With Hinske signing a one-year, one-million dollar contract earlier this week, it looks like the Braves are pretty much done with new signings for the offseason.  That’s not to say that Frank Wren won’t still come up with some trade (I can think of a few that I wouldn’t mind seeing), but as far as allocating money for new players, we’re pretty much spent.  Look for something to happen with Brandon Jones in the next couple of days; he was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man for Hinske.

As expected, we didn’t see the front office go after a  big-name offensive power, but instead spread the money around on a few different players.  Melky Cabrera for $2 million, Troy Glaus for $4 million and Hinske for another million.  Was this a good use of our available $7 million?  To be determined.  The success of these moves hinges heavily on Glaus managing to stay healthy and Hinske’s ability to produce from the bench.  I’m confident he’ll have a solid year in a backup role.

In other news, Mark McGwire did steroids…..who knew?!

But anyways,  it looks like this is pretty much the squad the Braves will be taking to Florida in 36 days when pitchers and catchers report.  Thoughts on the offseason moves to this point?  I think we’re better off in a couple of spots, worse off in a couple, and there is a ton that is yet to be determined.  It’s getting to be that time of  year when we’re all just itching to see baseball start back up again.  I know I can’t wait.

Thanks, Scotty. We knew that. While we’d all like our offense to go to 11, I’m not sure I’m super thrilled with the options. Mark DeRosa is off the table, Matt Holliday is likely signing with the Cards soon, not many people are thrilled with the idea of Uggla coming in, and Xavier Nady is the other name that gets tossed around a lot. And yes, he’s good for 25 homers and 100 RBIs when he’s healthy.

But he’s had some issues and is just coming off not his first, but his SECOND Tommy John surgery. And yes, he’s just an outfielder – not a pitcher – and is being acquired more for his bat than anything. And yes, he’s probably cheaper than before his second TJ.

But he will still have to make throws. And when will he be back to 100%? How many runs will we give up because people will run on a weak-armed, twice-rebuilt robo elbow in left field?

Sure – we have doctors and if we sign him then I’m sure we think he’s a good deal and good upside and all that. I get that. But I’m just a little bit worried. Just sayin’. That’s TWO Tommy John surgeries, dudes and dudettes. Just not so sure about that.

“Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology…”

Who should we go for instead? What about Johnny Damon or a one year deal for Vladimir Guerrero? Jermaine Dye?

So with an estimated $6-9 million remaining to spend, what options are still out there for the Braves?  As I talked about yesterday, one of our favorite options is Xavier Nady.  Nady would not only add a little more depth to the outfield (where the Braves often seem to have persistent injury issues) but would serve as a backup first basemen behind Troy Glaus, who the Braves are hoping to have a solid season on his surgically repaired shoulder.  For me personally, this is my top choice as of right now and what’s left on the market.

Another name that has been tossed around for the amount of money the Braves have remaining and the needs they are looking to fill is Dan Uggla.  He would provide that offensive pop that we have been wishing for while holding down the second base role.  If that’s the case however, I’d like to make sure that there is still a constant starting role for Martin Prado, who I feel is a huge asset to the Braves.

We’ll be anxious watching the news over the coming weeks to see what move or moves the Braves still intend to make.  I think they would be willing to take the current squad to Spring Training, but I get the feeling they would like to make a little bit of a change still.  Who knows?  Maybe we’ll still see them move the recently acquired Melky Cabrera for another bit of offensive power.  With DeRosa off the market, what are your next choices to bring to Atlanta?

If the Braves make a move for more offense however, it’s not going to be one of the big name moves that I have seen and heard many Braves fans tossing around over the past couple of weeks.  We won’t be seeing Adam Dunn or Adrian Gonzales or Jason Bay coming to Atlanta this offseason.  The contracts would be prohibitive and the Braves have already gotten things in the works for an everyday first basemen in Troy Glaus.  All bets are off as to what happens should Glaus fail his physical.

