What's Next For Chipper And Glavine?

red sox? :)

If the Frank Wren goes out and salvages this offseason he wont need to worry about trading chipper jones.

he has an extra almost 10 million to spend because it was stated in anothe report that all of the money they would pay smoltz and glavine was not calculated into their estimated 40 million spending

therefore go out and bump up lowes offer to 15 per. Get the Kawakami guy as well and then go and get Swisher from the Yankees or Ludwick from the Cardinals.

If they do that they will be fine the wont have to worry about a garbage bullpen that they had last year with full years of Soriano, Gonzalez, and then Moylan coming back.

They wont have to worry about an inconsistent rotation filled with guys who can barely cut it at AAA as starters (Morton, Reyes, Parr, Bennett) although Morton was injured.

Then your offense is in check because Kotchman wont have to worry about his mother and as we saw when he isnt worried about her he is a great player like he was at the end of the season. if frenchy bounces back we are even better.

1. Escobar
2. Johnson
3. Chipper
4. Ludwick/Swisher
5. McCann
6. Frenchy
7. Kotchman
8. Blanco/Anderson

if Andruw Jones is doing good then platoon in in CF.

your rotation is better than last year cause everyone is more experienced and solid all around with

1. Lowe
2. Vazquez
3. Jair
4. Kawakami
5. Campillo

if Hanson is ready mid season throw Campillo in the Bullpen.

oh yea and sign chipper to a non low balling extension

Glavine needs to retire.

About Chipper:

He'll stay as long as there's an offer on the table. He's taken lower offers from the Braves and restructured his contract several times just to stay with the team.

I imagine this is a frustrating time for Braves fans. Just like the Yanks were and still are to an extent you're trapped between your aging iconic players and an obvious need to retool on the mlb level.

Yeah I'm not arguing Chipper won't take a lower offer, I'm sure he will, and Smoltz would have to a certain point. I'm just not sure Wren is going to offer him an acceptable deal.

Lowe will cost the Braves a 1st round draft pick won't he? Didn't the braves finish in the top 15 'penalty phase" where he would cost them a pick? IS Lowe worth 13-14 million a season plus a #1 pick? Doubtful and maybe 1 reason he is being courted mostly by the mets and Phillies, who signed Ibanez and *think* he was offered arbitration also, so they are already out of a #1 already and nothing lost really (except a #2) if Philly or NY signs him.

Braves still have Byrd and Perez to pick over whom won't cost anything (Byrd a comp only I believe) and they can take a gamble of Wolf, plus rehab projects to fill out the rotation in Mulder types.

Smoltzie might have really only gone to Boston for his last chance at a ring, honestly Braves fans, this team isn't going to even finish 1,2, or 3rd in the east in 2009 as it looks now, but is going to be caught rebuilding with a couple of older/solid veteran types thrown in like Jones. Braves fans shouldn't get on Wren and Smoltz too much for his choice.

The Braves need to try to trade Chipper for a few good prospects. If they think that they will get more for him at the trade deadline next season then wait until that time. This team is NOT going to be competitive next year (or the year after) so why not give him a chance to win another world series ring.

I am absolutely in favor of a total rebuilding project. The Braves should NOT trade any more of their good young prospects for some aging, over-the-hill veterans. Keep the kids, let them learn, and build the team back up again. The future looks bright with McCann, Escobar, Francoeur, Jordan Schafer, Jason Heyward, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens, Cole Rohrbough, etc. The Braves of 2011 could be like last year's Rays.

The Braves need to try to trade Chipper for a few good prospects. If they think that they will get more for him at the trade deadline next season then wait until that time. This team is NOT going to be competitive next year (or the year after) so why not give him a chance to win another world series ring.

I am absolutely in favor of a total rebuilding project. The Braves should NOT trade any more of their good young prospects for some aging, over-the-hill veterans. Keep the kids, let them learn, and build the team back up again. The future looks bright with McCann, Escobar, Francoeur, Jordan Schafer, Jason Heyward, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens, Cole Rohrbough, etc. The Braves of 2011 could be like last year's Rays.

