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12/1/2006 7:38:01 PM

Calling abonorio

[Edited on December 1, 2006 at 7:47 PM. Reason : o]

12/1/2006 7:47:17 PM

braves signed tanyon sturtze

which just what we needed, another journeyman reliever with a career ERA north of 5.00

good work, johnboy

12/4/2006 2:26:28 AM

t-rash, i think thats sarcasm

12/4/2006 3:34:30 AM

nope

just my name

good to know you've been staring at my facebook profile for 12 hours though

12/4/2006 4:07:37 AM

by that post i'm led to believe you were thinking i was saying "t-rash" is a sarcastic name???

i'm saying you saying the 5.00 era thing was sarcasm

12/4/2006 4:14:18 AM

oh word

i don't know your name so i'll still just call you dumb fuck

12/4/2006 4:17:20 AM

u can call me juice man or juicy j, t-rash

12/4/2006 4:24:30 AM

from ESPN insider today:
Dec 5 - The Orioles have had serious discussions about a deal that would send second baseman Brian Roberts and pitching prospect Hayden Penn to the Braves for power-hitting first baseman Adam LaRoche and second baseman Marcus Giles, the Baltimore Sun reports.

The deal has "several hurdles," with a major one being Peter Angelos' preference to keep Roberts, who has long been a favorite of the Orioles' owner.

Also yest. they mentioned us being interested in trading for Richie Sexson.. said we wouldnt have a problem giving up Tim Hudson..


what does everyone think about these 2 deals?

12/5/2006 3:24:50 PM

I don't like them. Although giles has had some injury problems off and on, he's still a solid 2nd baseman. LaRoche is a great hitter IMO, and just about anyone can play 1st base. I don't know why we would think about giving up hudson. I think he's still got some gas in the tank, but you can't win games with your bullpen giving them away as soon as you sit down.

12/5/2006 3:29:06 PM

^^ I hate that first trade with a passion. LaRoche was a top ten hitter last year in the 2nd half and Roberts was really just a one year wonder. Roberts would give the Braves a leadoff man though. Penn for Giles straight up would be better, but I know the Os won't go for that because it doesn't do them any good.

Hudson for Sexson is not a bad trade IF the Braves needed a 1B, which they don't because LaRoche is solid. Hudson sucks and is no better than a 3rd or 4th pitcher now. Sexson's contract is probably huge though and I'd hate to see the Braves stuck with his contract (although so is Hudson's).

12/5/2006 3:34:57 PM

^^^

I wouldn't be too upset to trade Giles and Rochy but I think we can get a much better deal than that.. I also wouldn't be hurt to see Hudson traded. If Hampton comes back strong we'll be fine at starting pitching.

[Edited on December 5, 2006 at 3:36 PM. Reason : ^]

12/5/2006 3:35:15 PM

Horacio Ramirez to Seattle for Rafael Soriano

12/6/2006 6:12:27 PM

i'd go for both of those deals

giles is trash and laroche is a good, not great hitter, who has likely peaked -- thorman would be a league-average replacement at first, but we had enough offense last year to make up for that

hayden penn is (or at least was) one of the top pitching prospects and brian roberts is solid

i agree with ncsuapex, though -- this would be a good deal, but not the best deal

i don't think we'll touch sexson though, his contract is huge -- losing the 2005 version of tim hudson wouldn't hurt a bit, though

12/6/2006 9:43:12 PM

more rumors for today.. some of the same stuff

Dec 6 - According to published reports, Miguel Batista has been offered a three-year, $24 million contract by the Royals.

The Cardinals also are making a strong push for Batista as a starter, meaning he almost certainly will decline the Diamondbacks' offer of arbitration, the East Valley Tribune reports.

The Mets and Braves also are regarded as strong suitors for Batista, who worked primarily as a starter last season for the D-Backs, going 11-8 with a 4.58 ERA.

Dec 6 - Second baseman Brian Roberts is staying put in Baltimore, the Washington Post reports. Roberts' name was raised in trade talks with the Braves, but O's vice president Jim Duquette "assured him he's not going anywhere."

The team is not eager to trade one of its most popular players. "Almost all of our guys have been talked about," Duquette told the newspaper. "That's what we do. We're at a point where we explore anything."

Dec 6 - The Angels' chances of acquiring Atlanta first baseman Adam LaRoche have faded, the Los Angeles Times reports. Braves GM John Schuerholz won't give up his best bargaining chip without getting a front-line pitcher, and Angels GM Bill Stoneman is unwilling to do that.

The Angels offered utility player Chone Figgins and first baseman Casey Kotchman. The Braves want setup man Scot Shields. The Angels are reluctant to part with pitching, because their organizational depth has thinned considerably in the last year.

"To do something that would deplete our pitching, unless it makes us better, we're not interested," Stoneman told the newspaper. "Our pitching depth is a factor [in trade talks]. If we gave up a pitcher, we would have to get one back."

The Pirates and Orioles are also making a run at LaRoche.



