Spending Spree Regret

In the past few days the Braves have spent a combined $83 million on two pitchers to shore up their weak rotation. But in doing so, they may have hindered their chances of picking up a strong outfield bat. According to Fox Sport’s Ken Rosenthal, the Braves have decided to take a back seat in their free agent bidding and hold off on picking up a quality player until the start of spring training when they hope to get a deal. They are even willing to wait until the trade deadline in late July, if that’s what it takes.

The running out of money is a major issue, don’t get me wrong. Even if the Braves trade for a big bat, they are still going to need the money to cover the guy’s salary. But looking for a bargain outfielder may not actually be that bad of an idea. The Braves are not going anywhere with their offense this season besides maybe to third in the division. (Crossing fingers) But without the desperation, Atlanta could make out like a bandit finding a great fit at a cheap price like a desperate free agent hoping to join on with any team or even better a kid sitting in their minor league system. Even if they wait until July when other teams figure to dump salary and reorganize, they could find exactly what they are looking for. Just think what a difference Jason Bay could have made if the Braves deal with the Pirates would have gone through. And just think what Xavier Nady especially or even Nick Swisher could do in Atlanta. Unfortunately, the Yankees are asking for a lot more than the Braves are willing to give up, but it makes the point that with a little patience, the Braves could really start to turn things around and get ready for a run in 2010.
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News& Notes: The Braves are considering bringing back Tom Glavine and Andruw Jones. Glavine is scheduled to meet with his doctor next week and the Braves will move from there...The Braves signed Matt Diaz to a one year, $1,237,500 contract...Jeff Francoeur, Casey Kotchman, Mike Gonazalez and Kelly Johnson all filed for arbitration.