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Cody Ross Could Be An Outfield Option For The Braves

Could Cody Ross be an outfielder option for the Braves. Should the Braves corner the market on players named Ross?

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Could Cody Ross be an outfielder option for the Braves. Should the Braves corner the market on players named Ross?

Continuing along this weird off-season path of inaction for the Atlanta Braves, DOB has an option (dare I say a rumor) for the outfield:

However, there's a better chance the Braves would settle for a reasonably priced player with a good track record and perhaps a connection to them or their manager - someone like Cody Ross. The Cardinals and a couple of other teams are pursuing Ross, but I have it on good authority that Ross, all things being equal, would prefer to a reunion in Atlanta with his former Marlins manager (Fredi Gonzalez) and teammate (Dan Uggla).

I can't say I hate the idea. Ross is decent, not great; he has some power and gets on base at a decent rate, though his production fluctuates wildly from season to season. Of course I really don't know why the Braves would want Ross when they already have Matt Diaz, who is like a poor-man's Cody Ross.

DOB does add to the above quote by saying that "if the Braves wanted Ross badly enough they’d have already signed him." That's not entirely true, since it has been rumored that Ross is seeking a three-year deal. Seeing as how he made $6.3 million last year, I seriously doubt the Braves would be willing to give Ross anywhere near that kind of money for one year, let alone three. We're talking about a guy that just about any team could have claimed off waivers two years ago, and it's not like he's gotten any better since then -- he's the same player, putting up the same numbers.

If the Braves are interested in Ross, they are likely waiting until his price comes down into the Diaz range -- $2 to $3 million a year. But that's a big "if" they are interested. I'm guessing the Braves are free agent bargain hunting, saving their money for something ... something?

0 recs  |  144 comments

Comments

One possibility...

The Braves, as many have pointed out, are not a terrible squad as currently constructed, which is an obvious understatement.

Thus, it may make more sense to add a few bargain pieces and start the season with the guys we have now.

We’ll know more part of the way through the season about what we need, and we’d have the pieces—and hopefully some cash—to make a move mid-season, a la the Bourn trade last year.

I still wish we’d make a few additions sooner rather than later, but I can see the logic behind the above, if that is truly the thinking.

I agree with this train of thought.

Great points. There will be talent at the deadline to be had… I would love to be postured to jump on what will be out there.

I agree with this...

we don’t HAVE to make a move right now… If Heyward returns to form, there’s our outfield power bat right there, and I expect Prado to have a better year this year.

eh, I like the Ross we already have

let's just get all the Ross's

Sign Cody Ross to go with the Ross we have.
Get Diana Ross to sing the national anthem
Get Ross Perot to buy the team
Jeff Ross can replace Moylan as the clubhouse comedian

Get Ross Perot to buy the team

he would make things interesting and we’d win more than we should but, inevitably, the Phillies would win anyway thanks in large part to us taking wins from the Marlins and Nationals.

pelican!!!

I’m proud… I actually get that one. :-D

Well done Sir!..Well done.
hahaha

thats so awesome

I wish I had two recs to give you.
FTFY

Get Diana Ross to sing the national anthem play shortstop.

Jim Ross as new play-by-play guy

him and Joe would mix in Oklahoma Sooners talk in every broadcast though, so maybe not

I second this.

“And it looks like Fredi is going to go to the bullpen here in the 7th inning, and it looks like he’s going to call in O’Flarety…and WAIT A MINUTE!!! GOOD GOD, THAT’S…THAT’S SCOTT PROCTOR’S MUSIC!!! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?! SCOTT PROCTOR IS COMING TO THE MOUND!….BUSINESS IS ABOUT TO PICK UP HERE IN ATLANTA!

*oops...meant O'Flaherty

ITS GOING TO BE A SLOBBERKNOCKER!!!!!

You guys have to forgive me, I’m new to this site. Leaving Jim Ross off this listwas a rookie mistake. If this was a Ross fantasy draft, he would definitely be the #1 pick. My apologies.

I for one...

need some Ross Geller in my clubhouse… if there is a comedic patsy…

while we’re at it.. we need to invoke the spirit of Betsy Ross for our song/flag

All this Ross talk is making me want to Rossterbate

How bout a Rick Ross theme song for Frank Wren

“Everyday I’m Hustlin, Hustlin, Hustlin”

word

I could totally picture wren driving to work rapping that song. “who they fuck you think you’re fuckin with? I’m the fuckin boss…”

Uniforms furnished by Ross Dress for Less.

