2009 Atlanta Braves

[Jgainsey]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

Ok...

So according to the MLB Network guys we need to keep ALL of our pitching and sign Bay or Holliday. Oh yea, we also need to sign someone to play 1B too. Who knows, maybe Liberty Media won't notice if we we increase the payroll to 120 million or so.

[mattlanta]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

Tonight at 6 ET, MLB Network's Hot Stove Live will do a segment on the Braves if anyone is interested.

Dang, I missed it...

[Speedy]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

Freddie Freeman for the 2010 season as our regular 1st baseman? He's still at least a year away from even being considered our starting 1st baseman. LaRoche is the guy we need to have there at 1B with a veteran team pretty uch now.

Now, you can make the claim that Jason Heyward is gonna make a claim for a spot on the roster for the 2010 season though.

I forgot about Freeman's injury last year so yeh, they're gonna keep him in the minors at least until September call-ups. I'm expecting Heyward to make a Hanson-esque debue, about mid to late May.

I agree with bringing LaRoche back in as I doubt he'll get the $8-10 mil/yr salary he's wanting. If we can get a 1-yr/$5M deal I would take that, but we badly need to get rid of Lowe for a potent bat.

[tonybologna]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

I forgot about Freeman's injury last year so yeh, they're gonna keep him in the minors at least until September call-ups. I'm expecting Heyward to make a Hanson-esque debue, about mid to late May.

I agree with bringing LaRoche back in as I doubt he'll get the $8-10 mil/yr salary he's wanting. If we can get a 1-yr/$5M deal I would take that, but we badly need to get rid of Lowe for a potent bat.

I think we can pretty much say Lowe is out the door. It was between him & Vazquez. Lowe has the longer & bigger contract so he's pretty much gone soon. I'd be so mad if we would get rid of Vazquez. However, he's gonna be a FA after next season.

If we don't consider offering him an extension then we're crazy. He's shown to be one of the best overall pitchers in MLB the last couple seasons. I wouldn't be surprised though if we just let him go without another look. That's the way we work in Atlanta sometimes & it's frustrating.

LaRoche IMO looks to be the only FA 1B that fits our needs. He may get an $8-$10 million/year contract but not likely. I know he likes Atlanta & Chipper is his best friend. That's a plus but what concerns me is we don't seem to make the right decisions.

Yeah, we traded to get him last year but he left Atlanta in the first place by trade for McClouth. We had no real other LB then when we made that trade. We did get Tex but wasn't assured of that. Now, both Tex & LaRoche are not here & we have nobody else in the organization ready to take over at 1B right now.

LaRoche has to be on Wren's list to get back. Who the crap else from the FA market at 1B is better? Nobody! He can hit & play solid defense. He's a must IMO to sign back on this team. I think we should even consider more than a one-year contract too for LaRoche.

I know Freeman is gonna probably be the next 1B but it might be a couple years before he's ready. Get LaRoche signed to at least a two-tear contract please Wren.

[mattlanta]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

I'm almost certain LaRoche will not be back. He is certainly going to be asking for too much money outside of our budget... Our first baseman will either be Xavier Nady (most likely), Troy Glaus, Chad Tracy, Adrian Gonzalez (not likely), or Carlos Delgado.

[tonybologna]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

I'm almost certain LaRoche will not be back. He is certainly going to be asking for too much money outside of our budget... Our first baseman will either be Xavier Nady (most likely), Troy Glaus, Chad Tracy, Adrian Gonzalez (not likely), or Carlos Delgado.

This is what I don't like about Wren & his decisions. We're always looking for the cheaper way out. We signed Lowe to that big contract & that's fine we want to get rid of him after his second half disappointment last season.

Xavier Nady doesn't fit our system if you ask me. He's older & not nearly as good as he used to be. He's never been anything above an average player his whole career anyways. He's not that good of a defensive player & doesn't hit for much power either. Heck, he's not even much of an average guy either.

He only brings a veteran presence in the clubhouse if you ask me. He's not gonna be that fit we need at 1B. Again, this is my opinion but I just don't see him providing anything valuable for us. There's no way at this point in his career he's our everyday 1B. Heck, he couldn't even be considered an everyday 1B for several teams.

Of the other players you have listed I'd take Adrian Gonzalez anyday over the others but not likely to happen with him either. I wouldn't even consider Tracy or Glaus TBO. Glaus is a has been & Tracy has injury problems plus not a good fit either.

I know one thing I can't wait til we get this over for a 1B. I just wished it would be LaRoche over there at 1B in the end. We can probably get Nady pretty cheap at this point in his career so why should I expect anything different from Wren?

[mattlanta]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

This is what I don't like about Wren & his decisions. We're always looking for the cheaper way out. We signed Lowe to that big contract & that's fine we want to get rid of him after his second half disappointment last season.

Xavier Nady doesn't fit our system if you ask me. He's older & not nearly as good as he used to be. He's never been anything above an average player his whole career anyways. He's not that good of a defensive player & doesn't hit for much power either. Heck, he's not even much of an average guy either.

He only brings a veteran presence in the clubhouse if you ask me. He's not gonna be that fit we need at 1B. Again, this is my opinion but I just don't see him providing anything valuable for us. There's no way at this point in his career he's our everyday 1B. Heck, he couldn't even be considered an everyday 1B for several teams.

Of the other players you have listed I'd take Adrian Gonzalez anyday over the others but not likely to happen with him either. I wouldn't even consider Tracy or Glaus TBO. Glaus is a has been & Tracy has injury problems plus not a good fit either.

I know one thing I can't wait til we get this over for a 1B. I just wished it would be LaRoche over there at 1B in the end. We can probably get Nady pretty cheap at this point in his career so why should I expect anything different from Wren?

Nady is a low risk/high reward type of player. If we can get him to be anything like his former self, it wuold be a good situation for us.

And you're calling the Braves cheap and what not... it's not like we're the Yankees. We did go out last year though and got Derek Lowe for $15MM a year, so I don't know how that's cheap.

[Speedy]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

We did go out last year though and got Derek Lowe for $15MM a year, so I don't know how that's cheap.

It's stupid. I was hoping we'd sign him b/c I figured he'd be a good fit but not for that huge contract, especially when it's $20M more than the next highest bidder.

[tonybologna]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

Nady is a low risk/high reward type of player. If we can get him to be anything like his former self, it wuold be a good situation for us.

And you're calling the Braves cheap and what not... it's not like we're the Yankees. We did go out last year though and got Derek Lowe for $15MM a year, so I don't know how that's cheap.

Look at how we handled the Tex situation after he came to Atlanta. We used him for the 2nd half of that one season & then one more year. Even though he was the best 1B in MLB at that time & probably still is today we didn't even raise a finger to think about signing him.

Yeah, he was demanding of a big contract but we didn't have another 1B to even come close to filling his shoes. This is what I mean by cheap. We are always looking to shy away from the big deals & make a trade/transaction for something less.

This has been more prevalent since Wren has taken over. Schuerholz is missed from that position if you ask me. I said cheap & that's partly the case but more of stupid decisions is the bigger problem.

Look how we treated Glavine too. While he was winding his career down it wasn't right. We didn't have anybody else to fill that spot at that time & he was straightly lied to over that situation. He was due more money(over $1 million I believe) than we wanted to pay him once he was called up.

That was the only reason for not giving him a chance. He was pitching pretty well at AAA even though he was giving up some hits.

I'm a big Braves fan & stand by my team but some of the decisions that are made are unbelievable too. Now, let's see what's the next stupid move we make.

You say we hope to see Nady like his former self. The problem is that he's older now & seems injury prone too. I agree it could be a low risk/high reward with him but this could be said for a number of older veteran players. Maybe we're just trying to fill the 1B position until Freeman is ready but that looks to be a couple years away.

Cox is done after one more year & in two years Chipper will probably be declining quite a bit. It would be too late for a championship run with this current team. We need an above average 1B like a LaRoche to have for a couple years at least.

