Stark's Latest: K-Rod, Burnett, Oliver Perez, Bedard

So the Braves are shifting their view to a power bat in LF... with Tex leaving next season they will get 2 comp picks and Pittsburgh should be able to get something of good value from Atlanta... We would want pitching most likely in return. The question is what do the Braves have to offer? Its going to take a good offer so what do you guys think it would be?

If I were a Brewer fan, I would be drooling considering what CC and Sheets could do together in a pennant race and what Doug Melvin could do with 5 picks in the top 40.

Maybe the Pirates could get Jair Jurrgens for Bay. Of course, they could have gotten Jurrgens last year for Jack Wilson. Thanks again Dave Littlefield.

No the Pirates cannot get Jurrjens in a trade for BAy... The Braves would not do that because it simply makes no sense. Why trade one of your two most consistient pitchers, in a year where the braves have had anything but consistient pitching options, for a bat in the effort of making a push for the playoffs? THat makes no sense at all. I would love Bay in our lineup, especially if we could extend him and let Teix walk. However, Nady could also make a difference and require less of a price.... I would the braves would trade some pitching to get bay, but probably not Tommy Hanson either.... It would probably be some of our lower level talent in Rorhbrough, Locke, Medlen, Evarts and so on. However, I do agree... The braves would be dangerous if we could acquire Bay.

typical homer. wants an allstar outfielder and doesnt want to give up anything to get him.

"sure he has been great for the braves but pitchers r inconsistent."

ya, bay is real consistent. that's why he hit .247 last year with 21 home runs. I'd rather have jurrgens who is under control for a while, bay is there a year and a half. Jair is also 8 years younger. Not to mention the salary difference. i'd much rather have jair than a corner outfielder that hit 84 rbi's last year and is on pace for 82 this year.

The Angels need to sign K-Rod. Yesterday. They need to make him their version of Trevor Hoffman, particularly since he has the ability to break all the saves records. Arredondo isn't ready to close and isn't K-Rod anyway. Shields is an ideal setup man, but nothing else.

God, sometimes reading these arguments is like watching kids with down syndrome slap box.

Funny, but sad.

"Stark adds that despite Burnett's willingness to pitch for the Cubs, he's not on their list."

No, he didn't say that. He said, "We haven't found any indication that the Cubs have even batted his name around."

Those two are very different statements. On this site, it is reported that Stark knows that the Cubs are not interested in Burnett. What he acually said is that he hasn't heard anyone from the Cubs say they ARE interested. They very well could be, they just didn't tell Stark they are. Very different statements.

"The Cubs are still planning a run at Sabathia."

Nope, he didn't say this either. He SPECULATES based on third-hand information that the Cubs could go after Sabathia if he becomes available. That's much less definitive than saying THEY WILL make a run at him. Here's his quote.
"And teams that have spoken with the Cubs report that if they do make a deal for starting pitching, they wouldn't pursue just any old arm. They're looking for pitchers who can make an impact. So while they may not have enough prospect depth to pull off a trade for C.C. Sabathia, you can expect them to make an aggressive run at him if he ever becomes available. "

Whoever wrote this for MLBTR either has no reading comprehension or is misleading readers here for the sake of upping the hits to the site. Whichever, it is pathetic.

Just because I've been playing too much baseball on the X-box... I read somewhere that Kotchman could be included in a trade for Tex. I rather like the idea. Kotchman and some prospects if the Braves decide to call it quits, or Kotchman and Willits now? I don't think Willits is the type of outfielder the Braves are looking for, nor do I know much about him, I just think that the Angels could get the power they're looking for and the Braves could have a young first baseman who has proven he can play. What will the Braves do at first if Tex walks?

Posted by: TheAngelicDoctor | June 26, 2008 at 08:15 PM

One thing to remember about Kotchman is that he's family. Tom Kotchman has been part of the minor league organization for years and has helped scout, draft and develop a lot of the guys on this team. They might be risking losing him if they toss Casey aside.

As for K-Rod, I think the Angels already missed their window to sign him long term. That's ridiculous money, even for deep pockets Arte. He'll get his money, probably from a crappy team, and when he only gets 27 saves next year, someone will have to explain that not having an ace rotation and setup staff mean less save opportunities.

I am an Indians fan, and I could not see the tribe trading Perez or Bentancourt. They were stars last year, and in Perez's case he is a young pitcher with closer potential. I would be fine if the Indians traded, Guiterrez, Dellucci, Borrowski, Hafner, Byrd and Perralta...and pretty much the whole bullpen aside from the two Raffy's.

