, however.
Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/atlanta_braves/index.html#krjkGjhOofQke42y.99
Plus, Prado can hit lead off if necessary, so he’s not limited by batting order position either. That said, I would love to see Span, Revere, or Choo.
What about Ichiro on an affordable 1 year deal while we wait on Cunningham, Ahmed, or Simmons to develop into a lead off guy (Ahmed at 2b if we can find someone to take Uggla off our hands next year)
I thought the same thing about Ichiro this morning. He doesn’t really seem to be on anyone’s radar and it is clear that he wants to play for a contender. He should be cheep enough for a year and could work out well for us leading off. He still stole 29 bags last year and was worth 1.6 wins. OBP was down but the change of scenery seemed to help.
How about Juan Francisco walking at a 10% clip in the Dominican Winter League? That’s what I’m talking about!
That’s very encouraging. I think Francisco has a lot to gain this offseason with improvement. Braves would probably be very happy if they could feel comfortable with him as an everyday 3B this year or next.
Ben,
Olney made an interesting point today:
would ATL have been better off just trading for Chris Young? Similar age, bat, etc. Trade about 15 of Upton’s SB’s for much better CF defense and there isn’t a huge difference between the two, especially when you consider Young is making about $65 mill less ($54 mill less if ATL were to pick up his ’14 option). Thoughts?
I’ll add that the difference in salary for the ’13 season (assuming Upton is making $15 mill each year) is probably about $6.5 mill, a nice bit of change for ATL.
But then we would have had to trade prospects…
…cliff pennington is a 28 yr old ss with no bat. i think the farm would’ve survived.
Love this signing more and more by the minute. Some of these people would complain if we signed Mike Trout.
I love that Upton can have a ‘bad’ year and still be a 3+ win player. People should be excited about his last season, as it allowed us to get a star at his lowest value since entering the league. Upton alone is a good, not great signing. Upton paired with a high contact% player is outstanding. Frank Wren is about to walk into those Winter Meetings like a Vegas professional and make some moves. The fact that we didn’t overpay for Upton makes the rest of the OF market much more manageable. It also means the Phillies or Nats will overpay for Bourn, which is doubly good. I’d like to see Span come next, and Revere may not be a terrible consolation prize. Victorino is acceptable if he switches to the helmet with just one ear flap.
I’d love if we signed Mike Trout.
Most are upset about Upton because he’s still living off prospect hype and hasn’t been near the player he was supposed to be. I can’t believe he’s going to make this much to hit .240 with 150 K’s. I’d take it if he walked a bunch like Adam Dunn, but he doesn’t.
He isn’t making that much to hit those numbers, he is making that much to be a 3-5 WAR player.
Is there a way to see what Upton’s numbers looked like with Longoria in the lineup last year? I get the feeling Upton ended up as their sole power threat with Longo out and he went up to the plate looking to hit the ball a long way for most of the season. He had virtually no protection past Zobrist when Longoria was out.
The next person who tries to cite Upton’s attitude should be fucking banned.
I’m trying my best to think of a prominent white player who was given the tag of being “lackadasical” or “lazy” or “doesn’t want to win.” Josh Hamilton smoked crack and was labeled only as “troubled” and then considered a feel good success story. Gattis’ story–to me at least–translates as some jock who wanted to drop everything to go do acid and party in the southwest for a few years until he realized the mistake he made, and now he’s considered this amazing comeback kid. JASON HEYWARD was hailed as so mature for his age, the next great Brave, and the most amazing man since Henry Aaron until he was, well.. not Henry Aaron. When he didn’t live up to the impossible expectations he was called a primadonna, lazy, and stubborn.
Bottom line is leave that racist ass “lazy” stuff at the door if you want to contribute here.
Take a chill pill. There’s plenty of people from all ethnicities that are lazy and don’t give a crap. I have a relative who doesn’t give a crap about most stuff and it drives me crazy. The fact that BJ Upton is black has nothing to do with my feeling that he doesn’t give a crap.
Bob Horner was a white Braves player who I also feel didn’t give a crap. I felt that way about Jeff Blauser a lot too.
Stop trying to read between the lines. I say what I mean and mean what I say.
