Phillips, Kendrick, Kinsler, any other MLB level hitter that can man 2B and actually provide offensive value.
There is no reason to go into the season with a known gaping hole of suck at 2B. It's not like a 2B version of Heyward or Freeman are sitting on the farm waiting to get their shot. All the internal options are fringe at best, so bring in an established player.
This is a WS contending team with a $100M+ payroll, so Wren needs to act like it and fix the biggest hole on the roster.
The worst thing a mid market team like the Braves can do is trade away a league minimum player who becomes productive. I don't see why we shouldn't expect LaStella to be league average.
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Phillips has had 2 down years and is owed 50 mill over the next 4 years. This is dan Uggla part 2. Pass.
Kindrrick has said to be on the block but what are you giving up? IMO it would have to be a starting pitcher. Say Medlen?
Kinsler has never been mentioned on the block and they have said to want him to move positions. I don't see him beig traded.
So you want to hurt one area (the rotation) to fix another area (2B) when the braves could have a 2B that provide offensive value at the league minimum?
Sign Infante I could see. But trading for any of the 3 mentioned I don't see happening. The braves have to sign Freeman, Heyward, and other long term before the take on another big contract.
The biggest hole on the roster is the lack of top flight pitching not 2B
Last edited by skidlee; 10-24-2013 at 04:04 PM.
I think there biggest hole is youth and that can get solved quickly.
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Phillips and Kinsler are high risk given their ages and contracts.
Kendrick I would have some interest in. I'd do a trade that sent La Stella and Northcraft for Kendrick.
But I think the best course if to try the internal options through May. If none of them pan out, I would look for a mid-season trade replacement.
I don't see the angels really being interested in a deal like that for Kendrick.
I think they will assess till June and see how Tommy adjusts.
But, it would be nice to have Omar here for two years.
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Probably not. It is hard to say what direction that team is headed.Originally Posted by skidlee
No where in the last 2 pages has anyone addressed the theme of this thread. What do you do with Uggla if you want any of the potentials named????
If nobody wants to take him for 10 cents on the dollar then I would just release him. There is no way his bat will play well off the bench. Just admit the mistake and move on.
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Dan is gone!
Wren is going to have to move him somehow(he will eat 20/22 million to do so, and someone will take a flyer at 2/3 million/per).
With that said, the only option left from Frank's chair because of the "money already spent on Uggla" will be to fill the void at 2B with neutral cash. In other words, he will have 2 or 3 million/per to spend.
Two options present themselves from our current 40man and also help in terms of another issue(leadoff). I expect that Frank goes with a Pena/Pastor platoon at second base to start the season w/La Stella as a possible option after memorial day if the platoon isn't working.
This option isn't sexy, but it makes sense in terms of addition thru subtraction (uggla), leadoff (pena lefty/pastor righty) and not going further into financial abyss with a contract like Phillips who simply provides us another 6/7 hitter we don't need.
Lineup:
2B - Pena/Pastor*
RF - Heyward
LF - JUP
1B - FF
C - Gattis
3B - Johnson
SS - Simmons
CF - Schafer/BUP*
* - Pena/Pasto could be flipped with Schafer/Bup at the leadoff spot
As for CF, I would let it also be know this winter that BUP is not safe with his spot in CF. Let it be known that CF is a platoon at best going into spring, and the competition is wide open. We need BJ to understand that his approach is broken at that we need his approach to change. This also keeps the budget in tact and allows us to spend on bench, pitching and our core future signings.
At C, I go with Gattis and Laird (with CB in AAA). If things are going well with Gattis at C and CB steadily improving....I move Laird as a key piece heading into the trade deadline and go with Gattis and CB after the break.
Pitching - Looking for the "ace", but unlikely that happens this offseason. I look for growth from our young staff as that bump we need next season along with a return from Beachy. i sign Huddy as the 5th starter to a 1yr deal @ 5-7 mil.
Minor, JT, Medlen, Wood and Huddy (fingers crossed on Beachy) - out of Spring training
I totally agree with this approach but 10 cents is optimistic IMO. I think finding a trade partner will be impossible and he will simply get released then the best you hope for is someone signs him at league minimum in 2015. IIRC if they sign him at minimum for 2014 they then become responsible for full 14M in 2015.
Regardless, Wren and Co need to be certain of who they select going foreward. Pastor has had some chances, Pena has never proven to be a ML starter in the past and La Stella is an unknown. Not an enviable position and no simple choices there.
Very simple. Trade Uggla for whatever salary relief we can get for him, and Tommy becomes our everyday 2nd baseman with Rev on the bench backing him up.
OK. Im Frank Wren and Ive talked to every GM out there and none of them are interested in trading even a used ball or a cracked bat for him. What do I do next?
Uggla is either going to be traded for nothing or he will be a brave until the end of ST and the very least. They are not going to release him and eat 26 mill right now. If they find no takers during the offseason then they will go into ST with him and see what he does. If he sucks then they send him to AAA or cut him and let someone else take over 2B. If he does well then they might then can find a taker for him and save some (all be it not much) cash.
The braves are not going to trade for any 2B with him still on the roster so until Uggla isn't a brave don't expect a new 2B from outside the ORG.
I would agree with this. However, he did hit 22 homers last year, and some team, especially one in the AL where he could DH, should be willing to pay him $2MM to $3MM per year for that production. The question is just how much is Wren willing to eat?
Somebody will take a flyer on him for $2m per year. Frank saves face and a few bucks.
You know, he's had buzzard's luck on big contracts. I mean, one could see Uggla declining over the course of the deal - Frank probably did - but for the guy to fall that far, that fast....
Nothing until spring training. If Uggla isn't good enough in spring training to earn a spot on the roster, cut him at the end of spring training.
I think the problem is that to trade Uggla for salary relief, you probably have to send a prospect with him. Wren is going to have to balance the value of a prospect over just eating the $26 million. I don't think we can get anything for him straight up and all the other GMs in the game would just as soon wait for the designated-for-assignment notice, have him pass through waivers, and sign him for the minimum. I highly doubt there will be an intense bidding war for him, but if he's only going to be due the minimum, you might have a half dozen franchises willing to take a longer look.
And I agree with nsacpi that nothing probably happens until spring training. Everyone is going to want to see him against live pitching. That precludes signing Infante (at least to me) and as much as I like Omar Infante, I wonder if he'd be worth the investment.
Honestly, I wouldn't even bring him to spring training. I think it will be too much of a distraction. Time to move on.
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