John Schuerholz announced today that Andruw Jones will not be in the Braves' plans for 2008. According to Jones' agent, Scott Boras, it was never in the Braves' interest to re-sign Jones past his 2007 contract, even before his sub-par .222/.311/.413, 5.4-VORP season. "'General managers of teams that I have [established] players playing for call me all the time,' Boras said. 'With John [Schuerholz], I have never discussed anything about Andruw Jones for two years.'"
"Schuerholz didn't provide specifics regarding what was included in this e-mail. But he acknowledged that Boras is seeking a contract similar to the ones received by Vernon Wells and Alfonso Soriano before this season began. Both of them gained contracts that consisted of at least seven years and included an annual salary of at least $17 million."
My feeling is that Braves fans will have mixed reactions to Jones' departure. Even after this dismal season at the plate, Jones still has the potential to record many more productive years with another team, as he's still just 30 years old. The Braves have two very good outfielders at the major league level right now, however, in Jeff Francoeur and Matt Diaz, and a serviceable one in Willie Harris. Brandon Jones, who spent most of the season at AAA-Richmond, will likely challenge Harris for a spot in the outfield in Spring Training. I can't see the Braves signing any of the outfielders in this offseason's free agent crop, as the most likely candidates in Mike Cameron, Torii Hunter, and Aaron Rowand will likely command big dollars, possibly near what Jones will be getting from his new club.
Showing posts with label Braves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Braves. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 2
Friday, May 18
money money money MONEY, MUH-NAY
Yeah, thats my rough interpretation of what the song sounds like, anyways, the group that just bought the Braves was interviewed here, with one of the questions being about payroll expectations. The Liberty Group has signed official documents saying that the payroll will not drop from the average level of the past 3 years. As Greg Maffei (President & CEO) put it "I'm going to leave that to [McGuirk], but I would be surprised [if it doesn't go up]," Maffei said. "The goal is to have a successful franchise, and winning franchises are successful franchises, and there probably is some correlation between payroll and success. Not an absolute correlation, but certainly some correlation."
SWEEEEEEEET
So, the natural question would be, are the Braves gonna keep Andruw?
SWEEEEEEEET
So, the natural question would be, are the Braves gonna keep Andruw?
Monday, February 5
I <3 Prospects
Good post on two prospects of note right now; one is in the minors in the Braves organization, one is in the majors and will be battling none other than our own Javy Lopez during Spring Training for a starting job come April. The best part is, Ryan might know both of them! Take a look at this post if you're at all interested in how these rankings are compiled.
Note: something must be wrong with Baseball Prospectus! Free PECOTA cards for everyone!
Note: something must be wrong with Baseball Prospectus! Free PECOTA cards for everyone!
Sunday, February 4
Sunday, January 28
Go Braves
Just relaying a post I gave to the numb-nuts members of a Braves facebook group I belong to.
"We had one of the best offenses in the Major Leagues last season, good for sixth. SIXTH. The Yankees, Indians, Phillies, Mets, and Blue Jays were the only teams with better offenses (three AL teams, and two NL East teams). In my mind, trading away a part of that offense with someone (Thorman) waiting in the wings to have a decent chance at replacing it is fine with me, given our bullpen situation. I'm quite glad to have Gonzalez coming over (he would have easily been the most valuable of our relievers were he with our organization last year, so too would Soriano), and receiving Lillibridge only sweetens the deal.
From Baseball America:
"Gonzalez, a 28-year-old lefthander, helps shore up an Atlanta bullpen that was a weakness last year but already was bolstered this offseason by the acquistion of Rafael Soriano. Gonzalez has better stuff that most southpaws, starting with a plus fastball and slider. He went 3-4, 2.17 with 24 saves in 54 games last year. He had a 64-31 K-BB ratio in 54 innings while limiting opponents to a .213 average and one homer. Gonzalez avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $2.35 million contract in January."
"Lillibridge, 23, was one of Pittsburgh's top prospects. A fourth-round pick out of Washington in 2005, he hit a combined .305/.419/.480 with 13 homers, 71 RBIs and 53 steals in 128 games between two Class A stops last year. Lillibridge has the tools to bat at the top of a lineup with a solid bat, gap power, improving plate discipline and plus speed. He has good range and a solid arm at shortstop, and could surface quickly in Atlanta."
Also, McCann was our most valuable hitter this year. Chipper was a close second, even with the missed playing time; in fact, he only had 15 fewer plate appearances than McCann. Renteria was fourth, LaRoche was fifth, and Francoeur wasn't even close. Among all players with 200+ plate appearances, he was easily the worst. I'm still willing to give him a chance, though; hopefully he'll have learned patience by the 2007 season."
"We had one of the best offenses in the Major Leagues last season, good for sixth. SIXTH. The Yankees, Indians, Phillies, Mets, and Blue Jays were the only teams with better offenses (three AL teams, and two NL East teams). In my mind, trading away a part of that offense with someone (Thorman) waiting in the wings to have a decent chance at replacing it is fine with me, given our bullpen situation. I'm quite glad to have Gonzalez coming over (he would have easily been the most valuable of our relievers were he with our organization last year, so too would Soriano), and receiving Lillibridge only sweetens the deal.
From Baseball America:
"Gonzalez, a 28-year-old lefthander, helps shore up an Atlanta bullpen that was a weakness last year but already was bolstered this offseason by the acquistion of Rafael Soriano. Gonzalez has better stuff that most southpaws, starting with a plus fastball and slider. He went 3-4, 2.17 with 24 saves in 54 games last year. He had a 64-31 K-BB ratio in 54 innings while limiting opponents to a .213 average and one homer. Gonzalez avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $2.35 million contract in January."
"Lillibridge, 23, was one of Pittsburgh's top prospects. A fourth-round pick out of Washington in 2005, he hit a combined .305/.419/.480 with 13 homers, 71 RBIs and 53 steals in 128 games between two Class A stops last year. Lillibridge has the tools to bat at the top of a lineup with a solid bat, gap power, improving plate discipline and plus speed. He has good range and a solid arm at shortstop, and could surface quickly in Atlanta."
Also, McCann was our most valuable hitter this year. Chipper was a close second, even with the missed playing time; in fact, he only had 15 fewer plate appearances than McCann. Renteria was fourth, LaRoche was fifth, and Francoeur wasn't even close. Among all players with 200+ plate appearances, he was easily the worst. I'm still willing to give him a chance, though; hopefully he'll have learned patience by the 2007 season."
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