To say that a major league ballplayer who premiered when he was a teenager “doesn’t give a crap” is pretty ludicrous considering how much work it takes to stay productive and succeed at what you do. It’s not like he’s a wide receiver and pretty much just has to be tall, fast and naturally gifted. Compare how the mental lapses of Laroche were viewed externally as compared to those of Yunel (at the time they happened). Or how Garret Anderson’s on field character was judged when his emotionless body language (and sub-standard production) came to Atlanta. Being “lazy” and “not caring” are pretty well established stereotypes for blacks and hispanics that have been around for a long time.
I found this pretty good article from the SBN’s Rays affiliate:
http://www.draysbay.com/2010/8/3/1590220/its-complicated-bj-upton-and-race
I think BJ used to care a lot. When he was a teenager debuting for the Devil Rays he was diving all over the place. Trying to make a play on every single ball hit in his vicinity, even making impossible throws when he should just hold onto the ball. He refused to move to the OF because he wanted to be a good SS/2B. Obviously that wasn’t in Tampa’s plans.
Somewhere along the way I believe his attitude changed and he became indifferent about his job on most days. That irks my tater and I hope he changes now that he’s got a nice contract. Fingers crossed.
I’m glad this came up. While I am damn tired of these stereotypes, it galls me more that people deny they exist. The rose colored glasses that insulate you from your own prejudices is disgusting. Name 5 white players you think are lazy. I know you can scour the internet and find some, but you can’t name them in 60 seconds.
Let me help you out, if Chipper had been black, he would have been labeled as lazy. He missed a ton of games to minor injuries. He had a year where he slapped singles so he could win a batting title. He loafed to first base on any grounder in the infield. The thing is, I love Chipper, and I also realize that 162 games makes for a long season. We all made excuses for Chipper, even when he didn’t deserve them.
Further, if Bryce Harper had been black, all his shenanigans would have gotten him labeled with a bad attitude. He wouldn’t have been a hard nosed player, he would have been thug.
The scary thing about claiming to say what you mean and mean what you say is that you are oblivious to your own prejudices. Somehow claiming your opinions are incapable of carrying double meaning. We all see the world though different glasses, but every once in a while you should try to take the glasses off.
Good Point. The Bleacher Report has an article called Hanley Ramirez and the 14 laziest ballplayers. Adam Dunn (3) is the only white ballplayer listed.
It’s Bleacher Report.
It’s the zeitgeist. viva is exactly right. Hack white sportswriters love to smack the “lazy” label on non-white ballplayers, and it sticks. People should shove off with that bullshit. Talk about his measured performance or they should go wallow in the AJC cesspool.
Where the hell is the “like ” button? :-)
Amen, viva. They will never see it. So don’t burst an artery over it.
I believe Juan Francisco is this seasons x factor…..if braves opted for bringing in a leading type lf like span…then we could float Martin Prado btw 2nd and 3rd base…using dan uggla and Juan As the platoon ….Juan starts 3rd vs rhp with Prado at 2nd……then start uggla2nd vs lhp, Prado plays 3rd
Prado still starts daily
Maximize uggla and Juan and hope for home run derby
Please, for the last time, look at Dan Uggla’s splits. He doesn’t show any signs of being a better hitter against a certain handedness pitcher. He hits them both extremely similarly, and shouldn’t be used in a platoon.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Uggla can’t be platooned. Uggla is still a better option against left-handed pitching than much of the Braves lineup, but it’s possible that the Braves think Francisco is the better option against right handed pitching. If that’s the case, even though Uggla’s split is minuscule, it would make sense to platoon him. However, unless the Braves somehow get an elite talent in left field, it makes much more sense to platoon Francisco with a right handed left fielder than to platoon him with Uggla.
I’ve got 13 million arguments that say he isn’t getting platooned.
a 13 million dollar platoon second baseman, no thanks!
If either Juan or Uggla gets hot or prices consistent then start them more
Cmon folks….
Bourn SO 155x last year
Upton SO 169x last year
I’d say they are both guilty….not to mention we got BJ at a cheaper price. I’d say its worth saving tens of millions for 14k more a year.
Obviously I’m making this extreme…but it’s worth it.
Good move and go bravos!