New Braves Rumors from D-Fab

by gondeee on Dec 8, 2008 7:31 PM EST in Trade News Comment 37 comments

From D-Fab's latest blog, here are some winter meeting's rumbings about the Atlanta Braves:

Like others, D-Fab is hearing that A.J. Burnett might make his decision this week, presumably before C.C. Sabathia signs
He still thinks it will take a guaranteed five-year deal to get him
He is also hearing that the Braves might be interested in Rick Ankiel, though he thinks it will take more to get him than it would Ryan Ludwick
The Braves continue to express interest in free agent outfielder Raul Ibanez, though he may be getting too expensive for too many years than the Braves want
He is hearing Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy being connected with the Braves
Which leads him to think that we are still talking to other teams about trading Yunel Escobar
He's heard nothing about the Braves revisiting the talks for ace Jake Peavy

[Updates: 12/8/08 @ 10pm]

Both John Smoltz and the Braves are thinking starting rotation over bullpen for Smoltz, if he continues his progress
Peter Moylan is doing well and should be ready to pitch for the Braves either when spring training ends or shortly thereafter
Rafael Soriano’s status, they won’t know much about until at least January, as far as whether he’ll be ready to pitch at the start of spring
Mike Gonzalez will go to spring training as the closer. D-Fab got a clarification on that from Bobby Cox
Cox said that both Martin Prado and Kelly Johnson have been targeted by several teams seeking them in trades
D-Fab doesn't think the Braves have that much interest in either Corey Hart or Jeremy Hermida
He spoke with a Cardinals beat writer who thinks the Cards are more likely to trade Ankiel or Ludwick for a relief pitcher

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Comments

Ankiel is a FA after 2009 isn’t he? Ludwick should cost more then, but, yeah, Ankiel can play center pretty nicely.

Ibanez’s defense is just as bad as Burrel’s and worse than Dunn’s.

by VictorW on Dec 8, 2008 7:40 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ankiel is a below average CF by most measures

by BraveBronco0121 on Dec 9, 2008 8:23 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You're right

I remember him looking good on RZR during the middle of the season, but his OOZ plays weren’t too good. And now checking both Plus/Minus and UZR says he sucked in CF.

by VictorW on Dec 9, 2008 11:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ankiel is a free agent after 2009 and his agent is Scott Borus

by jack dein on Dec 8, 2008 7:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

trading Yunel = urge to kill, rising

I guess I should be one to talk.
There's nights that I can't even walk.
There's days I couldn't give a fuck.
And in between is where I'm stuck.

by Smoltz's Beard on Dec 8, 2008 7:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

why would we be interested in a left handed hitting raul ibanez, but not a left handed hitting adam dunn? is frank wren like, a fucking moron?

I probably care about sports way too much. Like, waaaaaaaaay too much.

by bigjoe on Dec 8, 2008 7:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

+1

For some reason, I thought Ibanez was a rightly, but that’s cause he throws right handed. Then again so does Dunn.

Why are so many teams over Ibanez’s nuts but not Dunn’s? Ibanez is worse defense, will cost a draft pick, and older.

by VictorW on Dec 8, 2008 8:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i did smile when i saw the mets were interested in ibanez…OMAR MINAYA AND THE LATIN CONNECTION!

if he tried to pull that shit on me, i’d be OFFENDED

I probably care about sports way too much. Like, waaaaaaaaay too much.

by bigjoe on Dec 8, 2008 8:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I keep trying to convince myself that we said we weren’t interested in Dunn to act as a smoke screen. Any day now…

I guess I should be one to talk.
There's nights that I can't even walk.
There's days I couldn't give a fuck.
And in between is where I'm stuck.

by Smoltz's Beard on Dec 8, 2008 8:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t understand. Our MI could be set with Escobar/Johnson for years to come. Why does the organization have such a zeal to trade one or both of them? it’s particularly vexxing since the infield is a minor league weakness. It makes me think that there is someone in the organization unhappy with one or both of these players. Hardy would certainly be a minor upgrade, but are the Braves so power starved that they are willing to part with yet another prospect in order to garner a few homeruns?

