Monday, January 26, 2009

maybe its just me...

But, i'm not currently ready to announce the Braves as playoff contenders just yet. While they have taken care of their number one need this offseason by signing Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami to major league contracts and trading for Javier Vazquez there are a number of lingering needs and upgrades necessary to make this big league ballclub a very competitive team in '09; Namely, a big bat to put in the middle of the lineup between Chipper and Mac, preferably a RH hitting left fielder. While baseball pundits will tell this ball club to look at an Adam Dunn or a Bobby Abreu (both costing the club 2 drafts picks because they are both type A free agents), I see a few problems with that logic. Number one being that they are both left handed hitters. While Abreu swings for a better average and is a superior defender over Dunn, both are in the downturn of their careers. Ever since jinxing himself by winning the '03 homerun derby Abreu has never been able to replicate the same power swing that made him a mainstay and perennial All-Star in Philadelphia. Dunn is a power hitting behemoth whom strikes out a ton. Didn't Atlanta just get rid of a guy like that? We don't need another Andruw Jones. Speaking of Jones, as much of a fan favorite as Jones was, its hard for me to consider giving him anything above a minor league deal at this point...or, at the most, a major league contract paying the minimum. The 2nd problem being that both will command a considerable amount and a number of years that the Braves aren't willing to fork over at this point. They are simply looking for a stop gap to the next batch of hungry minor league players. There are a number of superior alternatives to Abreu and Dunn on other clubs...

1) Nick Swisher/Xavier Nady - pick your poison. Many will tell you that Nady is the superior offensive and defensive player...and they would be right in that assumption. However, Swisher is signed through '11. My guess is that the Braves will make a push for Swisher...assuming that they can dump his back-loaded salary once they deem new fan favorite Jason Heyward ready to make the jump to the majors in the 2nd half of the '10 season. I just HOPE and pray to the almighty one that they don't trade away more good prospects for immediate payoff this season.

2) Jeremy Hermida/Ryan Ludwick/Corey Hart/Rick Ankiel/Magglio Ordonez/Jermaine Dye/Nate McClouth - any one of these guys would be a huge upgrade over the possible current platoon of Matt Diaz and Brandon Jones. The preferred favorites to come to Atlanta would be Ludwick, Ordonez, or Dye. The sentimental pick would be Dye because he began his career in Atlanta and was later traded for someone...now whom could that player be?? Ozzie Guillen?? no, but that would've certainly been ironic. I see Atlanta making a push for big name soon but, it may not be any of these guys which makes me kind of sad to see Atlanta going into season without a big name to put in the middle of their order.

3) Manny Ramirez - now, I know there is no way in hell he will end up a Brave but I say 'why not?' He is a Right-Handed power hitting run producer almost any team would salivate over to have in the middle of their lineup. He puts up a great average, huge OPS, RBI's, Runs scored and homeruns. He's hard to strike out and a fun guy to boot. Forget his antics off the field and his off color comments and look at the statistics. This guy could reinvigorate Turner Field and Braves fans. After a dismal offseason marred by the general manager and the Braves ball club being spurned by a number of high profile free agents isn't Manny the type of run producer and stopgap the Braves desperately need. The Phillies and Mets won't back down any time soon. Why not show the eastern division that the Braves aren't simply ready to lay down and die. Bring in Manny. Let Manny be Manny and let him bring the Braves back to the playoffs. Chipper Jones can no longer put the Braves on his back.

A few other needs the Braves currently need are a established Left Handed reliever and they can fulfill this easily if Will Ohman re-signs with them. They may eventually have his services back in Atlanta because the free agent market has all but frozen prices for top name free agents. The Braves can't go into the season with a left handed duet of Boone Logan and Eric O'Flaherty.

Re-signing Tom Glavine needs to remain a priority for this club. I know that the Braves have a plethora of prospects waiting in the wings to make the jump and build upon last years statistics. As evidenced by last season, however, you can never have TOO much pitching on your major league ballclub. Even if Glavine proves worthless down the homestretch, they have Tommy Hanson, James Parr, Jo-Jo Reyes, Charlie Morton and Jorge Campillo all ready to fill the large shoes of Tommy Glavine. The fans will not be so forgiving if we lose another fixture in the Braves clubhouse this offseason.

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