Braves News World

The Dodgers today agreed, in principle, on a five-year, $55 million contract with former Brave J.D. Drew. The Braves had offered Drew a $25 million contract spanning 3 years. The Dodgers moved to sign Drew just hours after backing out of a 3-way trade that would have sent Shawn Green to the Diamondbacks and Randy Johnson to the Yankees. The Dodgers really seem to be getting desperate at this point. They can only hope they won’t be singing J.D. Drew’s D.L. Blues come September. Meanwhile, Braves fans are waiting on John Schuerholz, who will presumably acquire an experienced outfielder to fill Drew’s outfield spot in the coming months.

Baseball America today released their list of the top ten prospects in the Atlanta Braves organization. Jeff Francoeur got the nod as the top Braves prospect, ahead of last year’s breadwinner Andy Marte. This was surprising, considering Francoeur’s lack of plate discipline last year. Jeff has more raw talent (he was named “best athlete” in the Braves system by the publication) but that’s just what it is right now, raw. There’s a chance Francoeur could develop into one of the best in the bigs but Marte is much more of a sure thing to be an all-star year in and year out at this point.

They rank the top ten Braves prospects as follows:

1. Jeff Francoeur (OF)
2. Andy Marte (3B)
3. Brian McCann (C)
4. Kyle Davies (P)
5. Anthony Lerew (P)
6. Jake Stevens (P)
7. Luis Hernandez (SS)
8. Kelly Johnson (OF)
9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (C)
10. Blaine Boyer (P)

Superlatives of note: Andy Marte was annointed “best power hitter” in the Braves’ system by the publication. Anthony Lerew, Charlie Morton, and Kyle Davies were ranked as having the best fastball, curveball, and changeup, respectively. Jake Stevens was recognized as having the “best control” among Braves minor league pitchers. Luis Hernandez and Ryan Langerhans were tagged with the best defensive infielder and outfielder monikers, respectively.

The Braves did not tender contracts to Mark DeRosa or Mike Hessman before Monday’s deadline. Both players are now free agents. The Braves have offered DeRosa a smaller contract (he made $725,000 last year) to stay with the major league club. DeRosa ended his dreadful 2004 season when he tore his right ACL. With cheaper prospects like Nick Green and Wilson Betemit waiting in the wings, the Braves decided not to bring back DeRosa at the same price tag.

Since Mike Hessman was on the Braves’ 40-man roster they needed to non-tender him in order to send him back to the minors. He has been offered a minor league contract by the Braves. After a solid season at Richmond, Hessman batted only .130 in 69 at-bats with the major league club.

I don’t imagine many tears will be shed by Braves management (moreso over Hessman) if they are not re-signed. However, I’m sure there would be many female Braves fans distraught over the loss of DeRosa.

Scrappy former Braves utility infielder (and outfielder on occasion) Mike Mordecai has been named the manager of the Marlins’ short-season Class A team, the Jamestown Jammers. Since the team’s season ends well before the Marlins’ season does, the Marlins gave notice that he will likely be called up to play for the Marlins one more time at the end of the 2005 season. A few more days in the majors would qualify Mordecai for a bigger pension (based on 10 years of service time). Well-respected around the league for his knowledge of the game, many expect Mordecai to soon manage higher-level minor league teams and, eventually, major league teams. Best of luck Mike!

The Atlanta Braves announced Friday they will be raising some of their single-game ticket prices next year. The average single-game ticket price at Turner Field in 2005 will be $24.03, up more than 5 percent from last year. The field and terrace levels will see the largest price increase percentagewise, where gate prices (Sunday through Thursday gamees) will increase $5 to $32, an 18.5% increase. Premium prices (Friday and Saturday games) for those levels will jump $5 to $35.

The silver lining is the fact that prices of season tickets, half-season tickets, and partial season ticket packages will remain unchanged. Additionally, fans will be getting more for their money thanks to all the great renovations being done at Turner Field.

Specific ticket prices that will change are outlined below (gate prices are in second column and premium prices are in third column):

Field/terrace pavilion $20 (+$2) $23 (+$2)
Terrace reserved $24 (+$2) $27 (+$2)
Lexus pavilion $26 (+$1) $29 (+$1)
Terrace level $32 (+$5) $35 (+$5)
Field level $32 (+$5) $35 (+$5)
Lexus level $34 (+$2) $37 (+$2)
Dugout level $50 (+$5) $53 (+$5)

Braves season ticket packages, as well as half season and partial season tickets, are on sale now by phone and online. Tickets for single games will be sold starting at the end of January.

