According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports:
The Braves have acquired outfielder Rick Ankiel and reliever Kyle Farnsworth from the Royals, CBSSports.com has learned.
Apparently Gregor Blanco, Jesse Chavez, and Tim Collins are going to the Royals. KC also paying some salary. Very interesting.
I initially like this trade quite a bit. Farnsworth is a hugemongous upgrade over Chavez, even though he has a bit of a checkered past with Atlanta. Ankiel is likely a player with a lot more potential than Blanco in the power department (but with a checkered past against Atlanta).
We don't give up any major prospects --- Collins was nice, but we hardly got to know him and we have lefty reliever depth to spare.
Good trade to upgrade a couple of positions. Not an impact trade at this point, but if Ankiel can harness his power back in the NL, then it could be a better trade. Ankiel has been hitting good lately.
Farnsworth has a club option for 2011 for $5.25 million, but since he was traded he has a clause in his contract that allows him to void option and take $0.5 million buyout. Ankiel also has 2011 option, that is a mutual option for $6 million, with a $0.5 million buyout.
So, we could have both of these guys for next year as well... if we choose.
The Braves also made a minor league trade, acquiring outfielder Wilkin Ramirez from the Tigers for a player to be named later.
0 recs | 328 comments
Booooo.
blitzerlover - July 31, 2010 via mobile
I really don’t like that we traded away bench speed
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
That's our outfiled help?
Ugh. Better than what we have but not by much.
taney71 - July 31, 2010
I believe
we also picked up Wilkin Rodriguez from the Tigers
BlueVol03 - July 31, 2010
We should all be celebrating the fact that Chavez is not longer available for Bobby to mistakenly put in the game and blow
KJDH2154 - July 31, 2010
True enough
Addition by subtraction.
taney71 - July 31, 2010
We gave up a AAAA guy, a bum reliver, and a good LH relief prospect (and we have Dunn)- for a guy who’s an upgrade over Melky, and a better bum reliever.
Not a bad deal.
Broccoman - July 31, 2010
agreed, Blanco has been stuck at AAAA for a few years now
GT_Thrashfan - July 31, 2010
What...the...hell...
don’t like this deal at all. For Jose Guillen? Yes. For Rick Ankiel? Really? Wow. I’d rather just kept Blanco. Bad deal.
ZC1 - July 31, 2010
Ankiel can play center
bravesforever16 - July 31, 2010
So can Heyward
Allegedly
kauf67 - July 31, 2010
Is Jose Gullien actually any better than Ankiel?
I am not so sure. Both are bad OBP guys with some power. Guillen just costs more and doesn’t play center.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
There have been a lot of stinkers this deadline.
This isn’t the worst, but it’s pretty damn close. Ankiel is literally awful. People seem to think he’s the same guy from 2008 where he had a great year. He’s not. He’s just awful. He has gigantic holes in his swing, and plays terrible CF defense. He’s not better than Melky, and he’s certainly not better than Blanco. He is worse in every conceivable way, except for his cannon of an arm.
Bullpen help is also the last thing the Braves needed. Farnsworth will turn back into a pumpkin soon enough.
Terrible trade. What the hell??
drdonkeypunch - July 31, 2010
I wouldn’t go that far. We didn’t give up much to take a shot at Ankiel and Farnsworth. Werth, Willingham, Dunn, Bautista, etc. weren’t coming here. Not without a lot of cash Liberty is unwilling to part with.
This is likely the best the Braves could have done. I’m a bit meh about it myself, but it’s not like the club is now worse for the deal. It’s just not much better.
UMDBHIK - July 31, 2010
It’s a backwards move. Blanco is better than Ankiel, and gets paid a lot less.
Farnsworth is fine, but it’s absolutely not what they needed. Their bullpen has been their strongest point this year.
drdonkeypunch - July 31, 2010
Farnsworth adds another decent right handed arm to the bullpen that is lefty dominated. He hasn’t been overworked this year and has a good ERA. Wren just made our strongest asset stronger.
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
What about the hitting?
We still need a bit more pop in the lineup.
taney71 - July 31, 2010
I agree. Ankiel only adds another guy with the talent of the other guys and provides another platoon option. Good arm, inconsistent bat. Proven outfielders, I imagine, were rather expensive.
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
ryan ludwick seemed doable
the padres got ludwick for barely anything it seems like (could be wrong) but i think we could have gotten him instead. he plays center, hits for some pop. Would rather have had him but dont think this trade was “awful” by any means.
PhillyBrave - July 31, 2010
I posted this somewhere else, I think
but I was unaware Ludwick was unavailable. Now I’m by no means FW or any connected correspondent but a player of his caliber becoming available would have been news unless it happened today. I’m not sure we knew honestly.
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
I doubt Blanco is better than Ankiel.
Remember, while Blanco had a good little stretch this year, he’s still the same guy who OPS’d .600 or so in AAA last year. Ankiel isn’t particularly better than the stuff we are running out there right now, but not particularly worse, either.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
Blanco was trying to be something he wasn’t last year (a power hitter), this year he’d figured out how to best approach the game and play to his skill set.
Lennox - July 31, 2010
He did the same thing...
…two years ago. Started out hot, then seriously cooled. He has some skills—-a good batting eye and speed without much in the way of stolen bases. He really projects as a fifth outfielder. Not enough hitting to play every day, but a good pinch runner and defensive replacement.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
He was good in 2008 because he was on HGH
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
What a douche thing to say. Proof or it isn’t true!
scstrato - July 31, 2010
he was suspended 50 games for HGH use
look it up
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
I don't have to
He was never suspended and furthermore Ankiel was prescribed the stuff in 2004 and was off the prescription before MLB banned it in 2005. Care to try again?
scstrato - July 31, 2010
Does Ankiel look GH deficient?
And who buys 2 year bulk supplies of HGH.
And then falls off a cliff the next year…
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
WTF?
First, it was a 12 month supply delivered in 8 shipments.
You also need to work on your timeline. The shipments occurred in 2004 and was discovered by the media in 2007. That’s a year BEFORE his really good 2008.
Sorry mate, but your speculation reeks from a lack of evidence.
scstrato - July 31, 2010
He was on the juice & now sucks. Deal with it.
FitzFan - July 31, 2010
WTF II
Sounds like the typical (for lack of a better comparison) liberal response…I don’t have any evidence, and you’re shooting all my arguments down, so I’m going to say the argument is over – deal with it.
iamthesgt - July 31, 2010
Funny, to me...
…it sounds like a typical conservative argument. Lots of vitriol, no evidence.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
I thought people talked about baseball to avoid talking about politics
(Hint)
The Goche - July 31, 2010
HGH doesn't actually make you better at baseball
It helps old people and helps you heal faster. It doesn’t actually help you get stronger, swing faster, run faster, etc. It’s not steroids.
nixa37 - July 31, 2010
not true. it improves eyesight marginally, builds lean muscle, and lets you recover faster during the day-to-day season
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
Building lean muscle mass doesn't actually translate
They’ve done studies and HGH really does nothing beyond letting you heal faster (which obviously helps recovery over the season but thats really it). As for the eyesight, last time I checked Lasik did more than marginally improve eyesight. I haven’t see baseball ban that yet, so maybe when they do that you can bring up HGH improving eyesight.
nixa37 - July 31, 2010
I actually coauthored a bill at a mock state legislature meeting
Arguing the exact same thing. Ha.
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
well, healing faster is a big part of increasing muscle size… muscles grow through tearing them and then rebuilding them. So taking a hormone that increases your ability to heal faster will allow you to tear your muscles more, increasing the rapidity with which they can grow. And trying to compare surgical procedures to hormones and drugs is quite the stretch… Steroids can help players throw harder but so can Tommy John surgery….
atlbravosfan - July 31, 2010
So much wrong with this
HGH doesn’t allow you muscles to heal faster. It supposedly helps other things heal faster like ligaments and tendons, but those are completely different types of tissues. It doesn’t help you build muscle mass. This has been studied a lot and the answer is the same.
TJ surgery doesn’t help you throw faster. Its an urban legend. It may help you throw faster than you did right before the surgery because you weren’t completely healthy, but in no way does it help you throw harder than you could have when you were healthy. Dr. James Andrews has talked about this subject at length. The only people who get TJ surgery are those with UCL tears. Its not an elective procedure for a baseball player. Lasik on the other hand is completely elective in this situation and is meant only as a performance enhancer. There’s nothing wrong with it as I guess players could wear contacts or glasses with similar results, but trying to argue HGH is a performance enhancer because it helps your eyesight is asinine when you have all these completely legal ways to do the same thing.
nixa37 - July 31, 2010
Then tell me why are so many guys in so many sports risk getting banned for taking HGH? Why do the guys on perform much better, & drop off when they are off? It helps them cheat, why sugar coat it.
FitzFan - July 31, 2010
Actually, testosterone has been shown to provide marginal eyesight improvement in higher than “normal” levels. However, I would not be inclined to believe there is any effect on improved hitting as a result.
However, the ability to stay fresher throughout the hot summer months does indeed improve performance on a baseball field. If you don’t believe that, then there’s little hope for you.
UMDBHIK - July 31, 2010
haha
version #3 of FYF?
hawves - July 31, 2010
He’s Frenchy, if Frenchy was left handed …
Lennox - July 31, 2010
I like this one
Ankiel has a chance (albeit a slim one) to be better than Melky, definitely better than McClouth at this point! And Farnsworth will undoubtedly be better than what Chavez was giving us. The fact is we gave up pretty much nothing we could use. Blanco was never going to be a full time Brave, Chavez throws hard and has some upside but it’s so sickeningly straight it’s ridiculous. Collins is probably the biggest loss but it’s not like we don’t have plenty of solid lefty bullpen arms.
It’s better than nothing.
scstrato - July 31, 2010
Mixed feelings
Ankiel is not much better than McLouth although he is having a better season, but everyone is having a better season than McLouth. Farnsworth is an upgrade from Chavez but I wanted to see what Collins could do. I would have liked to see a better upgrade than Ankiel for the outfield but there isn’t much out there. Hopefully this will spark the team!!!!
LukenTroy - July 31, 2010
With how everyone anticipated Minor being moved this season, it feels like we traded for a LHSP with big potential by keeping him.
stryder1o4 - July 31, 2010
This is another classic good FW move – yes the players we are getting aren’t going to set the world on fire, but we are getting them for players who are spare parts at best (i do like blanco) and eternal liabilities at worst (…chavez had to go)
Ankiel still has great potential upside and farnsworth is a good addition but if both players turn out to be busts we haven’t exactly lost a lot.
A good trade that could turn out to be great.
FromTheBellyOfWickman - July 31, 2010
This reeks......
of “I made a deal just to make a deal so my fanbase would leave me alone.”
ZC1 - July 31, 2010
How much did the Braves really give up?
Somehow I figured the Braves would end up with Farnsworth in exchange for a pile of their leftovers. Ankiel comes as more of a surprise. I look at this trade like this: Is Farnsworth an upgrade over Chavez? Yes, definitely. Is Ankiel and upgrade over Blanco? Probably. So, was it worth giving up a Double A reliever to upgrade two roster spots? I think it was. Collins sounds like an impressive young reliever, but he is, afterall, a young reliever. You can’t place two high of a value on minor league relief pitchers.
Actually, this trade makes me feel a little better about the Escobar deal.
BrandonG - July 31, 2010
Anyone know why Ankiel has only been in 27 games this year?
tmc5837 - July 31, 2010
He got hurt and got sent to the minors for a while to fix a hole in his swing the size of an asteroid crater.
drdonkeypunch - July 31, 2010
just came back from a quadriceps injury
fandave - July 31, 2010
I put this on the game thread but it needs to be repeated...
Jeez people we didnt give up much of anything. Frank Wren was able to improve 2 spots on our club with one trade. We weren’t going to get a huge bat ( I don’t know why any of you thought that was possible) and if we did, the same people complaining now would be saying WE GAVE UP TOO MUCH /rabble rabble. I say solid move Frank. Go Braves!!
BravesDawg16 - July 31, 2010
Improved one spot that wasn't the weak link on our team
The other is only a marginal improvement. Where’s the bat?
taney71 - July 31, 2010
The bat was never out there
Like I said, if Frank mortgaged our future people would be livid. We are in FIRST PLACE with the team we have. We didn’t need to overhaul any position because this team got us to first on their own
BravesDawg16 - July 31, 2010
Makes no sense to pull the tiger on this trade if we didn't get a bat.
I’m fine with Blance and Melky plus Matty D. and Heyward.
taney71 - July 31, 2010
It makes our bullpen deeper.
Tell me this, besides KK, wouldn’t you consider Chavez a weak link in the bullpen? The bad thing is, with KK out there rotting away, you only have 6 usable guys. Chavez was going to get his playing time and give up runs, but now we have Farnsworth who whether you think he’s great or not is a huge upgrade from Chavez.
Little Lady - August 1, 2010
Look...
It’s not spectacular, but many didn’t want to mortgage our future for a guy like Cody Ross. Do we NEED to have bullpen help? Maybe…Remember, Saito and Wags are around 40…and Dunn and Venters are young…This adds another decent arm that is a definite upgrade over Chavez.
Collins? Who cares.
This issue is that people think Blanco > Ankiel. Maybe, but not by much. Ankiel, however, has much more upside. Plus, remember, it’s not like we gave up anything for him. Good move.
Jman781 - July 31, 2010
How does Ankiel....
have great potential upside at 30? Someone explain that to me.\
And I don’t believe Ankiel is an upgrade over Blanco.
WAR Comparision
Ankiel’s 09 season: 0.2
Blanco’s 10 season: 0.7
Where’s the upgrade?
ZC1 - July 31, 2010
LOL
Nice cherry picking. You should work for Fox news.
scstrato - July 31, 2010
What do you mean? And what's the problem with Fox?
taney71 - July 31, 2010
LOL
get swoll yunel - July 31, 2010
unlike MSNBC or CNN right?
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
They’re all clearly biased to some extent, but Fox News is laughable.
TC, however, is not the place for that discussion.
get swoll yunel - July 31, 2010
I responded to you.
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
cool story bro.
get swoll yunel - August 1, 2010
CHANGE YOUR NAME
Cammando2317 - July 31, 2010
Why?
I’ve had this name for years.
get swoll yunel - August 1, 2010
MSNBC..."biased to some extent..."
ROFL!
Right. And Barney Frank is Bi-Curious. };0)
Chopaholic - August 1, 2010
I’m not even a liberal, dude.
You guys are barking up the wrong tree.
Get your politico rocks off elsewhere.
get swoll yunel - August 1, 2010
“fair and balanced” and tell a certain narrow segment of society exactly what they want to hear.
fandave - July 31, 2010
"narrow segment"
does not define the news station with the best ratings (by far)
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
I believe it was said
TC is not the place for this discussion.
scorby911 - July 31, 2010
Yeas it does. They are also the leaders in cherry picking.
FitzFan - July 31, 2010
lol. riiiiiiiiight.
10-4 - July 31, 2010
Ankiel hasn't been healthy this season........
so it’s unfair to use his WAR this year. So I used his WAR last year where he played more. Where’s the cherry picking? We needed a power bat, and we got a guy who hit 11 HR’s in 122 games. Does that scream “power bat” to you?
ZC1 - July 31, 2010
Except for the fact that Ankiel played hurt most of that year. Not trying to make him out to be a helluva pick-up but comparing him to Greg White is a bit silly.
scstrato - July 31, 2010
Yeah because Greg White is better or at least just as good as NON Juicing Rick. .
FitzFan - July 31, 2010
I very seriously doubt Gregor Blanco could have given us what Rick Ankiel will, and can’t believe you are seriously contending otherwise. Blanco would have been a 5th OF and gotten minimal ABs down the stretch. Ankiel is a 31 year old veteran player with some real pop in his bat – something we definitely need more of – and will be given the chance to be a fixture in the lineup, at least against RH pitchers, which means most of the time.
fandave - July 31, 2010
Remember, except in small sample sizes...