That last one would be tough.. i know we need bullpen help but we did produce alot of runs last year.. we could really use a solid leadoff hitter in Figgins and he could be out left fielder instead of platooning Diaz and Langerhans.. i dont know if i could have turned that deal down

12/6/2006 10:04:09 PM

I just got an e-mail from the Braves mailing list that said "Braves acquire Soriano..."

I was all like "WTF?" and then I opened the e-mail and saw that it was Rafael Soriano. Oh.

12/7/2006 6:03:00 PM

braves non-tendered Marcus Giles and Chris Reitsma

[Edited on December 12, 2006 at 6:49 PM. Reason : .]

12/12/2006 6:47:33 PM

its a goddamn shame that we aren't getting anything in return for giles

oh well

peace nigga

12/12/2006 6:57:44 PM

oh shit.. I hadn't heard that about giles.. I mean I wouldn't have been too disappointed in trading him but to lose him and not get shit back is tough to take. Makes the Betemit trade last year seem even worse.

12/12/2006 7:53:24 PM

2007 Braves = Last place in the NL east

12/13/2006 10:17:22 AM

^ Troll

Giving up Giles for nothing makes no damn sense at all. They could have atleast got some A ball minor leaguers for him from someone. That pisses me off because who is going to play 2B now? The trade of Figgins and Kotchman for LaRoche was decent assuming Kotchman ever reaches his potential. Figgins would fit in great with the Braves needs (leadoff hitter, speed, and he can play basically 7 positions to cover Chipper's thrice yearly trips to the DL).

12/13/2006 10:25:42 AM

Quote :

"This Marcus thing is ridiculous. The risk of offering arbitration and not being able to trade him is not $6 million (the number that was getting bandied about) but more like $1.5 million, if that. Arbitration contracts are not guaranteed. If he can’t be traded, you can cut him in spring training and only have to pay him six weeks’ salary. And you don’t have to pay him at all until the season starts. It’s stupid, but is pretty much the same thing that happened with Millwood, except that quality starting pitchers are always a hot commodity. You don’t have to worry about paying them until the season starts and Schuerholz really has no reply."

12/13/2006 11:39:38 AM

vernon wells signed a long-term deal for $15/$16m per year

this is bad news for anyone who hoped we could keep andruw

12/13/2006 8:04:50 PM

^

That's why we are going after Rocco Baldelli, either him or Francoeur can play center, hell Langarhans could play center with Rocco and Jeff on the corners.

12/13/2006 8:08:07 PM

yeah francouer is a shoe-in for centerfield when/if we lose andruw

but neither he nor baldelli could provide anywhere near the offense that andruw has the past two seasons

really, francouer has been dissapointing thus far

i even bought a francouer jersey t-shirt in 2005

12/13/2006 8:10:44 PM

Frenchy is young and going through his "andruw" phase. Once he gets more patient at the plate his offense will pick up. Rocco hasn't been healthy the last 1+ so I would be worried about that. But if he's back to 90% he can put up some numbers. And really all you need to do is disperse Andruws numbers between the 3 future OFs and no one has to pick up the slack by himself. Im more worried about pitching right now anyways.

12/13/2006 8:19:57 PM

daily rumor from ESPN.. just wondering who would play first if we get rid of LaRoche which is looks like we're trying very hard to do

Southern discomfort
Dec 18 - Braves first baseman Adam LaRoche continues to be a hot commodity on the trade market, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

One proposal is a three-way deal. The Braves would send LaRoche to the Pirates, lefty closer Mike Gonzalez from Pittsburgh to the Yankees, and 22-year-old outfielder Melky Cabrera from New York to the Braves.

The other rumor making the rounds is a revival of the LaRoche-to-Baltimore talks that nearly culminated in a LaRoche/Marcus Giles for Brian Roberts/Hayden Penn deal at the winter meetings, before O's owner Peter Angelos quashed it at the last minute when he decided he didn?t want to part with Roberts.

[Edited on December 18, 2006 at 12:54 PM. Reason : a]

12/18/2006 12:54:10 PM

My guess would be Scott Thorman at 1B unless there are other trades to be made

12/18/2006 12:57:17 PM

i dont really like that trade.. id rather have Gonzalez.. we had no problem scoring runs last year.. I dont see that we're in dire need to get Melky but rather relief pitchers

12/18/2006 12:58:37 PM

^^^ I don't understand that trade from a Braves perspective. How is Melky Cabrera better than LaRoche unless LaRoche was making $10 million/year or something? Cabrera will probably be a solid OF one day, but LaRoche was awesome in the 2nd half last year and has way more value than Melky Cabrera.

I just can't figure out the Braves management this offseason.

[Edited on December 18, 2006 at 1:00 PM. Reason : ^^]

12/18/2006 1:00:26 PM

Laroche reportedly dealt to Pittsburgh for Gonzalez.. personally i hope we got someone else in the deal but I don't know that much about Gonzalez

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2734082

1/17/2007 4:58:41 PM

Mike Gonzalez? He'll be a bullpen stud for a long time. Hard throwing lefty who I believe was perfect in save opportunities. That's a real solid pickup to set up Fatso...