[Kohlstar20]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

I wouldn't be surprised if we brought back Julio Franco to play 1st base. LOL That's just the kind of move this organization has always made in this type of situation. When all we need is a temporary stop gap solution until someone in the minors is ready you can be sure Frank Wren is going cut corners in order to find someone cheap regardless of how old and or injury prone they are.

[tonybologna]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

I wouldn't be surprised if we brought back Julio Franco to play 1st base. LOL That's just the kind of move this organization has always made in this type of situation. When all we need is a temporary stop gap solution until someone in the minors is ready you can be sure Frank Wren is going cut corners in order to find someone cheap regardless of how old and or injury prone they are.

Good to see someone understanding what I'm trying to say about these decisions. Julio were you at? Scott Thorman were you at? We'd probably settle for a player like Thorman TBO.

[mattlanta]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

Look at how we handled the Tex situation after he came to Atlanta. We used him for the 2nd half of that one season & then one more year. Even though he was the best 1B in MLB at that time & probably still is today we didn't even raise a finger to think about signing him.

Yeah, he was demanding of a big contract but we didn't have another 1B to even come close to filling his shoes. This is what I mean by cheap. We are always looking to shy away from the big deals & make a trade/transaction for something less.

This has been more prevalent since Wren has taken over. Schuerholz is missed from that position if you ask me. I said cheap & that's partly the case but more of stupid decisions is the bigger problem.

Look how we treated Glavine too. While he was winding his career down it wasn't right. We didn't have anybody else to fill that spot at that time & he was straightly lied to over that situation. He was due more money(over $1 million I believe) than we wanted to pay him once he was called up.

That was the only reason for not giving him a chance. He was pitching pretty well at AAA even though he was giving up some hits.

I'm a big Braves fan & stand by my team but some of the decisions that are made are unbelievable too. Now, let's see what's the next stupid move we make.

You say we hope to see Nady like his former self. The problem is that he's older now & seems injury prone too. I agree it could be a low risk/high reward with him but this could be said for a number of older veteran players. Maybe we're just trying to fill the 1B position until Freeman is ready but that looks to be a couple years away.

Cox is done after one more year & in two years Chipper will probably be declining quite a bit. It would be too late for a championship run with this current team. We need an above average 1B like a LaRoche to have for a couple years at least.

I didn't read past the first paragraph because it shows how little you know about this orgainzation and baseball in general. First of all, Mark Teixeira isn't the best 1B in the league... and if you even have to think about it, just stop watching baseball. Second, there is no way in hell the Braves would have been able to re-sign Teixeira unless we let go of Chipper Jones. And if you have to think about that one too... then... yeah...

OK so I read a little more down... Kotchman at that time was playing a great season in Los Angeles, and Frank Wren wanted to get some value out of Teixeira instead of the draft picks we would have received at the end of the season.

We didn't have anyone to fill in Glavine's shoes? You realize we had six quality starting pitchers at the end of the year, and the one that really filled Glavine's shoes happened to be the pitcher that deserved the ROTY award more than anyone else in the league? This is a business and if you can't contribute anything or have no where to go on this team, then you will be released.

Frank Wren doesn't make any big deals you say? How about trading away Renteria to make way for his future star Yunel Escobar and grabbed Jair Jurrjens along the way.

Schuerholz should have never even made that move for Teixeira, so do I miss him? No. Because he said screw the future, I want to win a ring for myself this year and traded most of our top prospects for a one and a half year rental just to end up with Kotchman playing first a season later. So don't blame Wren just because he had to pick up the pieces that Schuerholz dropped on this organization.

Nady can be a stop gap player for Freeman and/or for Heyward. He is the perfect stop gap player for our organization because of that.

And you even called LaRoche "average". So you're willing to pay top notch money for an "average" player? I'd rather be a, as you call it, "cheap" GM that looks for players that can actually live up to their contract than a stupid GM who would throw away money at an "average" player knowing that in two or three years, a younger most likely better player at the time will be available for this organization to reap rewards off of.

