Well the Braves will now be in that poisitin the next couple of years. Hopefully we actually draft some hitters this time.
I'm still chewing on nsacpi's point about stockpiling hitters in this "current environment" versus stockpiling pitchers. I think you could look at it in 2-3 years and reach a totally different conclusion. Pitching -
good pitching - is nearly always a valuable commodity.
And the fact of the matter is, you have to know who you are. The Braves Way(c) is very much based on having more and better pitching than everybody else. Pitching is what we know, pitching is what we develop. We're a pitching first organization, and have been for a quarter century. I mean, we have pioneered the position of Tommy John recovery coach! We've made 46 trades in the last nine months and gotten pitching in every single one of them. Our draft was entirely pitching. And people know, and will continue to know, when they need an Alex Wood or fall in love with the grit of Randall Delgado, that the Braves are ready to deal.
One more thought - I'd rather stockpile young pitching than young hitting because I don't think we can afford dead money and, Upton and Uggla notwithstanding, post-arb pitching that you sign or trade for is like flicking your lighter next to the gasoline can. Hitting is certainly more predictable and trustworthy as it enters that 28+ phase, and even then it's dicey. But I think the Braves have got it right.
You think the Tigers feel good about what they have tied up in Verlander? Edwin Jackson looked like a decent mid-rotation signing in the beginning of his deal. The "really smart" Cubs just gave up trying to trade him and released him outright, eating like $10m. Is there a chance Jon Lester degenerates toward the end of his deal? Yes, and a pretty good one.
