Deadline Day: And the Braves......

received Triple A RP Rich Scalamandre from the Cardinals. Atlanta dealt longtime headache Jorge Sosa to St. Louis. That officially closes the book on Sosa. This deal reminds of the Kolb dump for Wes Obermueller last winter.

Andruw Jones was a hot topic of discussion today, but nothing came out of the Jones to Boston rumblings.

Remember deals can be made through the waiver wire. So throughout the month of August a team can trade someone, who will be eligible to play in the postseason if the player clears waivers.

Deadline Day: Andruw Rumored Again....

Here's another one to add to the list:

Boston sends Mark Loretta to Tampa for Julio Lugo.

Boston turns around and ships Lugo and Coco Crisp to Atlanta for Andruw Jones.

Hmmmmmmmm...the Crisp/Hansen/Lester deal is more believable. I don't see where Lugo would fit in with Atlanta unless Giles is traded.

Deadline Day: Andruw Jones offered to Red Sox?

The buzz around Boston claims that the Braves have offered Andruw Jones to the Boston Red Sox for Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, and Craig Hansen. The motto for today is, take it for what's it worth. It is the trade deadline so rumors run rampant. Although, I think that is an interesting scenario, but I wouldn't do it because it's Andruw, c'mon.


**Update** Olney has confirmed that the two teams have talked and the deal would be Andruw Jones for Coco Crisp and Craig Hansen + prospect. Atlanta then countered asking for Jon Lester to be the third player. No word if Boston declined or not. There's 2 1/2 hours left on the clock and anything can happen.


**Update #2** For right now the talks are dead according to Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe. Thanks to mlbtraderumors for the update.

Deadline Day: Schuerholz stirring the pot..?

Will Atlanta land one of the big names? I think if a trade happens it must involve starting pitching. I don't think Schuerholz is finished yet; atleast I hope not. Remember in years past the Braves have been able to make deals during the last hour.

Deadline Day: Zito to Atlanta?

Another rumor making the rounds is a trade for A's ace Barry Zito. The Braves would send Marcus Giles and Scott Thorman to Oakland in exchange for Zito + prospect. Once again, it's just a rumor but it's involves the Braves so I'm posting it anyway. There's probably a 1.5% chance this even happens....

Betemit Trade pt. 2 & More Rumblings....

Aybar had a nice debut, but so did Wilson out in L.A. One thing I wanted to point out is that the Braves have made two deals this month that needed to have been made before the season. Fans of the team know very well coming into this year there was no way Chris Reitsma would maintain closership all year. He was good at times in 2005, but not nearly consistent enough. This year the bullpen has been in shambles, and it is only now that we have some sort of guidance. Bob Wickman was a good addition to this team while Danys Baez could become a good addition. Even with Wickman and Baez we can't use them if were not winning. That was the case this past weekend as the Mets just steamrolled into Atlanta and displayed a public whoop'en. It hurts losing to the Mets, but it hurts even more to watch how they did it. Well there's my frustrations for now...By the way, Happy Deadline Day!!

Here's a question for anyone to answer....Do you think Schuerholz plans to resign Baez for '07 and will he be the closer for next year?

Betemit traded to Dodgers

This is a suprise. The Dodgers came out of nowhere to land Betemit. I didn't think they were looking for middle infielders. Anyway the Braves in return received RP Danys Baez and utility IF Willy Aybar. Baez was highly sought after during the offseason by many teams including the Braves. Aybar is from the Pete Orr mold. I'm not to keen of this deal. My point is that the Braves acquired Wickman, but we can't maintain a lead to get to him. So, we get Baez who is in a dissapointing season and another utility guy. Betemit is needed more to this team now than ever. Chipper might be going to the DL after he left yesterday's game with another strained oblique. Pete Orr will be playing 3B in the meantime. Enough rambling....now let's beat the Mets!!

*Update* I'm a little late adding this but Jorge Sosa was designated for assignment to make room for Baez. Thankfully, the Jorge Sosa Era has came to an end.

Rumors & Rumblings pt. 3

For part three I want to name a few players that have been apart of trade speculation over the last month or so. What are the Braves chances of getting one of the big names?


Alfonso Soriano -LF/2B Everyone wants him, but who will get him? I'm still suprised that a guy his frame can put up the power numbers year in and year out. Any team in the playoff hunt that lands him will be a step ahead of the competition. What about the Braves, do they have a shot? Of course, even the Braves main site claimed that JS had inquired about Soriano. I think the fact that the Braves couldn't afford him to a long term deal has hurt any chance of acquiring him. Whoever gets Soriano better lock him up for the long haul.

Carlos Lee -OF/1B Lee is another power hitter, and it's still up in the air whether he'll be dealt or not. The Brewers have been losing more since the break so chances of a trade are increasing. The same thing goes for him as does Soriano, unless the Braves can wrap him up long term, we shouldn't risk top prospects for two months of play. I think Lee will land with an AL team so he could split time between OF/DH.

Brad Lidge -RP Lidge was lights out last year. He was rocked in the playoffs and I think he still carry's that weight on his shoulders. The Astros are once again throwing his name around the diamond. There was reported interest from the Braves in the past concerning a Giles for Lidge trade. I would still make that deal today as long as the Braves place Betemit at 2B. In 2006, Lidge is 22/26 in saves and his ERA is higher than his career avg. Both Giles and Lidge are raking in just under $4M but I think Houston is going to want a little more.


**Update** Carlos Lee and prospect Nelson Cruz are being dealt to the Rangers for Laynce Nix, Kevin Mench and Francisco Cordero.

Tough Losses

We can't afford to lose games like these over and over. Geezz, I feel like I'm lecturing to a child. Arrrgh! Atlanta dropped 2/3 to the Marlins which hurt the Braves but didn't knock them out of contention. Tonight begins the much anticipated Braves/Mets series in which the Braves must win the series to keep up in the pennant race. Pedro returns tonight and should be rusty giving the Braves an advantage. Here are your probables:

Fri: Ramirez (5-3 4.04) vs. Pedro (7-4 3.45)

Sat: Huddy (8-8 4.87) vs. El Duque (6-8 5.40)

Sun: James (4-1 3.53) vs. Glavine (11-4 3.69)

Olney: Betemit & Yankees

This morning I caught Sportscenter during Buster Olney's rumor mill segment. He states that the Braves and Yanks are cooking up something for Wilson Betemit. He thinks that the Yankees will probably end up with Betemit and use him at 1B for the struggling Andy Phillips.

If you caught any headlines around the papers yesterday there was alot of talk of Betemit to the Yanks for Scott Proctor. As far as I'm concerned this is something the Yankees have cooked up. It's hard for me to think Betemit could be had just for a mediocre relief pitcher. Betemit's stock is high and he'll probably end up being traded but c'mon let's get something more in return. As this story goes on I'll post anything new whenever I read/hear about it.

Rumors & Rumblings pt. 2

In part 1 I listed rumored/possible additions to the Braves. Now I am going to list possible subtractions from the team. And away we go...

Subtractions:

Wilson Betemit-SS/2B/3B

He's without a doubt #1 on the trading block. Betemit has established himself during his playing time over the past two seasons. He's been the fill in guy for the Braves playing mulitple postions for the wounded starters. Will the Braves keep him or trade him? It's hard to tell, but the media has him being dealt to a number of teams. I can see it both ways. I think this will very well be a deadline decision weighing heavly on these next five games.

Marcus Giles-2B

Giles, Giles, Giles. His name has been apart of tradewinds of the past. His numbers have slipt this year and he hasn't adjusted to the lead off role. Giles is still good and could allow the Braves to receive a solid starter or relief pitcher. Whether Giles is dealt depends on Betemit's future. The same can be said the other way around. Just to keep in mind Giles will be due about $7M next season before he tests free agency after 2007. Next year, Betemit will receive a nice raise but still remains a few years from free agency.


Jorge Sosa-RP/SP

A one year wonder. Sosa's tenure as a Brave went from one extreme to the next. Many fans myself included didn't think Sosa would repeat his 2005 performance and hoped for a deal in the offseason. The deal didn't happen and 2006 turned into an embarrasment for the team and Sosa. Sosa was already a wildcard pitcher; so it was only a matter of time, right? A change of scenary would certainly benefit him. Sosa's name has been linked to the Cubs and Rockies. Right now I think the only thing the Braves could get for him straight up is a mid-level prospect. A packaged deal would bring more value.


John Thomson-SP/RP

This will be the last year for John Thomson in a Braves uni. He was apart of big rumors before the season for Pirates 1B/OF Craig Wilson. As usual, nothing happened. Besides the first month Thomson has struggled mightily. Right now he just finished a rehab start at class A Rome where he couldn't get out of the 1st inning. There's a slim chance Thomson could be dealt, but the Braves will likely eat his contract for the remainder of the season.

Horacio Ramirez-SP

Ramirez was apart of many rumblings and rumors over the past year or so. He's finnally healthy and making effective starts. If he can remain healthy for the rest of '06, I think he returns next season, Remember we don't know if Mike Hampton will make a 100% recovery from TJ surgery.

John Smoltz-SP

Refer to the comments under Zach Miner's section. Smoltz has "entertained" a trade only if it would help the team for the future. I believe if Smoltz gets traded then we've thrown in the towel for this year. He's the beating heart behind this pitching staff. Smoltz stays, but will ownership pickup the "mutual" option for next year?

Jarrod Saltalamacchia-C #1 prospect

I think it's the fact that the Braves are fighting for a chance to the playoffs that this guy's name is brought up in trade talks. He is the teams top prospect so of obviously other teams will think were just going to hand him over for a few cheetos. I think there's a slight chance he'll be dealt but i wouldn't count on it.


**New poll added, Check it out...

Rumors & Rumblings pt. 1

We are 5 days away from the trade deadline. As usual with every year there are a number of players and teams making the headlines. I just wanted to compose a list of players that the Braves have reportedly shown interest in and a list of players the Braves could be dealing off.

Additions:

Scott Linebrink-San Diego Padres-RP

This one is simple. The Braves need relief pitching and the Padres need a 3B. This sounds like a deal that could easily be pulled. A Betemit/Linebrink deal may happen, but as of right now the teams are laying low about any truth to the subject.

Scott Proctor-New York Yankees-RP

The NY Post has submitted an article about a deal once again involving Wilson Betemit for Yanks relief pitcher Scott Proctor. The piece states that the two teams are in discussion.

Ray King-Colorado Rockies-RP

We've already been down this road before. I care not to go back. King has been linked back to Atlanta in a trade at one time involved Jorge Sosa. I'll be really suprised if King is back in Atlanta.

Greg Maddux-Chicago Cubs-SP

Okay, this is a Braves fan dream. Greg Maddux returns to Atlanta for one more stab at it. The reality of it happening is slim. I've read about a Jorge Sosa/Maddux rumbling but simply cannot see that happening, but who knows Hendry has damaged that team beyond recovery.

Zach Miner-Detroit Tigers-SP

If you didn't know already, Miner grew up in the Braves farm system. He was sent to Detroit with Ramon Colon for Fransworthless at last year's deadline. Miner has been linked to Atlanta via trade of John Smoltz. There is no way Atlanta can make that trade. We had Miner once, and now he's developed into a solid pitcher the Braves couldn't foresee; so to get him back they'll trade their best starter. Nope, not going to happen.

Jeff Conine-Baltimore Orioles-1B/OF/DH

I guess the Braves have something for the old Conine. There were reports of interest in him at last year's winter meetings but nothing came of it then and nothing will come out of it now.

