Chipper, Braves Agree On Contract Extension

Chipper Jones will now have the opportunity to finish his career as it started, as an Atlanta Brave.  This morning, the Braves announced that they have come to an agreement on a 3-year contract extension for more than $40 million with an option for a fourth year that would take Chipper through 2013.  He will be 41 at that point.

As we expressed earlier in the season, locking up Chipper was an absolute must.  Chipper had also continually expressed that he wouldn’t negotiate a contract during the season, so it’s nice to see the front office get this out of the way.

Chipper has been injured a good bit over the past three seasons, averaging playing in only 124 games, but he has also been productive.  Over those seasons, he has lead the majors batting .342.  Last season, after spending a good bit of the year above the .400 mark, he ended with an impressive .364.  Injured or not, he can still produce.

So rest easy, Braves fans.  We’re not going to lose Chipper too and we can look forward to him finishing out his career here in Atlanta.

Josh Anderson Traded To Tigers

Josh Anderson won’t be making the major league roster out of spring training this year – at least not for the Braves. The center fielder was traded to the Detroit Tigers for a hard-throwing right-handed minor league pitcher named Rudy Darrow. Anderson started the spring as the favorite for the center field starting spot, but Jordan Schafer has performed very well this spring. He’s expected to land the starting job now that Anderson is no longer with the organization.

Rudy Darrow spent last season at the A and AA level, where he had a 2.02 ERA in 47 appearances. He had 57 K’s in just over 63 innings, with 23 walks. He’ll probably start out at AA in Mississippi.

What are your thoughts on the trade? We essentially turned Oscar Villarreal into Rudy Darrow. Good trade? Bad trade?

Hanson, Heyward To Minors

Tommy Hanson won’t be starting the season in the major league rotation. He is headed to AAA Gwinnett along with Jo-Jo Reyes. First baseman Freddie Freeman and outfield prospect Jason Heyward were also sent to the minors, as was backup catcher Clint Sammons. There are three more names that will be announced today when the moves are made official.

Hanson has performed to his billing this spring – posting a 2.45 ERA and a 1-0 record in 4 appearances. He gave up 14 hits and 6 walks, along with 14 strikeouts in 14 2/3 innings. Jo-Jo Reyes went 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA with nine hits and three walks allowed in 13 innings. We’ll see who comes up first, should injury come to the rotation – Hanson is the future of the organization but Reyes is left handed (and the Braves only have one lefty – Glavine – in the rotation). The downside to Reyes is that he’s been far less than impressive in the regular season in the bigs leagues. Maybe this is the year he breaks that trend, but I won’t be holding my breath.

Hanson will continue to impress for years to come. His visit to big league camp this year brought praise from the mouths of Chipper Jones and Bobby Cox – mouths that normally stay shut on the potential upside of prospects. We’ll see Hanson in Atlanta before the end of the season. He needs the innings he can get at AAA to finish developing before he comes a few miles south to help out at Turner Field.

Hanson and Heyward will head to their minor league homes after today’s game vs. the Blue Jays.

Braves Have Added More Than You Think

There has been plenty of buzz this spring about the new faces the Braves have added by way of trade and free agency. And rightly so. Derek Lowe, Kenshin Kawakami, Javier Vazquez, and Garrett Anderson, among others, signify a major upgrade to last year’s injury depleted squad. But if you think these four players represent the only substantial improvements to the Atlanta roster… think again.

Unable to help the Braves much, if at all, in 2007 (because of injury, underperformance, or having not yet arrived in the big leagues), there are several bats and arms in the Braves’ camp that could have a substantial impact on the ‘09 season.

EACH OF THE FOLLOWING PLAYERS COULD PROVE TO BE THE EQUIVALENT OF A SIGNIFICANT FREE AGENT SIGNING:

Rafael Soriano: Having spent the majority of last season on the disabled list with discomfort in his pitching elbow, Soriano now appears healthy and ready to help anchor the back end of the bullpen. Since moving to the ‘pen in his sophomore season with the Mariners, Soriano has a career ERA of about 2.50. When healthy, the hard-throwing righty is one of the top setup men in the game.

Peter Moylan: The submarine-tossing ‘Ausie’ posted the third best ERA (1.80) in baseball in 2007, over 90 innings pitched. After missing most of last season recovering from “Tommy John” surgery, Moylan’s rehabilitation is ahead of schedule, and he is expected to be ready on opening day. The return of Peter Moylan could give the Braves another dominant late-inning reliever to go with Soriano and closer, Mike Gonzalez.

Tom Glavine: The legendary lefty’s rehabilitation from off-season surgery (to repair his pitching arm) is on track, and Glavine is expected to make his first start, on schedule, in late April. In 2007, Glavine was fifth in the NL in quality starts with 23, and not coincidentally, he finished the season with 13 wins. If healthy enough to regain his ‘07 form, baseball’s only active 300-game winner could once again notch double-digit wins for the Braves.

Tommy Hanson: Considered by many to be the top overall pitching prospect in baseball, Hanson this spring has given the Braves all the more reason to believe he’s ready to record outs in the big leagues. With an already fully staffed starting rotation, it appears that an injury to a Braves starter would be the only immediate path to the Atlanta’s 25-man roster. However, while not particularly likely, it is conceivable that the Braves might consider trading one of their starting pitchers at some point during the season, creating a Major League job opening for Hanson in ‘09.

Tim Hudson: The Braves ace is currently ‘rehabbing’ from “Tommy John” surgery, and is believe to be on track for a late August or early September return. While the Braves certainly are not counting on Hudson in any way for the upcoming season, he could give this Braves team one more considerable weapon down the stretch.

Jeff Francoeur: After experiencing a season-long slump in ‘08 that saw him hit just .239 with only 11 homeruns, “Frenchy” is on a mission to (at least) regain his pre-2008 form. So far, so good. As of this writing, he is hitting .350 for the spring. He has just 1 strikeout in 40 at-bats, to go with 6 walks and 9 RBI. He is driving the ball to all fields and has shown nothing of his prior tendency (even in his better seasons) to swing at pitches well out of the strikezone. Replacing the ‘08 model of Jeff Francoeur with the ‘07 version – or better- would be tantamount to having inked a big free agent slugger over the winter.

Matt Diaz: Diaz lost much of his ‘08 season to a knee injury after getting off to a slow start as the Braves everyday left-fielder. But it should not be forgotten that he hit .333 in 655 combined at-bats in ‘06 and ‘07. While the addition of Garrett Anderson undoubtedly represents an upgrade to the Atlanta outfield, the return of a healthy and sharp Matt Diaz may prove every bit as valuable. Diaz is currently batting around .400 with 5 extra-base hits and 11 RBI in just over 40 at-bats this spring.

Jordan Schafer: One of the most heralded prospects in the Braves organization, Schafer appears ready to contribute at the Major League level. Despite frequent strikeouts, Schafer has hit nearly .400 so far this spring, and has demonstrated why he is considered a “5-tool” top-quality prospect. For a variety of reasons (NOT related to his spring performance), he may start the season at AAA, but don’t be surprised if Schafer makes a big league splash in 2009.

If the afore mentioned players are healthy and performing well (and so far this spring, all systems are “go”) the Braves will have essentially added the following for the 2009 season:

4 quality starting pitchers, including a #1 starter… 2 dominant late-inning relievers… 1 big middle-of-the-order bat, and at least 2 other quality hitters.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Braves expect better things from Mike Gonzalez (who is now entirely healthy/rested and back at “100%”), and Blaine Boyer, who won’t be overworked or prematurely thrust into late-inning duties, as he was last year. What’s more, Braves officials feel we haven’t seen the best of Yunnel Escobar, Kelly Johnson, or Casey Kotchman.

When you put it all together, we are looking at a Braves team that could surprise a great many people in 2009.  How do you feel about this team? What do you think about the pieces the Braves have added, both from without and within the organization?

Spring Training Continues, Mets Pester Braves

Spring Training Update:

The Braves continue to prepare for the season in Lake Buena Vista. Even with McCann still playing for Team USA and Chipper still recovering from a strained oblique, the Braves have compiled a great record in grapefruit league play. They’ve won 10 out of their last 11 games, including yesterday’s game where Jair Jurrjens pitched six innings with six strikeouts and only four hits allowed. It should be noted that the Braves’ starting pitching has compiled a great 2.09 ERA during the last 11 games – continuing their stellar performance this spring.

It should be noted that the Braves’ record in spring training doesn’t mean anything. After all, while the Braves are missing Chipper and McCann, other teams are missing their star players. One good thing is that with McCann gone, the Braves’ pitchers are getting used to the backup catcher, Dave Ross.

In injury news, Garret Anderson was cleared to run after sitting out 12 days with a strained right calf. Chipper is back with the team and aggressively treating the oblique issue he’s facing. Chipper is optimistic about the injury not lasting all season and hindering his playing time. I’m just a little concerned, though, because he’s had similar issues in the past. Are you concerned about Chipper?

World Baseball Classic thoughts:

Team USA advanced to the semifinals to play Venezuela after beating Puerto Rico yesterday on David Wright’s bottom of the ninth heroics, but the real story is the cronyism here. Note that Carlos Beltran robbed Brian McCann of a home run earlier in the game, and that that home run would have made David Wright’s heroics unnecessary. Now note that David Wright and Carlos Beltran play for the same team – the Braves’ division rival Mets, and I believe the cronyism I referenced previously has been established. We’ll get you back soon, Mets.

Injury Worsens, Chipper Out of WBC

Chipper Jones was officially scratched from the World Baseball Classic before Team USA’s game yesterday against the Netherlands.  Chipper returned to Braves training camp in Florida late yesterday to be evaluated by team doctors.  He reaggravated his right oblique muscle during batting practice.

Chipper initially injured the muscle during the March 8th WBC game in Toronto, but only missed one game.  The injury is still thought to be a mild strain after the initial evaluation, but it was determined that he should cut short his time in the Classic and return to Orlando to work on getting healthy for the 2009 season.

In 10 at-bats during the WBC, Chipper was hitless and struck out 6 times.  This brings to mind the concern of injuries with players participating in the Classic, but there is no guarantee that the same thing wouldn’t have happened in Braves training camp, so there’s no reason to fault the event.  The big concern now is Opening Day, April 5th, and whether or not we’ll see Chipper on the field.

How concerned are you about the injury to Chipper Jones?

Martin Prado 2009 Outlook

One look at the Braves’ depth chart and you’ll see that they believe Martin Prado can play many positions. Prado is second in line at first, second, and third base – and third at shortstop. Prado is coming off a 2008 season where he hit .320 in 228 at-bats over 78 games. He doesn’t hit for power but he’s patient at the plate and has shown a proficiency in the field at multiple infield positions.

What can we expect to see from Prado in 2009? More of the same. Chipper Jones won’t play all 162 games and Prado will get some starts at third base. I’ve also talked to some people who feel he’s going to start getting some playing time at second base if Johnson has any sort of a down spell. I don’t think we’ll see Prado at first much – if I had to guess, Greg Norton gets most of the backup time there if Kotchman needs any rest (and for some reason Norton wasn’t mentioned on the Braves’ depth chart as of today). Who knows where his batting average will end (hard to even estimate how much he’ll play), but we’ll continue to see solid numbers out of Prado.

Back when the Braves were still looking for outfield power, some people argued that Kelly Johnson could have been trade bait with Prado being the starting option at second. First off, I think Bobby and the crew believe Kelly has too much potential upside to trade, but I still think Prado isn’t a bad option to have start in the infield if Chipper goes down or needs a week off. It’s also good to see him getting some serious playing time with Chipper at the WBC – he’s played in 8 games with 19 at-bats.

Martin Prado is the utility man heading the ranks of the solid infield backup we have this year. We’ve already covered Dave Ross but we’ll also hit Omar Infante and Greg “I’m really not graceful in the outfield” Norton before the season starts. What are your thoughts on Prado? Journeyman utility player or future starting infielder somewhere?

Chipper Leaves Game With Strain

Chipper isn’t doing much in the World Baseball Classic, but yesterday he left the game with a strained right oblique – an injury he sustained when reaching to field a ground ball. If you know your Chipper history, you’ll know he missed time in 2006 with issues with his oblique – but at least that was his left oblique and this was his right.

Chipper doesn’t expect to miss any time and hopes to be playing again Wednesday, but he’s obviously going to be checked out today to make sure nothing more serious is going on before he’s cleared to play. The last thing the Braves need is the main muscle in their lineup injured before the start of the season. Chipper’s agent said that Chipper doesn’t plan on going home and intends to stay with Team USA.

While Chipper has had offensive struggles during the World Baseball Classic, Brian McCann did well in his first appearance. The Braves’ catcher went 1-2 (and walked once), but his two-run home run and sacrifice fly RBI helped Team USA to a victory over Canada on Saturday. It’s aboot time those Canadians see how talented the young Mr. McCann is, eh? Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Team USA also won the contest that injured Chipper 15-6 last night to guarantee an advance to the second round of games.

Anderson, Schafer, Freeman Injured

Garret Anderson has only been a Brave for two weeks but he’s already been bitten by the injury bug.  During pregame warmups on Friday, Anderson strained his right calf muscle while jogging.  They’re still not certain on the extent of the injury and he is listed with a day-to-day status.  Both Anderson and Bobby Cox understand however that the injury could take more than a week to fully heal.  We should hopefully get some more news this week as to how his recovery is going.  I think it’s a pretty safe statement however that some of our young talent will get the chance to fill in in the majors this  year during injury times.

The prospects aren’t immune to injury either, however.  Jordan Schafer is sidelined with a strained right shoulder that he sustained while attempting a diving catch in Saturday’s game.  He’s currently expected to miss four games with the injury, but it will likely take a toll on his chances of beating out Josh Anderson to be the starting center fielder for the Braves this season.

Freddie Freeman has been bothered by a strained quad since the first days of camp, but has continued to play.  He is, however, expected to miss the next few games while trying to rest the muscle and get back out there.  Freeman doesn’t have a chance at making the squad out of Spring Training this year, but has made a huge impression on everyone in camp.

The biggest concern out of all of this is the injury to Anderson.  Muscle strains in the legs are the types of injuries that go on to nag a player all season, much like they have with Chipper in the past.  And at age 36, Anderson won’t bounce back quite as quickly as his younger teammates.  It will be interesting to see how this evolves and hopefully it’s only a minor strain as the Braves as a whole are still thin in the outfield.  I look for Schafer and Brandon Jones to get some chances throughout the season to fill in in outfield roles however.  Should we be terribly worried about Garret getting hurt?  Only time will tell.

Jeff Francoeur – Preseason Evaluation

It’s one month until Opening Day and one big question that Braves fans are going to have when that day rolls around is whether or not Jeff Francoeur is ready to pick up where he left off in 2007 and forget that the woes of 2008 ever happened.  After avoiding an arbitration hearing and settling for a contract just two weeks ago, we’re hoping he’s in the process of moving on and focusing on his retooled mechanics.

Coming into yesterday’s preseason game, Jeff hadn’t really done much worth mentioning.  In 5 games and 11 at-bats, he managed 1 hit and reached on two walks.  Now granted, it’s the beginning of Spring Training and it’s hard to really get onto anyone for lack of performance, but Francoeur is under some added speculation and pressure.  In the 4th inning of the game yesterday, however, he knocked a two-run shot off of Brad Nelson.

Although off of a minor league pitcher, it’s the first real sign of power we’ve seen out of Francoeur in Spring Training, though he’s been making contact a lot better so far this year.  We will have to wait another couple of weeks as the season approaches and players are getting fully geared up for the season to see how he looks, but it’s been an up and down stretch so far.  Do you think Frenchie has it in him to turn it around this season?  We can only hope so. 

Braves Top Yankees, Panama

The Braves topped the Yankees today behind Kenshin Kawakami and Casey Kotchman. Kawakami walked three in three innings, but gave up no hits and no runs in fairly good outing and Kotchman’s first inning double knocked in two of the Braves’ three runs on the day. Yunel Escobar added an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the fifth. The Braves improved to 4-2 in spring training as they continue their spring tuneup.

Yesterday we saw Tommy Hanson start and struck out the side in the first against the Panama World Baseball Classic team. He allowed one unearned run and two hits over three innings of ball and I think I read somewhere he hit 95 on the radar (down from a 99mph fastball in his first appearance). Hanson also showed excellent control in his outing. Jason Heyward added a two run home run in the eighth inning as both of the Braves’ top prospects shone in a win over Panama.

Tom Glavine arrived in Lake Buena Vista today – and his shoulder – while healing – isn’t pain free yet. He’s not concerned – Glav has said the pain is bearable and better than previous springs. This is encouraging. Soon we’ll see Glavine back on the mound pitching for the Braves – the uniform he’s looked best wearing.

That’s the Braves update for today, folks. Until next time, take care. Drop us a suggestion via the Mailbag or Suggestions form if you have article ideas.

Braves Continue To Prep For Season

The Braves continue to prepare for the 2009 season in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Today the team takes on the Panama national team as the World Baseball Classic prepares to spin up.  Chipper Jones and Brian McCann are the two Braves representing the United States in the World Baseball Classic. I’ll be pulling for the US – who will be trying to upset the reigning Japanese champions.

The Braves lost to the Phillies Sunday and saw their old pal Marcus Giles put up a good day. In an intrasquad game yesterday, Jair Jurrjens struggled with his location and Javier Vazquez impressed. In the roster moves that don’t actually matter category, the Braves signed 10 non-arbitration eligible players to one year deals (Acosta, Bennett, Boyer, Carlyle, Campillo, Morton, Moylan, Escobar, Prado, and Blanco). It should be noted that the Braves came to agreements with these players on a $ amount, rather than unilaterally renewing their contracts.

Also, the Braves’ radio home in Atlanta has changed – if you want to catch the Braves this year on FM, you’ll need to tune to 96.1 – or as they call it – “Project 9-6-1.” No more 94.9 “The Bull” for the Braves – my guess is that 94.9 didn’t perform as expected last year and the switch to 96.1 hopes to hit more people as well as maybe reach a demographic more interested in Braves baseball. It’s already a preset on my car radio, so I imagine I’ll catch games whenever I’m in the car.

Sorry for the lag in posting as of late – Jonathan and I have both been absolutely SWAMPED with work and school, respectively. If you’re interested in writing for us once a week or so, drop us a note using the mailbag form and we’ll see if things work out. In the meantime, check out the new live chat box on the right, which Jonathan updates with live game notes during games. Join us for discussion during games, if you so wish. Take care!