JoelCards.....

Hmmm.... You have the mindset that pitching is very inconsistent..... Ummm, DUH. The braves have experienced on a level above or equal to any team this year, yet they still are in the playoff hunt. Since pitching is so unpredictable, what sense does it make to trade one of our most productive, and youngest, pitching pieces to acquire more offense, which is what has kept us in the race? Joel, it is called common sense, go grab some. The braves will give up some prospects to get bay if that is what we want, we proved it last year in getting Tex....and the pirates have a lot of needs, so we can meet those needs with prospects and still hold on to jurrjens.

How about you get some actual baseball knowledge and realize that when a team's strength is its offense and it has as many question marks as any other team in pitching, it is not going to trade productive pitching for more offense.

Typical idiot, in an attempt to call out the faults of someone else, all he does is shed light on his own stupidity.

ok bravesbest idiot is ready to respond. ill give u a list of all the "next big thing" pitching prospects that have stunk it up or been injured over the past couple of years.
justin verlander
jared weaver
ian snell
homer bailey
kason gabbard
brandon mccarthy
phil hughes
noah lowry
jeremy sowers
adam loewen
anibal sanchez
josh johnson
ubaldo jiminez
tom gorzelanny
mike pelfrey
anthony reyes
chuck james(bet u wish they traded him last year huh)

the reason u trade jurgens for bay is because u can count on bay to produce, whereas jurgens might fall off next year and be completely worthless. and to compare this idea to the tex trade is complete lunacy. salty was regarded as the best catching prospect in all of baseball. andrus is also supposed to be very special. the braves dont have anything like that in their farm system this year, so if they want a guy like bay they will have to give up something like a jurgens. im not saying they should do the trade. im saying if they want a talent like bay they cant have him for some maybe ok prospects like that lillibridge. once again typical homer. im guessing next u will tell me how great all the braves prospects r right?

you guys, melvin isnt going to clear the farm system for CC, I trust melvin, and milwaukee trusts melvin, and im pretty sure he isnt going to lie to the entire city about something like this. Hes a crafty guy.

The braves are not going to trade Jurrjens. Hes only 22 yrs old and is only one win away from being tied for the team lead in wins. He is also a very strong candidate for R.O.Y. honors. The Braves are counting on him to help anchor their rotation for many years to come. I am in agreement with bravestillidie that if we do give up a starting pitcher it will be Chuck James. I'm sorry Joelcards..Jurrjens will surely stay put.

Also gutterbumper...

What a well thought out and explained answer. I had no idea about the family connection. Thank you.

suggesting a Jurjens for bay trade is ridiculous, the very reason the braves are looking for an extra bat to stick in the lineup is because Jair has performed so consistently and held our rotation together with help from Hudson and the other young arms, trading him would defeat the purpose of adding offense. It's doesn't take even basic baseball knowledge but just basic logic to figure out why that trade will never happen or even be considered by the braves.

i need to be clear on something. im not saying they should trade jurrjens. im saying if they want a guy like bay, thats what its going to take. u cant have bay with just prospects. that proposed deal nady and marte for those guys sounds ok but i think marte will be very popular in the next month. marte might even be more valuable then nady. the cards would certainly give up something nice for marte i know that. how bout nady goes to atl for 2 of the 3 guys mentioned and the cards get marte for duncan and reyes. both guys havent really been good this year but if even one of them could figure i out they would have more value than a lefty specialist. reyes needs a fresh start and i have always said duncan needs to go(even when he was producing) just because his dads the pitching coach.

But JoelCards....
I am telling you that is not the only thing it will take...
The braves still do have some very good prospects, and the Pirates need as many of those as they can get...For that reason a deal can be reached... Again, last year we were in the same situation with Tex, but did not have to give up McCann or Frenchy or KJ to get him, because we replenished the Rangers' farmsystem...