Back to the 'Ted

Harold Reynolds has been fired from ESPN. I haven't heard the reasoning behind the termination, but man that comes out of left field. The Braves wrapped their 10 game road trip going 7-2. This was something that was greatly needed. Continuing today the Braves will begin a six game homestand against the Marlins and Mets. Wickman got his first save in a BRaves uni last night. I admit I felt more comfortable than I've been all year when Wickman was in the game. I don't expect prefection every night, but it sure is more relaxing over a Reitsma or Sosa. Here are your probables for the series:

Tues: James (4-0 3.72) vs. Annibal Sanchez (3-0 3.41)

Wed: Smoltz (7-5 3.43) vs. Johnson (8-5 2.49)

Thurs: Sheill (0-1 9.00) vs. Olsen (8-4 4.01)

The Closer: Bob Wickman

It's now official Bob Wickman has been traded to the Atlanta Braves for Max Ramirez. Ramirez you may know was a catcher at Single A Rome. Wickman will now become our closer for the rest of the year and probably will retire following the season.

A rumor making noise is over a deal that would send Jorge Sosa to the Cubs for Greg Maddux. I would take that in a heartbeat. The way the Braves are playing lately, Maddux would most certainly pickup some wins.

Back into the Division....

Starting tommorrow Atlanta will play 9 games against divisional opponets. Four at Philly before heading home for three against the Marlins and Mets. This stretch will most certainly tell who the season ends for the Braves. All of these games happen before the July 31st trade deadline. Ironicly the 31st is an off day for the team.

Oh well, we couldn't sweep the Cards after a 2.5 hour storm delay. Jason Sheill didn't pitch that badly considering whom it was against. One other thing, Jayson Stark reported on ESPN yesterday that the Braves are "aggressively" pursuing two releivers that could put them at the top of the wild card race. Stark didn't specify who the releivers were. So, until then we wait......

Rumor Mill: Rockies interested in Sosa

Could Jorge Sosa be dealt by the deadline? The Denver Post has an article about the team showing interest in Sosa in the midst of other relievers they are "inquiring" about. Whom would the Braves receive in return? More than likely Ray King. No, not again!! The Braves have already been down that road and shouldn't go back.

Is this a dream....?

Another beating to the 'Cards. 14-5 was last night's scorecard. Andruw Jones, what to think? Monday night before he struggled while the rest of team was blasting off, last night he decides to kick it in gear going 5-5 with 2 HR's. Man, oh man. Well, tonight the Braves will send Richmond callup Jason Sheill to the mound to face last year's Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter.

Braves clip 'Redbirds

Betemit played 2B, and produced 5 RBI's, is this a sign of Giles departure? Atlanta for the fourth straight time put up double digit runs. The Braves demolished St. Louis 15-3 last night to get their sixth consecutive win, while ending the Cards seven game winning streak. Sadly, Chipper didn't get the extra base hit to break the record. Atlanta continues their rampage tonight against ex-teammate Jason Marquis. The Braves are now 5 games back in the wild card.

Chipper goes for 15

Tonight, Chipper will go for his 15th straight game with an extra base hit; quite an accomplishment. The record has been held since 1927 by Paul Waner of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Waner went on to win the NL MVP in that year.

Sweeping by the Padres

An offensive explosion, effective pitching, mixed together equals wins. The Bravos are getting back to winning ballgames. The Braves outduel the Padres 36-20 in the three games. How about Chipper Jones? A 14 game extra base hitting streak, which ties the major league record. Jones will go for 15 today to create a new record. It seems that when Chipper plays better the team plays better.
Today the Braves will start a three game series against the Cardinals. Two weeks ago the Braves won 2/3. Since then the Cards have returned to their old form, while the Braves continue playing better. This series will be extremely competitve. The Cards are trying to take over the Central while Atlanta is fighting for a chance into the postseason. St. Louis will turn to Jeff Weaver tonight, whom they picked up from the Angels. We all know about Weaver. He his a high strikeout pitcher, but his shortcuming fall to the long ball. When Weaver gets rocked, he gets rocked. Atlanta has put up big numbers in the past when he was in L.A. and look to continue that again. Horacio Ramirez will take the mound for the Braves hoping to bounce back from his terrible start against Cinncy. Here are your probables:

Mon: Ramirez (4-3 4.65) vs. Weaver (0-0 0.00)

Tues: Hudson (6-8 4.81) vs. Marquis (11-6 5.34)

Wed: Jason Sheill (0-0 0.00) vs. Carpenter (8-4 2.85)

Wednesday's game is still in the air. Jason Sheill maybe called up from Richmond or Lance Cormier could see his third start of the year.

Put me in coach....

Atlanta begins the second half of the season tonight on the road in San Diego. This will mark the beginning of a nine game roadtrip starting out west and slowly making it back east. The Braves will face the Padres tonight whom they haven't seen since the end of May. Atlanta leads the season series 2-1. Here's your probables:

Fri: Hudson (6-8 4.56) vs. Young (8-4 3.12)

Sat: Smoltz (3-5 3.60) vs. Peavy (4-8 4.46)

Sun: Ramirez (4-3 4.65) vs. Ho Park (6-4 4.29)

Nationals/Reds: Eight player trade

'Tis once again the season of trades and rumors as the annual trade deadline hangs around the corner. As you probably heard yesterday Aubrey Huff was dealt to the Houston Astros for a couple of prospects. Today, the Nats and Reds swapped players:

Austin Kearns, Felipe Lopez and Ryan Wagner have been traded from the
Reds to the Nationals for the Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, Royce Clayton,
Brendan Harris and Daryl Thompson.

Not sure, why the Reds would make this move when Wily Mo Pena was dealt to the Red Sox; I thought the OF had unclogged their jam. Lopez was a 2005 all-star and Wagner needs a change of sceneary. The biggest player the Nats gave up was Majewski who should provide good pen support for the Reds.

I think this is just the beginning of the Nat's fire sale. Alfonso Soriano is their golden ticket and they should expect a huge return. Also available could be Livian Hernandez, who I think will land in a Mets uni by the end of the month. Other available Nats are Chad Cordero, Jose Guillen, and probably everyone else expect for John Patterson, Nick Johnson, and Ryan Zimmerman whom the team will be rebuilt around.

At the break....

I had a post already written out but couldn't publish due to blogger's flemsy connection so, I'll sum it up. The Braves have won 7 of their last 10 entering the All-Star break. A run that started a week and a half ago. How much has this team changed since the start of the season. The rotation from the start looked like this:

Opening Day: Hudson, Smoltz, Ramirez, Sosa, Davies

All-Star Break: Hudson, Smoltz, Ramirez, James, Thomson

Kyle Davies may be back in August/Sept? I'm not sure because I haven't heard any updates on his condition. Overall, throw in a couple of Lance Cormier and a Travis Smith start and that's been your rotation. Meanwhile, the bullpen has changed dramatically. Here's what I have from a post on April 2nd.

Opening Day: Remilinger, James, Boyer, Cormier, Thomson, Villareal, Reitsma

All-Star Break: McBride, Villareal, Yates, Paronto, Barry, Ray, Sosa

Almost a complete turnover. We all know Thomson started out the year injured and threw some sessions from the pen. Since then, Remilinger was deactivated, Boyer and Reitsma are on the DL for the remainder of the season, and Cormier has been optioned to the minors. McBride would have been there for Opening Day but was coming back from injury. Oscar Villareal has been the only remaining player who's been there since day one. No wonder he's picked up 8 wins this season.