The Braves traded reserve outfielder supreme Eli Marrero and “cash considerations” to the Royals for Jorge Vasquez, a marginal Double-A closer according to the stats. Last year he had a 4-5 record with a 4.68 ERA and 18 saves in 49 appearances at Wichita before getting a cup of coffee with the Royals at the end of the year..

So now there’s two gaping holes in the corner outfield spots. It’s obvious that this is a salary dump clearing the way for one more big trade or signing involving an outfielder. Marrero was set to earn $3 million in 2005 with bonus opportunites and escalators that could raise his salary to $4.6 million. Schuerholz needed that much more room to negotiate for an outfielder.

I always thought Eli could get the job done on an everyday basis and would eventually get the chance to be a starter with the Braves. But, having shipped Charles Thomas to the A’s in the Tim Hudson deal, they decided to completely clean house in the corners and go with probably a rookie platoon (i.e. Ryan Langerhans and Billy McCarthy) in one position and a proven commodity in the other. Outfield names that continue to surface in rumors include Jacque Jones, Magglio Ordonez, Moises Alou, and Sammy Sosa (if the Cubs will eat most of his salary; fat chance of that). Another possibility from way out of left field, all pun intended, is playing Andy Marte at third base and moving Chipper back to the outfield. I don’t see that one happening. Schuerholz also indicated yesterday that Jeff Francoeur would be given the opportunity to compete for an outfield spot in spring training. I find it hard to believe he’ll be on the major league roster come April. They don’t want to rush him. But if he does somehow become a starting outfielder for the Braves it will be in place of the rookie platoon – not the veteran outfielder who will arrive shortly. Stay tuned!

The trade that’s been rumored all week finally came to pass: Tim Hudson is a Brave! The right-hander is 29 years old and has a 92-39 record with a sparkling 3.30 ERA lifetime. His 81 wins from 2000-04 is tied for the most in the American League during that span. He didn’t come cheap but Schuerholz has definitely worked his magic once again in rebuilding the rotation to be probably the finest in the National League. Tim Hudson, John Smoltz, Mike Hampton, John Thomson, Horacio Ramirez. Ramirez, who won 12 games in 2003, is the 5th starter? That’s just nasty.

This time, the Braves’ pitching riches came at the expense of top pitching prospect Dan Meyer, up-and-coming left fielder Charles Thomas, and hard-throwing reliever Juan Cruz. Dan Meyer, a 23-year old lefty, will vie for a spot in the vaunted A’s rotation right away and has, by some accounts, the goods to be an all-star pitcher for years to come. With Hudson hailing from Columbus, GA, the Braves will no doubt make a strong push to sign Hudson to a long-term deal and that’s what would make this deal worth it (alright, I’ll just settle for a World Series title next year ). Otherwise, the Braves are just renting Hudson for a year.

Though his hard-nosed play, fielding prowess and .288 average turned heads last year, Charles Thomas was expendable. Ryan Langerhans and Billy McCarthy are waiting in the wings and will likely platoon in one of the Braves’ outfield spots. The loss of Cruz is tolerable considering how adept Schuerholz and Mazzone have become at patching together decent bullpens at the last minute. Plus, who needs a bullpen when you have a rotation like the Braves have now? I just hope the losses of Capellan & Meyer don’t come back to haunt the Braves down the line. I’m sure Schuerholz figures the imminent arrivals of Andy Marte and Jeff Francoeur can mask any damage done to the current crop of minor league pitchers by these recent trades.

Once they moved him back to the starting rotation, it was apparent the Braves would need to sign Smoltz to an extension. Smoltz will get what he wants (to be a Brave the rest of his career) and the Braves get what they need (a re-structuring of his 2005 salary to eliminate the $100,000-per start bonus). He will earn $8 million in 2006 and the Braves have an $8 million club option for 2007. I daresay, with the Braves’ budget restrictions nowadays, Smoltzie will likely be the last player of note to spend his whole career with the organization.