…Blanco is the guy who OPS’d .600 in AAA last year. He’s a great hustler, etc., but his bat just isn’t good enough to cut it. Ankiel isn’t great, but he is better than Blanco.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
You, talk about small samples and then bring up one bad year at AAA …
Ankiel has more power, Blanco is far better at not making out, and is cheaper, and younger.
Blanco for Ankiel is, at best, a sideways move, though it’s probably closer to a downgrade.
Lennox - July 31, 2010
Okay, let's not cherry-pick.
Blanco’s career major league OPS is .670.
His career minor league OPS is .734.
And he is 26 already, so there are several years of data in there.
Ankiel isn’t great—-I don’t dispute that. But he is a bit better:
Ankiel’s career minor league OPS: .868
Major league: .765.
Again, Ankiel is not great, but he is better than Blanco.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
Look at their OBPs, one of them is good at not making outs, the other isn’t.
Lennox - July 31, 2010
Yes, Blanco is better at OBP.
He also has absolutely no power, like less than some pitchers at slugging. Power and OBP both are important. One has one, the other has the other. Neither have enough of both to be great, but Ankiel has more combined than Blanco.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
As a team, we do a good job getting on base. But, we have problems with driving people. A low OBP high power guy in the 7 hole would be a good thing.
dkinser86 - August 1, 2010
It really wouldn’t. Guys with LOW OBPs tend to make outs instead of driving in runs.
Lennox - August 1, 2010
Fox does not cherry pick…all the liberal news outlets do, but that is irrelevant here.
iamthesgt - July 31, 2010
That is irrelevant here....
….and you are completely right so long as you reverse the words “liberal” and “Fox”.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
i dont wanna get into politics...
but i go by the ideals that fox was founded on…and they r ridiculous…cnn and such are definitely biased, but so is fox…and fox is a whole lot less professional…i cant even watch it…
forgotten_glory - August 1, 2010
I agree with you.
The only upside is the Chavez reduction.
taney71 - July 31, 2010
this
Cammando2317 - July 31, 2010
Power...
You can’t deny that Ankiel has more power potential. The Braves have plenty of guys that get on base. Speed? Puh-Leez. This team has never been a running team.
Was Blanco our CF for the future? Really? Really?
Yes, I wanted a better bat, but I didn’t want to give up a stud arm to get it. This is a good move.
Ask yourself. Did this makes worse? Not one bit. CAN it makes up a bit better. Definitely.
Jman781 - July 31, 2010
Who said he was the CF of the future? Anyone, anyone? NO
He is better now. The Braves have ran in the past. But what does having some much needed speed on the team now have to do w/ that?
FitzFan - July 31, 2010
Akiel's WAR
2007: 1.4
2008: 1.8
He had a bad 2009, yes. One bad year. He has 0.3 WAR in just 92 at bats, which isn’t bad. That’s too small of a sample size to be meaningful, but if you project that out, it’s 2 WAR over a 600 at-bat season.
Zips projects Blanco at .668 OPS the rest of the season and Ankiel at .766 OPS. Given no one is arguing Farnsworth is an upgrade over Chavez, I can’t help but like the deal.
Blanco is not a bad player. He has some speed, he walks and, when hot, he hits singles. Ankiel has a different skill set, but when you total everything up, he is a better bet going forward.
BrandonG - July 31, 2010
not a bad deal
The only name in there I half-regret seeing go is Blanco.
beeswax - July 31, 2010
Wilkin Ramiez
played in the Futures Game twice
themurph - July 31, 2010
He’s enormous. If the Braves can get his big swing in check he’s going to be a good one.
cbwilk - July 31, 2010
Compare him to somebody more recognizable, CB.
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
Current or past Union Student?
J-Freak - July 31, 2010 via mobile
current
Ryan Hoover
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
Kyle Hugueley. Your name rings a faint bell…
J-Freak - July 31, 2010 via mobile
Ack- of course. Fellow Poli Sci guy, right? Watson’s MCPT class last semester?
J-Freak - July 31, 2010 via mobile
Boot Strap Bill
yes you are correct
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
???
Is that what they’re calling me these days?
J-Freak - July 31, 2010 via mobile
the first time I had a class with you, you said “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” on 5 different occasions.
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
I kinda thought that’s what you might be referring to, but wasn’t sure. Dang, that was Evans’ Intro class. WAY back.
J-Freak - July 31, 2010 via mobile
I like gettting Farnsworth.....
but does anybody believe this is going to put into the playoffs? I don’t think so.
ZC1 - July 31, 2010
As of right now, we’re in, so it’s about staying in. This doesn’t hurt, and no mortgaging of the future.
Oswalt isn’t worth 3.5 games over 2 months.
Broccoman - July 31, 2010
Dsagree,
Hes not worth 3.5 games over his next 10 starts over they’re traded Happ?? Why? Last night was an anomaly. Happ is terrible
Cammando2317 - July 31, 2010
Are we better because of this trade?
I’m not really sure how I feel about this deal yet. I thought we should give Blanco a chance to earn a job playing center field on a regular basis, and if Jesse Chavez is your worst reliever, that’s a pretty good bullpen.
Ankiel has been ok this year when he’s been healthy, and apearently he is now. Maybe he can contribute. What we have been lacking is power, and we just got some. Who knows. Maybe it’s what we needed.
We shoulda gotten Ludwick!!! I’m mad we traded Collins, he sounded sick.
roberty - July 31, 2010
Agreed
on Ludwick, especially when you consider he’s a RHB not to mention what he went for.
scstrato - July 31, 2010
@Buster_ESPN Report: The Braves are getting Rick Ankiel and Kyle Farnsworth from the Braves. More depth for a deep team.#trades
He is right. We ARE a deep team. That’s why this is a solid trade
BravesDawg16 - July 31, 2010
Pretty solid..
Hated to lose Collins, but we got 2 ML players that can help, and we gave up none of our top prospects. Ankiel has just gotten healthy & looking pretty good & Kyle can help.
Better than giving up Minor, Delgado, etc. for a 30+ yr old Jose Bautista or Corey Hart, who are probably just having fluke power numbers in 2010 & will regress in the future.
We got some power & gave up next to nothing..Not too bad!
Rick Z - July 31, 2010
I agree with your opinions and would like to subscribe to your newsletter
BravesDawg16 - July 31, 2010
As would I
HEYJUDE - July 31, 2010
focusing on today's game...
we are playing with 22?? prado, chavez and blanco are all out correct?
StottsEra - July 31, 2010
Anyone know...
anything about Wilkin Rodriguez?
Rick Z - July 31, 2010
Coming into this year he was the Tigers 8th best prospect but he has been as high as 6
bravesforever16 - July 31, 2010
CB^ up there
HEYJUDE - July 31, 2010
Don't understand the negativity
We add another power RH arm to our bullpen where Moylan is inconsistent and Saito hasn’t been as effective since the injury and add the potential of solid power from the CF position for basically nothing special. Blanco had a good stint with us, but is losing him really a big loss? Chavez was worth nothing to us and Collins wasn’t a huge prospect or something.
If Ankiel can come in here and provide some pop and Farnsworth can provide solid innings from the pen and all it cost was those 3 players I think we should be real happy.
Prado
Heyward
Chipper
McCann
Glaus
Hinske
Ankiel
Gonzalez
That is a solid lineup 1-8, no? Better than Melky/McLouth/Blanco batting 8th IMO.
Buffalo Braves - July 31, 2010
This...
I liked Blanco, but he wasn’t a game changer. If he was a stud, wouldn’t he have played more? He’s been with the Bravos for a while.
Also, I never knew that you could have too many BP arms.
Jman781 - July 31, 2010
Ankiel hasn't been a game changer since his really good year a few seasons ago.
taney71 - July 31, 2010
So at most it's a wash.
Jman781 - July 31, 2010
Not when you consider we are relieved of Chavez. Seriously, it is a huge bonus for ATL to find someone who would take him.
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
Exactly
What is the absolute worst that can happen here?
Farnsworth sucks (Chavez would have done that anyway)
Ankiel doesn’t provide the pop we need (Blanco wasn’t either and wasn’t a starter and we return to the lineup that got us to first place and have Ankiel as a PH)
So, the worst case scenario is we traded Tim Collins to an AL Central cellar-dweller for the hope Ankiel provides pop, Farnsworth provides solid innings and it didn’t work out? Sign me up.
Buffalo Braves - July 31, 2010
In the meantime
The Phillies get one of the best starters on the market and have their best player coming back in a few weeks. I think we needed more. I hope I’m wrong.
kauf67 - July 31, 2010
buuuut...
even when all those phillies hitters were healthy they were still losing. And Oswalt didn’t do great in the philly debut last night.
beeswax - July 31, 2010
Did you see Oswalt last night?
He’s not the Oswalt of old. I liked Happ better, especially against the Braves. We kill Oswalt.
I agree we needed a bigger bat, but I think Wren didn’t want to give up too much. Wren was creative with this trade. Hopefully it will work out like the Javy trade(s) or the LaRoche trade last year or the Nate McLouth trade (oh wait!)…
Jman781 - July 31, 2010
Have you seen Oswalt this season
He’s the Oswalt of old.
kauf67 - July 31, 2010
Fine...
But he only pitches every 5 games, and I like Happ better. I just do. Especially, when we face the Phils.
Jman781 - July 31, 2010
Oswalt is better
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
Happ is crap!
FitzFan - July 31, 2010
We are 3.5 games up with Heyward, Chipper, McCann, Diaz, McLouth (meh), Jurrjens, Saito and now Prado all missing playing time. It isn’t like we are only in first place because we have been injury free. We have a good team, one that would have battled to win the division even without this deal and this trade can’t hurt our chances this season.
Buffalo Braves - July 31, 2010
Fuck McLouth.
Cammando2317 - July 31, 2010
Ankiel
Doesn’t like to make contact
kauf67 - July 31, 2010
not bad.
no difference-makers, but that just didn’t really exist on this market anyway. we didn’t have to give up much and got some cash in return to help with those options/buyouts.
brndn - July 31, 2010
In my opinion
Melky>Ankiel
kauf67 - July 31, 2010
Which is fine...
Since we still have Melky…
Jman781 - July 31, 2010
word
beeswax - July 31, 2010
The question is...
Can Ankiel provide more than Blanco…I say yes.
Jman781 - July 31, 2010
Since Blanco is a platoon guy at best for the Braves I would hope so.
taney71 - July 31, 2010
I’d say yes too. But I think Ankiel is a platoon guy at best also.
kauf67 - July 31, 2010
Fine...
But we ALSO helped our pen out. Plus, I kinda like Melky’s playing style.
Jman781 - July 31, 2010
you like first pitch GIDP?
telemakhos - July 31, 2010
zing
GeneParmesan - July 31, 2010
and throws from left center to right center?
telemakhos - August 1, 2010
like I said in the game thread, Melky was just hitting the cutoff man in Heyward.
dkinser86 - August 1, 2010
well at the very least, ankiel will be able to one hop it to heyward
telemakhos - August 1, 2010
He's a good platoon guy
Dude hits pretty well off of RHP.
nixa37 - July 31, 2010
Get over losing Greg White....
He’s a .250 hitter w/ NO power & plays a nice CF (many OF in our minors can).
All we gave up was Collins for 2 decent ML players!
Rick Z - July 31, 2010
He is more than a .250 hitter. He actually gets on base, unlike Rick. Rick isn't a better hitter now
FitzFan - July 31, 2010
players can change..
steeeeezzzzzz - July 31, 2010
Ankiel is
11 for 30 since coming back from injury, gonna be interesting to see what he can do.
ConradsComrades - July 31, 2010
People didn't like...
The Adam LaRoche trade last year either…
I wonder if there was a realistic trade that ALL Braves fans would’ve liked. If we had traded Mike Minor for Cody Ross, some people be complaining. If we did nothing, some people would’ve been complaining.
Now people are complaining because we gave up Blanco?
Jman781 - July 31, 2010
This
Agree 100%. Just can’t satisfy everyone
BravesDawg16 - July 31, 2010
And like LaRoche..
Ankiel is a better second-half hitter.
Pre-All-Star Game: .241
Post-All-Star Game: .266
Buffalo Braves - July 31, 2010
Unless he gives us good power numbers the post all-star .266 average doesn't matter that much to me.
Or if he can hit in the clutch.
taney71 - July 31, 2010
Of course
But, it can’t hurt, he didn’t lose anything that will cause you to say “damn, if we didn’t trade Blanco we would have won the WS.” But if Ankiel does find a power stroke in the 2nd half and it helps, everyone will be happy.
Buffalo Braves - July 31, 2010
wouldn't everyone complain if we traded minor
for ross (720 OPS)
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
But that's probably
What we would’ve had to give up.
Plus, we didn’t lose Prado for a month or so!
Jman781 - July 31, 2010
Very true
Buffalo Braves - July 31, 2010
People complain about everything and everyone all the time
No matter what Frank did, not everyone is going to be happy
BravesDawg16 - July 31, 2010
You hit the nail on the head
FW is doomed if he does and doomed if he don’t. Peeps act like we had a ton of $ to use to get a big bat.
In order to get one of the few big bats available we would had to give up the farm.
FW did the best he could do with what he had to work with.
If these trades pan out, great, if not, it’s not a biggie, imho.
HEYJUDE - July 31, 2010
Also, Wren didn’t overpay like the Twins did to get Capps.
I’ll miss Greg, but the guy is not an everyday player. Ankiel, while not a stud, can play everyday. He certainly can’t put numbers as bad as FUGA did.
UMDBHIK - July 31, 2010
Totally Agree!
All the haters will cheer when this works out… but Wren will never hear the end of it, if it bombs! Problem with these trades is most of them are shots in the dark…
UpstateNyBravesFan - July 31, 2010
Seriously?...
who didn’t like LaRoche for Kotchman?
Mr. Sanchez - July 31, 2010
I didn't
and neither did a lot of folks.
Jacob Peterson - July 31, 2010
Me
but I was not nearly as strongly opposed as most.
scstrato - July 31, 2010
I didn’t understand it at the time but it turned out ok.
beeswax - July 31, 2010
i thought it was a wash at the time
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
I like it. That is all.
10-4 - July 31, 2010
People were whining last year over losing the "slick fielding" Casy Kotchman...
Yeah, that was quite a loss! No more giving up the farm for big names we won’t re-sign (Texiera). I think Frank did well.
Rick Z - July 31, 2010
Good moves
Anytime you can add depth to the bullpen. While getting rid off arguably the worse liabilty in the pen. Plus have a chance for potiential power in the line up. Well played mr.wren
SkipTOoMyL0U_ - July 31, 2010
Stop with the "Chavez is addition by subtraction" BS
The guy was making less than a million per year. If we really wanted to get rid of him, we could send him to the minors or release him. You don’t have to trade players like that to get rid of them. It’s not like he had an enormous contract to out from under.
Also, we traded Rafael Soriano straight up for Chavez.
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
We traded Soriano because he was going to make 8+ million
We mostly just wanted to get rid of the contract. Chavez was worth a roll of the dice, he didn’t work out, so we cut bait. I don’t see the issue here as we at least got some value in trading him.
nixa37 - July 31, 2010
It might not be addition by subtraction, but losing him won’t cause anybody to lose sleep tonight.
Buffalo Braves - July 31, 2010
that is true
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
+1
SkipTOoMyL0U_ - July 31, 2010
Agreed but we received players in return for him. That’s the real bonus.
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
Maybe not the bestt?
is he an outfielder? yeah. hes great as of late in case nobody noticed. i hated blanco leaving but he has never been good in the majors until his little stretch this year. i was excited about collins but who knows, i mean we have kimbrel and a million other good relievers. what scares me is what we gave up for the tigers guy. his numbers straight sucked.
Cody Arrington - July 31, 2010
player to be named later or cash, nothing now
Buffalo Braves - July 31, 2010
Farnsworth makes
Our bullpen go from top 10 depth wise to top 3 possible
REG103723 - July 31, 2010
Why.
Tell me why
Cammando2317 - July 31, 2010
I don't know about top 3, but
besides Moylan, for close game situations we don’t have another right handed arm to use with confidence. Cox trusts Farnsworth.