Posted by: BravesAllTheWay | January 08, 2009 at 03:31 PM
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you are mistaken

The reason the braves went down last year was because of a horribly unstable rotation and bullpen. the bullpen is fixed with the healthy returns of the top 3 releivers (soriano, gonzalez, and moylan)

the rotation will be fixed with the addition of another solid arm or two especially if its lowe and kawakami.

add to that another consistent run producer in the middle with chipper and mccann and they will be fine.

you have to look at they were only out by around 4-5 games at the AS break. they had already lost smoltz and glavine at that point. didnt have soriano, moylan, or gonzalez and i believe a couple of other relievers were down as well. so with those additions they will have a stronger first half and better second half because they wont lose a run producer in the middle of the season, and they wont lose their ace

drumzaliciious, I am afraid that you are the one that is mistaken. The Braves are not even CLOSE to being in the same league as the Phillies or the Mets - and that is just in the NL East.

when players start feeling insulted, they're unpredictable. manny, pettitte, now smoltz, some of the guys on the pirates, sandberg back in the early 90's, they've all gone public about wanting management/ownership to do things (i.e. spend money) to put a winner on the field. some jump ship (pettite, smoltz), some pull manny's antics, others are simply held hostage (pirates guys). when you get a guy like chipper jones p***ed off at management, there's no telling what he'll do. i think in order to keep him happy they need to a) not low-ball him, and b) not low-ball lowe/dunn/whomever they're now pursuing. there are some serious hard feelings there, it's pretty obvious reading his comments. he doesn't have much else left to prove as a player, he wants to win. things keep going the way they have for the braves so far this offseason, he may start to lose interest in signing an extension. and as royalblue stated above, that really might not be such a disaster. i was sorry to see woody go from the cubs, but a) we never won anything with him, b) he was always hurt, c) we may have a better replacement for him, d) we saved money for other areas that needed addressing. point is, sometimes it's better to cut ties with "faces of the franchise" guys. the braves just look bad right now because they were so open about having so much money to spend, yet they've added virtually nobody. all in all, it looks bad now, but it might not be so bad in a year or two...

Glavine to the Nats would be interesting....good fit, he could teach the kids a thing or two.

braves fan, those are some good points about smoltz that i never really reflected on. kinda makes me not so upset about the whole thing

I highly doubt many teams would be interested in signing Glavine. His age, not to mention his declining performance, as well as his price tag, are factors in that. Don't get me wrong, he's a HOFer for sure, but I don't think he's looking to go elsewhere other than Atlanta. I know the same thing was said about Smoltz (the not-going-anywhere part, not the declining performance), but one needs to remember than Smoltz wasn't even sure if he'd be ready to play until midseason. Glavine has been healthy for almost his whole career, and I think Wren would probably give him another year, to fill the rotation.

As for Chipper, I don't believe he'd be going anywhere. Trading him or not extending him would alienate the fans, I think it would also be a pink slip for Wren. It's not like Chipper's production is declining. FineHamAbounds made a good point about moving Chipper to 1B, where he could finish his career, but I think that the Braves are a couple of years away from that happening. I honestly still believe that Wren could salvage this offseason if he could either get a staff ace in FA (Lowe), or acquire Peavy from the Padres (if he's still available). The offseason ain't over yet, Braves fans.

Besides, this whole Chipper/Glavine talk is just that, talk. There's no basis on it, other than the whole Smoltz fiasco. It's just journalists fantasizing about what could happen. Doesn't necessarily mean it will.

I would love to see the yankees give glavine the money they were going to give pettitte. Glavine has already shown he can pitch in NY. give him 8-10 to be the #5.

i got it, fire frank wren, let john schuerholz keep his job and be gm. perhaps this would make chipper and glavine happy and maybe not make braves fans hate the braves

Where were you last year when the Braves would do well in a game pitched by hudson or jair and lose every other one? even with jair and hudson the games would get out of control as soon as the bullpen came in. its not as big of a gap as you think

Posted by: drumzalicious | January 08, 2009 at 03:48 PM

I was watching every inning of almost every single game. I just happen to be a realist. The Braves need a LOT more than a starting pitcher or two and an outfielder to compete in the NL East next year. Just look at the roster of the Phillies and the Mets. They are BOTH stocked from top to bottom with superstars. The Marlins are also better than the Braves.

Yes, the bullpen was overworked last year and was bad. But it's not like it has been improved a great deal in the off season. Soriano is always a question mark. He can't seem to stay healthy. Peter Moylan is coming back from TJ surgery and won't even be available until June. Gonzalez is really good but he can't do it by himself. Ohman could very well go to another team.

I think the future of the Braves is VERY solid. I can't wait to see Tommy Hanson, Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, etc. play in the majors. But, until those guys are ready, the Braves will be competing for 3rd place in the NL East. And they don't need to be throwing away prospects just to pretend to be competitive.

.... Ok im fed up I have been looking at this site for a year now and this is my first time feeling like i need to comment....

Frank, I've been ok with you up till now but this was just to much. I was ok with not getting peavy (didn't want to give up yunel anyway) and ok with losing out on burnnet (don't need another hampton) but this....

You wouldn't give Smoltz even a competitive offer!!! Come on! We have plenty to spend and you wont even pay out 3 mil for a chance to have the ace we need but cant seem to get! If smoltz has a great year I will be mad. Also we've got Chipper mad!! The star of the team and you've got him thinking about going elsewhere....

(sigh) oh well maybe we can get lowe but with how this offseason is goin we will overpay for lowe to get him and end up with him getting hurt for the first time...

Wren as much as I've believed in you over the last 2 years I am really close to not even worrying about it... If you drive chip away then Im goin to be really ticked and you will need to step down.

On a brighter note perhaps things will get better. We sign lowe perhaps he repeats what he did with LA. Frenchy might get back into the swing of things ;) . and maybe Kawakami will be a good pick up.

so there is still hope for us all.. hope you have something up your sleeves Wren...

Guys this isn't the 1990's - Smoltz had to do it. Tom is done period. Chipper is a DH at best. Braves need to move on and bravo84 this is a business not the Boys Club. Both were paid very very well. Sign Lowe. Trade for Peavy. Sign Andrew. If not, just play for fourth and be happy. The Kids will be ready in 2011.

chipper is no DH since he in NL and we don't have anyone to play 3rd should we lose him next season. Unless there some prospect at 3B I haven't heard about?

either way Chip has always been one of my fav's and I hope he stays around the rest of his career.

But I seriously can't wait for heyward and hanson to come up :)

To say John Smoltz is a sell out is just plain stupid. As much as I hate to see Smoltzie go, I do not blame him at all. He has a better chance of winning another ring with the Red Sox. I would hate to see another great player that was so dedicated to the Braves for so many years to end their career with only 1 championship (Maddux, Glavine,Chipper).While the Braves could have spent the extra money and signed Smoltz, I believe it's better for the Braves and Smoltz both.

Like other people said, the Braves were not totally out of it last year. We did not have Hampton, Smoltz, Hudson, and Glavine for a lot of games last year to pitch. We lost too many 1 run games. With a solid bullpen in tact, we will win half of them 1 run games this year.

Frenchy can not possibly be as bad again as he was last year. Kotchman will hit .280 with 20HR.

Say we have 35 million. This is what I would do

2nd-Prado
SS-Escobar
3rd-Chipper
LF-Adam Dunn (12 mil)
C-McCann
RF-Frenchy
1st-Kotchman
CF-Andruw Jones (cheap hopefully)

Sign Lowe. Trade KJ,Campillo,Jo-Jo, and a couple of prospects to Padres (even though I am dreaming)
Lowe(15 mil)
Peavy
Vazquez
JJ
Glavine

Ohman (4 mil)
Boyer
Bennett
Gonzo
Soriano

That I agree BF21 I hate that so many great guys only got 1

I was hoping maddox would get another one when the dodgers got him.. but no they lost.. (sigh) and now the professor has retired..

1ST round hall of famer (hopefully unanimous)

lol just noticed i did a double post sorry about that

agreed. peavy not coming so just quit worrying about him.

Also as much as I would hate to see chip go it might be good for all involved... Chipper might actually get a chance at a ring and we'd get a young third basemen to take over for him... but it will be a sad day when he leaves

oh well it will all work out in the end

Chipper's already reconfigured or reconstructed his contract to make the Braves more competitive. And they have continued to disappoint. I can't really blame him if he asked for a trade. Wren, McQuirk, & the Braves front office really dropped the ball on this.

I think if chipper did some yoga or something he would be fine. all his injuries have to do with cramps and strains he needs to loosen up those old muscles lol

on a serious note the Braves are being under rated and i dont mind to much because if FW salvages this and gets a couple of arms and an OF then the Braves will surprise everyone kinda like the Falcons.

Hey drumzalicious, you are a good poster and I agree with a lot of what you have said.

But just wanted to say that the comments about Chipper taken less money and Smoltz not isn't true.

He was offered more money by other teams to be a starter but stayed with the Braves to be a closer for less money a few years back.

Plus he was wanting to be a starter at that time but the Braves only wanted him as a closer at that time and he still took less money to stay and be at a position that he didn't prefer.

So he has took less money to stay with the Braves, also he always donates tons of money to charity and stuff like that as well.

I love smoltz, always have. But considering all the things he said over the years about choosing to stay in atlanta and how proud it made him to have accomplished all he did with one team by choice. Why sign somewhere else for a couple of mil more than the town that you have claimed to love so much. it just seems very hypocritical. even though i will always love john smoltz that is some serious bull crap he just pulled. also if they trade chip ill fire frank wren and watch the games from the pen. oops shouldnt have typed that.

I cant see us entertaining the idea of trading Chipper. Nobody is going to give up top prospects for a guy of his age and amount of missed time over the years. also the loss of fans would be monumental for the braves, its a sign that they arent going to do what it takes to be competitive year in and year out. I honestly feel that if we can add Lowe, Kawakami, and Abreu/Nady this is a team that is close to playoff contention. And who is to say the Mets/Phillies aren't ravaged by injuries like we were last year? If the bullpen can stay relatively healthy (at least two of moylan, soriano, and gonzalez at all times) and we add those two starters, you're looking at strong pitching with an average to potentially above average offense. We dont have the star power of the mets or phillies but with a couple of moves we're right back in this

i dont mind smoltz leaving, last year we depended on older relievers and they got hurt, yes smoltz is a ace if he is healthy but why put our faith in guys above 40? Need to do like the A's did and just rebuild, no way are we competing next year wit the phils, mets and nationals getting better. Trading chipper wouldnt get us anything and would be silly if we did. Hopefully smoltz can go win a ring with the red sox, great move for them!

Let's face it. The glory days are over and the Braves now have the opportunity to move on. There are no excuses now or reasons to save the money for the aging veterans. As much as we love Smoltz, guaranteeing him big money was very risky for the Braves and less of a risk for a team like the Red Sox. I hope he is successful in his latest comeback, but as we saw for the past three seasons, hoping doesn't win ball games. Too many veterans also equals too many injuries. The Braves need to make someone an offer they can't refuse and get an ace for 2-3 years while the new aces grow up. No more whining.

Let's face it. The glory days are over and the Braves now have the opportunity to move on. There are no excuses now or reasons to save the money for the aging veterans. As much as we love Smoltz, guaranteeing him big money was very risky for the Braves and less of a risk for a team like the Red Sox. I hope he is successful in his latest comeback, but as we saw for the past three seasons, hoping doesn't win ball games. Too many veterans also equals too many injuries. The Braves need to make someone an offer they can't refuse and get an ace for 2-3 years while the new aces grow up. No more whining.

braves with finish 4th in the east unless they bring in a bat (dunn) and a pitcher (peavy).

"red sox? :)"

Well Glavine is a local boy. He might want to come to the home town team... I'm joking, Sox have enough rehabbing vets.

"He is the last Brave left from the "glory days" that can bridge the gap to the new crop of fresh talent."

Glory days are over... think to the future. Rebuild around Hanson, Jurrgens, Heyward, Schafer, and Escobar.

I am a big Chipper Jones fan, but he needs to put a cork in it for a few weeks until his emotions have cooled down. He is firing off like a woman.

I'm very sad about Smoltz leaving - he's my absolute favorite pitcher. But you have to be realistic, and I think that it will turn out okay for both sides. I have a feeling Smoltz was going to Boston regardless of the Braves' offer. Boston has been after him for a month, apparently. If you're 42 and probably in your last year, why wouldn't you try a different place? Especially one with a way better chance of winning next year. One that's one of the two most prestigious clubs in the history of baseball? I don't fault him at all. I hope he gets another ring, a few more playoff wins and some satisfaction about it. I totally agree with Wren's stance that they can't rely on an injured 42-year-old to anchor the rotation, especially after last year.