Braves work to solve outfield problems

The Braves have signed veteran outfielder Garret Anderson to a one year, $2.5 million contract. Atlanta plans to use Anderson in a platoon in left field with Matt Diaz. Poor Matty, he just can never catch a break. He finally gets left field for himself and he goes down with an injury and only plays in 45 games last season and now he’s back to platooning.

This still leaves center field – believed to be a race between Josh Anderson, Brandon Jones, Jordan Schafer and Gregor Blanco – open, however Anderson’s addition has definitely helped improve the lineup. In 145 games last season, the 36-year-old had a .293 average with 15 homeruns and 84 RBIs. Personally, I feel he’s a better outfield option than Ken Griffey, Jr. would have been, although Junior brings other dimensions to the game, mainly name recognition which puts people in the seats.

The Braves still have holes in their offense and a lack of depth in the roster to contend with, but I will concede that GM Frank Wren continues to strengthen this team with moves like Anderson’s acquisition. Maybe a few more deals and the Braves could move into contention earlier than I was thinking.
(Photo: Getty Images; source)

Tom Glavine is Back!

It is official, Tom Glavine will be back with the Atlanta Braves for the 2009 season after signing a $1 million guaranteed contract. As reportedly structured, Glavine would receive an additional $1 million on his first day on the major league roster, $1.25 million after 30 days and the final $1.25 million 90 days later for a total of $4.5 million. The deal still falls $1.5 million short of what Glavine was hoping for, but it allows the south paw to stay close to his family who live in suburban Atlanta.
(Photo: Getty Images; Source)

Braves and Francoeur Avoid Arbitration

Late Wednesday night, the Braves and Jeff Francoeur agreed on a one year, $3.375 million contract that with incentives could be worth $3.4 million. The number represents the mid point between the Braves $2.8 million offer and Francoeur’s $3.95 million request.

The late night work session, prevented Frenchy from missing two days of spring training. He would have had to have left camp on Thursday morning to get out to Phoenix for Friday’s arbitration meeting.
(Photo: AP; source)

Braves Spurned Again

Griffey Update
Still to this day, I can’t believe the Braves got Derek Lowe. After an off season filled with false hopes that were dashed because the Padres were being annoying or Rafael Furcal was toying with the Braves emotions or A.J. Burnett was making the right decision in going with the Yankees (give it a couple of months, I think in that case things will turn out well for the Bravos) I still cannot believe my eyes when I see Derek Lowe taking warm up pitches in a Braves uniform.

So to say that I am surprised that Ken Griffey, Jr. has decided to return to the Mariners would be wrong. I had a feeling in my gut that Junior would chose to go back home. I mean when you think about it, you can’t wrong a guy for wanting to end his career where it began. Isn’t that what Tom Glavine is doing (if that contract ever gets finalized)? Although it would have been nice to have Griffey roaming the outfield and have him mentor some of the young guys, it wasn’t meant to be.

Mike Hampton News
In other news, Mike Hampton was in the headlines earlier this week when he departed Astros camp to deal with an irregular heartbeat. He would be another person I am totally fine with spurning the Braves offer this offseason. Hampton returned to camp a few days later, apparently his heartbeat has worked itself out.

Quite frankly this latest incident just highlights his main problem - staying healthy - something the Braves suffered with for the better part of four seasons. Now Atlanta is suing the Hartford Life Insurance Company seeking $4.82 million for the time Mike Hampton spent on the disable list in 2008.

The policy was initially issued to the Colorado Rockies who signed Hampton in 2000 and was assigned to Atlanta in November 2002 when they acquired the south paw. The policy had an expiration date of October 1, 2005 with a provision that it would remain in effect if he was “totally disabled.” Well, Hampton’s health kept the policy in effect through the entirety of the 2006 and 2007 season. The Braves contend that the policy should have remained in effect through the first half of the 2008 season, because Hampton’s injuries prevented him from playing. However, Hartford Life Insurance is claiming that his injuries did not render him “totally disabled.”

News&Notes: Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal has a preview of the Braves and it’s a tad bit sunnier than my prediction, but he also had them winning the World Series in 2008...Chipper Jones and the Braves are discussing an extension. Jones is making $11 million this year. Wow, he's underpaid!
(Photo: AP)

I am trying not to cry…

…But seeing that picture of John Smoltz in a Red Sox uniform just feels so wrong. But luckily for me, there has been some major Braves news in the past few days, so here are the updates.

(Photo: AP)

Ken Griffey, Jr.
Earlier reports that claimed Griffey had decided to go with the Braves are not necessarily true. Griffey will make an official announcement on Wednesday on whether he will return to the Seattle Mariners or head over to the Atlanta Braves. Reports claim Junior and Atlanta have been working on a contract, but after this crazy off season, I refuse to believe any such reports as truths until a press conference is held.

In my mind, the acquisition of Griffey is a good move to help the Braves get through 2009 while also propelling the youth movement for years to come. Junior has proven throughout his career that he has some pop, but as the last year showed us, he’s no longer an everyday player. That’s fine. He can mentor some of the Braves young outfielders and even in his current status, provides an upgrade in the outfield.

Tom Glavine
The Braves and Glavine continue to work on hammering out a deal. It’s looking like Tommy would receive an incentive laced contract that would guarantee him $1 million but could be worth up to $4.5 million. $1.5 million off of his hoped $6 million contract, but it appears to be close enough to get him back in Atlanta. Glavine had previously insinuated that he would be willing to defer part of his salary, but I for one am not into mortgaging the future to get a player like Glavine in the Braves current incarnation. An official announcement has not been made, but as of Tuesday night, things were looking positive.

Jair Jurrjens
Jurrjens has decided not to pitch in the World Baseball Classic for the Netherlands. The Braves had told Jurrjens they wanted him back at Spring Training after pitching in the opening round, but he did not want to pitch for just one game, so he opted out.

Meanwhile, Javier Vazquez has committed to pitching for Puerto Rico and Jorge Campillo remains on the fence about competing for Mexico in the WBC.

Arbitration Updates
Kelly Johnson and the Braves have decided on a $2.825 million contract. Meanwhile Jeff Francoeur’s arbitration hearing is set for Friday in Phoenix.

(Normally I would have been more than on top of the Ken Griffey, Jr. story, but I have been experiencing major technical issues and this is the first day that I have been on a computer that hasn’t frozen within five minutes of me turning it on.)

Spring Training is Almost Here!!!!

Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow and Tom Glavine has yet to make up his mind. He wants more money, the Braves really don’t have any more money to give and impasse here we are. On the bright side, even without the addition of Glavine, Atlanta still has a pretty nice rotation beginning with the newly acquired Derek Lowe. I’ve seen schematics of how the rest of the rotation would follow but I do know it will include Javier Vazquez, Kenshin Kawakami and Jair Jurrjens. After that there a few people entering Spring Training that will be going up for the final spot. They include Jorge Campillo (my personal choice), Jo-Jo Reyes representing the only lefty option currently under contract with the team, Charlie Morton and Tommy Hanson.

As for catchers, the team is set with All-Star back stop Brian McCann as the primary and the newly acquired David Ross to serve as Mac’s back-up.

News&Notes: Speaking of impasses, the Braves and Jeff Francoeur appear headed for arbitration. Frenchy is looking for $3.95 million while the Braves offered $2.8 million. After last season, I think $2.8 million is more than adequate.

(Photo: AP)

Glavine and the Braves to meet on Wednesday

LHP Tom Glavine has yet to accept the one year offer extended to him by the Braves, but that could all change on Wednesday. According to Foxsports.com, Glavine and his agent Greg Clifton are expected to meet with the Braves to discuss 2009. The major sticking point between the two parties is money. Atlanta is offering a one year, $1 million contract with incentives that could make it worth $3 million, while Glavine would like a $2 to 3 million guaranteed contract with incentives that would bring the deal up to the $6 million mark. Not likely to happen with the Braves suddenly cash-strapped status and in need of a left fielder.

There is no way Glavine is going to get the money he wants, so it’s up to him to decide how important playing in Atlanta is to him. The Braves really do not have the $6 million to pay for Tommy, even if they wanted to front that money. But other teams like the Nationals do. I think the Braves could up their offer a bit, but no matter what, they should not walk into Opening Day without room left in their budget for later adjustments, that’s just ludicrous.

Speaking of outfielders, the Angels look close to landing Bobby Abreu, who was believed to be on the Braves radar. This leaves a pair of Yankees outfielders for the Braves to try to go after, Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher. Their price tag could be a bit high, and that is not including the financial ramifications. Atlanta would have to give up prospects to land either player, but either player could dutifully fulfill the Bravos glaring hole in left. Now Jo-Jo Reyes acting as the Braves only left handed starter, well that's another story.
(Photo: AP; Source)

Braves Preview

With less than four days left before pitchers and catchers are summoned to spring training, I was asked by C70 at the Bat (a St. Louis Cardinals blog) to answer a few questions about the Braves's upcoming season. Topics ranged from Bobby Cox’s future with the team and John Smoltz’s departure to the Braves's chances in 2009. Click here for my take.

The Braves waiting on Tommy

With only a few days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the Braves have offered veteran LHP Tom Glavine a contract believed to be between $1 and 2 million that does not offer incentives. Glavine was looking for a contract with a base salary between $2 and 3 million that was incentive laden. However, due to Atlanta’s financial status (they only have between $7 and 8 million left in the budget) they could not offer Glavine a more lucrative deal. So we sit and wait to hear back from Tommy.

I understand the Braves hesitance to spend on Tommy. He was injured much of last season and the Braves do have a couple of pitchers that could fill in if Glavine chooses not to return. However to think that Jo-Jo Reyes, Charlie Morton or James Parr are even in the same playing field of Tom Glavine is laughable. I am not concerned about the fifth starter in the Braves rotation. I think Jorge Campillo can very capably take over that spot. My concerns are based more on the inevitable injury that would force the Braves to once again do the dance with a Reyes or a Morton. Both players, especially with Reyes have had their chances to prove their worth as starters over the past two seasons and neither has really impressed me. I think Morton or Reyes would be best served as long relievers and I think Tom Glavine would be best used to fill in any gaps that may occur in the starting rotation. Although I keep holding out hope that the Braves will call up Tommy Hanson and insert him into the rotation for an extended period of time to test his wildly heralded skill set.

The concerns about a left fielder are more than warranted. If the Braves could trade for Nick Swisher or Xavier Nady to fill that hole, it will cost $5 million, leaving them precious few dollars in their budget. And if they could bring Bobby Abreu’s price down, it would cost a similar amount. Just because they recklessly overspent on Derek Lowe (they were $16 million over what the Mets were offering) does not mean they should neglect Tom Glavine. His presence on the bench more than justifies his salary, plus he can help with the youngsters on the staff, serving as a second pitching coach. If history has taught the Braves anything over the past few years it’s that they can never have too many pitchers and when it comes to position player prospects, there are a few gems to be had in the organization already.

News&Notes: Andruw Jones has accepted a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers.
(Photo: Getty Images; source)

Braves News Round-Up

I completely maintain that for the past two weeks I have done a very good job at ignoring this blog and with only two weeks left until pitchers and catchers report, I am pretty sure that my updates will be very limited. But here’s what I missed over the last few days.

The Braves have locked up a couple of players.
In avoiding arbitration, the Braves have agreed to one year deals with first baseman Casey Kotchman ($2.88 million), reliever Mike Gonzalez ($3.45 million) and outfielder Matt Diaz. They still remain at an impasse with right fielder Jeff Francoeur and second baseman Kelly Johnson.

Tom Glavine remains a question mark; Andruw Jones most likely to stay not a Brave
Tom Glavine received a clean bill of health, but that does not mean the Cy Young Award winner will be back with the Braves for 2009. Glavine and GM Frank Wren have met to discuss a new contract, but to this point, nothing has been made official. With the way the Braves pitcher’s have been over the last few years, it’s probably best to have as many starters at the ready as possible.

Andruw Jones, who was given his release by the Los Angeles Dodgers, is still on the market, but even at a veterans minimum, the Braves are unlikely to sign him. The Braves do need outfielders, however, Jones has failed to prove that his offense is back and he could prove to be a liability even at such a small financial margin.

Jordan Schafer is sorry
Braves super prospect Jordan Schafer almost had his career derail before it even started last season when he was suspended for 50 games after being linked to HGH. Now Schafer is expressing his regret for his actions. In an interview with the media opened up about the incident for the first time:

"I regret the people that I hung around, the situation that I put myself in," Schafer said. "I regret putting the Braves through that. I regret putting you guys, the media, through that, where you have to cover a story like that. I regret disappointing the fans. I regret the whole situation. I put myself in a bad place at a bad time. "

Hopefully, this will be the last time he is mixed up in this sort of situation.

Don Sutton is Back
After a few years over in DC, Don Sutton has returned to broadcasting duties with the Braves. Sutton spent 18 years calling Braves games before moving over to the Nationals in 2007.

Braves well represented in the WBC
16 Braves members will be on various rosters during the World Baseball Classic. Chipper Jones and Brian McCann were already announced for the US team, but also participating in the tournament will be pitchers Javier Vazquez (Puerto Rico), Jair Jurrjens (The Netherlands) and Jorge Campillo (Mexico). In addition, Manny Acosta, Jose Camarena, Yeliar Castro, Dimaster Delgado, Randall Delgado and Concepcion Rodriguez will represent Panama while Scott Diamond and Bryan Dumesnil were named to the Canadian team and Phil Stockman and Mathew Kennelly were added to Australia’s roster.