ok bravesboast, one more time. what u said about the pitchers is the same thing i said. its a gambl. for every guy that works out there is one that doesnt. also verlander is 3-9, weaver has a 500 record for one of the best teams in baseball, blanton has been terrible, and who knows when harden will be hurt again. between injuries and inconsistency thats why u go with the bats. i know the braves have built their past success very differently then the cards but the cards never pay pitchers. when they finally decided to pay one(carp) hes hurt for at least a year and a half. now i know jurrjens is cheap but he wont be in a couple of years. if u get a young hitter and lock him up(pujols) u r much better off. i can understand why u think pitching is so important being in atl but the cards build their team around offense and pick up scrap heap pitchers every year. for example if the cards needed an outfielder and they coul get him for wellemeyer, wellemeyer would be history. u would probably say hes great and young and blah blah but pitching is inconsistent. and to say bay is not consistent is total crap and u know it. he had one bad year and it wasnt terrible. he has a track record with no injury history. u know we traded ken bottenfield for jim edmonds? bottenfield had 12 wins before the allstar break last year. its called selling high.

this post is for all u bozos that pick apart everything that tim writes. IF YOU DONT LIKE IT DONT READ IT. if mcdonalds screws my order up u know what i do? i dont go back. if u dont like it go away. only a loser picks apart something someone else does and cant do it themselves. u people that nitpick details and correct spelling are wastes of space. who cares what a gm or owner says anyways. most of the time they r full of it. the point is to get the conversation started, not criticize the one starting it.

dude what r u talking about winning or losing an arguement? is there some prize because i wasnt aware of that. yes that wasnt u said bay was inconsistent that was someone else. do u want a medal? as for wellemeyer, sure hes older but point is that pitching is inconsistent. maybe u think u have the next maddux or smoltz in that jurrjens guy but u could also have the next chuck james(just to use an example u would understand). lets see james was 24 during his first full season. he was 11-4 with a 3.78 era and quite a nice strikeout rate. those numbers sound eerily similar to what jurrjens has done this year. now look at where james is. thats why u trade young pitching when they get on a roll like jurrjens, to maximize the value. he might be good for years and he might not. young hitters who produce dont forget how to hit later. pitchers r a crapshoot.

My feelings still stand.

JoelCards....

I have an even better idea for a contest.....How about you just not post anymore until you acquire some actual baseball knowledge...EVERYONE wins in that case.

Again, you do not sell high on a 22 year old who is having the success Jurrjens is having. It simply makes no sense at all.

As a met fan I hope the braves trade jurjens for Nady. Sure It adds a good bat to their already potent lineup but this year it would leave a huge hole in their already diminished rotation.
Their rotation would become Hudson (insert 4 crappy pitchers here.

I would love to see Bay here as well but just dont see it happening. I could actually see us getting Ibanez though.He would be a good fit to play in left, has played some 1b albeit not alot but he has. IF tex does leave we could keep ibanez around to play first for another year and get decent production . i just dont see the braves breaking the bank for another bat. i do beleive they need a legitimate leadoff hitter who is a serious threat to steal basses. that would help the offense out as well.

I think the most likely trade is Nady for Brent Lillbridge. He can play in LF this year and then shift to 1B for Tex next year, opening up LF for Brandon Jones or Matt Diaz. Bay will be too expensive and Nady is better than Ibanez. Dunn probably blocked a trade to the Braves.

Willie Randoplh Sucks
you are an official idiot:

"As a met fan I hope the braves trade jurjens for Nady. Sure It adds a good bat to their already potent lineup but this year it would leave a huge hole in their already diminished rotation.
Their rotation would become Hudson (insert 4 crappy pitchers here."

Do you event hink about things before you post. Just FYI The Braves pitching staff has the lowest ERA in the NL with those "4 crappy pitchers" you left uninserted there. FYI there names are Jo Jo Reyes, Jorge Campillo, Charlie Morton and I'm assuming since this list would be after you ahve suggested that Jurjjens was gone the 4th would be Glavine (a 300 game winner)? or perhaps Hampton when he gets back healthy (if he does). Thats actually not crappy at all. Like I said, with those makeshift parts we plugged into our rotation we now have the BEST ERA IN THE NL, just to repeat it. Go find a fact sometime jackass.

Now, while I'm at t, let me adjust the tone here to civility. In response to thedeuce...I know that we NEED a leadoff threat, but we don't HAVE to trade for one neccesarily cause we have one in AAA in Josh Anderson, but why he isn't in the Bigs I don't know, however I can kinda agree with a trade for a better, or at least more experienced one if it doesn't cost something substantial.

