Mark Bowman on winter targets...

Sounds like the club will offer arbitration to both Gonzo and Soriano, and expects to resign neither, nor do they expect to resign LaRoche (indicating a 1 year offer). Also, maybe Wagner or Capps (or both) to replace Soriano and Gonzo? He also seems to think there will be a longer than normal list of non-tendered players to pick from.

16 days ago Mr. Sanchez 19 comments 0 recs |

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Sign Livan Hernandez to close.

Here are Pujols's stats: 1.000/1.000/4.000/5.000. That's right. He is batting a thousand, with a thousand OBP (naturally), and every hit has been a home run, and thus his OPS is a perfect 5.000.

by TradeAndruw on Nov 4, 2009 10:04 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

HA...

especially if Eric Gregg is back behind the plate.

But the Wagner/Capps/Moylan/O’Flaherty/Medlen bullpen I think could be a pretty good one. If Wagner can’t stay healthy, you got Capps, Moylan, and Medlen to possibly turn to, or maybe Capps bounces back to year before last and demands the job allowing a great righty/lefty option for the 6th, 7th and 8th with O’Flaherty/Medlen and Wagner/Moylan.

The thing that caught me most in the article was the indication that the club plans on offering a 1 year deal to LaRoche (or whoever they bring in for 1B). I guess that means they plan on Freddie Freeman being ready by 2011, but it would really limit the options there in 2010.

by Mr. Sanchez on Nov 4, 2009 10:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

wagner wont sign here unless he can close… thats pretty much what he’s said “he wants to close”

Heyward,Hanson,and Shaffer r ready now!! Why do you think they havent signed the "right handed bat"?

by fatazfoot on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM EST

by Swo12bv on Nov 10, 2009 2:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Big mistake.......

You take the sure thing and sign Adam LaRoche for at least a one year deal and a club option for a second. Iam not sold on this Freeman kid yet and whats the worse that can happen? He stays in the minor leagues one more year? Sign Adam, let Gonzo go and get Capps….Soriano and Capps is a deadly bullpen combo. or how about Soriano/Gonzo/Capps

by AlRoBraves95 on Nov 4, 2009 11:38 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

“how about Soriano/Gonzo/Capps”

How about getting some offense.

Here are Pujols's stats: 1.000/1.000/4.000/5.000. That's right. He is batting a thousand, with a thousand OBP (naturally), and every hit has been a home run, and thus his OPS is a perfect 5.000.

by TradeAndruw on Nov 4, 2009 11:53 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ugh…why do people think that it is so important to have a big-name closer that costs millions of dollars?

"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."

by justincredubil02 on Nov 4, 2009 12:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

from the article..

it seems like both the mentioned options would be of the cheap variety. From the article, it doesn’t sound like a big offer anywhere—1 yr for 1B, a stop gap OF depending on Heyward, and then hope a closer comes to us if the market for them is dried up?

by Mr. Sanchez on Nov 4, 2009 12:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I wasn’t really referring to the article though, more the posts here and in the article…people are like “resign Soriano” or “Sign this big-name closer”. I just think chasing closers is a dumb idea…in fact, has it ever really worked out for any team? Most dominant closers were not acquired to be such….right?

"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."

by justincredubil02 on Nov 4, 2009 5:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Francisco Cordero… wokred out pretty well twice now…from the Rangers to the Brewers… then signed by the Reds

Heyward,Hanson,and Shaffer r ready now!! Why do you think they havent signed the "right handed bat"?

by fatazfoot on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM EST

by Swo12bv on Nov 10, 2009 2:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

How about no to Capps?

Honestly, I don’t see what a lot of people are apparently seeing in Matt Capps. Is it because he’s another local Georgia boy? If so—who cares? Career-wise, his numbers aren’t particularly impressive. Batters are hitting him well, he’s coming off of career-high WHIP, walks, an awful K/BB rate, and if it means anything, a career high in ERA.

