Braves Offer James For DeJesus?

I seriously dislike this deal, from the Braves' perspective.

The Braves are NOT rich in pitching. We've got 2 old guys at the front of our rotation, and Mr. Glass penciled in for the 4th spot. It makes no sense to swap a respectable 4th/5th starter in James for a stopgap CF. No. Sense. At. All.

I fully expect James to do very well next year, under the tutelage of Glavine. Combine that with the harshness of the AL, and you're talking about a 1.5 point ERA difference between being in Atlanta and KC next year.

Anyways, from what I've heard, it seems like the Braves are more likely to trade a minor league starter for DeJesus. Jojo Reyes, anyone?

NW: It means bad things for James, who is a fly ball pitcher. According to Baseball-Reference, KC's park is a pretty decent hitter's park, while Atlanta's is a pretty decent pitcher's park. That alone would be a big difference for a pitcher like James.

Plus, I believe parks in the AL in general are smaller. Not good for a guy who lets 1 ball to the warning track seemingly every inning.

the reason why there is a difference between the NL and AL in terms of pitchers is because in the NL, you have the pitcher and the 8th place hitter, probably the two easiest batting order positions to get out in the majors (this is a generality, if you have stats proving otherwise, plz understand ill take no offense)and the DH in the AL will make those lineups have more depth and pop.

However, Chuck James did face some rpretty good lineups in the NL EAST, so I think he could hold his own in the nl. Also, KC is a fly-ball park, so it would be one of the better home parks for chuck in the AL. Furthermore, Dayton Moore liked chuck james when he was here, so that could get a deal done.

You folks are right though, james would be a price to give up for dejesus because chucky is young, cheap, and so far has been effective. I think that we could consume the loss of james with our depth, but if we only hold on to dejesus for one year and james continues to improve, it may not be worth the price.

I like the idea of getting dejesus, as I think he is a player whom we could play in center this year, and then could net us a good return in a trade next year, or could move to left with schafer in center, and we could trade off diaz.

The one thing to remember about the other team in the running is that the Rangers have a lot of prospects whom Moore is familiar with as well, and that the Rangers have more of a need to keep dejesus for the long term, and there fore may be willing to pay a higher price.

I would like Dejesus, and am ok with giving up chucky for him, but I do not think we should go much higher unless we use a lower level prospect.

Chuck James is too much to give up for DeJesus. The Braves are better off trying to go with their young players than giving DeJesus the job for one year. The Braves know that he is not the long-term answer in CF, so why overpay for a rental?

The perceived depth at SP is really just fool's gold. Smoltz had a few arm problems last year and Jojo Reyes does not seem to be MLB ready just yet. Add to that scenario the fact that you can't count on Mike Hampton at all and there goes your SP rotation into the dumpster. I say hang on to Chuckie boy.

If they are going to trade CJames, I'd rather it be for someone like Randy Winn, with a little more pop. That is assuming James is enough for him and the Giants would be willing to eat some salary. I think James would fare well in Pac Bell

I like Chuck James, but he hasn't been able to ever get through a batting order three times. His BAA is good the first two times through a batting order, but on the third, it sky-rockets well above .300, .340 if I remember right. If he is ever going to be more than a 5 inning pitcher at the back of a rotation, he needs to develop more endurance and something other than his fastball and changeup. The coaches tried to develop a cutter and a slider, but he still cant use either effectively. The Braves have depth at ptiching anyway.

Bravesbeast, I must admit, I've never seen DeJesus play but just going on numbers alone he hit .260 with little power last year and is not a basestealer. I would think that if the Braves were going to acquire a cf for a reliable 4 or fifth lefthanded starter who is capable of improving, I would think it would be for an outfielder that is either capable of being a very good leadoff hitter and basestealer or a guy that can come in and hit 15-20hr. The Braves already have 3 internal candidates who could come in and hit .260 and play good defense so I don't think they should trade James unless its for an obvious upgrade. Agreed Winn is too expensive unless the Giants eat some salary

Dejesus has a career .282/.350/.370 line, so he is a very nice top or bottom of the order option. Agreed, last year he left something to be desired, but if we batted him, KJ, or Diaz second or 8th, that would be a hell of an option in both slots. Last year I agree he left alot to be desired, but he is a smart ballplayer who knows how to get on base and does it consistiently.

Thanks goodness. I didn't like this deal one bit.