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
Anytime you hear PTBNL or cash
You can bet its not too much. If the other team might consider some cash better than the prospect available, then the prospects aren’t anything good.
nixa37 - July 31, 2010
Exactly.
We picked up Ramirez for Gwinnett’s roster, that’s about it. They’ll either get a similar non-prospect in return or a small amount of cash. It was a nothing deal, like a higher level version of the Naboa deal.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
Frank Wren must read what I write because I brought up Farnsworth about a week ago as a reliever that we should target and a couple days ago brought up Figgins as a possible bad contract swap with the Mariners. We traded for Farnsworth and inquired on Figgins.
jack dein - July 31, 2010
the figgins deal was intriguing
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
That one still could happen, I think.
Both guys will likely get through waivers. I would love to see it happen.
Jacob Peterson - July 31, 2010
The second one being…….?
kauf67 - July 31, 2010
Lowe
Jacob Peterson - July 31, 2010
I love the Figgins-Lowe deal and even more the thought of a Mike Minor call up, although I know KK would probably move in as the 5th starter.
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
I don't like this trade,
but hopefully we can catch a little magic with Ankiel for a couple months. He’s not really any better than Melky, but oh well. Farnsworth is a nice upgrade over Chavez, but I don’t like giving up Collins in this deal. I like him a lot.
All I can hope for is that this trade works out like the LaRoche deal last year, when we gave up not-very-much and got lucky. I didn’t like that one either, but it certainly helped.
Jacob Peterson - July 31, 2010
At worst he’s not really any better than Melky, but I saw this guy play in Memphis in 07 before his re-callup by the Cards, and let me tell you- Melky can’t TOUCH Ankiel for raw power. He’s a bit of a dice roll, but if we benefit from some of his power there’s no way he isn’t better than Melky down the stretch.
J-Freak - July 31, 2010 via mobile
Yea, I watched this guy play a half dozen times for the Memphis Redbirds in 07 as well (with my belly full of Rendezvous ribs).
He was awesome. 32 home runs in 100 games and made crazy plays all over center field. I remember thinking, good lord, this guy has gone from one of the biggest joke pitchers ever to Willie Mays. He’s just an natural amazing athlete.
If there’s hope for this trade, it’s that he recaptures some of that. I feel better thinking back to what I saw in that stadium in downtown Memphis and saying, man, if the Braves can just work their charms again on another rebuilding project, this guy could be the fuse we need.
DCP916 - July 31, 2010
fandave - July 31, 2010
great arm and can make atheltic plays when he gets to the ball but not great range in general.
yondaime4 - August 1, 2010
just checked the royals blog
they LOVE collins, and they have hope with chavez. i take ankiel over chavez ALL day i wish we couldve switched ankiel for guillen though. wouldve been the best trade in mlb if we wouldve pulled it off. i mean reallY? diaz hitting everything hard and heyward and JOSE GUILLEN wouldve been loaded.. bet if you throw one more tim collins type guy, or say resop (somebody with a good year of recent, but bad history) we couldve gotten guillen and farnsworth. nyy, nym, tb ALL of them couldve kissed their world series hopes goobye we couldve locked it.
Cody Arrington - July 31, 2010
this trade allows glaus to rest
hinske can play first and daiz/ankiel platoon can take over in left.
Fletch20 - July 31, 2010
We didn’t need to make a trade to let Glaus rest …
Lennox - July 31, 2010
I’m just saying this trade gives us more depth and options. It is a good trade.
Fletch20 - July 31, 2010
We have the same depth with Ankiel that we had with Blanco …
Lennox - July 31, 2010
I’m not mad we got ankiel I’m mad we DIDN’T get Ludwick
drumzalicious - July 31, 2010 via mobile
This^
scstrato - July 31, 2010
It is strange because like Wren the Cardinals didn’t even appear on the radar with Ludwick until today. Wish we would have known.
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
If only we had someone whose job it was to find the best possible trading partner to best improve our team …
Lennox - July 31, 2010
hahaha +1
very very true my mysterious online blogging friend.
unionuniv - July 31, 2010
remember when those Kelly Johnson for Ryan Ludwick rumors were flying around a few years ago?
beeswax - July 31, 2010
this
We didn’t we jump in that three team trade?
Braves24 - August 1, 2010
How can you not like this deal?
We gave up nothing and got another hard thrower in the bullpen, and a guy who’s killed the ball since coming off the DL.
Scott Coleman - July 31, 2010 via mobile
Uh
DUH! because we didn’t land Albert Pujols!!!
scstrato - July 31, 2010
Useless post.
Post something worth my seconds to read it.
Cammando2317 - July 31, 2010
LOL
Fuck McClouth …
scstrato - July 31, 2010
this
Cammando2317 - July 31, 2010
FUCK
Your spelling.
-C
cthabeerman - July 31, 2010
You get the point, spelling police.
Cammando2317 - July 31, 2010
Decipher: “I’m too lazy to learn how to spell people’s names correctly.But I’m not above talking out of my ass like I know what I’m saying. Deal with it.”
UMDBHIK - July 31, 2010
thank you
this is the huge positive to improve our team for wags, cox, and possibly chippers last year. we have to say blanco, collins and chavez did virtually NOTHING to improve this team. THIS team has world series potential. we just boosted our chances of winning a world series with a hot bat and an arm that fits right in with this solid bullpen think
venters
wagner
moylan
saito
chavezfarnswortho’flaherty
thats a world series bullpen my friends. oh and in case anybody hasnt noticed th braves have a guy by the name of MATT YOUNG
go look at those stats and you shall realize we have another option IF ankiel doesnt work out!
Cody Arrington - July 31, 2010
I disagree about nothing.
FitzFan - July 31, 2010
Farnsworth to wear Chavez num. 43 and ankiel to sport number 28. I guess mclouth aint done yet in atlanta,ankiel couldnt pry away the 24.
SkipTOoMyL0U_ - July 31, 2010
i bet we asked for Gordon
first. and Moore, not being entirely stupid, countered with this guy.
apoxonbothyourhouses - July 31, 2010
Damn
That woulda been nice!. I think after the walkoff he had he’s prime to take off he has too much ability. I just think hes been hobbled by injuries,plus lacked the confidence in himself yet. I mean they were deeming him the next george brett before he even played a game.
SkipTOoMyL0U_ - July 31, 2010
I would love that kid
Charmin519 - July 31, 2010
Farnsworth just adds more depth to the bullpen. Definitely a plus over Chavez. What the Braves really needed in the outfield is more punch, a little more power, a guy who can deliver a few more extra base hits. Ankiel, unless he’s totally cold, is going to provide that compared to Blanco. Remember over the 2007-08 seasons Ankiel slugged over .500 both years in over 600 at-bats. If he’s 80-90% that good, he’s still gonna sjug .450. That’s an upgrade, folks. If he comes over and cant’ hit, so what? We still have four other outfielders. What’s the loss? All we did was switch 5th outfielders. I like this trade.
maddogisgod - July 31, 2010
Agreed
Charmin519 - July 31, 2010
+1000
SkipTOoMyL0U_ - July 31, 2010
someone said Ankiel is bad defensively. I thought he was a top shelf CF. which is it?
fandave - July 31, 2010
he's negative defensively according to UZR
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
SSS. Having seen the guy play for a whole summer in 07 I can tell you while he might not be the rangiest guy around, runners don’t fuck with that cannon. He may not be able to throw strikes from a mound anymore, but he can throw strikes to the bases at will, so what he lacks in range he makes up for by holding runners. That said, if the org really doesn’t mind Jason in CF, Ankiel is probably an above average corner man. Any way you slice it he’s better than McLouth, and unlike Melky he doesn’t chuck balls into RF…
J-Freak - July 31, 2010 via mobile
for his career
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
I just like that line a lot.
Runners don’t fuck with that cannon.
ATLforlife - August 1, 2010
Ill say it again
go look at the stats of
MATT YOUNG
MATT YOUNG
MATT YOUNG
MATT YOUNG
MATT YOUNG
SPEED AND AVERAGE PEOPLE what did blanco give again??
Cody Arrington - July 31, 2010
I have been on the Matt Young bandwagon all this time. His OBP is crazy.
Michael Paul - July 31, 2010
Since we're talking about trades.
The alex gonzalez trade is whats going to bite us. Calling it right now. He doesn’t hit more 5 hrs the rest of the way and his average is going to be around .240
RufRider - July 31, 2010
I love baseless projections!!
-C
cthabeerman - July 31, 2010
not really baseless
look at his career averages
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
If you think how he hit in 2000 is relevant to how well he hits today, sure.
Since 2005, he’s hitting almost .260. He’s only had one stretch (2009 half season with the Reds, his first half-year after coming back from missing all 2008 because of an injury) when he hit worse than .255.
But, by all means, feel free to continue basing your projections on statistics that include his .151 average from 1998. I’m sure what he did in the 90s will help accurately project how he’ll do in 2010.
-C
cthabeerman - July 31, 2010
Well stop cherry picking. It’s part of his career isn’t it? You can’t just throw some numbers ut when you want. AG is not a very good hitter & does not get on base & has never shown this much power. Ruffrider is right.
FitzFan - July 31, 2010
Looking at the past six years (5 years + this season) isn’t cherry picking. If I was cherry picking, I would have chosen his best offensive season, which I did not do. I didn’t choose the years he had his career highs in HR or AVG.
What I did do was give a fair example of how he can be judged in a logical and rational manner, rather than lumping what he did 12 years ago into the equation. What he did back then has little to no bearing on how he’ll perform today.
-C
cthabeerman - July 31, 2010
It's all irrelevant.
We didn’t trade for Gonzalez because we thought his first half power surge was real. We traded for him because he is a good defensive shortstop who isn’t too horrible with the bat and is a good clubhouse guy, and it let us get rid of the guy we just couldn’t stand anymore. The trade was all about getting rid of a clubhouse cancer, not about getting a better hitter.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
Andruw Jones has a .256 career average
Nevermind the fact that his last season with us (.222) has been his best season of the last four.
But he’s a .256 career hitter, so let’s try a waiver trade for him!! .256!!
-C
cthabeerman - July 31, 2010
Well according to your logic, we should ignore the .222 year.
FitzFan - July 31, 2010
At least I'm using logic...
It’s far better than taking two seconds to look up his career numbers and considering that good investigatory work.
Ken Griffey Jr. hits .283 and averages 28 HR/year, let’s get him!!
Incidentally, using my logic, there’s absolutely NO FUCKING REASON why I’d ignore AJones’s .222 year. It’s a perfect example of exactly what I WOULD include when making these projections, because it’s recent and relevant.
God forbid someone actually use relevant statistics when projecting how a player will do rather than being a fucking moron who’s figured out how click “Career Statistics” on a player profile webpage.
-C
cthabeerman - July 31, 2010
The funny thing about Andruw is....
he is batting under .210 this year, but has a higher OPS than any of our true outfielders (i.e. not Hinske and Infante) other than Heyward (i.e. higher than Blanco, Diaz, McLouth, Melky). So he does bring something. Shame the White Sox didn’t get their hitter at the deadline; they probably would have released Andruw and we could have had him free.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
I like this trade.
We basically gave up two AAAA guys for two better players. Ankiel and Farnsworth aren’t really impact players, but they give this very deep team even more depth. So you could say that all we gave up was Collins.
GouldisGold - July 31, 2010 via mobile
soooo true all we gave up was collins
Cody Arrington - July 31, 2010
Not true. Blanco already proved he could be a solid ML backup. We traded hitting, speed & defense.
FitzFan - July 31, 2010
he’s a classic AAAA or maybe ML 5th OF with very minimal upside. He made a nice contribution to our team earlier this season, after washing out with a .605 OPS last season in Gwinnett after falling off badly for us in the 2d half of the ‘08 season when he was the default CF. Frankly, I was very surprised – as were (IMO) Bobby and Frank – but it was a small sample and he simply wasn’t going to get many opportunities to do much down the stretch.
fandave - July 31, 2010
Well, if Gonzalez hits 5 HR and hits .240, that’s certainly an upgrade over what we were getting from Escobar.
maddogisgod - July 31, 2010
used to brother, hes tearing it upp down there
but oh well we obviously didnt get HURT ny the trade and his immediate impact shows he needed a new club
Cody Arrington - July 31, 2010
Also Rogers Centre is more bat friendly than Turner Field.
Why people forget this, I don’t know.
UMDBHIK - July 31, 2010
Some of you are over the top!!!!!!
It’s obvious we WEREN’T ABLE to get an impact bat without mortgaging the future or simply because there wasn’t many available.
So what did Wren do?…………
We now have three CF options that have had success in the PAST. It’s highly unlikely that ALL THREE continue there lackluster performances to date. Melky, Ankiel, and McClouth cannot all suck the remainder of the year. The mathematical probability is simple against it. My thoughts on Akiel. If anything we created needed depth and multiple possibilities to solving our CF paradox.
Farnsworth is equal if not better of an RP option than Chavez.
Therefore, one could logically conclude that the Braves didn’t take a step back but rather increased their odds of moving forward at some point in the season. Though this increase may be insignificant the logical conclusion still stands.
Charmin519 - July 31, 2010
farns is WAY BETTER
the last paragraph says it all. oh hell no jurrgens just got popped
Cody Arrington - July 31, 2010
JJ overreacted a little on that one, but thats ok
maddogisgod - July 31, 2010
Plus everybody plays better in atlanta! Lol hey im just saying if your drive as an athlete is too win or play for a winner/great best organization then i expect better play from both.
SkipTOoMyL0U_ - July 31, 2010
Ugh Melky...
Did you see what just happened? He makes an awful throwing error and then you see him laughing it off! Am I the only one who hates this fatass?
GouldisGold - July 31, 2010 via mobile
ya it was horrible melky and hinske laughing. piss me off im still mad
Brandonba - July 31, 2010
I’m on the record as absolutely hating him from the day the Yankees stuck us with him. I was praying he would go out in another trade before the season ever started.
Rhyno18 - July 31, 2010
i was in the same boat...
forgotten_glory - August 1, 2010
SMH...I read hugemongous as huge mongoose
that was my “de de de” for the day
JoshChildressAfroIsCure4Cancer - July 31, 2010
you people
just like to complain about anything and everything… yes, we did not get a huge bat that everyone wanted (and that anyone who was looking could see was not available… was Cody Ross or Corey Hart the savior? I think not).
Yes, there might not be a megastar on this team… but it’s deep. And we just got rid of really the only hole on the major league roster. I will take making the bullpen better and deepr any day of the week. Will miss Gregor, but seriously folks, we really didnt give up anything.
knarf - July 31, 2010
Infield Depth
This trade may have not been made to add outfield depth but rather infield depth.
Right now, Glaus is struggling at 1st and Hinske is starting in the outfield against most right-handed starters. This allows Hinske to go over to first on right-handed starters while Ankiel can play LF. Of course Diaz and Glaus can start against lefties.
YakyuSenshu - July 31, 2010
I hope you are wrong
That means Melky stil plays center field.
ruxsin - July 31, 2010
I’m expecting Ankiel to be in CF most of the time and if both are playing Melky in LF.
fandave - July 31, 2010
I’m expecting Melky to be shot.
Seriously though, Hiniaz will still be in left. Either Ankiel is going to replace Melky straight up in center, or they’re going to shift J-Hey to center and play Ankiel in right.
J-Freak - July 31, 2010 via mobile
You don't move...
…the future of the franchise 20 yr. old stud to an unnatural position unless you get a major upgrade or if you have another guy in the lineup who can play center. Ankiel will probably play some center against righties and sit against lefties. I suspect we’ll see a lot of Hinske-Ankiel-Heyward against righties and Diaz-Melky-Heyward against lefities.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
he actually played cf before
Cody Arrington - August 1, 2010
He has.