V I'm not familiar with the 1B depth in the Braves farm.. I'm a Mets fan and I think this is a pretty good move even though LaRoche seemed to come into his own a bit last year..

[Edited on January 17, 2007 at 5:06 PM. Reason : x]

1/17/2007 5:00:33 PM

who do you think we'll move over to first?

1/17/2007 5:04:15 PM

Thorman played there some last year (big guy with power, but limited potential and glove). Saltamacchia (or whatever) is being converted from a catcher to 1B so maybe they're hoping he can come up this year. He really sucked last year in the minors so I doubt he's ready for the show yet.

Maybe they'll sign a FA or work a trade for another 1B. I like Gonzalez as a pitcher and bullpen guy, but I'm not huge on this trade because LaRoche was a top-10 hitter in the 2nd half last year and I think the Braves could have gotten more for him. But with Gonzalez and Wickman for the 8th and 9th innings, it will certainly be a stronger pen this year.

1/17/2007 5:23:16 PM

Thorman will play 1st.

Johnson and Prado will platoon at 2nd.

1/17/2007 6:11:32 PM

I think Thorman will be a Wes Helms type guy. 250 BA, 15-20 HRs, and 65-70 RBIs. Pitiful in today's MLB for a 1B, but I guess the Braves feel like they don't need much production from 1B anyway (they haven't had any since Gallaraga (sp?) other than LaRoche in the 2nd half last year).

1/17/2007 6:18:50 PM

uggh.. I just heard this news and hate to see Rochy go, even though he was in my doghouse for a few plays over the last 2 years.. But after watching his 2nd half last year I was hoping for a solid year this year.. Oh well, I've cursed the Braves organization the last 15 years and it usually seems to work out for the better. I think Thorman will do ok at first, but it's almost like starting over. It took Rochy a few years to finally hit lefties and become a complete 1B.

1/17/2007 6:34:23 PM

good riddance, and we need all the bullpen help we can get

1/17/2007 6:44:49 PM

two minor leaguers were also involved in the deal.

1/17/2007 9:36:13 PM

I'm a little worried about this deal, just because I'm not sure who we're going to get to replace LaRoche (hopefully someone other than Thorman). But they did need bullpen help...

1/17/2007 9:47:07 PM

MOTHER FUCK THIS DAMNED ORGANIZATION IS RIDICULOUS

1/17/2007 9:52:58 PM

word on ESPN is that the braves might look to deal Gonzalez to the yankees. With Soriano, Gonzalez and Wickman I think the Braves will have a solid pen, but the lineup will have holes without a decent LF, 2B, or 1B plus the fact that Chipper will eventually get hurt.

1/17/2007 10:20:56 PM

People who think this trade is bad are ignorant. Gonzalez is a top reliever in the national league and LaRoche had one good HALF of a season. I don't care what his numbers say he did, OPS, etc, he is a non-hustling overrated player who the Braves should be happy is gone. I saw him waste more at-bats than any player I've ever watched. Thorman will be just as good as him in a short amount of time and we just turned every ballgame into a 6 inning game. Great move.

1/18/2007 10:02:45 AM

^^exactly, one at the expense of other

we can pitch, but not score runs

we score runs, we have no pitching

this is why the organization is ridiculous. not this one move in particular.

1/18/2007 10:07:28 AM

Heard that the braves may try and lure Chad Tracy away from the D-Backs. He had a very good 05, but didn't get as much PT in 06 for whatever reason. He can play RF, LF, 3B, and 1B so if they can get him, I think that he'd be an excellent addition.

Also the Braves are apparently looking at Trot Nixon too. I wouldn't mind having him in LF or RF (move Frenchy to LF), but he's injury prone so I don't know if he's worth the risk.

1/18/2007 11:08:06 AM

Trot, hahha GD I'm old. I saw him play in High School

1/18/2007 11:11:57 AM

Quote :

"we can pitch, but not score runs we score runs, we have no pitching"

last year we scored the second most runs in the league, behind only the phillies

losing laroche is hardly a death knell

this is a great move

1/18/2007 11:17:43 AM

^ he was our best hitter for half of the season though so it's not like his loss is meaningless. I do like Gonzalez though and had him on my fantasy teams so I know he can be a lights out relief guy.

I guess if I have to choose between having LaRoche and a steup man like Ken Ray versus having Thorman and a setup guy like Mike Gonzalez, I'd take the latter because Gonzalez >>>>> Ray.

1/18/2007 11:24:29 AM

Quote :

"last year we scored the second most runs in the league, behind only the phillies"

and you're counterpoint to my argument is...? did you forget the total shambles that was our pitching last year?

pitching has a way of being fickle, up one year and down the next (need i mention dan kolb)...we'll see if this is a great move. i have no hopes for the braves next year. they always seem to let me down one way or another.

1/18/2007 11:26:49 AM

my point is we have the offense, not the pitching

with a full season from big bob and now soriano and gonzalez our bullpen should be solid

the rotation will still be questionable, though

i have no doubts that we'll be with the mets every step of the way this season

1/18/2007 11:47:01 AM