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Braves Should Be Buyers At Deadline
Written by Dan on June 28, 2008 – 3:06 pmTo answer the question of buyer versus seller for the Braves, please remember the last two weeks of the 2007 season in the National League — anything is possible. Currently sitting four games back of the Phillies, the Braves are still very much alive in the most competitive division in baseball and will be buyers by the trade deadline.
I identify the Braves immediate needs as being veteran starting pitching and improving their bench. So do not expect another Mark Teixiera type trade this summer. Fortunately, Mike Hampton, Tom Glavine and Mark Kotsay are all on the mend and will be back before the trade deadline which could turn out to have the effect of a bigger trade.
The current starting rotation has held up unbelievably so, with four rookies, but I feel that the Braves need to add one more inexpensive starting pitcher because there are so many health questions with aging veterans (I mean it’s Mike Hampton…c’mon!) and four rookies. The durability of young starting pitching is always in question when it comes to September and hopefully October, so some insurance would be great to have. Frank Wren should not be looking to spend too much in this area, but players that could make sense are: Shawn Chacon, Free Agent; Odalis Perez, Washington; and Paul Byrd, Cleveland.
Buying low on Chacon makes a ton of sense to me because he will not cost the Braves a single prospect, he has some playoff experience, absolutely has something to prove and can really add depth as a starter or reliever. Whether or not the Braves want to take the chance on Chacon is a whole different question, but anyone can see that “free” is better than trading a prospect or two for Byrd or Perez who offer no upgrades on Chacon. Again, these guys aren’t going to knock you off your feet, but it’s depth that the Braves need since the young pitching is in the long-term plan (Jurrjens, Reyes and Morton). However, if the opportunity is there to get Erik Bedard in a Braves jersey, it would be worth the high price to put a potentially dominant righty-lefty combination back to back with Tim Hudson.
The Braves bench has shown its ugly face with recent injuries and currently is comprised of four players hitting below the Richie Sexson Line (.218). Corky Miller (.100), Ruben Gotay (.211), Greg Norton (.207) and Brent Lillibridge(.091) do not provide the depth that the Braves need from the bench. Perhapd Norton and Gotay can hang around but Miller needs to be sent packing and I have seen Lillibridge hit one ball to the outfield, he needs more time. Truly, I feel more comfortable with Jorge Campillo (.267) at the plate than Miller at this point. Without much help in sight from the minors, acquiring a backup catcher should become an immediate priority for Wren and the baseball operations people. Some options include: Gregg Zaun, Toronto; Ronnie Paulino, Pittsburgh; and David Ross, Cincinnati. Zaun is the best (and most expensive) of the bunch. He would provide the most experience and a great bat off the bench if need be. Zaun has an option year coming and would cost around 2 million dollars for the remainder of the season, which may be cheap enough. I like the idea of adding Paulino a lot as well. Paulino is a career .279 hitter and has fallen out of favor in Pittsburgh; he is still young and could pan out as a solid catcher somewhere. I have heard questions about his character and commitment, not something that the Braves are known for having a high tolerance for.
One final player name that I need to mention is that of Randy Winn. Acquiring Winn makes so much sense to be because he drops everyone down a spot and makes the entire outfield and bench better. A healthy Matt Diaz and Gregor Blanco become 4th and 5th outfielders’, which in turn makes the bench a lot more dangerous in the late innings with Diaz and his ability to mash lefties and Blanco’s speed as a pinch runner or defensive replacement. Winn also is durable and can be counted on to be in the lineup (149+ games played since 2001). The Braves have been linked to Winn earlier this month and it does make sense.
Remember that it does not always have to be a big deal to make a big impact and the Braves should be looking hard at some of the less talked about names approaching the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline.
- Dan
BravesBlast is proud to introduce its newest contributing writer, Dan Fisher. For Dan’s personal blog, visit http://baseballecon.blogspot.com.