The Braves have an estimated $6-7 million left to spend after the completion of the Glaus acqusition, so don’t expect any of those names I just mentioned.  Instead, there are a couple of options that would still fit the need the Braves have and that we here at BravesBlast would like to see.

Mark DeRosa would be a big pickup for the Braves in that he could play many positions and fill in any gaps that would come up from injuries and needed rest.  He’s the kind of guy that would likely see action most days, just in multiple roles.  DeRosa, who played in Atlanta from 1998-2004, is a career .275 hitter and has hit 44 home runs and has 165 RBI across the past two seasons.  If anything, the big appeal to DeRosa is his versatility.

Another option for the Braves (that I was explicitly informed by Kent that he would like to see happen) is to acquire Xavier Nady, who was not offered arbitration by the Yankees earlier this month.  Nady, in addition to adding depth in the outfield and some more pop in the lineup, provides a backup for Glaus at first base.  Hopefully we won’t need him for that reasoning in particular, but it’s good to know the option exists.

What other options exist for the Braves to add another offensive threat?  If the Braves make another move this offseason is yet to be seen, but if they do, we’d love to see either DeRosa or Nady making their way to Atlanta.

Pending a physical in the next week or so, Troy Glaus will become the latest offseason addition to the 2010 lineup for the Braves.  So this begs the question; who is Troy Glaus?  He’s a 6′5″, 240-lb right-handed big man that, before undergoing shoulder surgery this past January, was one of the most reliable bats in Major League Baseball.  Glaus has had 5 seasons with 30 or more home runs (and twice been over 40) as well as 4 seasons with 100+ RBI.  If all goes as planned, he will likely fill the cleanup spot between Chipper Jones and Brian McCann.  This type of offensive threat could drive Chipper to have a little more production that he hasn’t seen since Mark Teixeira was batting behind him.

But this isn’t just a simple answer to the issues the Braves have a first base.  While Glaus batted .270 with 27 home runs and 99 RBI in 2008, he battled multiple ailments in 2009 and only played in a handful of games.  In that time he went 5-for-29 at the plate.  Thankfully, the Braves have the benefit of a full physical before finalizing the deal to bring Glaus to Atlanta.  If healthy, he could provide a little more offensive production, which is definitely on our Christmas wish list for 2010.

The part that scares me however is that he’s not really a first basemen.  Six games over a 12-year career at the position is hardly an experienced first basemen.  So the defensive aspect of this acquisition still leaves a lot to be questioned.  One question answered by this however is that this likely ends any hopes for Adam LaRoche to return to the Braves in 2010.  Despite hitting .385 in 2009 after returning to the Braves, the salary and contract term that would have been required to keep LaRoche around was a little more than the front office was looking to spend.  Once again, Glaus is nothing more than a cheap bridge until Freddie Freeman is ready to head to the majors.

So, until the season starts and we really see what Troy Glaus has got, it’s hard to tell the impact he will have on the team.  Financially, the moves by Frank Wren this week leave the Braves with around $7 million to spend, but will they?  Maybe we’ll see Jason Bay coming to Atlanta.  (Don’t hold your breath on that one, by the way.)  What else is there for the Brave to acquire this offseason?  What else do you want to see?  And more importantly, what does Glaus bring to the team?

]]> http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/12/25/troy-glaus-the-bridge-to-freddie/feed/ 0 http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/07/31/braves-trade-kotchman-for-adam-laroche/ http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/07/31/braves-trade-kotchman-for-adam-laroche/#comments Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:03:13 +0000 Colin http://www.bravesblast.com/?p=1323 Adam LaRoche is coming home. LaRoche, who was just earlier this month traded from the Pirates to the Red Sox, has been swapped straight up for Casey Kotchman, it appears. If you’re wondering how this trade stacks up, it’s about a straight up deal, if that. Casey Kotchman hits for a higher average and has better defense, but LaRoche hits for more power and knocks in more runs. But he strikes out more than twice as much. Yes, seriously.

