Loading ...Looking Back On Wren’s Moves
Written by Thomas on May 28, 2010 – 3:23 pmWith just over one quarter of the season in the books, I have decided to go back and judge (albeit prematurely) Frank Wren’s off-season performance. At 25-22, the Braves’ record is slightly better than it was it this point a year ago (23-24) even with the nine game losing streak. Listed below are a few off-season moves made by GM Wren and their impact on the club.
1) Signing Troy Glaus to replace Kotchman/LaRoche
While Glaus has improved on his horrific start (.601 OPS in April), he is still a below league average first baseman. What I mean by this is if NL teams were conducting a draft for THIS season only, with salaries being equal, I believe Glaus would be selected somewhere between 9th and 12th. Having said that, salaries do matter, and Glaus’ (1 yr/ $1.75M) was virtually zero risk. Still, attempting to sign LaRoche for a contract similar to the one he has with Arizona would appear to have been the better move. He is tearing it up out west (an .879 OPS) and has traditionally gotten better as a season goes along (career second half OPS of .909). Although he was never anything special defensively, Glaus looks much worse at first base so far. Wren probably feared blocking first base prospect Freddie Freeman by signing LaRoche to a multiyear deal, but Freeman is only twenty years old and does not have great numbers above “A” ball so far (not everyone is Jason Heyward).
Verdict: Glaus is likely to continue his solid offensive play, but LaRoche would have been a better option if we had the coin to sign him. Freeman will likely start by 2012, but there are no guarantees. It makes no sense that the Braves did not at least attempt to negotiate with LaRoche.
For the Record: The NL first basemen that I would for sure take over Glaus this year (salaries equal) are Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez, Joey Votto, Ryan Howard, Adam Dunn, Lance Berkman, and Derrek Lee.
2) Trading Vazquez and signing Huddy
Both Vazquez and Cabrera have been terrible (and I mean really terrible) so far this season. The difference is Melky has a pretty average to mediocre track record while Javy is likely to turn things around. Either way Tim Hudson has more than filled Javy’s shoes so far this season and for a couple million dollars less. While I believe Hudson’s numbers will come back down to earth eventually (his 2.24 ERA is over two runs less than his 4.50 xFIP), it appears that keeping him over Vazquez was the right move. Perhaps more importantly is the fact that the Braves received the nineteen year old Arodys Vizcaino in the deal who has pitched brilliantly so far in his minor league career.
Verdict: Good, possibly, great trade. Even though we did not get the power hitting outfielder Wren may have wanted, we are better off in the short term with Hudson over Vazquez, and Vizcaino looks like he is going to be a stud.
3) Replacing Garrett Anderson with Hinske
This was a good move for dozens, if not hundreds, of reasons. Two weeks ago I wrote that Hinske should start in left but not to get too excited. While I still support my statement, he has been exceptional to this point and here’s to hoping it continues all year.
Verdict: You are an idiot if you do not think this was a good move and please never comment on this website again.
4) Replacing Gonzalez/Soriano with Saito/Wagner
This may have been Wren’s riskiest off-season move(s). Saito and Wagner are not getting any younger but have pitched very well this season. Between the two of them, they have 39 IP with 48 SO to only 15 BB while giving up only 12 ER. That’s good. Also, Mike Gonzalez’s arm may fall off any second now, and while Soriano may have pitched well so far, Wagner has matched him.
Verdict: So far so good. If these two keep the ball in the yard and stay healthy we are going to win more one run games than we lose.
Wren’s moves have ultimately made this team a little better, and I believe this combined with the promotion of Jason Heyward has made them significantly better. If this assessment is correct, this should be team that wins ninety plus games. It sounds weird to say that and injuries always have the possibility to derail teams, but I am feeling pretty optimistic right now.
Tags: Billy Wagner, Frank Wren, Melky Cabrera, Takashi Saito, Troy Glaus
Posted in Roster Moves | 5 Comments »
By KentCovington on May 28, 2010 | Reply
Good stuff! Just one bone to pick… LaRoche would have been a better option??
How many lefties do the Braves have in their lineup already? While Atlanta leads the league in runs in the month of May, they are dead LAST in AVG and OPS against lefties. Ouch.
Even if LaRoche ultimately puts up better numbers than Glaus (though, I don't think he will if Glaus stays healthy)… Glaus can give the Braves something LaRoche never could: RIGHT-handed power in the middle of the lineup.
By Reid Adair on May 28, 2010 | Reply
I would have much preferred to keep LaRoche.
I am not convinced that the combination of Saito and Wagner is an improvement over Mike Gonzalez and Rafael Soriano. One primary reason is that the Braves will be looking for a closer once again at the end of 2010 when Wagner retires.
Interesting that Melky Cabrera is not mentioned. Frank Wren said Cabrera was part of the "significant improvement" to the offense (even though Cabrera has not been an everyday player the past couple of years). Cabrera has played entirely too much through the first quarter of the season.
While the team might be a "little improved," it is not nearly as improved as Wren wanted everyone to believe.
By KentCovington on May 28, 2010 | Reply
Yes, Thomas DID mention Melky: "Both Vazquez and Cabrera have been terrible (and I mean really terrible) so far this season."
Wagner/Saito are a major upgrade on Soriano/Gonzo. They're far more reliable and no more injury prone than 2 guys they replaced. In fact, they're probably LESS injury prone, even at their advanced ages. And while the Braves will have to find a new closer this winter, they were ALREADY in that boat LAST winter. The Braves had no intention of going into the season with either Soriano or Gonzo as their closer, nor should they have.
And given the fact that, from June 28 until the last week of the season last year (a span of 83 games), the Braves had the NL's best record… Wren didn't need to make any HUGE upgrades to this team. He fixed what needed to be fixed.
Glaus and Hinske have been great. Melky has only recently started to contribute, but that trade was always about the kid, Vizcaino, and NOT Melky. Wren put a lot of faith in Hudson, and that seems to be working out well, as have the additions of Saito/Wagner.
So… at this point, I'd have to grade the Braves off-season at an "A".
By KentCovington on May 28, 2010 | Reply
Also, in regard to Laroche vs Glaus… check their career numbers. Glaus has NEVER hit fewer than 27 HR's and 97 RBI in a full season. How many times has LaRoche approached those numbers?
Given that Glaus is healthy and still relatively young, with his resume, I have a hard time understanding why anyone would choose LaRoche over Glaus in a head to head comparison. But ESPECIALLY when you consider the Braves desperate need for RIGHT-handed power in this lineup, the Braves decision to sign Glaus would have been the right one, even if they were both earning the exact same $$.
By John on May 29, 2010 | Reply
I would have to agree. Overall good offseason by Wren. Glaus is a steal for the price if he continues to contribute. I have never had faith in LaRoche, and statistically speaking Glaus is a better choice when healthy. So far he seems just fine, and is much cheaper than LaRoche. Our bullpen is better this season (Soriano and Gonzo always made it interesting and could choke in big situations), or at least not any worse than last year's 'pen, and the bench is even better than last year's bench. I would agree with the A grade. With the money given to him, Wren improved the team