As for Ibanez, if the price were right, I’d love to have this guy. He’s a professional hitter, a great teammate, and a positive veteran influence. A definate upgrade over Matt Diaz. and a nice bridge until Schafer, Hernandez and Heyward are ready.

by BBJ on Dec 8, 2008 8:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Package deal with Brewers

Do you think the interest in Hardy may be part of a deal to get Hart from the Brewers? I’m not sure what we would have to give up with Escobar to make that happen, nor am I very keen on trading away Escobar. I’m not sure why we didn’t look to trade for Dye and Vazquez in the same deal if we truly have interest in Dye. Any thoughts?

by gutisking on Dec 8, 2008 9:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

DOB makes dumb comments

See, it’s O’Brien making the notion that Escobar for Ankiel is talked about or Johnson for Escobar. There is NO WAY Wren trades either straight up for one season of Ankiel. Not a chance. Why would three years of Ryan Ludwick have less value than one year of Rick Ankiel?!?!?! Doesn’t make any sense!

by NEBravesFan33 on Dec 8, 2008 9:14 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

JJ Hardy????

Um, no. First, they’re asking for Tommy Hanson. Second, he sucks. Our SS is better.

We need Burnett and a RH LF. Our lineup is just too lefty, and Ankiel is not only lefty, but streaky as hell. And he will walk anyway.

Dye would make a nice stop gap until we could find someone better. His defense is pretty poor, but remember he has played a lot of RF. LF, with someone like Schafer playing beside him, might work out. He has been playing with third-rate center fielders and with someone like Schafer or our other CF candidates, all of whom have exceptional speed, would let him guard the line more.

Unless the Braves know something about our minors I don’t, I have no clue why they are offering Escobar. We have nothing at SS ready to play in the majors.

I’d like to see a major trade that lands us Carlos Lee. He’s the perfect person for us, despite his salary. The guy is just a monster, and a fair LF. Not a good one, but fair.

by Mekons5 on Dec 8, 2008 9:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hardy is about on par with Yunel

Though I’d say Yunel is better with the superior OBP and doesn’t play in a hitter’s park. Defensively it’s probably a wash. But yeah trading Yunel and then trading for Hardy is just dumb. Well, trading Yunel at all is pretty stupid.

by VictorW on Dec 8, 2008 10:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

I don’t get all the smoke regarding Escobar’s name being involved in the trade talks. Johnson I can understand but I too think a change to JJ Hardy would be a step down, without question. This time of year is the most debatable as to what the TRUE landscape is like…The Bellagio lobby is teeming with legit journalists and amateurs from all of the blogs and with that you get a lot of “chatter” that perhaps has no basis in fact.

As for left field…If we would consider a trade for a player who might be available in trade, my vote goes for Eric Byrnes. Gives you some power and speed and an all out approach each game. Adam Dunn is not the answer when you consider that you are trying to build a solid pitching staff which would rely on a good defense to get them over. We don’t need no stinking Donkey in let field.

by Mike de La Hoz on Dec 8, 2008 11:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Eric Byrnes has never posted a valauble offensive season… i repeat never…. the big year he had where he finished 11 in mvp voting was an illusion he has an OPS + of 104… just above league avg…his defense isnt that great.. his bat is below avg, he 25 HR power at the max… he is 32 he is expensive and he is coming off two quite bad hamstring injuries… ARZ would eat some contract and the price wouldnt be very high, and that about the extent of the benefit for acquiring him…Dunn’s defense is a negative but consdiering he consistnely posts an OPB of around 390 i dont care… Byrne’s career OPS is 775… comparable players are jeffrey hammonds and todd hollansworth… i know settle urselfs with the prospect of nabbing those guys

"We win today, that's two in a row... if we win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak. It has happened before..."

by Swo12bv on Dec 9, 2008 12:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

we already suffered through todd hollandsworth, bench player extrordinare once

I probably care about sports way too much. Like, waaaaaaaaay too much.

by bigjoe on Dec 9, 2008 10:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Braves should concentrate

on signing Burnett and getting a right handed bat. That is it. There is no need to start looking to trade our above average young middle infield.

by NEBravesFan33 on Dec 8, 2008 9:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

We should not trade away or MI

Even if it upgrades our outfield, it would, at the same time, downgrade our infield which is the strength of this team. Trading away Escobar or Johnson will almost certainly be a net loss for us in the long run.

by eaheckman10 on Dec 8, 2008 9:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I foresee a time a couple years down the road where many of these Burnett signing advocates are going to wish like hell it never happened. Seriously, the man is healthy only every third year. EVERY THIRD YEAR. add on to it that propensity for injury for a pitcher increases when they are forced to bat and run the bases. And you want us to give him 5 years at $15M per year? bat shit crazy for us as a mid-market team to commit that to a player such as burnett. TOR payed him 31M over three seasons and only got one healthy year. i hate to see ATL in a similar position at a higher cost for a longer time frame

by jeg on Dec 8, 2008 9:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Signing any pitcher is a huge risk

burnett is a risk, but from what I have seen of him, not much of one. He’s a big tough guy. What move would you prefer?

by Mekons5 on Dec 8, 2008 10:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Look for pitchers with good mechanics and good work ethic (for conditioning)

It’s not a fluke that Maddux was only on the 15 day DL once in his career while pitching 5000 innings. Same reason why fireballers like Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, and Nolan Ryan had mostly healthy careers.