That said, the Braves want power. They want a little more pop in their lineup and LaRoche gives them that. He has to work on keeping the strikeouts down (he’s whiffed 83 times already this year, compared to Kotchman’s 28). LaRoche does walk a bit more, too.

The bottom line is that the Braves think LaRoche is a better fit and jumped on the opportunity to bring him back home. When he was with us before, he struck out less. He now gets to play with his old buds and hopefully provide some punch to the back of our lineup, which isn’t looking shabby now. Here’s a guestimated lineup, assuming everyone is healthy:

McLouth, Prado/Johnson, Chipper, McCann, Anderson, Escobar, Church/Diaz, LaRoche. Having someone on pace to hit around 20 homeruns is not a bad person to have in the 8 hole – especially if the guys before him are on base enough to give him RBI opportunities. Sure, he’s only hitting .248, but I’m choosing to stay on the positive side of this trade. I’ll leave the negative to someone else.

Kudos to Wren and Cox for going out and making a move that they believe makes this team better. They’ve been right so many times in the past when it looks like a wash – why should now be any different?

If all goes well with his next starts in Triple-A, we should fully expect to see Hudson heading back to Turner Field.  This leaves the question, however, who is the odd-man-out in the rotation?  Lowe, Jurrjens, Vazquez, Hanson, Kawakami and then Hudson would all be looking at starting pitcher spots.  Lowe, Jurrjens and Vazquez all are undeniably safe in their starting jobs.  As far as I see it, Kawakami would be the 6th man when the situation arises, barring a complete breakdown by Tommy Hanson.

It’s not a bad situation to have, with 6 capable starters on a squad.  Any injuries to a starter will be a much less scary prospect if we are carrying an extra starter as a long reliever.  It’s not an easy situation for a lot of starters when it comes to switching to the bullpen, but the front office is going to have to make a choice.  What do you think should happen?  My vote is for Kawakami to head to the bullpen if all stays as it is right now.

After starting his career in Atlanta in 2005, many expected Francoeur to be in Atlanta for quite some time, but in the past two seasons, he has failed to live up to expectations of the fans and the club.  Since the start of the 2008 seasons, he has compiled a .243 average while only slugging .357.

Ryan Church has hit .280 with two home runs so far this season while Francoeur has hit. 250 with five home runs.  Church never has really hit for power, but in 2007, finished up with 15 home runs.  He can consistently hit for average, but we’ll just have to wait and see how this trade works out in the long run.  There’s always the chance that Frank Wren will move Church back out of Atlanta in the not so distant future.

I think fans will be pretty divided on this one.  There will be the group that is happy to see Francoeur go and will say good riddance.  Then there is the group that will cry about it and call for Frank Wren to be fired.  Good decision or not, it will take some time to tell.  Where do you stand on the issue?

McLouth is hitting .256 this year. Last year he finished with a .276 average, 26 home runs, 94 RBIs, and 23 stolen bases. He’ll provide some protection for Chipper and McCann – which is something they need to remain productive.

With this activity today, the Braves appear to be making a move to make a run this season – and they’re not afraid of committing early. We’re only 4 games back in the NL East and have the pitching to take us a long way – even without Hudson coming back later this year. It’s good to see the Braves make the moves necessary to get some more offense ready to go. I’m impressed – this isn’t something we’re used to seeing the Braves do. What are your thoughts? Is McLouth the answer or do we need to make additional moves?

One thing is certain in my mind – Jeff Francoeur’s on the hotseat. We’ve got a LOT of outfield talent coming up and if he doesn’t produce, he’s not around forever.

Hanson will take the rotation slot previously held by Kris Medlen – who has been moved to the bullpen. It’s about time for us to see what Hanson can do – he’s the most hyped prospect the Braves have had in years. Frank Wren said it was time to call up Hanson when they determined they’d rather have him starting than Tom Glavine, who was released earlier today.

Looking forward to seeing Hanson? Will he flop or be the real deal?

After returning to Atlanta last season, Glavine had shoulder and elbow surgeries and has been attempting to regain the ability to pitch at the major league level.  After throwing eleven scoreless innings in his latest two rehab starts, Glavine indicated that he was ready to head back to Atlanta.

Glavine, 43, has 305-career wins and spent the first sixteen seasons of his major-league career with the Braves.  Since returning to the Braves in 2008, he made only 13 starts before being sidelined by injuries.  His return in the 2009 season was set back in April by some recurring injuries however.  Glavine has stated that he is not ready to retire and was fully looking forward to pitching in Atlanta this season.  It’s not yet clear what options he will pursue.

I wonder what this signifies for the Braves?  Are there bigger plans in the works? Or is it just time for Tommy to hang it up?  More on this as we find out.

]]> http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/06/03/braves-release-tom-glavine/feed/ 8 http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/06/02/schafer-demoted-blanco-called-up/ http://www.bravesblast.com/2009/06/02/schafer-demoted-blanco-called-up/#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:55:34 +0000 Colin http://www.bravesblast.com/?p=1220 The Braves sent the struggling Jordan Schafer to the minors today, calling up Gregor Blanco to take his place as the Braves’ center fielder. Schafer is hitting just .204 with 63 strikeouts in 167 at-bats – considerably slowed after a hot start. That’s a lot of striking out this year. The Braves tried to give Schafer a chance, but it’s been almost a month since his last game with more than one hit.

Gregor Blanco will start tonight against the Cubs. He’s hitting .384 in the past two weeks in Gwinnett. The Braves need more offensive production and hope that Blanco can provide some pop and a spark for the team. Jonathan is thrilled – he’s a huge Blanco fan and will enjoy watching him play tonight. Drop by the front row of 435 if you’re at the ballpark to find Jonathan and chat if you want.

Schafer still has potential as an outfielder in the big leagues – he just needs some more seasoning. We’ll see if he can turn it around in Gwinnett hitting off lesser pitchers.

What are your thoughts on the move? Good or bad for Schafer? Should we have traded Josh Anderson in hindsight?

Medlen, 23 years old, is 5-0 with a 0.96 ERA for AAA Gwinnett. He received the call over Tommy Hanson, whom I’m sure we’ll see in time. Hanson is 1-3 with a 1.99 ERA. Medlen will do quite alright, hopefully. He’s currently in the middle of a 21 inning scoreless streak. Bobby Cox assessed Medlen as a player with “three plus pitches” and “quick as a cat.” Medlen has apparently picked off a handful of runners already this year.

Medlen reacted with “I’m completely and utterly shocked.” Apparently he thought Hanson was first in line for the bigs too. We’ll see Hanson with time – but no need to rush him when we’ve got stock like Medlen waiting for prime time.

I don’t think Boyer had impressed anyone with his performance over the past two seasons with the Braves and it seems like the patience to see some signs of productivity out of his potentially powerful arm had worn thin.  Last year, we gave Boyer a free pass.  The bullpen was depleted by injuries and starters just weren’t able to get deep in the games at all.  By the All-Star Break, Boyer had compiled 51 appearances and was believed to be battling the arm fatigue developed from that throughout the rest of the season.  By the time the season had ended, he had appeared in 76 games and compiled a 5.88 ERA with a 2-6 record.

This season, Boyer should have been ready with a a fresh arm and be ready to go, but more of the same for the Braves..  In his last outing, he faced 5 batters and gave up 4 runs.  On the season, Blaine has been on the mound in 3 games, recorded 4 outs and given up 6 earned runs.  Not to mention that he has walked three batters and hit another; that’s a 40.50 ERA and an 0-1 record as a Brave in 2009.

Earlier today, it was announced that the Braves would be sending Boyer to the Cards in exchange for AAA outfielder Brian Barton.  Barton was picked up by the Cardinals in 2007 and hit .268 in his rookie season.  I’m not sure what the plans are for him in Atlanta, but I’m glad to see Boyer hit the road.  Hopefully he can find his stride with another team and it’ll be for the best.  So are you happy to see Boyer packing his bags?