Out on the field the injury bug also made it's way to a few of the players. Brian Jordan is pretty much done for the rest of the year while LaRoche/Chippa/McCann and Renteria have missed games due to injury.
The outfield has been the same for the most part, we have interchangably Langerhans/Diaz/Thorman in LF, while Jones and Francoeur are mainstays in center and right.
Not much changed in the infield either, Chipper at third, Renteria at SS, Giles at 2B, and Laroche at 1B. Betemit has been seen playing 3B/SS/2B at times during the year. Scott Thorman has been taking over 1B while LaRoche strangely has been scratched before games due to some pulled muscle or backpain. Hmmm...The Braves have also seen some good play from Brayan Pena at catcher while McCann was out. Tony Pena, Jr. also was brought up for a few days.
That maybe a little more than a summary of what's been happening during the first half of the season. We'll see what happens when play resumes Friday.

Holy Cow!.....Dramatics from a Bullpen

Who ever caught last night's game went from feeling good to pissed off then back to jubilation. Man, oh man. Tim Hudson like I said in the previous post desperately needed a good outing. Well, he defintely did that. Hudson came out in the ninth with two runners on and no outs. Macay McBride steps in for the lefty/lefty matchup, no success. Jorge Sosa comes in bases loaded and gives up a 2 run single. The score is now 7-4. Javier Valentin comes up to bat, and I started to get a little sour in the stomach, not that Valentin is a powerful hitter, just the situation made me feel uneasy. Anyway Valentin jacks one off the top of the wall, game tied 7-7. Foul language was spoken in my house. Sosa gets out of the inning and onto the bottom half where the Braves couldn't muster anything. Top of the 10th, Ken Ray makes an appearence where he walks 2 and K's 1; Atlanta gets out of the inning without any damage taken. Bottom of the 10th we go. Chipper rips one down the left field line for a standup double. Andruw is next, crowd on their feet. For some reason Andruw let 2 fastballs blow right by him. He struckout on a pitch that was low and away, we've seen Andruw do that soo many times thru the years. McCann is up next and gets intentionally walked for Francoeur. Frenchie sends one to the OF, Chippa is on his horse going for it all and is safe at home by atleast a step. BravesWin!

It sucks for Hudson who pitched really well but didn't get the win. Cinncy and Atlanta have comparable bullpen's, both are bad. The Reds actually made a move and traded for Eddie Guardado from the Mariners. Guardado saved 35 games last year for the M's but hasn't had much success this season. For me, I would rather see the Braves address the closer situation now than at the deadline. After the break the Braves hit the road for San Diego/St. Louis/Philly before coming home to face Florida/Mets, all before the deadline. So, Mr. Schuerholz please act now!

Braves take another series

Well two weeks ago things around the dugout were quite somber and depressing but now the mood has changed. Last night the Braves took care of business winning 14-4 against the Cardinals. This was the third series Atlanta has won out of the last four played. An offensive explosion like last night is something us fans haven't seen in a long time. Just as good, Chuck James picked up his third straight win. So, things are making a turn for the better in Hotlanta. Today the Braves welcome the Cinncinatti Reds losers of 5 straight. The series against the Reds will be the last series before the annual All-Star Break. Here's your probables:

Thurs: Hudson (6-8 4.57) vs. Joe Mays (0-5 8.21)

Fri: Ramirez (4-2 3.47) vs. Milton (4-4 5.09)

Sat: Smoltz (5-5 3.77) vs. Harang (8-5 3.65)

Sun: Thomson (2-7 5.05) vs. Arroyo (9-5 2.79)

Huddy desperately needs a solid performance tonight. He hasn't won since June 10th and his last three outings have been way below par.

Renteria, McCann, Andruw named All-Stars

Edgar Renteria, Brian McCann, and Andruw Jones were named to be apart of the NL All-Star team this year. Congrats. It's the fifth time around for Renteria and Jones, while this will be the first time for McCann. This year's All-Star game will be played July 12th in Pittsburgh.