Burnett is an injury risk because he has bad mechanics. It explains his shoulder and elbow woes.

Sheets (elbow) and Johnson (age) may be injury risks as well, but they require a smaller commitment in both years and dollars. Probably some other options as well.

by VictorW on Dec 8, 2008 10:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i’m afraid “injury history” has become an empty cliche in reference to burnett. let’s take a look to remind ourselves of its meaning: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/news?playerId=4153

do you see a pattern? this is not just a single isntance — healthy for arbitration, twice for free agency. this is ridiculous. i don’t understand what the fuck’s going on here? i really don’t know as much about baseball as many of you, so my question is serious: would someone please explain to me why any team is willing to offer him 5 years? “it’s the market” is not an acceptable excuse, as it’s circular.

by brndn on Dec 8, 2008 11:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I wonder what we could get for Prado….

by SayHeyWerd on Dec 8, 2008 10:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

jon garland. no more, no less

I probably care about sports way too much. Like, waaaaaaaaay too much.

by bigjoe on Dec 8, 2008 10:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

by soup du jour on Dec 8, 2008 10:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hardy

If the Braves were to move Escobar in a deal for say…a Peavy. Then I think getting Hardy in return would be a great move. I think Hardy has to be one of the more underrated SS in baseball. The Brewers fans want to move him and let their Escobar play SS but I think they forget that Hardy is a good SS. He has average 25 HRs a year for the last two years and is only 25. I havent looked at his fielding stats in detail but all the scouting reports i saw had him scored as an above average defender. Maybe not as good as Yunel but Hardy seems to have more offensive upside (keep in mind that they are almost exact the same age).
You could also make the argument that Hardy slots better in the Braves lineup then Esobar because you could take advantage of Hardy’s power by hitting him further down in the line up and hit JOhnson or KOtchman in the #2 hole.

I am not advocating a trade of Escobar…unless it is a cog to a big time deal- ie Peavy. ..but if they were to move him it is nice to see that they are looking at back up options.

by calbers on Dec 8, 2008 10:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hardy is good

About the same as Yunel. Power vs OBP. Defense about even. But the prospects Hardy would cost can just be burned for Peavy anyway. I’m not fond of losing 2 years of extra service time either.

by VictorW on Dec 8, 2008 10:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Peavy is about to be a cub i read on mlbrumors

by Brandonba on Dec 8, 2008 10:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

i’m gonna laugh HARD if the ZOMG PHILLIES PROSPECTS are enough to get it done

I probably care about sports way too much. Like, waaaaaaaaay too much.

by bigjoe on Dec 8, 2008 10:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Both John Smoltz and the Braves are thinking starting rotation over bullpen for Smoltz

Pass me a towel because I just came.

by VictorW on Dec 8, 2008 10:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ha!

I knew it. I knew that bug would hit him at some point this off-season. Now, if we can just get him to not over do it in the next few months …

by scstrato on Dec 8, 2008 11:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Gonzo

I still like him as a bullpen ace lefty as opposed to the closer. But he’s been good to the Braves and being a closer I guess is a sort of reward. Stupid save stat.

by VictorW on Dec 8, 2008 10:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

9:10pm: Doesn’t sound like the Cardinals would want one of the Braves’ middle infielders for Ankiel. Instead, they want to get a starter back if they trade an outfielder.

CHUCK JAMES OR JOJO REYES FOR RICK ANKIEL!?!??! fuck it, i’d do that

I probably care about sports way too much. Like, waaaaaaaaay too much.

by bigjoe on Dec 8, 2008 10:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Evidently, the Cards asked for Gonzo for Ankiel

HAHAHAHAHAHA

by Mekons5 on Dec 9, 2008 3:27 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Rumor: Reds and Francoeur

Found this little bit at the end of Bowman’s latest column:
"Another interesting tidbit from Monday came via a Major League source, who said the Reds may have some interest in Jeff Francoeur. But the Braves are still providing every indication that they aren’t actively shopping Francoeur. "

Link

by secondbass on Dec 9, 2008 5:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs