Braves Interested in Free Agent Xavier Nady
In his latest blog notes column, Mark Bowman says that the Atlanta Braves may have interest in outfielder Xavier Nady. The Braves are attempting to ascertain the status of Nady's surgically repaired elbow after he underwent Tommy John Surgery last year. Nady is apparently also interested in the Braves, so once Atlanta determines if his elbow is healthy a deal could be worked out quickly.
Nady has played both left and right field, so he could be an option to fill one of the power voids at the corner outfield spots. He has also played some first base in his career, and the Braves may be looking at him for that role, especially coming off of elbow surgery.
Nady would be a low-cost right-handed bat for the Braves. While not ideal, he could serve as the Braves cleanup hitter, but he has mainly hit fifth or sixth in his career.
0 recs |
156 comments
|
Comments
Where’s the reward? Dude is a 1 WAR player pre-surgery with low pop and below-average defense.
If Albert played in the AFL, they’d have to rename it the AZ/NM Fall League, based on where his homers landed.
4 WAR in 2008
That’s the upside. Or, 5 WAR more than FUGA last year.
He’s not the best available option, but he could be pretty good.
WARs
2003 1.2
2004 0.0
2005 0.8
2006 0.4
2007 0.8
2008 4.0
2009 -0.1
Like I said below, I don’t have a problem with throwing $500k or even $1M down the hole for this guy, but realize 9 times out of 10 you’re better off just grabbing a match and lighting your money on fire.
If Albert played in the AFL, they’d have to rename it the AZ/NM Fall League, based on where his homers landed.
by Yakker on Dec 9, 2009 1:37 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
And reward is perhaps you get that 1 out of 10...
who is healthy and hitting. Hell, even if he can play well for the first 3 months before going down with an injury, that buys the time most seem to feel is needed for Heyward or Schafer in AAA.
his best season was actually '08...
by far he played in 148 games w/ stats of .357/.510/.867, 25 hrs, 97 rbi, i’ll take that from a braves cleanup hitter next year, that is if he returns to form, I dont think he’s any more far fetched than someone like Troy Glaus or Conor Jackson another couple of high-reward low-risk guys.
we dont want him to return to form his form is not 08… his form is everything else in his career, we want him to over exceed his abilities and post 08 nbrs (whihc isnt likely)
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
Glaus has some pretty solid numbers in his career...
in 12 seasons,7 have over 550 ABs, 2 more over 300 ABs, 8 seasons with 20 or more HRs, including every one of those years with the 500+ ABs. If he’s healthy from the shoulder, at least at the plate, his level of production and power is exactly what everyone has been clamoring for. I certainly wouldn’t consider a 25-30+ HR year from him as “far-fetched”.
Nady and Conor Jackson wish they had his career numbers.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/glaustr01.shtml
Matt Holliday...
One can only hope.
Any chance we could make a play for him if we dumped Lowe and Soriano’s salaries?
Actually
If they unload Lowe and Soriano without eating any salary, they might be able to afford Holliday… or Bay. Holliday is better suited to the NL, based on what he did in Oakland last season, but that could have been mostly because of the new batting stance.
I’d like to see the Braves get Fernando Perez from the Rays and try him as a leadoff hitter, great speed, solid D, can bunt for hits.
Maybe also Rocco Baldelli as a backup at OF/1B/PH/DH(in AL parks)
by Blue or CONKZILLA on Dec 9, 2009 4:00 AM EST up reply actions
I wouldn’t trust Perez over a full season. He’s a nice backup though.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
Perez
He can hit, he’s just never had the chance to play here with the Rays, because of the current OF, he was going to get the chance in "09 until he broke his wrist.
Also, he’s faster than Crawford and Upton…which says alot about his speed, he’s also a solid glove guy.
by Blue or CONKZILLA on Dec 9, 2009 4:09 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, I know him, I’ve seen him play a lot in AAA, that’s where I’m making my assessment from. He’s a nice player, definitely one of the better defensive subs/pinch runners you could possibly find, but I’m telling you, from my perspective, he wouldn’t last as a hitter over a full season.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
Hence Schafer and Heyward waiting in the wings...
so it could be at worst a half season trial run if he proved Carlos Gomez like.
If Xavier Nady becomes our cleanup hitter, I fuckin quit.
by J-Freak on Dec 8, 2009 9:29 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
haha
"Hey Fat Kid...the monster is right behind you! RUNNNN!!" -The Host
by bwellnjonesco on Dec 8, 2009 9:56 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
nice
"SIGN PUJOLS OR FIRE WREN" ~ Swo12bv
by Smoltz's Beard on Dec 9, 2009 10:08 AM EST up reply actions
Maybe so but Boras always seems to drive the price very high…can’t we get someone with less injury risk, similar stats but with less money?
We haven’t overpaid for a Boras guy yet, so let’s give him a chance…
"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 Dec 8, 2009 10:14 PM EST up reply actions
IIRC, Lowe actually outperformed his contract…or, am I way off here?
"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 Dec 8, 2009 10:42 PM EST up reply actions
Ah, gracias.
"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 Dec 8, 2009 10:48 PM EST up reply actions
Why are you okay with Nady...
…and so against Cameron, gondee? Yeah, Nady will be cheaper, but that’s about it. I am not sure why he can be the clean-up hitter when Cameron is a “bottom of the order” hitter. Nady is a poor defender at both corners. He could be an option to replace Church who can play for a couple of months and shift to 4th OF/backup 1B when Heyward comes up, but that’s about it. If he ends up costing more than Church would, I don’t know what the point is—-Nady’s a bit better hitter, but defensively worse than Church, so I don’t know if that swap is an upgrade at all.
THIS
A thousand times this. In his one decent season Nady posted up numbers comparable to a bad Cameron year, and yet, even though MC is no Jose Reyes, Cameron put up 11 SBs last year, comared to the 2 or 3 Nady puts up, and Nady’s negative defensive values is miles behind MC’s work. He’ll be cheaper, and for good reason- he’s a huge injury risk and he SUCKS. I really hope FW is smart enough not to even try this.
Exactly what I was
getting at with my earlier post
FING THIS
Cameron is a way better, more reliable option IMO for a number of reasons. When is Wren gonna start reading this blog?
"Sometimes I wonder what'd it be like to be outside and not hear the birds chirping...I think it'd be kind of nice."
by alligatorimpersonator on Dec 8, 2009 9:54 PM EST up reply actions
Maximum number of games played in his career: 148 (2008). Second best: 130. Average? under 100. Makes Chipper look like Cal Ripkin.
It hasn't been that much injury, however...
…except for last year for Nady. He started not being an every day player and has spent most years not being an everyday player. He is still an injury question mark given the surgery, but I think mostly he just isn’t that good.
Hello, common sense.
"SIGN PUJOLS OR FIRE WREN" ~ Swo12bv
by Smoltz's Beard on Dec 9, 2009 10:19 AM EST up reply actions
Main difference...
price tag. At least from a Braves perspective.
Cameron is a very good player, but is he what we need now and going forward? Can we get a better impact for our money considering what we already have and what we don’t have?
Is he what we need now? Yes.
Is he what we need going forward? Beyond 2010, no.
Can we get better impact for our money? No.
"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 Dec 9, 2009 10:25 AM EST up reply actions
exactly
Based on the assumption that he’d be ale to return to his old form as he did after returning from his first surgery, he’d definitely be worth a 2-3 mil. 1 year deal about what we were paying Church, Cameron could cost upwards of 3 times that much.
Cameron might be better all around but 3 times better than Nady of ‘06-’08, clearly not.
I was talking about Cameron though, and how Cameron is the best option…
"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 Dec 9, 2009 7:51 PM EST up reply actions
And that's not to say I disagree with you...
all else being equal, I’d take Cameron over Nady and not think twice. He’ll, I’d love both considering Nady could play 1st or at worst be a solid pinch hitter and bench option for 1st and corner OF. But all things aren’t equal. They have demands, and we have needs elsewhere to fill with limited funds.
Of course, there are two unknowns in this equation. 1) Expected timeline for Schafer and Heyward, and 2) Liberty Media’s payroll cap
Depends on the price tag
I’d like someone who brings some defensive value, but he WAS really good in 2008. So, I dunno.
I think Wren is considering him right now
For the simple fact that he has not moved Soriano and/or Lowe’s hefty contracts yet and doesn’t know for sure if he will this offseason. So right now, I think his only options are in the “bargain bin” which includes guys like Nady.
Is it uncommon for outfielders to have Tommy John Surgery? And does anyone know why his elbow got blown out?
I’m still on the Mike Cameron wagon. Everyone’s already talked about his superior defense. Offensively, there’s not too significant a difference (Nady a bit more slugging, Cameron more speed) , but I do like the fact that Cameron seems to stay healthier than Nady – at least for the past four seasons.
I’m just concerned that we get Nady hoping for him to replicate his 2008 season and getting something short of that. With Cameron, it seems like you know what you’ll get.
Somebody put a hit on Boras.
Somebody around here is more anal than the mom on 7th heaven. Freakin' A. lol
(self-appointed President of Yunel's Cartel~~~)
by Chief Noc-A-Homa on Dec 8, 2009 10:24 PM EST reply actions
wow…
"SIGN PUJOLS OR FIRE WREN" ~ Swo12bv
by Smoltz's Beard on Dec 9, 2009 10:34 AM EST up reply actions
A Few More Rumors from MLBTR/ESPN
- Frank Wren was seen talking to Glavine’s agent about a possible FO job with the Braves. This one comes from Buster Olney, who saw the conversation.
- Braves interested in Ross Gload, who is close to reaching a deal with a NLE team.
"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 Dec 8, 2009 10:39 PM EST reply actions
Well at least Gload...
…would be an upgrade on Norton. I assume that’s the roster spot he would take.
oh well
its dumb to spend that money on a bench player. Barbaro and BJones could do the exact same job.
In Frank Wren I trust.
Ross deserves more time...
a) because he’s actually a decent hitter
b) McCann could use a little more rest to have him healthier and playing better for a playoff push in August/September
Terrible
If we ant someone with mediocre power and outfield/infield versitility why not DeRosa who would at least be a guy who can play everywhere and hang around for a few years without the injury risk…
Because Derosa wants...
3 years at $9m per. Nady would be assumed MUCH cheaper, and for only 1 year.
I wouldnt mind Nady but it depends on the price and his role. If he’s not any cheaper than Church was and he’s gonna be our cleanup hitter then no way. But if he’s just a piece (i.e we’re also getting a better bat) and he proves to be healthy then I kind of like it. What else is out there that’s not gonna cost either a boatload of money or a boatload of prospects?
That's the key.
If he is more expensive than Church would have been, why bother?
If he's more expensive than Church...
I’d assume we’d pass and the entire premise is based on him being cheaper than Church. Maybe an Andruw like deal of 1 yr, $1m base which can go up significantly on incentives for games played.
That's fine with me.
And maybe the way to go in the OF since Heyward will likely be up sooner or later.
Decent Choice for the money.
Decent pickup should the Braves grab him b/c of his price tag; I mean we are going to have to save some money and really so far it looks as if LaRoache coming back is not really in the cards unless he is willing to accept a one year deal. We are truly looking for a stop gap solution at 1B this season and Nady fits the bill. Nady can also be a spot OF and lets not forgot in 2008 he hit 25 hr’s and had what 89 or so RBI’s.
Plus even if LaRoache or someone else is brought in then we still have acquired a great spot/bench player.
Nady + Vet’s Min Salary = Decent pickup (provided that his elbow is healthy)
Report is way off however b/c Nady is no Cleanup hitter period.
by Holty_Panthers_Fan on Dec 8, 2009 11:23 PM EST reply actions
Are you really suggesting that Nady is going to sign for the veteran’s minimum? He should be relatively cheap but not THAT cheap.
what exactly is this “veteran’s minimum” that i have seen people throwing around lately?
"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 Dec 8, 2009 11:42 PM EST up reply actions
Do you get a bonus for being a professional hitter?
"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 Dec 8, 2009 11:57 PM EST up reply actions
And Beer League softballers
"…aren’t worthy enough to hold his (Pujols) ass cheeks apart while Playboy models wipe him with thousand dollar bills after he craps out the cure to whatever previously-incurable disease." by royhobbs 1/7/09
Nobody is better than
Mark “Dirt” Lemke
by Blue or CONKZILLA on Dec 9, 2009 4:04 AM EST up reply actions
Especially if you throw the P in...
Cause Mark’s soo fly.
More importantly, Mike Cameron > Xavier Nady
"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 Dec 8, 2009 11:43 PM EST up reply actions
Finally someone points this out
+1
"…aren’t worthy enough to hold his (Pujols) ass cheeks apart while Playboy models wipe him with thousand dollar bills after he craps out the cure to whatever previously-incurable disease." by royhobbs 1/7/09
No no no
Mike Cameron. Mike Cameron. Mike Cameron.
His 24HRS in 2009 would’ve been tops on the Braves. Who cares if he’s a kinda old.
Nady doesn’t do anything for us.
In Frank Wren I trust.
i sense half sarcasm half seriousness
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
I’m serious about Mike Cameron. I’ve been a supporter since day 1.
And obviously Nady would help us out a bit…but he’s had one, maybe 2 good seasons. I’d rather just let Heyward tear it up from day 1
In Frank Wren I trust.
I think Nady would be a good pickup for ATL
ONLY if Wren acquires more than just him, like Cameron too or maybe Atkins anyone?
no.
Albert Pujols. We’ll just send the Cardinals the city of Atlanta or something…
Make it happen Frank!
In Frank Wren I trust.
no
b/c the Rams will be good in 3-4 years. The Falcons….ummmmm
by apoxonbothyourhouses on Dec 9, 2009 12:36 AM EST up reply actions
you could say the same thing about the panthers
but no bodies really saying it its more like oh they suck
by carolinabrave89 on Dec 9, 2009 3:55 PM EST up reply actions
Haha that’s not worth much. I drafted Matt Ryan as my starting QB in fantasy football…FML.
At least I drafted 78 year old Brett Favre to be his backup.
In Frank Wren I trust.
by mvhsbball on Dec 9, 2009 12:38 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
i got MJD
in the first and Rodgers in the 2nd not to mention Dallas Clark in the 3rd and Miles Austin i picked up on Waivers the 2nd week of the season. I traded away Boldin and Hester for Forte and picked up the Eagles D.
needless to say, I’m winning my fantasy football league.
by apoxonbothyourhouses on Dec 9, 2009 2:38 AM EST up reply actions
I traded Forte for Chris Johnson and Wes Welker a few days after my draft. Yahhh buddy.
In Frank Wren I trust.
by mvhsbball on Dec 9, 2009 10:19 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
you must be in a league of retards.
"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 Dec 9, 2009 10:25 AM EST up reply actions
I can't believe...
Someone just tooted their own horn about trading FOR Forte this year? And you’re winning your league? Hmmm.
Reread the sentence.
"SIGN PUJOLS OR FIRE WREN" ~ Swo12bv
by Smoltz's Beard on Dec 9, 2009 10:45 AM EST up reply actions
dumbasssss
People were all over Forte’s nuts last season. NFL.com had him as the #2 RB.
In Frank Wren I trust.
well
it’s guys I work with and go to school with and most of em follow football closely. Not everyone is perfect like you
In Frank Wren I trust.
Dude, chill…You yourself were making out like you totally ripped the guy off, and I was just agreeing with you.
Anyone who thinks Forte is worth what you got in return is stupid.
If you really want to know, I may miss the playoffs in all 4 of my leagues this season…
"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 Dec 9, 2009 7:53 PM EST up reply actions
Hopefully
Frank doesn’t sign Nady. We already have a better version of him in Matt Diaz. Neither are gold golve canidates, both are RH 15-20 HR guys. Wonder if/when we get that RH big bat for LF if they’ll ask Matt to play some 1B in Spring Training.
I don’t see why we would take the risk for so little a possible reward.
It depends on the risk.
If Nady is willing to sign for $2 million or so, that isn’t much risk and what the hell. But, I don’t see any point if he is going to be $3 million or more—-we just DFA’d Ryan Church.
Nady would not replace Diaz.
I think the Braves are happy with Diaz as one of the OF’s. He would fill the third OF spot until Heyward comes up, and play some 1B depending on who we sign there.
