Braves Waiver Trade Possibilities
by gondeee on Aug 23, 2008 6:48 PM EDT
in Trade News
29 comments
There are two names that could be moved by the Braves before the August 31st waiver trade deadline -- Mark Kotsay and Mike Hampton. Kotsay is the more likely of the two to get moved with two possible suitors mentioned by Ken Rosenthal on Saturday's telecast.
The Boston Red Sox have a need for a left-handed hitting outfielder. Their first attempt to add that bat resulted in Brian Giles rejecting the trade. With J.D. Drew now possibly out of action for an extended period of time due to (ironically) back spasims, the Red Sox are seeking backup options, and Kotsay could fill that role.
The Brewers may also have a need for an outfielder, and they have apparently exchanged a name with the Braves, but they would only step up their pursuit if Ryan Braun's rib cage injury worsens.
While Mike Hampton has only started six games in his road back from every injury a pitcher could possibly have, he has tossed two back to back quality starts, and with starting pitching at a premium a playoff team may want to add an additional starter as insurance for the final month of the season.
There's no telling what kind of prospect or player we may be able to get in return for either of these players. Both of them are still owed a good deal of money for the remainder of the season and what we get in return could depend on how much of their remaining salary the Braves would be willing to pick up. Any player we get in return would also likely be a player (or prospect) to be named later, and we would not find out who that is until the end of the season.
If Mark Kotsay is traded, the Braves may move to bring up top-prospect Jordan Schafer from double-A Mississippi -- something they may do anyway when rosters expand in September. After suffering through his 50-game suspension and the stuggles to get up to speed once reinstated, Schafer has been on fire in August, hitting .346 with a .705 slugging percentage.
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yes, trade them...now
the braves play here hallalejah
by tomahawk on Aug 23, 2008 7:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
..ugh..
…Stop with the Schafer love. I mean the kids good, and going to get even better. But getting a 50 game suspension sucked and calling him up in September is just stupid. Call up Josh Anderson and let him roam around if they trade off Kotsay.
Schafer will get here in due time, just not now. Please now. “Hey you served your suspension…congrats! We’ll call you up in September..”
What kind of message would this send?
by RainDelay on Aug 23, 2008 7:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
A message that
the Braves as an organization still has the kid back! Whether he used or not he has served his time will you Schafer haters get over it!
by Jay212033 on Aug 23, 2008 8:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not a hater..
..by any means. But I don’t think he deserves to be called up he’s not ready. A couple of months of being ‘on fire’ doesn’t prove a damn thing. Let him continue to do it, and then send him to either the Arizona Fall League or Winter Ball and let him prove he deserves a shot at the CF next year.
Lets use our heads here and not be a group of fan boys (and girls). lol
by RainDelay on Aug 23, 2008 8:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why?
If your point was that “he’s not ready”, then why did you devote your original comment to “the message” that his promotion would send? Maybe you implicitly stated that the suspension stunted his developement, but you choose to focus on ethics instead. I, for one, don’t want to see him promoted this year; that said, he served his time and, if baseball thinks that’s enough, I’m going to leave it in the past.
Here we go again: http://thefulldeck.blogspot.com/
by ejruiz on Aug 23, 2008 8:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Thats me being..
…horribly distracted.
That said, he isn’t ready. I’ve said this.
And yeah there is a ethics side, with almost 30 players being suspended in the last month alone for PED’s I just don’t think its the right message we should be sending. But hey that’s me and it sounds like it’s only going to be me. I can deal with that, and I’m going to leave it at this.
I just think that a promotion would be viewed the wrong way, where guys can go – hey I’ll do the PED’s – take the 50 game suspension and then if all works out I’ll get a end of the year promotion to the big leagues.
That’s just fishy to me.
by RainDelay on Aug 23, 2008 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't think he's ready anyway
I think people get kinda spoiled by someone like Andruw getting called up so young. Furcal and McCann to an extent too, even though Furcal’s original age was in Dominican years. But if you bring them up when they’re not ready, you might end up with a Francoeur.
by VictorW on Aug 23, 2008 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Lets stop playing commisioner....
and move on! The kid has served his suspension and paid the price set forth by major league baseball. If he does come up this season it would put some of the want-a-be commisioners to bed with it being old news next season. Next season we will still be talking about the suspension when he is called up otherwise. That being said I believs the decision should totally be a baseball decision. We are out of the post season and there are rumblings of clubhouse troubles being printed. Do you really want to start his career off in this loosing situation. I see goods and bads in both ways but I am for moving on to the future with this whole mess of throwing stones!