Tags: Braves Trade Rumors, David Ross, Erik Bedard, Greg Zaun, Odalis Perez, Paul Byrd, Ronnie Paulino, Shawn Chacon, Trade Rumors
Posted in Roster Moves, Speculation | 8 Comments »
By Colin on Jun 30, 2008 | Reply
Great article, Dan. Thanks for delving into some of the trade options for the Braves.
If you had to guess the most likely name to come to Atlanta, who would you pick?
By Dan on Jun 30, 2008 | Reply
Thank you man. At this point, it sounds like a lot of people within the organization have been excited about getting a backup catcher and Gregg Zaun has been mentioned a lot. I would put him at the most likely of the players I named.
I have heard that Randy Winn is probably not going to happen, but I do expect an outfielder to be acquired. Raul Ibanez, Jason Bay and Xavier Nady have been names that have come up besides Winn. Ibanez seems the most likely from that group though Bay would be an unbelievable addition.
By Colin on Jun 30, 2008 | Reply
Why are we getting all excited about a backup catcher? I’d much rather see us pull in an outfield name than a catcher who may play once a week – we have bats off the bench. And when Diaz comes back – what do we do with all our outfielders?
By Dan on Jun 30, 2008 | Reply
Well I think it’s just that is how little confidence people have in Corky Miller. He has very little to offer a Major League team and this would be a big upgrade. Also the question I was responding to was which player was most likely going to be acquired so I went with that name.
About going bigger — Prior to the Chipper Jones DL announcement, the team needed to add depth. This new development may mean that they are going to be looking a lot bigger. Jason Bay anyone?
Diaz is returning from a major ligament injury in his knee, without surgery. If he makes it for the rest of the season, I would be surprised. This team needs bench help and to add depth more than anything else in my opinion with all of the question marks and injury concerns that are out there. They just need to do it very soon, before it is too late and one of the four contenders for the NL East crown has caught fire.
By dave on Jan 17, 2009 | Reply
why not sign jon garland ? will is a must sign . sign andrew. these guys should come cheap . i think then a trade for a bat would make more sence. you would have proven talent to make up for having to give up mortin rayes blanco or another high rated prospect. thanks to jake for not approveing the deal . we still have our shortstop not to mention all the rest . i hope the tex deal learned us a valuable lesson we gave to much for rent. i think andrew is enough. prado moves to second kelly moves to left give andrew a chance to prove himself . sign garland and will. see about tom . things could be really good. i applauld signing free agents and not tradeing away the farm. love that home cooking. i do regret tyler flowers being traded. i do think javier is a good addition to the braves i look at it as a bridge untill the harvest of the farm is ready.good luck and my god bless our country and my we all prosper. i have no email address i hope at lest you read this.
By Colin Ake on Jan 17, 2009 | Reply
I don't think the Braves need to sign another starter. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Andruw signed to a minor league contract. We'll see what happens. If we do sign Andruw, I'd doubt we're going to sign/trade for another bat until we see what he's up to in spring training. I also don't think that we see Glavine signed… We just don't need another starting pitcher. He's a great guy and a good pitcher, but we don't need anyone right now – let alone someone who's had recent injury issues.
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This one is from June. Thanks for dropping by Dave!
By Colin on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
Why are we getting all excited about a backup catcher? I'd much rather see us pull in an outfield name than a catcher who may play once a week – we have bats off the bench. And when Diaz comes back – what do we do with all our outfielders?
By Dan on Feb 2, 2009 | Reply
Well I think it's just that is how little confidence people have in Corky Miller. He has very little to offer a Major League team and this would be a big upgrade. Also the question I was responding to was which player was most likely going to be acquired so I went with that name.
About going bigger — Prior to the Chipper Jones DL announcement, the team needed to add depth. This new development may mean that they are going to be looking a lot bigger. Jason Bay anyone?
Diaz is returning from a major ligament injury in his knee, without surgery. If he makes it for the rest of the season, I would be surprised. This team needs bench help and to add depth more than anything else in my opinion with all of the question marks and injury concerns that are out there. They just need to do it very soon, before it is too late and one of the four contenders for the NL East crown has caught fire.