21 Dec
Line drive base hit… caught!
Caray to cover Braves for FOX Sports | MLB.com: News
As noted by JC in the comments, and as I predicted a few weeks ago, our long regional nightmare has come to pass. Just to chime in, he also reinforces Joe Simpson’s worst tendencies. I wish there was a radio broadcast here.
I can’t believe he was the best choice. The man is a big bag of stupid.
December 21st, 2009 at 12:43 pmEww.
December 21st, 2009 at 12:56 pmTruth is, most Braves fans watching these games doesn’t know what makes a good announcer. Most of them probably think Chip Caray is a competent announcer and are happy he’s returning.
It bothers me. Not because of the nepotism, but because of the fact that Fox Sports South decided to, instead of hiring a competent announcer, do the easy thing and hire a familiar face, despite the fact that he sucks. Incredibly lazy of them.
It’s like they’re trying to encourage ignorance and stupidity.
I can’t wait to hear long-winded discussions about fielding percentage and pitchers’ victories. Going to be a great year!
December 21st, 2009 at 1:19 pmLook at it from Fox’s perspective. The Caray name is associated with the Braves. Irony. Skip being so revered for being so damn good screws us.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:24 pm
December 21st, 2009 at 1:29 pmGood point, Johnny. Sorta ironic. Thankfully the Extra Innings package (which my roommate and I will probably order again for $80 each) often offers Home and Away broadcasts.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:43 pmGod what the f*** are they thinking? This guy is the worst baseball announcer I’ve ever heard in my life.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:49 pmCan’t wait to hear Chip and Joe talk of the stolen base replacing the homerun every other game.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:55 pmI still say better than Bob Rathbun.
December 21st, 2009 at 1:56 pmBy Bill Shanks
The Braves Show Publisher
Posted Dec 20, 2009
| More
The market may present the Braves with a few interesting options as they look for a left fielder.
The Braves are still looking for a right-handed bat for the 2010 lineup. There’s still plenty of time to find one, and it might even take into the new year before the Braves get a new offensive player.
That new bat will probably play first base or left field, and there are several options still on the market.
Atlanta would probably be best served to see what it can get for pitcher Derek Lowe, who is on the trade market due to a crowded rotation. The amount of money the Braves save could determine what kind of player they are able to bring in for the lineup.
If the Braves trade Lowe for prospects, they would get a $15 million net gain for their payroll. And that could make things very intersting.
Right now, our calculations have the Braves at about $87 million for 2010. This includes projections for arbitration cases and renewals of contracts for players not yet eligible for arbitration.
If the Braves are operating under a potential $95 million dollar budget, there is still some room left to spend. But if Lowe’s $15 million is taken off the books, there would be significant flexibility in the payroll.
If our numbers are correct, or close to being correct, the Braves would be around $23 million under their budget if Lowe were traded for prospects and that net gain on his contract would be the full $15 million.
If the Braves are able to pull that off, would they then consider a different type of free agent?
Let’s say the Braves were $23 million under budget. Would they then say, “Well, heck, why don’t we see if Jason Bay would be interested in coming here?”
And here’s why: Bay has not signed yet, and the one team that reportedly has a current offer on the table is the Mets. From all indications, Bay does not want to play for the Mets. If that’s his best offer, Bay may instead wait to see if something else opens up after the new year before signing with a team he really doesn’t have an interest in signing with.
If the Braves more or less replaced Lowe’s salary with Bay, they’d still have the funds to bring in a first baseman (Xavier Nady for $6 million?), and then sign another utility guy (or even two if they were priced no more than $1 mil each). That would put them right at the $95 million mark.
The Braves almost got Bay two summers ago in a trade, but the Pirates’ ownership turned down the deal. Several weeks later Bay was traded to the Red Sox, and then the next spring many of those same players involved in the Bay discussions were traded to Pittsburgh for Nate McLouth.
So they liked Bay before, and if the market presents itself where he would be more attractive, due to Lowe’s money being off the books, then you wonder if they would revisit that possibility.
What would a lineup with Bay and Nady, for example, look like?
Nate McLouth
Martin Prado
Chipper Jones
Jason Bay
Brian McCann
Yunel Escobar
Xavier Nady
Jason Heyward
Not bad. Not bad at all.