If you were to ask five Braves fans who the most unreliable reliever on the staff was, there is a good chance you would get at least four different answers.  They’re just that bad at times.  My all-around choice for most lacking in production on the staff, however, is Blaine Boyer, without a doubt.

Last year, we gave Boyer a free pass.  The bullpen was depleted by injuries and starters just weren’t able to get deep in the games at all.  By the All-Star Break, Boyer had compiled 51 appearances and was believed to be battling the arm fatigue developed from that throughout the rest of the season.  By the time the season had ended, he had appeared in 76 games and compiled a 5.88 ERA with a 2-6 record.

Sure enough, let it slide, he was worn down, beaten up and just all around needing a break.  Well he got it.  It’s called the offseason.  This season, Boyer should have a fresh arm and be ready to go, but so far, more of the same.  Wednesday night, he faced 5 batters and gave up 4 runs.  On the season, Blaine has been on the mound in 3 games, recorded 4 outs and given up 6 earned runs.  Not to mention that he has walked three batters and hit another; something we really just don’t want to see out of relievers.  With all said and done, and a little bit of math, that’s a 40.50 ERA and an 0-1 record.

So here is the question, is it time for Blaine Boyer to hit the road?  When Jo-Jo Reyes is called up from Gwinnett on Saturday to take the start in the place of the injured Tom Glavine, someone has to be sent down to make room on the roster.  All signs point to that person being Boyer, based solely on performance.  Sure, he has potential and a powerful arm, but how long can we really be patient and hope that it develops?

The catch is that Boyer is out of options, so there is the chance that if we send him to the minors, he could be claimed and no longer part of the organization.  At this point, I’m not convinced that that is a bad thing to happen.  Maybe he can find more success elsewhere for some other club.  Am I being too harsh or is it time for Blaine to start packing?

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.

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 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.

Anderson will likely take on the clean-up role for the Braves, a position in the lineup that he’s quite familiar with.  He had a .293 average last season with 15 homers and 84 RBI; 14 of his 15 home runs came against right-handed pitching.  This may lend itself to the platoon in left field with Matt Diaz that Braves fans have become familiar with over the past couple of seasons.  Anderson has spent all 15 seasons of his career with the Angels.

He could provided some much needed pop to the Braves’ lineup with runners in scoring position, a spot that has struggled in the past.  Last season, he batted .338 with runners in scoring position and .356 in those situations with two outs.  These are the type of moments that make a difference in the one-run losses that Braves fans became brutally familiar with throughout 2008.

I’m still not 100% sure on this decision as just a couple days ago, the front office indicated that they would let the young talent give the outfield a shot, but the deal has been done and we’re ready to add some much needed power to the outfield.  Is it the right decision for the Braves at this point?  Let us know what you think.

Definite: Brian McCann, Casey Kotchman, Kelly Johnson, Yunel Escobar, Chipper Jones, Jeff Francoeur, Dave Ross, Greg Norton

Probable: Matt Diaz, Josh Anderson, Martin Prado

That leaves 2 slots open for battle – Gregor Blanco, Brandon Jones, and Jordan Schafer probably battle it out for those 2 positions. We may see some other competitors show up as spring training rolls on – and the mix may be thrown off by a veteran acquisition if the Braves decide to go that route.

And now for the pitching staff (12 roster slots, historically)

Definite: Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens, Javier Vazquez, Kenshin Kawakami, Mike Gonzalez, Rafael Soriano, Peter Moylan

Probable: Tom Glavine, Manny Acosta, Blaine Boyer

That leaves, once again, 2 roster slots for which many will compete. I’d argue that Jorge Campillo is likely to land one of them (debate that if you want), leaving Jeff Bennett, Buddy Carlyle, Jeff Ridgway, Boone Logan, Eric O’Flaherty and Phil Stockman to fight it out. The edge may go to the emerging top lefty, but that’s speculation.

Play the role of Bobby Cox for just a bit – if you had to write up your expected 25 man roster now, who makes it and who doesn’t? What considerations would you take into account as you make your decisions?