[BaseballCtchr]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

I like Adam LaRoche and wouldnt be upset at all if he was resigned. Yet you still have to realize he is a 2nd half player. I saw someone say he was a good defensive player, but I really disagree with this, he's just average.

Additionally signing Nady is also a good option. He can be a stopgate but only at 1st. He had his second major surgery on his throwing arm this year and he needs to play first and be nowhere near the OF.

I actually like what Wren has done. I was very worried about the decision as I would have had Dayton Moore (think he would have stayed if he knew John was stepping down/up, depending how you look at it, sooner.

[tonybologna]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

First, let me say that we are all entitled to our own opinion. I respect eveyone's opinion on just about any matter. However, some things are shown with facts or proof. Again, I respect your opinion here as well.

First of all, Mark Teixeira isn't the best 1B in the league... and if you even have to think about it, just stop watching baseball.

You tell me or show proof of a better OVERALL 1B in MLB? The stats are the proof in the pudding. Just check them out & I'm not only talking about offense either. He does it every year & that's why he was given the biggest contracts for any 1B.

Frank Wren doesn't make any big deals you say?

Will you please point me to where I said that Wren doesn't make any big deals/trades? I NEVER said that. I just said he seems to make too many wrong moves/transactions. Cheaper a lot of times seems better for him. That's all I said & not what you claim I said. Please don't put words into my mouth & read my posts more closer.

so do I miss him? No.

I miss TEX & any smart Braves fan would know that he's the real deal & we couldn't have gotten another player in his place that's better. He specifically stated that he'd like to stay in Atlanta before being traded. That's where he's from & played at GT in college.

We didn't have anyone to fill in Glavine's shoes?

We done him wrong period. End of discussion. I don't care if we had 10 SP's on the roster. He was told one thing & then we(Wren) went another without even letting him know our plans. He's a veteran & a long time Brave player that should have been treated differently.

So don't blame Wren just because he had to pick up the pieces that Schuerholz dropped on this organization.

I blame both but Wren steps in & seems to be on the cheap side. I'm not saying Schuerholz didn't make stupid moves so I'll go ahead & say that as well.

And you even called LaRoche "average". So you're willing to pay top notch money for an "average" player?

No! I said he was an above average player. Here's my direct quote about that:

We need an above average 1B like a LaRoche to have for a couple years at least.

Again, we can battle all night about this but it boils down to mostly our own opinions. Thanks! Nothing smart or no hard feelings here either.

[mattlanta]

Re: 2009 Atlanta Braves

First, let me say that we are all entitled to our own opinion. I respect eveyone's opinion on just about any matter. However, some things are shown with facts or proof. Again, I respect your opinion here as well.

You tell me or show proof of a better OVERALL 1B in MLB? The stats are the proof in the pudding. Just check them out & I'm not only talking about offense either. He does it every year & that's why he was given the biggest contracts for any 1B.

Will you please point me to where I said that Wren doesn't make any big deals/trades? I NEVER said that. I just said he seems to make too many wrong moves/transactions. Cheaper a lot of times seems better for him. That's all I said & not what you claim I said. Please don't put words into my mouth & read my posts more closer.

I miss TEX & any smart Braves fan would know that he's the real deal & we couldn't have gotten another player in his place that's better. He specifically stated that he'd like to stay in Atlanta before being traded. That's where he's from & played at GT in college.

We done him wrong period. End of discussion. I don't care if we had 10 SP's on the roster. He was told one thing & then we(Wren) went another without even letting him know our plans. He's a veteran & a long time Brave player that should have been treated differently.

I blame both but Wren steps in & seems to be on the cheap side. I'm not saying Schuerholz didn't make stupid moves so I'll go ahead & say that as well.

No! I said he was an above average player. Here's my direct quote about that:

Again, we can battle all night about this but it boils down to mostly our own opinions. Thanks! Nothing smart or no hard feelings here either.

Albert Pujols has something to say about that no. 1 spot that you claim belongs to Teixeira.

And sure, no hard feelings here either. Hey I'm just glad I have someone else to talk to about the Braves on here. At the end of the day though I wouldn't want LaRoche back here with his price tag.