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Wren’s First Big Move
Written by Colin on October 30, 2007 – 4:49 pmJust over a month ago I wrote an article on Edgar Renteria and his offensive contribution to the Atlanta Braves. I maintained that Renteria was a main cog in the lineup and that the Braves’ production as a whole suffered without him down the stretch – may have made the difference in a post-season berth and where we ended up.
Since then, Schuerholz is out as GM, and in as President, and our new GM is Frank Wren. Now, Frank sat under Schuerholz for years, so I personally think that if JS can trust him, so can I. But then came this move, which I have to admit has me a little bit skeptical.
If you missed it, Detroit got Renteria and cash. We got two prospects. Jair Jurrjens was 3-1 with a 4.70 ERA in 7 starts, and Gorkys Hernandez won the Class A MVP award after batting .293 with 54 stolen bases.
Now, I know the positives of this trade are evident to some. They include freeing up salary space (~9 mil), allowing Yunel Escobar to develop himself into a full-time starting player, and making a lil space to go after higher caliber starting pitchers for next year. However, I’m not convinced yet that the offensive beast that was last year’s lineup will be the same with Yunel in place instead of Edgar.
That said, we have another prospect center fielder in our minor league system, promising – at least eventually – that we’ll have a homegrown prospect protecting the turf.
So, jury’s out on this trade. It obviously could be very good for the Braves, but has the potential to not help out at all or even have a detrimental effect on next season. However, with the $24 million saved from not resigning Andruw and trading away Renteria, we better at least sign Tex and nail down some great starting pitchers. If we don’t harness the leverage this has given us, then we are not looking good.
Wren, here’s your chance to wow us. Please don’t let us down.
Readers: What are your thoughts on the trade? Comment!
Colin
Posted in Roster Moves | 4 Comments »
By Melissa on Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
You should have heard my reaction when I first saw the headline on braves.com…the whole house nearly came down. I personally agree with you when you say that the lineup won’t be the same without Rent. Then again, I also think it could potentially be a good move to see what we can get out there in terms of a starter. As long as we have Chipper, Tex, McCann and Frenchy still in there, hopefully some of the young guys will have a chance to get even better and make it a great lineup.
By Jonathan on Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
My verdict is still out as well on the trade. Financially, as I’ve been saying since the day the season ended, the trade makes a lot of sense. The real test to me is going to be how that financial change is allocated. I agree that some of that should go towards making sure Tex stays around as long as possible and the rest towards helping build the rotation. I’ll have to ponder this one more in a bit, but for now, that’s where I stand on it.
-J
By Melissa on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
You should have heard my reaction when I first saw the headline on braves.com…the whole house nearly came down. I personally agree with you when you say that the lineup won't be the same without Rent. Then again, I also think it could potentially be a good move to see what we can get out there in terms of a starter. As long as we have Chipper, Tex, McCann and Frenchy still in there, hopefully some of the young guys will have a chance to get even better and make it a great lineup.
By Jonathan on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
My verdict is still out as well on the trade. Financially, as I've been saying since the day the season ended, the trade makes a lot of sense. The real test to me is going to be how that financial change is allocated. I agree that some of that should go towards making sure Tex stays around as long as possible and the rest towards helping build the rotation. I'll have to ponder this one more in a bit, but for now, that's where I stand on it.
-J