The Atlanta Braves may be on a strict budget as far as their payroll goes but they’re sparing no expense in renovating Turner Field this winter. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that more than $15 million worth of improvements are being made to the stadium this offseason. The most significant change is a $12-million high-definition video and information screen in center field. The screen will measure approximately 80 feet by 72 feet. The paper quotes Todd Stih of Mitsubish Electric Power Products as proclaiming the screen “will be the largest and tallest video display in any stadium in the world.” WOW! I can’t wait to see this in action.

After seven straight seasons of declining attendance, it’s great to see the team investing in improving the fan experience. This should go a long way to reversing that downtrend. They’ll probably recoup their investment in the scoreboard through increased attendance within a couple years. Other renovations underway include an extension to the “Chop House” restaurant being built above the right field stands, a new 42-inch tall LED “ribbon” board being installed on the facing below the upper deck, and a remodeling of the 755 Club. Officials are also considering building a $3 million theme park based on the Cartoon Network near the entry plaza. Th-th-th-that’s all folks!

Some of you may believe this goes in the “useless information” category but I thought it was interesting. The Atlanta Braves were the 5th most searched-for sports team among AOL members during 2004. The team’s popularity shows no signs of fading (as their attendance numbers have in recent years - more on that in an upcoming post).

Here are the 10 sports teams that generated the most searches this year:

1) Dallas Cowboys
2) New York Yankees
3) Chicago Cubs
4) Boston Red Sox
5) Atlanta Braves
6) Philadelphia Eagles
7) New England Patriots
8) Green Bay Packers
9) Los Angeles Lakers
10) Oakland Raiders

Paul Byrd signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Angels today. I’ve got to say this one perplexes me. That’s probably the same exact deal he would’ve gotten if he accepted arbitration with the Braves. He resides in Alpharetta, GA and has stated in the past that he would like to stay in his hometown.

The Associated Press quoted Byrd as saying “The reason I chose Anaheim over several other teams was I felt they have the best chance to win the World Series and that was the best place for my family.” The best place for your family is on the opposite coast from where your home is? Also, I don’t know that the Angels have a better chance at winning the World Series than do the Braves. One would hope he’d give the Braves the benefit of the doubt considering he was injured 3/4 of the duration of his last contract. All I can figure is that he either prefers the American League, feared the Braves would relegate him to the undesirable 5th spot in the rotation, or didn’t want the uncertainty associated with arbitration.

But the Braves won’t be losing any sleep over losing Byrd. They’ve still got their sights set on a stellar rotation topped off by Tim Hudson. Settling for a rookie like Dan Meyer isn’t looking like so bad an option either, if it allows them to snag an outfielder like Magglio Ordonez.

Various reports have the Braves setting their sights on Tim Hudson (yet again) and Kevin Millwood to complete the starting rotation. The Braves reportedly offered Millwood a one-year deal worth $3 - $4 million. That would be quite a pay cut from the $11 million he made with the Phillies last year. The Braves hope to get him for cheap and see if Leo Mazzone can rehabilitate him (he went 9-6 with a 4.85 ERA last year).

Another rumor has A’s general manager Billy Beane pushing a Tim Hudson trade that might include Dan Meyer, Nick Green (apparently he’s finally got it through his thick skull Giles is off limits ), and Kyle Davies. Schuerholz wisely drew the line at Kyle Davies. That’s a lot of prospects for a one-year rental of Hudson.

I’d rather just settle for Byrd (who’s been rumored to be attracting interest from the Padres) and concentrate on trading for a good right fielder. There has been chatter that the Braves discussed a trade for Sammy Sosa but don’t pop those corks just yet (sorry, couldn’t resist!). Word is they’ll likely be content to resolve the right field situation internally with either Eli Marrero or Ryan Langerhans (and continue platooning Marrero with Charles Thomas in left field). It’s time that Marrero got a chance to prove he can be an everyday player but I still wish the Braves would stop worrying about the rotation (now that Smoltz headlines a solid foursome) and get a big bat! It’s scary to imagine how badly the Braves’ offense would have fallen apart without J.D. Drew last year.

Braves officials were no doubt relieved to lose only Adam Stern in the Major League portion of Monday’s Rule 5 draft. Stern batted .322 with 8 home runs and 47 RBIs with AA Greenville in 2004. He was chosen by the Red Sox with the 11th pick in the first round. He may still return to the Braves if the Sox don’t keep him on their active 25-man roster throughout the whole 2005 season.

It was pretty much a foregone conclusion Stern would be chosen. The Braves had feared other unprotected prospects like Zach Miner, James Jurries, Kevin Barry, and Bryan Digby might have been selected as well.

The Braves lost Aaron Herr, the son of former Major League Tommy Herr, to the Mariners in the minor league portion of the draft. He hit .272 with 7 home runs and 32 RBIs at Greenville last season.

After receiving an early Christmas gift of his own on Saturday, John Smoltz will be helping to distribute gifts to some neighborhood families on Tuesday 12/14/04 at the Georgia Avenue Community Ministry (645 Grant Street) from 4:30 - 5:30 pm. The gifts and funds were contributed by Atlanta Braves front office departments and individuals to support the “Adopt-A-Family” project.

“Alec who?” That’s what relieved Braves fans are saying to themselves today. Luckily, the Braves gave up no one significant (no offense Alec) as the “player to be named later” in the Danny Kolb-Jose Capellan trade. Zumwalt went 3-7 with 5.09 ERA as a reliever in 46 games for the AA Greenville Braves last season.

The Braves dealt top pitching prospect Jose Capellan and a minor league player, who will be named later, for Brewers closer Danny Kolb. Kolb converted 39 saves in 44 opportunities for the Brewers who only won 67 games last year. He posted a 2.98 ERA last in 64 games with 21 strikeouts and 15 walks in 57 1/3 innings and made the All-Star team in doing so. He used to rely on a fastball in the 90’s before learning to use his split-finger fastball to get ground ball outs.

The A’s were pressing the Braves for a Giles-Hudson trade but Schuerholz heeded my advice and resisted. Bobby Cox said simply “He’s too good.”

This obviously paves the way for Smoltz to return to the starting rotation and solve the Braves’ pitching problems. The rotation is now solidly set with Smoltz, Horacio, Hampton, Thomson, and Byrd (if the Braves don’t work out a multi-year deal with him he’ll probably get more than $5 million next year through arbitration). The Braves are now negotiating a two-year extension with Smoltz, which would presumably allow him to end his career in Atlanta.

Kolb comes cheap as he’ll likely make a little over $3 million next year. My only reservation concerns the fact that this is the last year he is eligible for arbitration. He could be a free agent after the 2005 season. Capellan was the closer-in-training so Schuerholz will likely then have to pull a rabbit out of his hat in 2005 for the third straight year.

Though the price was very steep, Capellan is still an unproven commodity at the major league level (witnessed by his 11.25 ERA in 8 innings last year). Big leaguers will catch up with any fastball if you can’t develop off-speed pitches to go with it. Kolb is rock solid in the bullpen and starting may prove less-strenous on Smoltz’s surgically-repaired elbow. I like this move, assuming it will give the Braves more room to maneuver in signing a great right fielder.

With the arbitration deadline passed and the winter meetings underway, major free agent signings are happening left and right. However, the Braves are remaining on the sidelines for now. Jaret Wright just inked a 3-year, $22 million contract with the Yankees. The Braves’ offer of $9 million over 2 years paled in comparison. Russ Ortiz, who the Braves gave up on long ago, will receive $33 million over 4 years from the Diamondbacks.

One day after offering him arbitration, the Braves re-signed 46-year old Julio Franco on Thursday to a one-year, $1 million contract. Word is the Marlins were interested in obtaining Franco’s services so the Braves were forced to sign him immediately to a guaranteed contract rather than simply inviting him to Spring Training and playing it by ear in March.

Braves great Phil Niekro and announcer Don Sutton are scheduled to sign autographs this Sunday 12/12/04 in the Exhibition Hall at the Richmond Raceway Complex in Richmond, VA. Niekro will be signing from 11:30 - 1:30 pm while Sutton will be signing from 12:00 - 2:00 pm. Advance autograph ticket prices range from $35 - $60 each. You can contact the promoter, Collector’s Showcase of America, at (540) 456-6877. Advance admission tickets for Sunday are $5 for those age 12 and over and free for ages under 12. The status of these appearances is subject to change at any time. Call the promoter for further information.

John-Charles Bradbury at Sabernomics is one of the best statistically-inclined bloggers. He has an interesting analysis of the effect Leo Mazzone has on Braves pitchers. Statistics indicate pitchers trim their ERA about 0.55 - 0.85 points by working with Mazzone. Just further proof he should be in the Hall of Fame…