But not much recently. If the gain is minimal, why have him try to adjust to that now?
cavebird - August 1, 2010
I also hope, as mentioned somewhere else, that getting Ankiel means that we can move Melky over to LF against rhp’s to and put Hinske at 1B to give Glaus some rest. I think he really needs some.
dkinser86 - August 1, 2010
Good trade. Not great, but I don’t there a great trade was possible. Did any team really make a great trade? How about the Phillies? They picked up a #3/4 starter just because his last name is Oswalt. At least we didn’t make that kind of mistake. This trade does not hurt our payroll and it makes us deeper. Does it make us World Series contenders? Well, in a way, it does help us.
In 1995, we had a very solid bench with guys like Mike Devereaux and Luis Polonia. My opinion is that a bench like that is essential to win a WS. Getting Ankiel helps deepen our bench.
I find it hilarious that so many people are sad to see Blanco go. I mean, really? The guy had a .300 slugging percentage one year. But he is a nice guy and a very sharp dresser.
ryantex - July 31, 2010
Decent trade. We didn’t give up much to increase our depth.
What I want to know is… can Ankiel at least throw it all the way to Heyward from left-center?
Darin H - July 31, 2010
Ankiel has a great arm
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=2655396
That was a few years ago though.
TheBravestWay To Block A Decent Prospect - July 31, 2010
Not trying to be a dick here, but can't resist...
But who would have thought a converted pitcher would have a great arm??
-C
cthabeerman - July 31, 2010
Depends on who the pitcher you’re converting is. For example, Tim Wakefield probably couldn’t get a ball to home plate from center field with a golf cart.
Rhyno18 - July 31, 2010
+1
ATLforlife - August 1, 2010
Maybe not a golf cart, but he probably could with a 2 iron.
UMDBHIK - August 1, 2010
That second throw was sick.
A strike on the fly to 3rd from the left center field warning track. Nasty
K.Brown - August 1, 2010
GLAUSASAUR AT 3B!!!
BravesDawg16 - August 1, 2010
definitely
HEYJUDE - July 31, 2010
Wow
I guess the new straegy is:
1. Aquire low OBP veterens, who are worse defenders and have Powah!
2. ????
3. Profit!
RE: Professor Farnsworth
80.8 % LOB
4.5 % HR/FB
He’s decent though probably a true talent 3.50 FIP. That’s maybe 0.3 WAR over Chavez for the rest of the season. Pretty Ricky looks like 0.7 WAR RoS player which is about 0.2 WAR above what Blanco would have done.
So half a win for Tim Collins, whatever money KC didn’t pick up, and another year year of league minimum Gregor Blanco.
Frank Wren just got taken by Dayton Moore.
TheBravestWay To Block A Decent Prospect - July 31, 2010
Can you ever really be “taken” when you give up Gregor Blanco, Jesse Chavez, and a AA reliever? Folks might reasonably think that this trade doesn’t improve the club, but that phrasing seems a little bit over the top. Not a ton of downside here unless you think we missed an opportunity and really should’ve unloaded something valuable to get more. In which case at least half the crowd would lament how we mortgaged the future and moan about the trade for years on end if it didn’t work out perfectly (e.g. Tex).
Sir Stealth - July 31, 2010
Wow
Do you grasp the reality that Braves are competing for a championship and prefer to go with veteran players who have been there and done that before?
fandave - July 31, 2010
do you grasp the reality that we just acquired two guys who aren't good (.5 WAR or so)
and gave up a decent prospect?
kbertling353 - July 31, 2010
Wait
did you just call one of: Chavez, Collins or Blanco … a decent prospect? Chavez isn’t a prospect, and certainly isn’t decent. Blanco couldn’t crack ANY teams starting lineup. So that leaves Collins who is, at best, our 4th best lefty reliever IF he lives up to potential.
So, do you grasp that what we gave up was less than what we received???
scstrato - July 31, 2010
Collins is a decent prospect. He has potential to be more then that.
That said, we didn’t need him.
Broccoman - August 1, 2010
BravestWay...
…I agree with your analysis but disagree with your conclusion. We gained about 0.5 WAR for Tim Collins, whatever money didn’t get picked up (it won’t be much, they didn’t make much and we got cash), and another year of Gregor Blanco. On this we agree.
I think that is a deal that makes sense for the Braves. What we got isn’t much—-0.5 WAR, but that helps us in a year we are competing, even if just a little bit. What we gave up wasn’t much either—-the money won’t be much, two months of salary for those guys wasn’t much and we got some of it back. Another year of league minimum Gregor Blanco isn’t much; Matt Young could probably do that role for league minimum next year better than Gregor. And Tim Collins—decently lefty-reliever prospect, but on our depth chart below Venters, EOF, and Dunn, all of whom are cheap and Venters and Dunn will still be cheap for a while. Basically, we lost a little bit in the future, but not much, and gained a little bit now, but not much. That is a deal that isn’t great, isn’t bad, and makes sense for a contender.
cavebird - July 31, 2010
FW did a decent job for the team
we improved in the bullpen and i think we bettered ourselves in CF. FW did the best he could w/o throwing away our future. GO BRAVES!
williejay1 - July 31, 2010
Why ? THE ROYALS AGAIN ?
Why are we still trading with bottom dwellers such as the Pirates aka the Mclouth trade and now back to the Royals for more garbage. I guess the rumors we true in spring training a year or so ago or whatever when ATL was rumored to have been looking at Anikel as a CF fit. Personally I think we traded crap for crap. Blanco has already reached his celing of play and he will never rise above it. Collins was a good player/reliever that the Bravos didn’t really need or where super excited about. Lastly Chavez was total crap glad he is gone. Farnsworth is a good solid veteran pickup that makes are bullpen way stronger granted he choked (vs) the Astros but he was very solid before that and was good with the Yankees as well. Anikel ?? Former cards pitcher turned OF that turned a one year 08’ season into a new deal. Injuries and being on HGH have plagued this guy but after seeing that throw by MELKY TODAY we need some help. Melky and Anikel can now split time in CF or simply move Heyward to that positon permantely. IN THE OFFSEASON NOW WE NEED : Starting 3B, CF, and with power (3B) and speed (CF). Surprised we didn’t go after Ludwick or someone else.
The trade is a C- for both clubs neither one really improved upon the other. Braves got a CF with party pop and lost a terrible reliever in Chavez and minor leaguer that we didn’t need as a relief pitcher and gained a RP with great experience and low ERA. Royals got god awful Jesse Chavez, Collins only player in the deal with upside and lastly Blanco a AAA / sub MLB player at best whose ceiling has already been achieved and was given many opportunities with ATL to earn full time starting CF gig and never could stick with the big league club.
All in all average deal for both teams and we got cash which is ATL’s / Liberty’s favorite thing to acquire. BUT PLEASE STOP TRADING WITH THIS S#$%Y TEAMS ALREADY JESUS.
Holty_Panthers_Fan - July 31, 2010
well…nevermind.
10-4 - July 31, 2010
Let's see if we can't break it down for you
Teams that are contending for the playoffs are extremely unlikely to trade away valuable players. The Yankees are not going to trade away a Major League player at this point. However, teams that are out of the playoff race (Pirates/Royals/etc) are more likely to be willing to trade Major Leaguers for prospects at this point of the season.
In other words, those s#$%y teams are the only ones that are not going to demand way too much for what they have to offer.
Zach Towery - July 31, 2010
Nan let me break it down for you
YOU WILL NOT WIN A WORLD SERIES W/ R. Anikel in CF; their where better opt’s out their PERIOD. I cannot decide what is worse that Schafer cheated and ruin his CF of the Future Status, or that we acquired a guy that had a breakout year using steriods as well.
More I think about this deal I think it was crappy one.
Oh hey Hermida was DFA today maybe Wren should pounce on that and we officially though the year away I am so glad NFL season is about to start, lol. Trade deadline in baseball, hockey, basketball are all way over hyped.
Yeah the Pirates new that Mclouth skills were declining and said nothing about it, yeah but lets keep trading with those teams. What about Ludwick from the Cards ? I hardly consider the Cards a s#$%y team and I consider this trade right on the same wave length as Betemit for Aybar from the Dodgers a few years ago. Crap for Crap so typical but in true BRaves fashion hang on to that pitching, and stock pile the cash to keep aging Vet’s like C. Jones around well past their primes.
But really explain to me again Mr . Baseball wizard not that I value or care about your opinon.
Holty_Panthers_Fan - July 31, 2010
???
Retardation cannot be cured by logical explanation. Hence, the reason very few people attempt to help you understand ….
scstrato - July 31, 2010
it wasnt crappy
we obviously didnt have a cf and now we have one. not a good one, but we do have one.
Cody Arrington - August 1, 2010
so cliff lee isn’t a good player because he came from the indians (and then mariners)? halladay is terrible because the blue jays aren’t in contention? manny ramirez came from a bad team. so did sabathia.
you’re an idiot.
telemakhos - August 1, 2010
This was so well-written, I thought I was reading something in the Saturday Evening Post.
UMDBHIK - August 1, 2010
Agreed.
The spelling/phonics were off the hook!
Their where…what?
Just another typical RAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR we traded for something that would marginally improve our team but I disapprove and could’ve gotten Pujols instead!
Pavy848 - August 1, 2010
Chavez for Pujols….Holty_Panthers_Fan totally could’ve pulled that off. Frank Wren is an idiot!
EricGreggWasPaidOff - August 1, 2010
Say it with me...."Ankiel"
EricGreggWasPaidOff - August 1, 2010
its how things work man
you get a stud from sucky teams and give up young talent. a lot of people do it
Cody Arrington - August 1, 2010
OH FUCK YES!
I came home and was hoping for this.
Scott Coleman - August 1, 2010
This is maybe the second time i can think of that i wasn’t at all disappointed by a FW trade…the first was Renteria for JJ/Hernandez. Let me start out by saying that I don’t like Ankiel very much. I thought he was playing over his head in 2008, and he hasn’t been great since then…but the guy has a little pop. We also got Farnsworth. I mean…he’s not spectacular, but he hasn’t been used a lot (compared to some of our guys), and he takes Chavez’s place in the bullpen. That alone makes this a good deal…lol. We traded Blanco who was solid, but he didn’t provide any pop at all. He was never gonna be a great CF, and I don’t think Ankiel will be either…but Blanco wasn’t gonna go too far in this organization in my mind. Like I said, Chavez is gone…that’s a win. Collins…that doesn’t matter at all.
So as far as I see it, Wren didn’t really give up too much at all. He didn’t get a whole lot…but whatever. Ankiel could provide some power, and he can’t really be a whole lot worse than Melky. Ankiel probably doesn’t think Heyward is a cut-off man for example.
I dunno…I consider it a win for Wren personally.
forgotten_glory - July 31, 2010
Wait, Melky used Heyward as a cutoff man?
iamthesgt - July 31, 2010
Honestly, I like this trade, but with everyone saying “We have plenty of lefty arms” remember our biggest one (Wagner) is retiring!
iamthesgt - July 31, 2010
Ankiel will just be another victim of Andruw’s Curse
MBL1 - July 31, 2010 via mobile
may I make a serious request that you please give the whole Andruw’s Curse thing a rest. thanks.
fandave - July 31, 2010
Top 10 "beat to death"
1. Haithcock
2. Andrews curse
….
….
….
scstrato - July 31, 2010
dammit
Andruws … woulda been much more comical if I could fucking spell!
scstrato - July 31, 2010
Teixeira trade.
!Vive la Francoeur! - August 1, 2010
There is a reason I failed to mention that one ….
scstrato - August 1, 2010
Twitching…..
yondaime4 - August 1, 2010
Sorry, I fail at life. It’s just a joke, there is no “curse”. And I didn’t make it up.
MBL1 - August 2, 2010
idk whyy
we got melky. hes never been of any talent and i bet we couldve gotten a heathcott, a de leon, or a guy buy the name of BRETT GARDNER instead of melk man. how about somebody young for once that can hit for power and we dont just get him for his defense. defense is an overrated mlb talent. i mean does anybody care that mcclouth has good defense? NO we care he hasnt touched the mendoza line. wouldve been nice to get a nice young of prospect but hey again we do have a nice avg/speed cf named MATT YOUNG, and so if ankiel doesnt work out Give him a shot!
Cody Arrington - August 1, 2010
This needs to be green.
UMDBHIK - August 1, 2010
I would make this:
my sig, if I didn’t like my new one so much.
Scott Coleman - August 1, 2010
Naaa...
I’d change it to that, if I were you. Or you could pick any number of better quotes from the big post by Holty_Panthers_Fan above.
EricGreggWasPaidOff - August 1, 2010
Remember like 3 days ago when people liked Melky? He has had possibly the most peaks and valleys in his fan appreciation that I have seen lol.
Pavy848 - August 1, 2010
For starters...
…we never would have gotten Brett Gardner. He is young and cheap and good. You do get that kind of guy, plus Vizcaino in a salary dump deal. Melky, despite the hate and the poor game yesterday, he been mediocre and able to fill in all over the outfield—-the classic fourth outfielder. Given some of the other options we had to run out there and the injuries we have had in the OF, Melky has actually been very helpful this year.
cavebird - August 1, 2010
I like the deal
Farnsworth is a definite upgrade over Chavez and has been having a pretty good season so far. Another guy to really make this one of the best bullpen’s in the game with really no weaknesses at this point.
A lot of people are dumping on Ankiel but he is good for what he was brought in for. The defense isn’t good but he does have some versatility. He’s got an almost .800 career OPS against righties and while the on-base skills are pretty bad, it’s still probably better than what we were gonna get from McLouth or Blanco the rest of the way. All in all, a solid deal.
was385 - August 1, 2010
I lol’d at the Royals site. They seem to be ecstatic over getting rid of Ankiel and Farnsworth, except they know not of what they’re about to see from Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde Jesse Chavez.
Furthermore, their efforts at smugness are hilariously cute, given the fact they cheer for a franchise that’s been one of the biggest laughingstocks in MLB for more than 2 decades.
UMDBHIK - August 1, 2010
actually
it was a good trade . Ankiel does have some pop and he does play good centerfield with speed . Farnsworth will be a a great help to where Moylan , Saito wont have be used everyday . Wilton has a ton of power .
~~banditwolf~~ - August 1, 2010
I'm lukewarm on this one.
Ankiel has murdered righties this year, so he’s definitely useful, and The Farns is what he is… but, was it necessary? I dunno.
FineHamAbounds - August 1, 2010
I didn’t like this at first, but I think it was just because I was disappointed that we didn’t get a better player. But the more I think about it, the more I like it. It’s another one of those low-risk, high-reward situations, which, provided Troy can turn it around, have worked out very well for us this year. Plus, we kept all of our top prospects, which is also awesome.
sleezer1788 - August 1, 2010 via mobile
We need Troy to turn it around (days off/hitting whatever). Platoons of Diaz/Hinske, Cabrera/Ankiel will be able to produce enough to get by.
Was the trade deadline disappointing? Maybe. But, we wanted a move over a no move and Wren to our knowledge did the best he could to improve the team. We have one of the best minors systems in the league and the selling teams knew this. They were all apparently asking for the 2 arms, a leg and a head for a mediocre/good player. Wren decided to not mortgage the future and make minor moves. Teams know our position and it puts them in a better bargaining place than we were.
Just remember, almost everyone on the club (offensively) have performed under what they were expected and we are still in first. Hang on for the rest of the season, it will be fun.
Pavy848 - August 1, 2010
This is a good trade
We gave up very little and got more bullpen depth and OF that could bring some power. I wish Melky would have been in the deal, but it was good trade
Braves24 - August 1, 2010
trade our depth for WIN NOW guys...
…tired of all the talk about how we have such a great farm system. they are prospects, trade them for impact players.
look at the yankees and phillies going all out to get impact guys. this is a fine move, helps us out but won’t put us over the top. i wish ted was back throwing money at free agents and giving the green light to bring in guys that can really make a difference.
toppleprone - August 1, 2010
How many true impact guys were on the market though? Not many.
Pavy848 - August 1, 2010
Jones for Cash
’nuff said.
UMDBHIK - August 1, 2010
JONEZ FORR CASHH BEST TRADE EVAR
MBL1 - August 2, 2010
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