Griffey Saga Coming To An End….In Seattle

Written by Jonathan on February 18, 2009 – 8:58 pm

The saga of where Ken Griffey Jr. is going to end up for the 2009 season has taken its latest turn and it appears that Griffey will now be heading back to Seattle where he began his career.  Griffey has been dwelling on the decision between the Braves and Mariners for a couple of days.  Atlanta provided some benefits that would allow him to be close to family and play for Bobby Cox, but Griffey has felt some loyalty and attraction to the fans  and Mariners organization that made the decision a difficult one.  Sources report that Griffey’s contract with the Mariners will be for $2 million base with up to $4 million in other incentives.

The story behind where Griffey would end up has taken many turns over the past couple of days.  As we reported yesterday, it appeared that everything was in place to see Griffey here in Atlanta for the  upcoming season.  After that news broke however, he contacted MLB.com to inform them that he had not yet made a final decision on where he would be playing.  From that point on, everything started to shift back in the direction of playing in Seattle.  I don’t think that that really had much bearing on the decision, just goes to show that things aren’t final until all is said and done, as we’ve learned  multiple times this offseason.

As we know, nothing is definite until the paper is signed and the money is on the table, but all signs point that the deal is done for Griffey to head back to the Mariners.  What do we do at this point?  I don’t think this is going to break us or change much on our season outlook, but it puts a few more unknowns back in the outfield.  What’s best for the Braves to do now?  Stick young talent in the outfield or try to make a different acquisition?  I know we were excited about the prospect of having Griffey here in Atlanta, but it’s time to move on.


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Posted in Roster Moves, Speculation | 13 Comments »

Teixeira Blasts Braves Past Mariners

Written by Colin on June 23, 2008 – 1:41 am

Mark Teixeira has been catching some criticism for not being firing on all cylinders offensively.  He responded Sunday afternoon with three home runs – his second career three home run game – as the Braves topped the Mariners 8-3.  Teixeira becomes the first Brave to ever hit three homers in Turner Field, and he may officially be ready to go with the bat.  We just need to get Chipper in front of him in the lineup – Chipper missed another start today with that pesky quad injury.

Tim Hudson, who has previously had some extensive trouble in Interleague Play (0-10 in 12 starts – yikes), looked marvelous as he went seven innings and got the win to put him at 8-5 on the season with a sub-three ERA.  Brian McCann helped put Hudson ahead by going back-to-back with Tex in the fourth.

Tex is going to get hot here – historically he warms up at the end of June.  He already has 55 RBIs, fifth in the NL.  When he starts raking, he’s unstoppable.  And once Chipper gets back in front of him and pulls his average back up to .400, Teixeira is going to get a ridiculous number of RBI opportunities.  Brian McCann said of Tex – “When he gets hot, he’s going to be fun to watch.”

True that.  Maybe Teixeira is the offensive catalyst the Braves need right now.  Maybe we’re coming around.


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Braves Lose Game, Chipper, Escobar

Written by Colin on June 21, 2008 – 6:09 am

Jorge Campillo was great until the 7th inning, but the Seattle Mariners tacker on 9 runs in the 7th, 8th, and 9th for a 10-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves.  If that wasn’t bad enough, Chipper left in the 8th after he aggravated his quad injury.  He’s day-to day.  And his average is at .390.  Yunel made it from first to third safely while scoring on a double, but when trying to avoid the tag at home, he made an awkward slide and slammed his right hip into the ground – strained his right hip flexor and is also day-to-day.

Campillo had another solid start, but once again the Braves’ bats were nowhere to be found.  The bullpen wasn’t great either – the normally great Will Ohman gave up 5 earned runs.  The Mariners, whom everyone thought would be listing out of control after they fired their manager and general manager just last week, were stellar.  They racked up fifteen hits.  Erik Bedard was good while he lasted, but he left the game in the third inning with back spasms.

Even a giant tomahawk-chopping cow couldn’t help.  Maybe second time is the charm – more baseball Saturday night.


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Norton To Braves

Written by Jonathan on May 5, 2008 – 3:25 pm

The Braves have announced that utility player Greg Norton has been acquired from the Mariners for a to-be-named player.  We expect the rest of that announcement later this afternoon.  Norton is expected to fill the role that Scott Spezio was originally acquired for as a veteran utility man on the bench.  He has batted .253 over a 12-season career and .235 in pinch hitting situations.  As soon as we have the rest of the details of the trade, we’ll bring those to you.


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Posted in Roster Moves | 8 Comments »

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