What are Bay’s options right now, other than the Mets? The Red Sox have moved on, signing Mike Cameron. The Yankees (Cabrera, Granderson, Swisher) don’t have room for him. The Angels (Rivera, Hunter, Abreu, Matthews) seem to be crowded in the outfield.
Seattle was mentioned with Bay, but they acquired Milton Bradley and have Franklin Gutierrez in center and Ichiro in right. Bay has pretty much let it be known he does not want to play for San Francisco.
So if he does not sign with the Mets, where is Bay going to go? Could he be waiting to see if the Braves are going to be interested after they trade Lowe?
Bay is 31 years old. He’s averaged 30 home runs per season in his first six full seasons in the big leagues. He would fit what the Braves are looking for, if the price were right.
If you’re wondering about Matt Holliday, it’s just easier to put the Braves with Bay, a player they’ve had interest in before. Plus, if the rumors are true about what Scott Boras is wanting from St. Louis for Holliday (8 years, $128 million), the Braves would not be interested in that type of deal.
The Braves may get something back for Lowe that would eat up part of the payroll and not give them that $15 million net gain in the budget. Let’s say the Braves add a player that might give the team only a $10 million net gain in the payroll, or
December 21st, 2009 at 2:13 pmI don’t want Bay in our outfield. Not with McLouth in center.
December 21st, 2009 at 2:50 pmWhen you owe a guy $15 million who’s worth less than $15 million, you can’t just clear the books of his full salary when you move him.
December 21st, 2009 at 2:55 pmWhy would we want Xavier Nady? He’s a league-average hitter playing positions that should be better than average.
And while I like Bay as a hitter, he’s perhaps the only regular LF who fields the position worse than GAnderson.
Just bring KJ back on a cheap deal and platoon him with Diaz. Problem solved.
December 21st, 2009 at 2:56 pmHere’s a weird one: I’m hearing (on WFAN) that the Nationals are signing Jason Marquis.
Figured he’d be a Met.
December 21st, 2009 at 2:58 pmAlso, why would the Braves pay Nady $6 million, when you could have had Church for about half that? The Braves might end up with Nady, but I would think it would have to be for considerably less.
December 21st, 2009 at 3:01 pmFrom Stu’s post last thread:
“I’m hoping Frank has a gem up his sleever, but based on what’s been reported, I think I’d rather just keep the incredible pitching depth.”
Good point. I thought it deserved repeating. If I took it out of context, please forgive me.
December 21st, 2009 at 3:08 pmBut do we have the defense to back-up the pitching without a better bat? Especially with Prado at second?
Skip, I miss you so much. And Pete, too.
December 21st, 2009 at 3:10 pmGood question, Kevin, but seeing as how we’ve still got ~$7 million to spend, we ought to be able to figure something out.
December 21st, 2009 at 3:22 pmShanks is full of crap. Part of his premise is that Bay would accept less NOT to play for the Mets. Poppycock. Bay already turned down the best offer from a baseball prospective he was going to get 4/60 from the best team that is going to make him an offer the BoSox. I think Bay will rue the day he did that.
December 21st, 2009 at 3:27 pmMatt Diaz, the Rodney Dangerfield of baseball.
December 21st, 2009 at 3:40 pmWith Marquis off the market, the Lowe trade has to be coming soon. I had been advocating getting a ML ready OF or 1B in return, but the more I think about it, I would rather have complete salary relief in exchange. On K-Ros’ newest blog, he reports the Braves have been in on the Uggla sweepstakes, but no names have been exchanged for a possible deal. The addition of Uggla would a) Put Uggla at 2nd, and move Prado to 1st, or put Uggla in LF and still leave an opening at 1B. Either way, the Braves would still need another bat, but with Lowe’s 15Mil, we could sign Nady and/or Delgado or Glaus.
December 21st, 2009 at 3:48 pmI think the Braves signing Bay is a long shot of course, but the article makes an interesting point: if Bay really doesn’t want to play for the Mets, what are his other options?
December 21st, 2009 at 3:52 pmChip Caray Loves Porcupine Tree
December 21st, 2009 at 3:52 pm“Line drive. Base hit. Caught out there. The runner tags. Throw to the plate. On target. And in time!”
December 21st, 2009 at 3:52 pmI have to defend Chip on this one…he is NOT the worst announcer in baseball. His brother Josh is MUCH worse…
December 21st, 2009 at 3:52 pm25,
December 21st, 2009 at 4:23 pmGood point.
McLouth, Bay, Nady… Yeah that turned out real well for the Pirates.
December 21st, 2009 at 4:24 pmIMO, the worst is Yankee radio announcer John Sterling.
He rarely gives the score, doesn’t update the game situation often enough, can’t describe the action very well, has a problem with the truth (if it varies from the Pinstriped Party Line), and has an annoying tag line for every situation (Eg.–”Robinson Cano! Don’tcha know!“).
I’ve driven 20 minutes without hearing him once report the actual game score.
Other than all that, I have heard that he’s a really nice guy.
I don’t need the announcer for TV, but radio…
December 21st, 2009 at 4:31 pmWho’s Sterling’s female broadcast partner?
There have been some absolutely hilarious moments from her.
December 21st, 2009 at 4:47 pmJust occurred to me that some of our younger posters may not know that John Sterling was briefly a part of the Braves announcing crew.
You always got the feeling the Skip had surreptitiously placed a “Kick Me” sign on his back.
December 21st, 2009 at 4:49 pmSuzyn Waldman.
I actually enjoyed her as WFAN’s Yankee beat reporter.
Interesting trivia: She’s a former Broadway singer.
Back to Sterling: I never liked him as the Hawks or Braves announcer & when I moved up here in 1990, I brought a Walkman radio to a Yanks game, flipped it on, heard him blathering on and thought: “Jeez, I can’t get away from this guy!”
December 21st, 2009 at 4:50 pmSusan Waldman is her name, I think. Her response to Roger Clemens being signed a few years ago in midseason was one of the funniest thisgs I have heard on a telecast “Oh my goodness, my goodness gracious”, every time I hear it I crack up.
December 21st, 2009 at 4:52 pm@21
There’s an Uggla sweepstakes…?
December 21st, 2009 at 5:03 pmUgglas splits vs LH and away stats are awful
December 21st, 2009 at 6:31 pmI read the Rosenthal thing. He has to be making that shit up.
December 21st, 2009 at 7:43 pmDOB got a call from someone with the Yanks saying that something big was happening soon. That person wanted to know if it was with Atl or not. Here’s hoping that we are doing one of two things
1. dumping Lowe for a fringe prospect and them paying the salary
December 21st, 2009 at 8:35 pm2. somehow Lowe/Swisher takes place
Ill take Bay over what we got now.
December 21st, 2009 at 8:36 pmBuster Olney: “Heard this: Yankees working very hard tonight on deal for starting pitcher. Remember that they came close to deal for Aaron Harang in summer”
Lowe?
December 21st, 2009 at 8:52 pm@38 – please…
December 21st, 2009 at 8:54 pmI can feel it, its about to happen. I’m torn though, Swisher or prospects ant total
December 21st, 2009 at 8:59 pmsalary relief to get that big bat?
I wouldn’t be against Lowe for Swisher. It would depend on any money and/or prospects changing hands, though.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:08 pmFrom DOB. Got a call from a NY writer today wanting to know if I’d heard anything heating up between Yankees and Braves….
Apparently Yankees have hinted at doing “something big” soon. Don’t know if that means pitching
December 21st, 2009 at 9:12 pmHope this is true!!!
December 21st, 2009 at 9:13 pmYeah, apparently the Yankees are really hungry for a starting pitcher… and all things considered, they wouldn’t be interested in Vazquez.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:25 pmWhat do you think Mac?
December 21st, 2009 at 9:44 pmOh man…
December 21st, 2009 at 9:45 pmJJ for Tex?? im kidding
December 21st, 2009 at 9:48 pmLowe would be a good fit for the Yanks, they could use a groundball pitcher in that bandbox.
December 21st, 2009 at 9:59 pmLowe for a pseudoprospect with the Yankees picking up the tab is my guess.
December 21st, 2009 at 10:04 pmMark Feinsand says it’s not a salary-dump deal.
December 21st, 2009 at 10:19 pmPer MLBTR:
9:11pm: Now Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweets that the Yankees are “close to a deal for a starting pitcher, says a source. Still working on who, but I’m told it’s not a salary dump deal”.
In other words…not Lowe?
December 21st, 2009 at 10:19 pmI owe you a Coke.
December 21st, 2009 at 10:20 pmThe salary dump deal would be Harang.
December 21st, 2009 at 10:22 pmStill could be Lowe.
per a post at AJC
Ken Davidoff just twitted that the pitcher is Zack Greinke.
December 21st, 2009 at 10:42 pmYanks get Greinke
Royals get Hughes, Montero, Melky and McCallister
Davidoff’s Twitter says no such thing.
http://twitter.com/Kendavidoff
December 21st, 2009 at 10:44 pm55 – good, there’s still hope and just another reason why I hate seeing anything except DOB’s update
December 21st, 2009 at 10:46 pmnevermind
December 21st, 2009 at 10:48 pmI seriously think something is up. DOB is MIA on his blog.
December 21st, 2009 at 10:56 pm@58: I was thinking the same thing especially since he was fairly active earlier tonight.
December 21st, 2009 at 11:01 pmCsg, you broke my heart there.
December 21st, 2009 at 11:07 pmI wonder how they plan on pulling this off…
December 21st, 2009 at 11:23 pm@54, you almost had me.. any Yankee rumor involving Melky Cabrera just has the ring of authenticity to it. He’s been offered by the Yankees and their fans in every potential deal for 3 or 4 years running now. But he’s great, you know, a true CF!
In fact, I believe I know what’s coming.. Derek Lowe for.. The Melkshake! *vomit*
December 21st, 2009 at 11:31 pmDOB just said he was MIA while at the gym, so nothing there. I still don’t like where they said the deal wasn’t part of a salary dump.
December 21st, 2009 at 11:38 pmEverybody is waiting to see how we move Lowe and then Chip arrives….
Chip Caray is another reason to get ready for the World Cup…..
December 21st, 2009 at 11:42 pm#49–Mac, that sounds about right. The Yanks will not trade us a serious prospect–but if they eat all of Lowe’s salary and we get somebody who can be as good as Diory Hernandez or Brandon Jones then that might as be as good as we can do right now.
I am afraid that if the Braves want something decent in return for Lowe, they will have to kick in a prospect of their own…
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:07 amLowe for Swisher would be great but it’s not happening. Lowe is a salary dump and nothing more.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:52 amI see sdp is running Windows 7. How do you like it?
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:01 amIt’s nice and very fast. The graphics and the improved Aero GUI are definitely sexy and useful. Overall, it has been much more stable than Vista, or at least in my experiences. A lot of the improvements from Vista to Windows 7 are backend, so you won’t necessarily see them, but so far, it’s been a much more solid system all the way around as compared to Vista.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:15 amIs Lowe getting traded to the Yankees tomorrow?
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:20 amWe can only hope, but I tend to agree with Dan #66–This will be little more than a salary dump….
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:20 amJust want to thank the “Braves Journal Overnight Crew” for keeping things hopping this December.
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:24 amWhether it’s Stephen in the UAE or the rest of you night owls, you’ve made it seem like the season just ended yesterday. If you keep it up, the six weeks ’til pitchers report will fly by.
Kevin Lee–Its nice to get back to Braves Journal–Is it only 6 weeks?
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:41 amStephen:
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:12 amIt’s more like 7&1/2.
But it can’t come soon enough to suit me!
Dystopian fantasy: Braves sign Joe Morgan to team with Chip Caray. Universe explodes.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:24 am8:17am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Yankees are working to re-acquire Javier Vazquez. The Braves have “always liked” Melky Cabrera and Nick Swisher, Sherman says.
umm, please tell me thats not the best we can do for JV?
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:34 am@75, csg is pulling my leg again folks. No need to PANIC!!
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:42 amSwisher for Javy could be ok. But, Melky? That can’t possibly be.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:43 amUgh. I mean, UGH. Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn, and a prospect for Vazquez and Boone Logan. Dunn’s apparently a lefty reliever?
I just had one of those “holy crap, I just slept through my final” stomach-melting feelings.
Also, Dunn apparently struck out something like 18/9innings in the AFL, so maybe he’s really good. But really, a relief prospect is the best haul you can get for Vazquez?
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:43 am8:34am: The Yankees are closing in on a deal for Vazquez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). Heyman says the Yankees will acquire Vazquez and Boone Logan for Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn and a prospect.
a 4th OF’r that slugged .409 away from Yankee stadium for our best pitcher that finished 4th in the NL cy young last season, good grief
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:45 am#75–I find that hard to believe: given that we have Heyward and possibly Schafer waiting in the wings, I can’t see the Braves trading for two outfielders–unless the idea is move Swisher to 1B. And we would get to keep Lowe….
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:45 amhttp://twitter.com/SI_JonHeyman/status/6930324132
Vazquez for Melky, Mike Dunn and a prospect. I’m gonna be sick.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:45 amNo NO NO. Melky Cabrera = not good. His numbers aren’t even good inflated by the Yankees park and lineup. This can’t be true.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:46 amCary, Im not pulling your leg. Just posting what I find, Im not making this crap up. Hopefully, none of its true though
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:46 amEverybody is saying it’s Javy for Melky with some other random parts.
If this trade happens, Frank Wren will have, in a single move, lost me forever. That deal would be a disaster.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:47 amSomeone is reporting the story wrong. Braves can’t possibly be trading Javy for Melky.
I’m crossing my fingers that twitter is giving us bad info.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:48 amTwitter is retarded.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:49 amPlease God no. Wren has done an excellent job in his tenure, but this would certainly put a blemish on that.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:50 amMelky is not good enough to start ahead of any of the Braves current outfielders. If this is really the deal, then it’s basically a salary dump (of a player that’s a very good value). And if that’s true, then there better be a good use of that $$$.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:54 amI’d be willing to trade Javier Vazquez to the Yankees for Melky Cabrera if they’d be willing to permanently disband their franchise. Otherwise, no.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:54 amWell, the info is coming (via twitter) from Olney, Heyman, Sherman, & Rosenthal… with a few discrepancies… but still the core of it being Vasquez for Melky. That’s just sad.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:55 amMaybe we’re getting some pieces the Tigers want in a Miguel Cabrera deal.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:59 amSherman now has:
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:00 am“so the trade is vazquez and boone logan to #Yankees for melky cabrera, mike dunn and arodys vizcaino, that is now confirmed “
We get Arodys Vizcaino too. We’ve gotta be acquiring a big bat…there’s no way Wren would do this otherwise.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:00 amESPN just reported the same thing on the air.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:02 amMore on the prospect: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/138201-a-look-at-yankees-prospect-arodys-vizcaino
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:02 amthat is putrid.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:04 amYeah, but he could have gotten so much more for Vasquez. I mean, the dude’s OPS has never been higher than .800 and never hit more than 8 homeruns before moving to the bandbox. That is insanely rediculous. I think Schafer could put those numbers up now.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:04 amgarbage, absolute garbage
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 amYeah, I’m hoping we flip Melky for the bat (maybe packaged with Medlen?) Seriously, why would we pay Melky when we could’ve just kept Church (or even KJ) for not vastly different money?
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 amThis is just sad. Vazquez is not the pitcher you deal to dump salary, as he’s not overpaid. You certainly don’t deal Vazquez, who is probably the best starter on the team, simply to relieve a logjam at SP.
I’m with Stu, if this deal goes through Wren will be on my shit list indefinitely.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 amI feel terrible. I called it @62.
Of course, I WAS JOKING!!!
There is no rationale for trading for Melky Cabrera, especially trading Javier Vazquez for MC Crappy. I didn’t like the Swisher AND Cabrera for Vazquez and I can’t even stomach the deal as reported above*.
*I like Aroydys Vizcaino, but he ain’t no Vazquez. If we’re doing that, why re-sign Chipper? He will be dust by the time Vizcaino is in the Majors.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:06 amOh good lord no. And Frank has been doing so well – I am exceptionally disappointed if this is so.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:07 amI’d rather have Tyler Flowers.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:08 amAnd we decide to throw in filler because Vasquez wasn’t enough? Really?
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:09 amNew disgusted post.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:12 amBummer deal. Hope it’s part of something bigger.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:13 am