by bravesfan5 on Aug 23, 2008 8:34 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
…next year isn’t gonna be too much better in regards to winning
Following the Braves...one long hard drink at a time.
by bigjoe on Aug 23, 2008 8:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
How do you guys know......
he’s not ready? Since you guys know he’s not ready, when will he be? He could hit .400 in 300 ABs next year in AAA and come up and hit under .200 in the majors would that mean he’s still not ready? A Sept. call up would be almost like Spring Training and could be the spring board the kid needs to get back on track going into the off-season so don’t say he’s not ready unless your Schafer himself or someone in the Braves Front Office!
by Jay212033 on Aug 23, 2008 9:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I said I think he's not ready
No one’s saying “I know he’s not ready.” We’re just giving our opinions. If you want to use the don’t comment unless you’re the player or the front office argument, then nobody should say anything and we should just delete this site.
He hasn’t had enough at-bats at AA, IMO, and none at AAA. You risk damaging his confidence and development if he falters or if he has mild success without developing plate discipline you risk having him play with a flawed approach. Plus there’s other people ahead of him in development right now, like Josh Anderson and Brandon Jones. And there’s Blanco and Francoeur who are both young and already in the outfield. What kind of message does that send when we let a high ceiling, less developed guy just leapfrog young, more proven talent?
I just don’t see the need to put any risk on his development when we’re not really short on outfielders. I’d rather just take it slow and I don’t think that’ll really hurt him. It’s not like he’s raking it Jay Bruce style in AAA. The front office had the same idea before the season started since they got Kotsay and Anderson just to protect Schafer’s development. The emergence of Blanco just makes things more complicated.
by VictorW on Aug 23, 2008 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Emergence of Blanco? He’s a .260 hitter and a nice 4th OF. Get Schafer up and give him a taste of MLB. As far if he’s ready or not I’ll leave that up to the Braves who see him everyday and have a better idea than posters on a message board. As far as not playing AAA ball big deal. A lot of players today come straight to the bigs from AA like McCann and Frenchy did.
by dwbrave on Aug 23, 2008 10:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
They came up..
…because of injuries and really had no choice in the matter. Again, you bring Schafer up you risk screwing up his development plain and simple. Not to mention like mentioned above, there’s other guys at the head of the line that are more developed and ready to go.
If he’s going to be as good as everyone is predicting, whats it going to hurt to keep him stashed away and let him continue to mash and really show he’s got nothing more to learn at the Minor League level. Because I could bet dollars to dough nuts he’s got a lot more to learn and the minor league leve.
by RainDelay on Aug 23, 2008 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
BA is a bad stat. Blanco has a higher OBP than Ichiro.
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 Aug 25, 2008 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
and...
Raul Ibanez, Carlos Beltran, Josh Hamilton, Randy Winn, Kosuke Fukudome, Luke Scott, Fred Lewis, Shane Victorino, Nate McLouth, Aaron Rowand, Vladimir Guerrero, Nick Swisher, Ken Griffey Jr, Jermaine Dye, David DeJesus, Rick Ankeil, and Matt Kemp.
If only the guy could hit for some power.
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 Aug 25, 2008 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
They brought McCann and Frenchy up because they were ready. And they were. Bringing Schafer up for a little exposure at the end of the season will do absolutely nothing to hurt his development. To suggest it would is ridiculous. It would probably give him and the Braves a better idea of where he is in his development especially as it pertains to next season. This is what the end of the year is for, for those teams out of contention.
by dwbrave on Aug 23, 2008 11:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
francoeur and his sub .230 average was ready?
Following the Braves...one long hard drink at a time.
by bigjoe on Aug 24, 2008 12:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
No they didn't...
…they were brought up to fill holes in a depleted roster, and the Braves didn’t have the confidence of any of the guys at Triple A and if I recall they were both already on the 40man roster. It had nothing to do with being ready – it had all to do about not having enough guys to fill holes of a injury filled roster.
by RainDelay on Aug 24, 2008 1:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well I personally think he should be brought up in September. I think that because is he gonna be playin in the playoffs for Mississippi? I dont think they are maken the playoffs this year so if he doesn’t come up to get a “cup of coffee” then he will be at his home or on a vacation or workin somewhere. He aint gonna be playin no REAL games. Listen I dont believe that Schafer is ready yet, and I would like to see him start off next year in AA and maybe move him up to AAA perhaps before the majors. But this is September and it is a GREAT chance to let these young kids play some MLB games and see what they have to improve on to succeed at the highest level and that is the Majors.