“Closer” for the Pirates is like middle relief for everyone else. Seriously, I honestly think the Braves have middle relievers better than Capps. And if the Braves were to seriously acquire him, that’s probably where he’d belong – and facing only righties. His splits don’t do him any justice.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Nov 4, 2009 12:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

This. +1

by J-Freak on Nov 4, 2009 4:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

+1000

by hoboken_wood on Nov 4, 2009 4:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Not disagreeing with your points. I just think it’s ironic that the last Pirates “Closer” we got was a pretty good one, Mike Gonzalez.

by ajones2522 on Nov 5, 2009 8:59 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

You want to know the real irony?

Way too much is put into Gonzo’s 24/24 save season with the Pirates. He was downright filthy for the Pirates that year, but the fact of the matter is that his 2006 numbers don’t hold a candle to his production with the Braves, where he has been, bouncing back between set-up and closing.

Since coming to the Braves and being for the most part, middle relief, he has notched career bests in IP, WHIP, Ks, K/9, and K/BB.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Nov 5, 2009 10:01 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Call me crazy, but I’d rather have Gonzo than Soriano.

"My team of nine guys who hit like Albert Pujols and never ever bunt just beat your team with one Shane Victorino 472 to 3."

by justincredubil02 on Nov 5, 2009 12:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You're not crazy

I’ve been saying that ever since Soriano came back and was handed the closer duties on a silver platter, despite the fact that Gonzo had been doing just fine thank you very much. I cringed and wondered what could have been every time Soriano gave up a gamewinner to Ethier, Gload, etc… I’ve been saying for a couple of months, offer Soriano arb (he’ll get a multi-year offer, it seems an incredibly small risk to get the two draft picks) and let him walk, make every attempt to resign Gonzo. Only time will tell…

by J-Freak on Nov 6, 2009 2:09 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

you do realize outside of faltering towards the end.. Soriano was head and shoulders above Gonzo (which is seriously saying something bc Gonzo was nasty this year)

Heyward,Hanson,and Shaffer r ready now!! Why do you think they havent signed the "right handed bat"?

by fatazfoot on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM EST

by Swo12bv on Nov 10, 2009 2:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Off-season moves

I think if we can make these moves we will be a much better team not only next season but for the future.

1. get the Hudson deal hammered out
2. Offer Arbitration to Gonzo, Soriano, and Anderson.
3. Only Gonzo might accept and you will receive compensation for the other 2
4. Trade Derek Lowe for Derek Lee
5. Try and deal Kelly Johnson and or Ryan Church for what every you can get
6. Work out at least a 2 year deal with Gonzo and make him the closer.
7. Make offers to Xavier Nady, Jermaine Dye, Vladimir Guerrero, and Mike Cameron and see if one bites. We need at least one of these 4 and all can play LF and are RH hitters to hit between Chipper and McCann.
8. sign Chad Cordero to a minor league deal and give him an invite to spring training
9. offer David Weathers and JJ Putz contracts and see if either on bites.

How does this lineup look
1. McLouth
2. Prado
3. CHipper
4. Lee
5. McCann
6. Escobar
7. Cameron
8. Diaz
9. Pitcher

Bench: Ross, Infante, Canizares, Nady, and Conrad

Rotation
1. Vasquez
2. Hudson
3. Jurrjens
4. Hanson
5. Kawakami

Bullpen
Closer: Gonzalez
Set-up: Moylan
Set-up: O’Flaretty
Set:up: Weathers/Putz
MR: Medlen
MR: Logan

by mauck98 on Nov 7, 2009 1:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

why the hell would we offer arb to Anderson, he’ll accept our offer and we’ll be stuck with him again
you cant offer less than a 20% reduction in pay… meaning our offer would be for $2M

i dont dislike the ideas of offering contracts to Cordero or Weathers, bc they are low risk offers….but i severely question their ability to succeed.

and i do like the Lee idea, but he’s nto good enough to be the 4 hitter we need, but he’ll be serviceable

i appreciate that for the most part you’ve remained within the constraints of our payroll (although glossing over it appears we increased our payroll a couple Million, depending on the Cameron offer and offers to relievers. I think this team is about equal to the team we had on the field towards the end of the year in 09 and that team was doing pretty well.

Heyward,Hanson,and Shaffer r ready now!! Why do you think they havent signed the "right handed bat"?

by fatazfoot on Jan 7, 2009 8:59 PM EST

by Swo12bv on Nov 10, 2009 2:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs