Braves Sign Anderson, Fill Void in Left Field

After losing out on signing Ken Griffey, the Braves have moved on and brought in veteran LF Garret Anderson. The reported deal is worth $2.5M for one year.

Naturally this is being reported by AJC.com, so you might think, "did we really sign him?" Well don't be too shocked that its likely true. Since Anderson was our second option after Griffey, it makes sense that we'd bring in the life-long Angels lefty on the cheap. Anderson is a three-time all-star, averaging over 20HR and 100RBI in each of his fifteen Major League seasons.

Its probably safe to assume that Anderson would assume the same platoon role planned for Griffey: Matt Diaz will start against lefties while Anderson starts against righties.

This all sounds like a safe way to hold the fort until top prospect Jason Heyward can take the reins. It follows the trend GM Frank Wren appears set to follow: sign veterans on the cheap as a stop-gap until the prospects can take over. I love this trend. You have to assume that enough GMs out there (who don't have $100M to spend every winter) have seen teams like the Dodgers and Yankees sink way too much money into overpaid veterans while sacrificing their farm system for short-term gains. Sure the Braves haven't made the playoffs in three years now, but we're finally developing the top-tier farm system that helped build a dynasty nearly twenty years ago. We've locked in a strong core of Chipper, McCann, and Lowe while prospects Heyward, Tommy Hanson, Jordan Schaefer and Freddie Freeman wait in the wings.

The future is bright for Atlanta, and after struggling early in the offseason it appears that Frank Wren has found his stride. Its time to get excited about Atlanta Braves baseball again.

The first game of Spring Training is this Wednesday.
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With a New Rotation, Smoltz's Departure All the More Puzzling

Last week John Smoltz signed with the Boston Red Sox. He held a press conference yesterday, where he was introduced to the Red Sox Nation. He donned a Red Sox cap and jersey. He also attended a Celtics game, where he was announced as the newest Red Sox pitcher.

John Smoltz. Red Sox. Sounds verrrrry strange. Seeing him in that cap. Horribly strange. Horrific even. Drives a man to do strange things, seeing that image. Thinking about it. About him taking the mound in Boston, mowing down A-Rod and Tex in the heat of a playoff race. Something just.. gut-wrenching about it. Imagine its the last day of the season, and a Red Sox win means a playoff berth. Better yet it knocks the Yankees out of contention. Smoltz takes the hill, shuts down the opposition. Blows them away. The everlasting image of the Red Sox' season is Smoltz burying a slider low and in on Jeter to put the Yankees away. Say he wins a playoff game or two, maybe even throws a complete game and gives the catcher a bear hug at the end. How does that make you feel? That John Smoltz's image could be a part of Red Sox history. That's our man, our leader becoming an integral part of some other club's history! Think about Dave Roberts, who spent part of one season in Boston, but stole the base that led to the greatest comeback in baseball history. What if its the same for Smoltz? Can you live with that? I don't think I can. But I can tell you who has no problem with that - John Smoltz.


John Smoltz is the most competitive player in baseball. Maybe in all of sports (save for his buddy Tiger Woods). This offseason the Braves basically showed that they thought Smoltz couldn't get hitters out anymore. He's going to be 42 and he's finished. Many players might agree and say something like "well its been a great run, and its time I stepped away." Not Smoltzie. Never him. He hears "it can't be done" and all he thinks is "I'll show you it can." All Smoltz asked for was a chance to prove himself. For coaches and trainers to watch him throw, watch his movements, his range of motion, and judge right there how well his recovery his going. Judge whether he can get hitters out this season. The Braves appear to have not given him that chance. Their position during the end of the season did not change in the offseason. Smoltz was not going to become that ace starter they needed him to be. The Red Sox just need a veteran arm, a competitor and a performer down the stretch - and they signed the best one in baseball history.

After a week of moves rebuilding the broken Braves rotation, can Frank Wren really look back and agree that this was the right choice? Low-balling Smoltz with ridiculous incentives that would never vest? Their original plan was to rebuild first, figure out Smoltz and Glavine second. While they were waiting around for the rebuilding, they ignored Smoltz. He didn't want to wait around on anyone's doorstep hoping it might open come February or March. With all of the work he was putting into his rehab, it was important for him to know whether it was worth it. He's upset. He's upset in the lack of faith. This is John Smoltz. We know him. We know what he's going to do when faced with a challenge. He's publicly stated many times that his shoulder feels better than its ever felt. He can do push ups for the first time in over three years! Its more stable, its more useful, and its going to be ready for a major league workload, whether its in April or in August.

So why the split? Business, right? We offered less money, we require a significant contribution given the state of our roster, and we can't rely on a 42-year old pitcher coming off major surgeries. So we pass. The Red Sox have a loaded roster, a lot of money to spend, and nothing but time to let Smoltz regain his form. They want him ready for September - the playoff race. So they sign him. Ultimately it comes down to what gives Smoltz the best chance to not only recover adequately, but to contribute to a winning ball club, and have one more chance at a title run. The Braves offer none of those things. The front office believes we need him in April, and we have no guarantee that we'll make any kind of a playoff run. Should we be out of it in July or August, we'd probably end up trading him to Boston anyway. So which is better? Letting him go out like this, or by trading him in his final season? Which would make you more upset? Any way you slice it, Smoltz was not ending this season in a Braves uniform. He would not be ending his career as a Brave. End of story.

A lot of Braves fans, myself included, had the immediate reaction to write off Frank Wren, to write off the Braves franchise. "They won't be getting a dime from me until Frank Wren is fired!" Its understandable at first. But now, only a week later, that's become a ridiculous statement. Wren clearly is trying hard to put the best ball club together. Going into this week, who was the best free agent pitcher on the market? Derek Lowe. Now a Brave. Not to mention adding Kenshin Kawakami to go along with Javier Vazquez, acquired earlier this offseason. The Braves rotation has shaped up nicely, easily able to compete with the staffs in Philly and New York. But let's think about this. Were these moves so quickly made because of the reaction to Smoltz's departure? Or were they planned out, and we were going to get Kenshin and Lowe anyway? Well weren't we? Wasn't Wren's plan to get 2-3 pitchers and a power bat? Its hard to say if one influenced the other, but looking back.. with the money we still have, and a complete rotation now in place.. why wouldn't we offer Smoltz whatever it would take? We don't need him to start April 1st in the rotation. We have 5 pitchers already. We don't need him close on day one either, we have Gonzo. The state of the Braves pitching staff today bears great similarity to that of the Red Sox. We don't need Smoltz on day one or day thirty, we just need him in the clubhouse. We need him to rehab that arm and give us whatever production he can possibly give, whenever that may be.

So looking back, Mr. Wren, don't your proposed incentives to Mr. Smoltz seem a bit outrageous? Sure he could make $10M next year under our plan too.. if he throws 200 innings, if he starts 30 games, and if he's a front-line starter the entire season. But if all along you're saying that we need to rebuild our rotation first before worrying about Smoltz.. isn't that just admitting that he was never in the plans to be our #1 starter? Weren't we admitting that should Smoltz be on the roster in 2009, that it would be as a reliever or a midseason back-end of the rotation guy? Wasn't that the assumption all along? Why all of a sudden switch gears and tell John that if he's not ready to give us 200 innings this year, then he's not ready to be a Brave this year. Why low-ball him in guaranteed money and expect him to not be offended? Why all of these shenanigans? Either tell him its time to part ways, or be aggressive and keep him here. That kind of offer says, "We'll take you if no one else will. But we really don't care."

You might argue how that's a significant investment in an older pitcher who might give you nothing this season. And maybe it is. But if you have money to spend (and every team has $5M to spend. every team.), don't you always try to invest it in what gives your team the best chance to win? Does John Smoltz in the clubhouse not give you that? Does John Smoltz mentoring young pitchers like Jurrjens and Hanson not give you that edge? Does the idea of going to the ballpark to see Smoltz one last time not excite the fans? Bottom line - regardless of whether Smoltz throws 200 innings or 2 innings, your team is better with him on the roster. Boston knows that. And we damn well should know that after 21 years.

I wish John all the best, and hope he has a smooth recovery. And I'll say it right now - nothing would give me more pleasure than seeing him pitch again in a big game. That's what he was meant to do, and that's what I'll miss about him as a Brave. So good luck Smoltzie, I know I'll be cheering for ya.

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Braves Add Kawakami to the Rotation

[photo from japantimes.co.jp]


Looks like Frank Wren can multitask. While dealing with the post-Smoltz flak and meetings with Derek Lowe, Wren was able to reach an agreement with Japanese Cy Young pitcher Kenshin Kawakami. He is currently in Atlanta undergoing a physical, as confirmed by Wren this morning on 790 The Zone. Kawakami has pitched in Japan's Central League for 11 seasons, winning the league's Sawamura Award (Cy Young) and MVP awards in 2004 after going 17-7 with a 3.32 ERA. Wren believes he should have won the Sawamura in 2006, and I'm inclined to agree, when he went 17-7 with a 2.51 ERA over 215 innings. Last season he posted a 2.30 ERA in 16 starts, missing nearly three weeks with a strained back. While his numbers and experience surely point to a pitcher who could make a great impact in our depleted rotation, let's hope his injury problems of last season are completely a thing of the past.

Our rotation currently looks like Vazquez, Jurrjens, Kawakami, Campillo, and one of many fighting for the fifth spot (including Tom Glavine should he prove to be healthy, and get re-signed..). The Braves appear ready to make a formal offer to Derek Lowe early this week as well. Without Lowe, our 2010 rotation could be Hudson, Vazquez, Jurrjens, Hanson, Kawakami. Which doesn't sound bad at all. In fact that could be our rotation come August. And while it would be nice to land Derek Lowe, I think we may actually have enough arms to keep us afloat until the trade deadline (coughpeavycough). The main thing holding us back would be the offense, which still has glaring holes all over the outfield and middle of the order. Let's hope Frank Wren has had "power hitter" on his multitasking list as well.
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A Dark Cloud Over The Ted

On 790 The Zone this morning, a caller told us that he's been a lifelong Braves fan and if Smoltz goes to Boston, he won't be giving the Braves another cent of his money until Frank Wren is fired.

I'm compelled to agree with him.

The Braves come into the offseason telling everyone about their big pile of cash: $30-40M available to spend on free agents and new talent to make this team competitive again. Now after landing nobody except Javy Vazquez, its beginning to look like the front office has packed it in and are waiting to see how the prospects pan out. Wren and company refuse to make any aggressive offers, forgetting that we are no longer an attractive destination for free agents. Or even our own team leader, for that matter. $5.5M for John Smoltz is a bargain. That's practically free. He could pitch ZERO innings and I'd still pay him that much. Just to be in the clubhouse, just to show the young pitchers what its like to work and act like a superstar Major Leaguer. But he will pitch innings. And he could pitch a lot of innings.

This is clearly his final season and his insane competitiveness is going to show through. Sure we've lost guys before, hell we've lost everyone except Chipper and Smoltz over the years. This is professional baseball, after all. But with one year remaining in his Hall of Fame career, how can the Braves front office believe any of their half-assed justifications that we can't sink any more money into 40+ year old pitching. Keeping Smoltz isn't about saving the rotation. Its about saving face. If he came back, it'd likely be as a reliever, keeping him in a role that can limit injuries. What's important is that we keep him in a role. Any role. Boston has nothing to lose by signing him. They have a stocked rotation and bullpen, and $5.5M means nothing to them. But we have a lot to lose by letting him walk. We'll lose fans, we'll lose respect, we'll lose hope. Its January and its already time to think about next November. Who's a free agent? What prospects might be ready? Will Chipper retire? I think someone needs to remind Frank Wren that you actually have to field a team in 2009. And if you have the money, you have to do right by your fans and field the best possible team you can. And that will always mean having John Smoltz on the roster.

Now then, is it time to buy FireFrankWren.com?
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Who's Left for the Braves to Pursue?

After pursuing Jake Peavy, AJ Burnett and Rafael Furcal and coming up short on all three, Braves GM Frank Wren has had quite the miserable offseason. So who's left out there for the Braves to get? I think there's a couple of free agents left we should get in on - and close the deal this time. With holes in the outfield and the rotation, I expect Wren to try and address these needs first... but my top guy doesn't pitch and he isn't an outfielder:

1) Orlando Hudson, 2B
After the debacle with Furcal, one thing became clear about the Braves roster: our middle infield is our best shot at trading for a stud pitcher. If we go sign Hudson (and he'll probably cost more than Furcal, think 3 years, $40M), that gives us a Gold Glove winner who can swing the bat, allowing us to actively shop Kelly Johnson. The Cardinals were interesting in Kelly, and would love to unload Rick Ankiel before he hits free agency, and he's a viable option for Atlanta. As is Ryan Ludwick. But if we bring in Hudson, I'm guessing come February Kelly will fill a hole in that San Diego middle infield, and we'll have a new ace at the top of the rotation.
Also look at Orlando Cabrera, a Gold Glove at short who can bat leadoff, though he had some problems dealing with Ozzie Guillen in Chicago, but so did Javy Vazquez.

2) Derek Lowe, SP
He's a proven post-season pitcher, top of the rotation, veteran with insane control. He may be the best sinker-ball pitcher this side of Brandon Webb. The only real issue I think is his age (35), but with his easy-going delivery and lack of power, think of him more like Jamie Moyer than AJ Burnett. This guy could pitch for a long time, and pitch well, in fact his control has actually improved over the last couple of years, barely issuing any walks. Pair him with another sinker-baller in Tim Hudson (in 2010) and you've got half the rotation keeping the ball on the ground, which usually leads to success (especially with Gold Glove-caliber talent in the infield). A three to four year deal would be good, somewhere just shy of what Burnett got from the Yankees.
Another option would have been Randy Wolf, but his agents happen to represent Furcal, so kiss that goodbye. Brad Penny could be a cheap option after a hugely down year, and he's a talented hard-throwing guy a la Vazquez. Ben Sheets would probably get hurt in Spring Training, pass.

3) Pat Burrell, LF
He's right-handed, plays left-field, and is an RBI machine. Say what you will about the former Phillie, he would fit nicely into our lineup. While I would prefer to see us deal for a cheaper option like Ankiel, Ludwick, or Corey Hart, signing Burrell to a 2-3 year deal might be perfect. Right now its all about bridging the gap between our current roster and our roster of the future (starring Tommy Hanson, Jason Heyward and Jordan Schafer), and the way to do that is to bring in guys like Burrell for a couple years. Burrell's value is higher than normal right now, but we have the money. And no matter what you think about Burrell, plugging him into left for two years definitely couldn't hurt.
Bobby Abreu and Juan Rivera could also work in left, but Abreu's a lefty, and Rivera is as injury prone as Ben Sheets, though he'd be cheap and does have potential.

Couple of other names to ponder..

• The Astros decided to non-tender Ty Wigginton. Wigginton went on a monster tear last season after LF Carlos Lee went down, replacing him in left. However he's normally an infielder (3B or 2B). He'd be cheap, can put up good (not great) numbers and doesn't require any sort of long-term commitment.
• P Daniel Cabrera was let go by the Orioles, who finally gave up on the right-handed flamethrower after years of never achieving his potential. Should Leo Mazzone still be here, I'd say Cabrera could be signed.. but I'm not sure relcamation projects are really our thing anymore.
• The Braves have been linked to courting Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami. He's won the Japanese equivalents of the Cy Young and MVP in 2004, and posted an ERA of only 2.30 in 16 starts last season. The Braves met with Kawakami's agent at the Winter Meetings in Vegas, but there appears to be multiple teams interested in the hurler.
  

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