And Joe, as far as your post goes....never happen. The Pirates aren't going to take a nominal part they jettisoned two years ago as a side thought in a deal back for a proven MLB guy like Nady, it's lunacy. They gave him to us with Gonzo for LaRoache...why would they want him back when he is way underperforming what he was doing in their farm system. Also, Dunn will most likely never ever be in a Braves uniform...not the kidna guy that would work here.

ksesxe,

First, I can't see the Mariners trading Raul Ibanez, sure he's been "rumored" to be on the block, but so was Roy Oswalt numerous times yet he never changed zip codes. I'm not saying they are equal in talent for their respective positions, only that when a player has value, everyone wants to speculate because then people say, "wow, he know that that trade was going to happen, I'm going to listen to what he says from now on!" In reality, most of these analysts probably throw darts at sheets of team rosters and whatever players are hit with darts sharing the same color pattern on their ass end are then announced in their articles or on their shows as being a likely trade possibility.

Second, Ibanez being moved makes no sense as he's the pulse of the team, he's the longest tenured Mariner, he's still productive as a left-handed power hitter(he hit near 20 homeruns in the second half last year, so expect more of the same, late season peaking I mean), which he's the only one we have that does that, and most of all, when a youth movement is undertaken by a team they still need veterans to be on field coaches for the young guys and at his salary that's a bargain you can't part with.

Thirdly, he's a VERY young 35 because he played so many years as a reserve, he hasn't had the abuse to his body that the guys who've played every day in the majors since they were 22 have experienced. Most MLB players will tell you that the hardest part about being a major leaguer is the final 30 days and the post-season, most say that you can condition your body for it, it's something that comes over time and no offseason workout prepares you for it. The other thing meantioned is that most of the abuse the body experiences is from the length of the season and since Ibanez has only been a regular for 6-7 years, he's more like a 30-32 year old.

Finally, even if they did trade Ibanez, which again, I highly doubt, they would not pay a penny of his salary regardless of who's coming back... He makes 6.5MM this year and if he's traded in a week, he'll have had more than half of that paid, so any team that wants him/needs him, will SURELY pay the 3MM remaining on his salary. If Alex can get 31MM & Johan can get 24MM for one season each, Ibanez is more than worth 3MM for 3 months/playoff time.

Whooops, forgot to write "Tyler Flowers" in the "Atlanta gives to Pittsburgh" area of the post, so it's 6 new players in for Atlanta and 7 going out, not 6, but Tyler isn't on the 40-man roster, so it doesn't force them to make additional roster moves to make room!

Those of you who think the Braves are going to deal Jurrjens are dreaming. I mean seriously what are all of you thinking? Not only are the Braves also in the market for other starting pitching to fill in the rotation, Jurrjens is a 20 year old pitcher who has tremendous potential for the rest of his career. They just traded Renteria to get him, why would they turn around and deal him for Bay who isnt half the hitter Renteria is?

As a Braves fan I do not want Bay. Not that he isnt good, but he's too expensive. The Braves dont need a huge bat to add to this line-up. I think Ibanez or Nady would be a much better fit in Atlanta.

people only call other people names because they cant think of anything else to say. if bravesguy or baseballguru or anyone else has anything to say in disagreement to my arguements terrific. a lot of times there is more than one way to skin a cat and really we r just defending our opinions. when u call someone names it kind of says u cant really make a good arguement so u just shoot off at the mouth.

and bravesbeast i find it funny when u didnt respond to my challenge. we can talk talk talk all day but i back up my talk with consistent fantasy baseball production year after year. i challenge anyone to shut your mouth and join a league. then we would know who can build a team and who hides behind blameshifting and namecalling.

baseballguru
i wasnt talking about u with the namecalling, just found it funny u had to post 3 negative things before u admit im right and agree with me. im not here to be your buddy, im here to talk baseball. i would really prefer to stay on the freaking subject(baseball) from now on. just say what u have to say but to go on about how u never agree with me and im arrogant blah blah thats silly. once again if u want to attack my position on an arguement great but u were just talking.

also how can u cheat at fantasy baseball? i know in sportingnews u can buy trades but they r like a buck a piece. u really think i would cheat just to beat u? that certainly wouldnt be very self satisfying. i dont cheat at anything i do. i may be an asshole(see its ok when i say it) but im the most honest person u will ever meet. i think thats why most people dont like me, because im too honest and dont play favorites. im playing season 2 after the allstar break.if u or anyone else wants to great. if not im still going to play so who cares.

i hate playing favorites darkstar(as previously stated) but i like u. u almost always make great points, u have a lot of knowledge of all teams, and most importantly u dont seem to take things personal. i get tired of disagreeing with someone and then they start shouting out names and jibberish. people act like when u disagree with them u r attacking them personally.