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  1. #1
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    2012 Atlanta Braves

    Never to early to start the thread as this caught my eye today in the Raleigh N&O with a Detroit Free Press by-line and an AP bottom line:

    "The Braves avoided arbitration, agreeing to one year deals with outfielder Michael Bourn for $6.845 million, starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens for $5.5 million and reliever Eric O'Flaherty for $2.49 million."

    What do the Atlanta folks and more knowledgeable MLB fans think of these players/contracts?
    [redacted] them and the horses they rode in on.

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by devildeac View Post
    Never to early to start the thread as this caught my eye today in the Raleigh N&O with a Detroit Free Press by-line and an AP bottom line:

    "The Braves avoided arbitration, agreeing to one year deals with outfielder Michael Bourn for $6.845 million, starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens for $5.5 million and reliever Eric O'Flaherty for $2.49 million."

    What do the Atlanta folks and more knowledgeable MLB fans think of these players/contracts?
    All three are solid, I think. O'Flaherty's numbers will probably never be as good as they were last season, as it took a bit of luck as well as skill to have a sub 1.00 ERA. However, the Braves are essentially paying him a bit for last season's performance when he was under-payed, so no big deal. Jurrjens deal is actually better than I thought it would be. If I'm not mistaken, there are some incentives that could spike his contract to beyond $6 Million if he reaches 160,180, and 200 IP. Bourn's contract is also not bad considering how much we payed McLouth. The real question of the offseason for the Braves is whether or not Jurrjens and Prado get traded, and if so, for whom. I think Jurrjens gets moved as the wealth of young pitching the Braves have makes it worth the slight risk in relying more heavily on Teheran, Minor, and/or Delgado this season. All three of those have good peripherals. The rotation would be young, but even if Hanson's arm troubles continue, Hudson, Beachy (who is very underrated), and the three youngsters would win a lot of games. As a team, the thing I'm most concerned about is the lack of high OBP guys in the lineup and infield defense. With the rookie taking over at short, we now either average or below average at 3b, SS, 2b, and first base in terms of range. Chippers solid, but too old to cover much ground. Uggla's defensive shortcomings are well documented. Assuming Uggla and Heyward perform better at the plate, Freeman perhaps has a slight sophomore slump, Chipper is solid in 130 games, and Bourn gives us a better option at the top of the order, the lineup will be slightly improved, but not to the point that we won't have to win a lot of low scoring games while relying on our pitching to get the job done. I think infield defense could be key in 3-5 games next year. You don't have to remind Braves fans how much of a difference 1 game, let alone 3-5, can make.

  3. #3

    Braves

    Quote Originally Posted by devildeac View Post
    Never to early to start the thread as this caught my eye today in the Raleigh N&O with a Detroit Free Press by-line and an AP bottom line:

    "The Braves avoided arbitration, agreeing to one year deals with outfielder Michael Bourn for $6.845 million, starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens for $5.5 million and reliever Eric O'Flaherty for $2.49 million."

    What do the Atlanta folks and more knowledgeable MLB fans think of these players/contracts?
    Hey, it's not my money ... why do I care if they got O'Flaherty for $2.49 million or $3.49 million? Until it gets to the point where your teamis flirting with the luxury tax (and the Braves aren't close to that), I'm not going to get too excited about deals like this. It's not like O'Flaherty, Bourn and Jurrjens were free agents. They weren't going to play anywhere else.

    I'm actually a little disappointed at the Braves' offseason. What have they done to improve the team ... one that came within a late-season collpse of making the playoffs?

    There really hasn't been a substantial addition unless you consider the deals to dump Derek Lowe, Alex Gonzales and Nate McLouth addition by subtraction. I guess they are hoping:

    (1) they'll have better health in their starting rotation. Certainly injuries here led to the collapse last season and the too-heavy reliance on the best bullpen in baseball (up to September). I suppose its reasonable to gamble that guys like Hansen and Jurrjens and the aging Hudson will be able to go the entire season this time.

    (2) better offense with Bourn in the leadoff position all year and (please, god!) a bounceback year for Heyward (and no sophomore slump for Freeman).

    (3) Substantial rookie contributions from Pasternicky at SS and maybe Delgado and Teheran in the rotation/bullpen. A year ago, the Braves got more from their rookies (Freeman, Kimbrell, Ventors, Beachy) than anybody in baseball. Can they get the same talent infusion this season?

    (4) Chipper has to have one more decent year in him. Last year -- at age 39 -- he played in 126 games and had an .814 OPS -- one of only two Braves over .800 (McCann at .817 was the other). Can he match that at age 40?

    An awful lot has to go right to make this a better team than the one that won 89 games last year.

  4. #4
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    I am SO not ready to get on this treadmill . . . .

  5. #5
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    Northern VA
    General question:

    In the central North Carolina/Durham area, what is the favorite MLB team?

    It seems to me that the Nationals, who almost put their stadium in the state of Virginia after all, are the closest - at about 250mi/4hrs - vs Braves at closer to 400 mi/6hrs. Especially with Atlanta having pulled their AAA franchise out of Richmond, it would seem that more fans would gravitate to the closest team. Also, the Nats are pretty clearly "up and coming" with a locked-in core of young studs like Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Jordan Zimmermann, Ryan Zimmerman, Morse, Werth, and now Gio Gonzalez. Regardless of whether they sign Fielder, this is a squad whose future is looking extremely bright over the coming 5 years.

    I realize that a decade ago the Braves were the only "southern" team to root for. But do y'all see the fan-following pendulum swinging in NC these days? This discussion could be colored by what the Braves do in the next few years. Neither team made the playoffs last year. And predictions seem mixed for 2012 in the very tough NL East, after Philly at number 1 in all likelihood.

  6. #6
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    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by -bdbd View Post
    General question:

    In the central North Carolina/Durham area, what is the favorite MLB team?

    It seems to me that the Nationals, who almost put their stadium in the state of Virginia after all, are the closest - at about 250mi/4hrs - vs Braves at closer to 400 mi/6hrs. Especially with Atlanta having pulled their AAA franchise out of Richmond, it would seem that more fans would gravitate to the closest team. Also, the Nats are pretty clearly "up and coming" with a locked-in core of young studs like Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Jordan Zimmermann, Ryan Zimmerman, Morse, Werth, and now Gio Gonzalez. Regardless of whether they sign Fielder, this is a squad whose future is looking extremely bright over the coming 5 years.

    I realize that a decade ago the Braves were the only "southern" team to root for. But do y'all see the fan-following pendulum swinging in NC these days? This discussion could be colored by what the Braves do in the next few years. Neither team made the playoffs last year. And predictions seem mixed for 2012 in the very tough NL East, after Philly at number 1 in all likelihood.
    Nats should concentrate on becoming the most popular team in DC first. It's going to take a few years of success just to get to *that* point.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Olympic Fan View Post
    Hey, it's not my money ... why do I care if they got O'Flaherty for $2.49 million or $3.49 million? Until it gets to the point where your teamis flirting with the luxury tax (and the Braves aren't close to that), I'm not going to get too excited about deals like this. It's not like O'Flaherty, Bourn and Jurrjens were free agents. They weren't going to play anywhere else.

    I'm actually a little disappointed at the Braves' offseason. What have they done to improve the team ... one that came within a late-season collpse of making the playoffs?

    There really hasn't been a substantial addition unless you consider the deals to dump Derek Lowe, Alex Gonzales and Nate McLouth addition by subtraction. I guess they are hoping:

    (1) they'll have better health in their starting rotation. Certainly injuries here led to the collapse last season and the too-heavy reliance on the best bullpen in baseball (up to September). I suppose its reasonable to gamble that guys like Hansen and Jurrjens and the aging Hudson will be able to go the entire season this time.

    (2) better offense with Bourn in the leadoff position all year and (please, god!) a bounceback year for Heyward (and no sophomore slump for Freeman).

    (3) Substantial rookie contributions from Pasternicky at SS and maybe Delgado and Teheran in the rotation/bullpen. A year ago, the Braves got more from their rookies (Freeman, Kimbrell, Ventors, Beachy) than anybody in baseball. Can they get the same talent infusion this season?

    (4) Chipper has to have one more decent year in him. Last year -- at age 39 -- he played in 126 games and had an .814 OPS -- one of only two Braves over .800 (McCann at .817 was the other). Can he match that at age 40?

    An awful lot has to go right to make this a better team than the one that won 89 games last year.
    Good points as always, OF. In terms of point number 1, though, I think the starting rotation can be more consistent than last year provided Beachy, Delgado, Teheran, and Minor all progress as expected. And while the big three of Kimbrel, Venters, and OFlaherty can hardly be expected to repeat last years performance in terms of quality and IP, they should all have good years. Plus, the addition of yet another late innings caliber arm in Vizcaino for a full season, the return of Medlen, and the resigning of Moylan means that the bullpen will be deeper (No Scott Proctor, thank God!). If the young starters are called upon due to injury this year, they should be more ready to contribute with quality starts. And even if they can't go deep into games, Fredi theoretically has more quality options to turn to in the pen. I would argue that the Braves' pen has got to be the best in baseball. It is stacked with late inning options, has quality middle relief, and a good balance of righties and lefties.

    I agree with your fear about the offense, though, even though I'm optimistic about Heyward rebounding, Bourn having a solid year, and McCann avoiding another ice cold September (which put a damper on an otherwise very impressive season for the always impressive McCann). I just see too few high OBP guys to consistently score runs. Chipper, of course, is always solid in that category. Heyward looked amazing his rookie season. McCann's not bad. But otherwise, no one really posts consistently high OBP. Even Bourn at the top of the order is not stellar in that regard. Pasternicky doesn't have to do much to better Alex Gonzales' offense, but that's not setting the bar very high and the defense at SS is sure to take a step back. Last year the Braves posted a lousy OBP of .308, good for 26th in the majors. There is no hope for a consistent offense without an improvement in OBP.

  8. #8

    Favorite team

    Quote Originally Posted by -bdbd View Post
    General question:

    In the central North Carolina/Durham area, what is the favorite MLB team?

    It seems to me that the Nationals, who almost put their stadium in the state of Virginia after all, are the closest - at about 250mi/4hrs - vs Braves at closer to 400 mi/6hrs. Especially with Atlanta having pulled their AAA franchise out of Richmond, it would seem that more fans would gravitate to the closest team. Also, the Nats are pretty clearly "up and coming" with a locked-in core of young studs like Strasburg, Bryce Harper, Jordan Zimmermann, Ryan Zimmerman, Morse, Werth, and now Gio Gonzalez. Regardless of whether they sign Fielder, this is a squad whose future is looking extremely bright over the coming 5 years.

    I realize that a decade ago the Braves were the only "southern" team to root for. But do y'all see the fan-following pendulum swinging in NC these days? This discussion could be colored by what the Braves do in the next few years. Neither team made the playoffs last year. And predictions seem mixed for 2012 in the very tough NL East, after Philly at number 1 in all likelihood.
    Grew up on Tobacco Road as a Yankee fan -- that was in the day when the only baseball we could get here was the Game of the Week, which ALWAYS featured the Yankees of Mickey Mantle, Yogio Berra and Whitey Ford. What you are at 8-10 years old, you are for life.

    But I also developed an affinity for the Braves, starting in the 1980s. Got to see almost every game on TBS, plus for almost 20 years we had a top Atlanta farm team in Durham. Got to see Anduew Jones, Tom Glavine,David Justice, Ron Gant, Jeff Blauser, Steve Avery, etc., come to town. They became my No. 2 team.

    That's one AL and one NL team ... no room for anybody else (including the Nationals) in my heart.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Duvall View Post
    Nats should concentrate on becoming the most popular team in DC first. It's going to take a few years of success just to get to *that* point.
    Maybe you're right... but not like the Wizards or Deadskins have any more success in the past decade or so! And the Caps, while talented, have not performed up to expectations this year. DC is such a bad sports town these days. (Sigh.)

    I'm tellin' ya that this Nats team is going to be very, very good for the next 5+ years. They've built it up right - from the farm on up - despite being ravaged by several years of MLB ownership their last few in Montreal. (When they became the Nats in DC in 2005 their farm system was consistently being rated in the bottom three in MLB. Now it is "upper-half.") You could make an All-Star team just from all of the former Expos/Nats that the MLB ownership just gave away in the first half of the last decade! But now they have a stud top-3 rotation locked up for four-five years (Strasburg, J.Zim, Gio Gonzalez) and a quickly improving offense (Bryce Harper included). I keep telling folks that this is going to be a FUN, EASY team to root for for the next few years...especially if they land PF. (Note: Rangers GM was just interviewed on radio today saying, essentially, "we made our big-money choice with Darvish, and don't have enough to go after PF now." So Nats have a pretty good shot at him.)

  10. #10
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    Feb 2007
    Quote Originally Posted by Olympic Fan View Post
    Hey, it's not my money ... why do I care if they got O'Flaherty for $2.49 million or $3.49 million? Until it gets to the point where your teamis flirting with the luxury tax (and the Braves aren't close to that), I'm not going to get too excited about deals like this. It's not like O'Flaherty, Bourn and Jurrjens were free agents. They weren't going to play anywhere else.

    I'm actually a little disappointed at the Braves' offseason. What have they done to improve the team ... one that came within a late-season collpse of making the playoffs?
    That's part of the reality of rooting for a team that faces actual budget constraints. The Braves couldn't make a deal to improve the team without trading away an asset like Jurrjens or Prado, and they haven't found the right deal yet. Taking on more salary to upgrade the roster just wasn't an option.

  11. #11
    I think removing Lowe is addition by subtraction - not that he was a bad guy or anything, but he was blocking the kids. We will be better this year than last if we are healthier this year than last. I think there is definitely good reason to expect bounceback from Heyward and Prado. On the flip side of that, though, Chipper played 126 games last year and performed rather well - one of these years he's going to hit .230 and play in 76 games. Hope this isn't the year.

  12. #12
    Looking more and more like Prado and Jurrjens will not be dealt this offseason. If Prado can have a bounce-back year and Jair can stay healthy, Frank Wren could look like a very intelligent and patient GM.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by ugadevil View Post
    Looking more and more like Prado and Jurrjens will not be dealt this offseason. If Prado can have a bounce-back year and Jair can stay healthy, Frank Wren could look like a very intelligent and patient GM.
    UGADevil, I agree with you as long as Wren is unable to find the right package. However, I don't think it's a bad thing if he's moved under the right circumstances. I thought the trade that brought Jurrjens from Detroit was a brilliant move by Wren back in 2007 when our pitching staff was in transition as Smoltz was nearing the end of his career and, at that moment, no youngsters had stepped up to fill the void. Jurrjens is a talented pitcher with generally great control. However, it seems that his strikeout rate will never be high enough to be an ace and, although he had a great first half last year, his k-rate actually dropped last season. Now, this doesn't mean he's not a valuable pitcher that I absolutely root for and felt was underrated for most of his career. However, a team with the payroll situation of the Braves HAS to make tough choices. Jurrjens' production has been very good but is not irreplaceable. In fact, despite his incredible ERA for the first half of the season, he only posted a 1.5 fangraphs Wins Above Replacement. Beachy, in 11 fewer innings, posted a 2.8 WAR. It is true that Hudson and Jurrjens are similar in terms of K-Rate and ERA, but aside from his Tommy John surgery three years ago, Hudson has been incredibly healthy throughout his career and has shown consistency for much longer, making him more valuable. Add in Jurrjens' increasingly large paycheck and the fact that there is virtually no chance that the Braves resign him when he leaves via free agency, and it makes sense for him to be an important trade piece for the Braves.

    Realistically, Jurrjens could be the Braves 5th starter by the end of next season. Hanson and Beachy are both already better when healthy. Hudson is still perhaps just a bit better. Meanwhile, Minor, Delgado, and Teheran all have a lot of potential and will be cheaper. If just one of those three breaks out, it moves Jurrjens to 5th in the rotation. With Medlen returning to the fold (albeit, to the bullpen to begin with), it gives the Braves plenty of depth even if Jurrjens departs. I really want to reiterate that I love Jurrjens and think he is an asset to the Braves if he isn't traded. I only want to see him traded for the right combination of prospects and/or MLB ready talent. I just think that, given the payroll outlook for the Braves in the future, it makes sense that Jurrjens be shopped around and, in fact, it might be best for the franchise if Wren is able to move him for the right package.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by COYS View Post
    UGADevil, I agree with you as long as Wren is unable to find the right package. However, I don't think it's a bad thing if he's moved under the right circumstances. I thought the trade that brought Jurrjens from Detroit was a brilliant move by Wren back in 2007 when our pitching staff was in transition as Smoltz was nearing the end of his career and, at that moment, no youngsters had stepped up to fill the void. Jurrjens is a talented pitcher with generally great control. However, it seems that his strikeout rate will never be high enough to be an ace and, although he had a great first half last year, his k-rate actually dropped last season. Now, this doesn't mean he's not a valuable pitcher that I absolutely root for and felt was underrated for most of his career. However, a team with the payroll situation of the Braves HAS to make tough choices. Jurrjens' production has been very good but is not irreplaceable. In fact, despite his incredible ERA for the first half of the season, he only posted a 1.5 fangraphs Wins Above Replacement. Beachy, in 11 fewer innings, posted a 2.8 WAR. It is true that Hudson and Jurrjens are similar in terms of K-Rate and ERA, but aside from his Tommy John surgery three years ago, Hudson has been incredibly healthy throughout his career and has shown consistency for much longer, making him more valuable. Add in Jurrjens' increasingly large paycheck and the fact that there is virtually no chance that the Braves resign him when he leaves via free agency, and it makes sense for him to be an important trade piece for the Braves.

    Realistically, Jurrjens could be the Braves 5th starter by the end of next season. Hanson and Beachy are both already better when healthy. Hudson is still perhaps just a bit better. Meanwhile, Minor, Delgado, and Teheran all have a lot of potential and will be cheaper. If just one of those three breaks out, it moves Jurrjens to 5th in the rotation. With Medlen returning to the fold (albeit, to the bullpen to begin with), it gives the Braves plenty of depth even if Jurrjens departs. I really want to reiterate that I love Jurrjens and think he is an asset to the Braves if he isn't traded. I only want to see him traded for the right combination of prospects and/or MLB ready talent. I just think that, given the payroll outlook for the Braves in the future, it makes sense that Jurrjens be shopped around and, in fact, it might be best for the franchise if Wren is able to move him for the right package.
    Very well said, and I agree with your analysis. I'm excited to see the continued development of the young guys, especially Minor and Beachy. In my opinion, Wren has shown that if the Braves do part ways with Prado or Jurrjens, it will be a transaction that really helps the franchise continue to build. I'm impressed with his patience and the fact that he hasn't panicked because of last year's collapse and gone out and overpaid for a mediocre player just to say the organization did something in the offseason.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by ugadevil View Post
    I'm impressed with his patience and the fact that he hasn't panicked because of last year's collapse and gone out and overpaid for a mediocre player just to say the organization did something in the offseason.
    Very good point. No matter how many times it is proven, it is amazing how people don't seem to realize that free agents are almost always bad investments . . . even the very best. The Angels will be paying Pujols for his amazing work in St. Louis. He'll be very good in California, but he won't be as good for the duration of his contract as he was in St. Louis when he cost much, much less. The Braves' biggest free agent signings of the past few years have been Lowe and Kawakami. By and large those are the two worst investments the Braves have made. If we still had unlimited payroll, it makes sense to get the best player available for every position, no matter the cost. But given the payroll restrictions, the Braves have to seek players that are undervalued, which almost always means young guys who haven't seen their contracts balloon from arbitration or free agency or B-list free agents that have some warts but also have upside (Troy Glaus). Guessing wrong on a top tier free agent will set the franchise back years. Guessing correctly but overpaying for a top tier free agent will make the team too top heavy in terms of salary for years to come. Finding the right free agents at the right price is very difficult and even cheaper free agents tend to be pretty expensive. While i really do hope the Braves are able to make a deal to improve the club, I do like that they have been conservative in their transactions, so far. The team has a lot of young talent. Heyward, Freeman, Hanson, Kimbrel, Venters, O'Flaherty, Vizcaino, Beachy, Minor, Teheran, Delgado . . . some forget that Jurrjens is actually younger than Hanson by a few months. There are a lot of questionmarks surrounding the team (will Heyward bounce back and return to All-Star form? Can Freeman avoid the Soph-Slump? Will Hanson be healthy? Will Teheran, Minor and Delgado all progress as expected? Will Uggla have a better season? Will Chipper stay productive?). But it would not be surprising at all if all of those questions were answered in the affirmative. It is not a stretch to think that Heyward's injuries affected him big time. It is not a stretch to believe that Uggla won't start the season so poorly. I would bet that at least one of our young starters establishes themselves as a MLB caliber arm this year. And, while Chipper won't put up the same HR totals and RBI totals that he did earlier in his career, his eye will still be good and his OBP alone will be enough to make him an effective hitter. I would actually be more nervous about the Braves radically changing the team this offseason than beginning next season with virtually the same team that we ended last season, with the addition of a healthy Jurrjens and Hanson. I still think the Braves can make the right move to help the team (and that move likely involves trading Jurrjens and possibly Prado), but even if that doesn't happen, Braves fans have plenty to be excited about, in my estimation.

  16. #16

    Long-term prospects for the Braves

    A very depressing interview with Terry McGuirk (chairman and CEO of the Braves) in yesterday's AJC.

    What I found depressing was McGuirk's explanation of why the Braves are screwed when it comes to local TV money. He pointed out that local TV deals have skyrocketed and new deals are the reason that Texas and the Angels have had so much to spend on the free agent market ... and it's the driving force to the Yankees and Red Sox mammoth spending.

    He explained that the Braves can't look forward to that kind of bonanza for at least two decades:

    “Whenever old [TV] deals are up and new deals get realized, there are big jumps in value. I have predicted that, knew it was coming,” McGuirk said. “And I think we have an undervalued local rights [deal].

    “That being said, we inherited a deal that was done under [previous owner Turner Broadcasting/Time Warner] a little over four years ago, before the sale, that lasts out through 25 years. So there is no opportunity for a different deal than the one we have. Every single set of games on the different networks that we are seen on [Fox Sports South, SportSouth and Peachtree TV] are all 25-year deals or thereabouts.”

    McGuirk said the deals call for “cost-of-living type increases” each year, but contain no options for renegotiation.


    He said that the Braves will have a payroll of $94 million this year ... but effectively just $84 million, since $10 million will go to pay of Derek Lowe. He said that about $80 million is currently committed and that he did expect the Braves to add a player or players (apparently for a total value of $4 million). Still, he made it clear that the best chance for the team to compete was the addition and development of young players in the system.

    If you want to read the whole thing:

    http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-br...s-1317388.html

  17. #17
    good article in the AJC on Atlanta's ridiculous SS depth down on the farm. Sounds like we have some wizkids down there that should be coming up over the next few years, either at SS (Pasternicky sp?), 3b, 2b, or CF.

    Hopefully these are some guys that will work out with Hayward and Freeman and give us some great young depth.
    My Quick Smells Like French Toast.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Olympic Fan View Post
    A very depressing interview with Terry McGuirk (chairman and CEO of the Braves) in yesterday's AJC.

    What I found depressing was McGuirk's explanation of why the Braves are screwed when it comes to local TV money. He pointed out that local TV deals have skyrocketed and new deals are the reason that Texas and the Angels have had so much to spend on the free agent market ... and it's the driving force to the Yankees and Red Sox mammoth spending.

    He explained that the Braves can't look forward to that kind of bonanza for at least two decades:

    “Whenever old [TV] deals are up and new deals get realized, there are big jumps in value. I have predicted that, knew it was coming,” McGuirk said. “And I think we have an undervalued local rights [deal].

    “That being said, we inherited a deal that was done under [previous owner Turner Broadcasting/Time Warner] a little over four years ago, before the sale, that lasts out through 25 years. So there is no opportunity for a different deal than the one we have. Every single set of games on the different networks that we are seen on [Fox Sports South, SportSouth and Peachtree TV] are all 25-year deals or thereabouts.”

    McGuirk said the deals call for “cost-of-living type increases” each year, but contain no options for renegotiation.


    He said that the Braves will have a payroll of $94 million this year ... but effectively just $84 million, since $10 million will go to pay of Derek Lowe. He said that about $80 million is currently committed and that he did expect the Braves to add a player or players (apparently for a total value of $4 million). Still, he made it clear that the best chance for the team to compete was the addition and development of young players in the system.

    If you want to read the whole thing:

    http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-br...s-1317388.html
    Why can this contract not be broken? (It happens?)

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  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by throatybeard View Post
    Why can this contract not be broken? (It happens?)
    Yeah, I don't see how the Braves couldn't find some way out. I guess the issue might be that the Braves were bidding against themselves when they made the deal in the first place (who else would FoxSports sign to a MLB broadcast deal in the South?) and, therefore, there is no one out there to renegotiate with. It is VERY depressing, though, if this deal stays in place for 25 years (seriously, who makes a deal this restrictive for 30 years?!?!? That's insane!!!).

    In other news, it looks like the Braves are going to start the season with Jurrjens still on the roster. While I believe that Jurrjens is the most expendable of the Braves starters now that Lowe is gone, I'm happy Wren and company didn't waste an asset like Jurrjens on a subpar trade. His injury last year hurt his value. Now the Braves have what must be the deepest rotation in the big leagues. Hanson, Hudson, Jurrjens, Beachy, Minor, Teheran, and Delgado are all MLB ready right now. The rotation has a ton of upside, too. If Hanson is healthy and continues to improve, he can challenge the best pitchers in baseball. He was already a solid number 2 starter last year. Beachy is criminally underrated, in my opinion. He might actually be the best Braves pitcher, especially if his developing slider allows him to strike batters out on fewer pitches this year, allowing him to go deeper into games. Hudson keeps trucking along, and while age will catch up with him eventually, there's no reason 36 is too old for a pitcher who seems to have completely recovered from Tommy John surgery 4 years ago. Assuming the above three pitchers are healthy, that makes Jurrjens the number 4 starter. I know I've been somewhat critical of Jurrjens because I don't think he's quite good enough to be a number 1 or 2 starter. However, I think he's definitely a number 3 starter, and to have the luxury to have a guy like Jurrjens be the team's 4th best is pretty awesome. Meanwhile, the backend of the rotation has the potential to flip the script in three years and make up the front end of the rotation. In Teheran, Minor, and Delgado the Braves have three starters with excellent potential to have very successful MLB careers.

    It's good that the Braves have this depth, however, since there are also injury questions. Will Hanson's shoulder problems be an issue? Will Jurrjens be able to put together his first fully healthy season in the past three years? Will Hudson's age start to show? Will Beachy stay healthy (he missed a chunk of last season to injury and threw too many pitches in too few innings)? Will the young arms progress as expected? The Braves have the potential to have one of the best rotations in baseball. On the other hand, the only pitcher that doesn't have any serious questions regarding injuries and performance is the aging Hudson.

    There are questions with the offense, too. Those questions might even be more serious. However, I think the pitching staff alone will be enough to keep the Braves in contention for most of the season. There's just too much talent and too much depth in both the rotation and the pen. Hopefully the young guys on offense will take a step forward along with the pitching staff and the Braves can put together a season with a better ending than last year.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Hot'Lanta... home of the Falcons!
    I've got a burning question-- will Venters and Kimbrell be as good this year a season after throwing a ridiculous number of innings for a young reliever?

    -Jason
    Why are you wasting time here when you could be wasting it by listening to the latest episode of the DBR Podcast?

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