I personally think that Hanson should get called up to. Do I think he is ready? Hell no. But I think it would be HELPFULL to bring him up let him maybe start ONE game at the majors and then the rest out of the bullpen. Just to show him what he needs to work on to succeed in the majors. I think that Hanson should start at AAA next season and then if he is doin good and we need him by mid season then call him up. But callin these guys up in September does NOT hurt them in no way at all. If it does ANYTHING it HELPS them get prepared for the majors. Like I said though I dont think either players should start off next season at the major league level BUT giving them a “cup of coffee” hurts nobody at all. AFL doesnt start until October or November anyway so they can play there when they get done in September.
braves#1
by rockybull on Aug 23, 2008 11:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
My two cents
First, as I’ve said before, I don’t care about previous PED infractions. Something happened, there were consequences, issue over … further punishment in my mind isn’t necessary unless the original issue continues. I understand and respect the views of those who disagree, just wanted to make my views known.
Secondly, I am of the opinion that a September callup would be good for Schafer development wise. As long as it’s known the move is nothing more than to give him a taste of the Major League game and that he’ll likely be right back in AA next spring.. I am in the group who believe he is not ready for a full time major league role, but 30 (ish) days in the Atlanta outfield can go a long way towards showing a player what area’s he really needs to focus on (not that they can’t do it in the minors, I just feel it’s easier to learn your “holes” in the majors). I know the arguments against this theory; starting the arb clock early, exposing a players weakness, destroying their confidence, etc…, but I believe all these take a back seat to development and experience.
by scstrato on Aug 23, 2008 11:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
The only good reason not to bring him up...
…is becuase it will start his option or service time clock. Now, I don’t pretend to know how either of these things work, but I know it could effect what they do with him later.
We need to stop hyperventilating about him losing confidence if he struggles, or the wrong message being sent, or his state of readiness. First, if a guy’s that fragile that some struggles will finish him off, then he won’t be much of MLer, will he? Second, he did the crime (maybe?) and he did his time. Third, he will let us know whether he is ready. None of know the answer to that. If he’s the kind of player that can be a ML star in the future, then getting 100 or so at-bats will be great to let him see what he needs to work on when he goes back to the minors.
by buzzdeadwax on Aug 24, 2008 12:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Service time is not accrued in September as far as I remember.
by 17843 on Aug 25, 2008 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t think it’d really hurt his confidence, it might boost it – getting a promotion to the Major Leagues. However, there are several reasons to not bringing him up. The biggest, his service time. We can look at what the Rays did at the beginning of the year with Evan Longoria and wait a few days after the season starts next year to bring him up. That delays his clock a full year and keeps him around longer.
The second reason would be that it’s already going to be a super crowded outfield come September. Brandon Jones and Josh Anderson will certainly be called up. Diaz might be coming back. That’s three outfielders, plus mix in a little Infante and Norton. If Jordan Schafer does get called up, I doubt we’ll be seeing a lot of him. There’s no real advantage to bringing him up and several disadvantages. I’ll have to go with not bringing up for $300, Alex.
by beeniez on Aug 24, 2008 12:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Another problem..
..is that Schafer IS NOT ON THE 40 MAN. So even for a September call up, someone will have to be removed from it.
by RainDelay on Aug 24, 2008 1:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Easy enough, cut Ridgeway or Tavarez
by scstrato on Aug 24, 2008 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
or desalvo. can’t forget about him.
Following the Braves...one long hard drink at a time.
by bigjoe on Aug 24, 2008 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Another problem
It starts the clock ticking on service time. He says he’s playing winter ball and that should be enough for him to see some ML pitching. He also seems to be kind of emotionally fragile at the moment, judging by the interview. I’d be very careful about bringing him up, and there is, ahem, no real reason to do so. If we were in a pennant race and needed an outfielder, fine. But we’re not.
We’re just playing out the string, so why bother? It could mean the difference between another year of arbitration and free agency.
by Mekons5 on Aug 24, 2008 2:06 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Well
I’m no arbitration expert, but it doesn’t matter when the clock is started unless he is in the majors to stay. Players only accrue ML service time while in the Majors, just being on the 40 man roster does add to service time. So, if we’re right and he’s not ready, bringing him up for 30 days this year then leaving him in the minors for half to 2/3rds of next year means he’ll enter spring training in 2011 still not having a full year of service time. Teams control players through their first 6 years or ML service, so that means he wouldn’t hit free agency until 2017 (please, correct me if I’m wrong). Unless, of course, he becomes Super 2 eligible – but that one’s over my head!
by scstrato on Aug 24, 2008 12:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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