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Cheaper then Furcal I guess. Bat isn't very exciting and it looks like he's getting a little lucky this year. But he can play anywhere but catcher, so that's nice.
The Brewers are sending Eric Komatsu to Washington for Hairston. Komatsu is a top 15 prospect in the Brewer's system, which isn't saying much. He's an outfielder with below average power, average bat, and good speed. He profiles as a center fielder, but his bat probably makes him a fourth outfielder at best in majors.
John Heyman on WFAN in New York (i'm paraphrasing the best that I can):
"The biggest losers so far are the Braves. They need a hitter more than any other contending team, and Wren blew it with Pence and Beltran. He better hope Minor & Teheran turn out to be Sandy Koufax and Cy Young. It's mind boggling that he won't part with one or both of those guys."
John Heyman on WFAN in New York (i'm paraphrasing the best that I can):
"The biggest losers so far are the Braves. They need a hitter more than any other contending team, and Wren blew it with Pence and Beltran. He better hope Minor & Teheran turn out to be Sandy Koufax and Cy Young. It's mind boggling that he won't part with one or both of those guys."
That's stupid IMO. Beltran is a strict rental, Pence does not even play a need position, and Lowe and Hudson will be gone after next season, with Hanson or Jurrjens possibilities as well due to their Boras representation. Chances are we're gonna need those pitchers soon.
Teheran and Minor have both already made the majors, why would we give up either guy in a deal unless it's a perfect fit? I wouldn't disagree that we're the "losers" right now and that we needed a bat more than anyone, but Houston or the Mets were fucking insane if they expected to get Teheran or any of the other big 4. The Phillies and Giants have a window that is only open for 2-3 more years, the Braves will have their core together for the next 5-10. Failing to see the urgency to deal two of baseball's best 20 pitching prospects.
That's stupid IMO. Beltran is a strict rental, Pence does not even play a need position, and Lowe and Hudson will be gone after next season, with Hanson or Jurrjens possibilities as well due to their Boras representation. Chances are we're gonna need those pitchers soon.
Teheran and Minor have both already made the majors, why would we give up either guy in a deal unless it's a perfect fit? I wouldn't disagree that we're the "losers" right now and that we needed a bat more than anyone, but Houston or the Mets were fucking insane if they expected to get Teheran or any of the other big 4. The Phillies and Giants have a window that is only open for 2-3 more years, the Braves will have their core together for the next 5-10. Failing to see the urgency to deal two of baseball's best 20 pitching prospects.
I'm surprised the Braves haven't been linked to the Cubs more in Marlon Byrd talks.
The Braves feel as if they need a bat -- preferably one who hits right-handed, plays center field and can lead off. But do they HAVE to trade for a bat to win the World Series? No -- because they still run out there a pitching staff that can shut down any team's offense, in October or any other month.
So teams that have spoken with Atlanta, even in the wake of the disappointment in losing out in the Pence bid-a-thon Friday, say the Braves have no plans to do something this weekend that they wouldn't have done last week or last month -- just because Rumor Central readers everywhere think they need to make a deal.
Are they frustrated over seeing Pence go to their division nemesis, the Phillies? Oh, yeah.
Are they aggravated that the price tag Houston asked them for -- reportedly four of their top pitching prospects, two from their "untouchable" tier and two from the next tier down -- seemed as if it was steeper than what the Phillies paid? You bet.
Would they love to find exactly the right fit at exactly the right, affordable price before this deadline? No doubt about it.
But as the deadline draws closer, teams that have spoken with the Braves don't have the feeling they're close to any deal for any of the bats on their list.
They took a run at Marlon Byrd of the Cubs. Not going to be traded.
They looked into Denard Span of the Twins. But the Twins are only trading Span for other major league players -- or, at the very least, big league-ready players. And the Twins are heavily targeting live bullpen arms. So they match up better with Washington than with Atlanta, which has no interest in subtracting from its big league mix at a time in which injuries have decimated that mix enough.
Michael Bourn is also on the Braves' radar, even though he hits left-handed. But if the Astros ask for the same package for Bourn that they asked for on Pence, he won't be with the Braves.
B.J. Upton is another name that would fit. But clubs that have spoken with the Braves say their camp is mixed about whether to pay a hefty price for a year-plus of the Rays' enigmatic center fielder.
Other names the Braves could kick around? Coco Crisp is one, but he doesn't supply the type of offense they would prefer. Carlos Quentin is another, but the White Sox only appear interested in dealing him if they get a huge return. The names of Ryan Ludwick and Josh Willingham will get linked to Atlanta on the rumor circuit over the next 24 hours -- but there are no signs the Braves have pursued either of late.
So an official of one team who spoke with the Braves said he was told, "We've only got to weather the storm for 14 days, until [Brian] McCann gets back." By then, they hope Chipper Jones will be healthy; Peter Moylan will be back in their bullpen; and they will feel like the urgency to DO SOMETHING will have lessened. If not, there's always August.
After all, what month was it last year in which the team that won it all picked up its World Series cleanup hitter (Cody Ross)? It wasn't July. It was August -- on a waiver claim. And how'd that work out?
I guess I can see that. Brett Jackson has been struggling at AAA but I'd be interested in knowing what kind of talks there were and if players were discussed.
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