yes they did. it was at Turner Field the day Gwynn passed, June 16.
I think the days of thinking the Braves could get something of value in a trade for Uggla are over. If they could have by now, they would have. And no i don't think the Braves are in position anymore to trade away from their rotation, after Floyd's injury.
i don't think it's unique to Atlanta, some contracts work out, some don't. It's why signing big free agent contracts is such a risky business. I like the reference to Reggie Sanders though, that's one of my old-timers (smile). That one was a head-scratcher, how much he dropped off. Can't say they all looked like great money spent to begin with and certainly not in hindsight.
I guess in a way, both, since they seemed far apart on their expectations.
SeaATL guess I'd better answer one of yours of they're just going to keep coming with more and more vigor and wildness. Guess I should just pack it up and head back to Atlanta since the team is obviously going to miss the playoffs and we know what's going to happen for the next three months.Why would anybody make a decision like that without the facts?
Not sure if there's a question in there either, but I get where you're coming from and I think it's worth posting it over here in this column! I've wondered the same thing. You also lose Hudson and between Hudson and McCann maybe there is something to be said for what's lost in clubhouse leadership. Think we're seeing that McCann was an established game caller and there's going to be a transition period there for Gattis. But offensively McCann had his struggles late in the season in recent years. So yeah, not sure if there's an answer in there but worth pondering.
That will be interesting to watch develop because he's a guy that's making his presence known when there aren't logical openings ahead of him. A lot will depend on how La Stella produces with the opportunity he has at second. Maybe Peraza is an option at third base going forward, though don't see that kind of change this year.
I think the team would rather he find a way to keep his emotions in check and stay in the game. He could be back up in a key spot later in the game, or if the Braves go extra innings they're down a player.
I think that's a fair question. I think if they had a big CF prospect in the minor leagues they probably wouldn't have signed BJ to such a significant contract to begin with, so no, nobody knocking on the door. And I think there are those in the organization that feel if Schafer were given the every day job he would be "exposed" as they say, but to me, Schafer contributes when he gets the chance and he brings a lot more to the table defensively. He's as good a defensive center fielder as any of the other guys the Braves have had in recent years, in my opinion.
Yes, I do. He's played great the past two months, and he's a first-class guy, great in the clubhouse, very mature and works his ass off. Dynamic player, only thing that's held him back is the injuries. He's stayed healthy this year, and it shows. Always positive and upbeat. I like him.
Gonna be tough holding off the Nats if Nats avoid any more major injuries. But again, division overall is weak and it won't take any resounding second half to win it.
I don't think it has any. I would hope it doesn't. I didn't agree with the thinking that having both of them together would be a boon for either or both of them to begin with. Honestly, I saw more potential problems in having two brothers on same team on multi-year deals than I did potential pluses. I mean, from someone who has a brother who's less than two years older than me, I saw potential problems. But those two get along far better than me and my brother ever would get along if we worked together and had lockers next to one another.
I can see how Minor comes across that way in interviews, for sure. I don't think it's an accurate reflection of how he feels about those matters in some cases. He's plenty motivated and cares a lot.
Yeah, you're up and running.
It'll be interesting to see what they do with Peraza. Could move him to 3B eventually, if they don't think his trade value is optimized by keeping him at SS/2B. But I think they need to and will wait to see how La Stella handles 2B for a while. A few weeks is not enough time to judge anything in the big leagues. Nothing. Wait till teams see him a second time and all that before starting to make any assessments.
I don't think it does affect it.
Every GM has some conspicuous mistakes on his resume, some bad trades and/or free-agent signings. Wren has several. He also has more than his share of small trades that have worked out splendidly for the Braves, and more than his share of reclamation projects, waiver claims, throw-ins in trades, who've worked out and made impacts with the Braves. So it all has to be judged together. Unfortunately for him, some people only remember the big-dollar and/or high-profile deals. And the B.J., Uggla and Kawakami deals have simply not worked out.
Braves haven't used a position player to pitch in a very long time, and have no plans to. It's why they always have a long reliever who can eat innings. They don't want to be in that position, risking possible injury to a position player by having him do something he never does -- pitch.
It's not the makeup of this team, though I do wish they'd at least try to bunt a little more and shorten some swings with two strikes, etc. But this team was put together with power in mind, knowing there would be a lot of K's. They got more and less than they anticipated in that regard -- more strikeouts, less situational hitting, and not as many homers as they probably hoped they'd get. Because frankly, it's not a big-time home-run hitting team, considering how many K's and how little "small ball" they play.
Honestly, I don't think he'll be re-signed. Don't know how much effort they'll make, since it'll be a huge salary and the Braves may look to go in a different direction and get a more consistent hitter and better defensive player who doesn't have his dynamic ability to carry an offense for a week or more at a time, but also doesn't have extended slumps and huge strikeout totals.