We only have one Diaz...
and could use someone to play the other corner OF spot unless Heyward/Schafer are going to be on the opening day roster, or to play 1B.
Diaz has absolutely no bearing on this discussion unless we can create a clone to play LF, and another to play 1st.
And really, if we had two...
…the defense could get pretty ugly. And yet still better than Diaz in right and Anderson in left like last year. shudder
Ken Rosenthal’s Twitterfeed: “Add Angels to list of teams on R. Soriano. Astros, Orioles also involved. Soriano’s permission required – could effectively pick team.”
haha Pence kinda, scares me though...
his game is effective, but still just plain ugly to watch. He looks as though his approach might lead to some slumps at the plate. No real evidence to prove this though, just a weird thought i guess.
I am pretty sure we don't get anything of that caliber for Soriano...
…but it would be nice.
after analyzing fangraphs, it's close
but you have a point. It’s not hard to project Reimold will be as good as Pence next year with more team control. Without looking it up I thought it would be a no brainer for Pence, but he seems a tad overrated after the hype surrounding his Francoeur like call up.
Did you consider defense?
If Albert played in the AFL, they’d have to rename it the AZ/NM Fall League, based on where his homers landed.
I considered these:
“I consulted the Fan Scouting Report. He received a 2.91 overall (on a 1-5 scale). His highest rating was arm strength (3.6), his lowest reaction/instincts (2.3).”
“He struggled with an achilles problem all year, and that could have been one of the reasons he struggled some this year. That being said I don’t think he’ll ever be more than average. He has very surprising straight line speed (as his SB% will attest to) but he takes some poor routes and doesn’t get good jumps. He does have a plus arm for left.”
“Reimold was used almost exclusively as a RF in the O’s minors, for whatever reason. He was learning left on the job in Baltimore. He certainly didn’t take to the position too quickly, but if he recovers fully from his surgery, I expect that he can show average range/instincts with a plus arm. He showed great work ethic his first year with the O’s, so I’d expect that he’ll put a lot of work into it.”
“Reimold played the whole year with a partially attached (I think 25% attached) achilles. I believe that Reimold said he was running on the side of the foot instead of running normally. His range should increase but by how much is the question.
He was shut down early so that he could have enough recovery time from the surgery to be able to play in spring training”
So I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt there and say that his favorable contract makes him attractive despite his ugly UZR last year.
Reimold played RF in the minors because he was athletic enough with a good enough arm to do so, then switched to LF this year, starting in AAA, because they felt he would get called up at some point but there was no way they were going to move Markakis from RF.
I wrote a novel, it's about baseball, you should buy it: https://www.createspace.com/3407939
www.dropoutproductions.com
Actually, I was talking about Pence’s defense and position.
If Albert played in the AFL, they’d have to rename it the AZ/NM Fall League, based on where his homers landed.
Common knowledge Pence is a good fielder
this was for comparison, since that’s what makes any “this person” vs “that person” debate worth discussing.
Right. Maybe we’re missing each other, but I was wondering how you could analyze fangraphs and see the comparison between Pence and Reimold as close, because to me it’s a no-brainer for Pence. Pence plays a harder position, plays it better, and provides similar offensive production. Even as crappy as his offense has been the last two years, Pence is consistently a 3 WAR player. And if Pence somehow gets back to his 380ish wOBA of his rookie season (notably, better than Reimold’s 365ish wOBA from 2009, his rookie season), he’s going to be worth his weight in gold.
I understand that Reimold’s got 2 extra years of control, but I don’t think that even comes to close to making up the gap.
If Albert played in the AFL, they’d have to rename it the AZ/NM Fall League, based on where his homers landed.
You guys really think the Braves could get Reimold or Pence for Soriano? Controlled young major league hitters for a tough below market priced close who has to be traded?
by Dutch Braves Fan on Dec 9, 2009 10:59 AM EST reply actions
Not really likely
But I wouldn’t put anything past those 2 gms. We have a lot of tradable pieces to add to make a deal work,….. a straight up Soriano for Reimold/Pence shouldn’t be a fair trade, you’re right.

by 




