I think the Marlins already have that contract.
dont forget about

Bobby Ross! When the braves go through slumps like September, Bobby Ross can come in and paint happy clouds to raise team moral:)

Bob Ross?

Bobby Ross is the former Jackets coach.

I'll take the former, not the latter

Bob Ross would be a wonderfully calming presence in the clubhouse.

Betsy Ross could sew us some new uniforms

If Ross came with Rachel

I’d sign him.

his first act would be to redesign the clubhouse

“Wouldn’t a tree look good next to Chipper’s locker? Just a happy little tree. Down below we’ll put a bush… maybe some tall grass too. That’ll be our little secret. And Oh! Look at the river flowing from Brandon Beachy’s locker: We don’t know where it goes. We don’t really care…. Maybe we’ll accent it with a babbling brook and a grassy knoll. And since it’s wintertime right now, we’ll cover the ceiling in shades of blue.”

Beautiful. And true to life.

If one of our guys ever got kidnapped, Perot would sure as hell take care of them…

Cody is kind of typical of Braves’ pickups in recent year – used to be good/decent, may still have something left. One year for him? No problem. Worst case he should be a decent guy off the bench. But I would really question the wisdom of any contract longer than that.

The Braves have an awful lot currently riding on the “let’s hope NOBODY gets hurt” plan and I could see things going south very quickly when injuries happen. Another healthy option for the OF would be useful.

Ross or Drew... Which would you rather have in the mold of...

used to be good/decent w/ something left?

The more I am reading other’s thoughts on J.D. Drew… if we make an acquisition, I would prefer him over others…

Ross can play CF

That’s one area lacking on our bench. (Constanza not guaranteed to make the roster)

Looking at his stats, I actually don't have a problem w/ him defensively...

Has to be better than Melky/Ankiel/McLouth…

G Parra

AP reports Diamondbacks signed a LF ?Kubel for 2 years displacing
the young LF G Parra, left handed hit .292 don’t know extended
numbers but won golden glove.
Thoughts and more details on this kid. Can steal a base, moderate power.
Interested in comments from board.

This

Parra’s excellent defensively and would provide a nice platoon with Diaz.

Drew's got nothing left

Slugged .302 last year, -0.3 WAR. He’ll be 36 on Opening Day. He’s earned the right to put his feet up, pop open a beer, and watch the game on TV.

Again

Just because an older player has a rough year, it doesn’t mean he’s done. I’m not saying I KNOW, 100%, that he’s going to be good, but if he’s in enough shape to pass a physical, I have a good feeling we’d get more bang for the buck than many other names I’m seeing.

Not a fan of getting Cody Ross, not a fan of trading for Seth Smith. Ross seems likely to be overpaid relative to his actual value.

Do I think that we will have a bad team if we maintain status quo for next season? Not in the slightest. We should be very competitive and win 90-95 games again.

Can we win the division with the same team? Not a chance in hell. The Phillies are still better than we are and the Marlins and Nats are close to being just as talented. This team needs an offensive piece badly despite what some people are saying.

The Phillies are not getting younger...

I don’t have the average age of their starters in front of me… but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some big holes open up in their team… Ala what happened last year.

My true worry is that the Nats are poised to shock the world (ala the Rays of 2009). They have so much talent, it’s oozing out of the woodwork.

Miami, eh… still not sold. They will be good and Ozzie will make them play hard but I’m more worried about the Nats than the Marlins. I would not be surprised if the end of the season saw:

Nats
Phillies
Marlins
Braves
Mets

Would that make me happy? Umm… please… but would it surprise me…. no… not in the least. Am I in the minority… probably. But I’m here to tell you, the Nats ALWAYS play us tough so my thoughts on us beating them? well… w/ subpar teams, we struggled against them.

I could just as easily see the NL East being all 90 win teams (minus the Mets) and it being a shoot out to the end. Definitely the strongest division in the NL maybe in all of MLB.

The Nats were only a .500 team last year. The organization admitted Strasburg will be on an innings limit in 2012. They want a 32 year old, lifetime corner outfielder to patrol CF, Harper is still a teenager in the minor leagues, Both Zimmerman and Zimmermann had injury concerns.

I know this team back in the 90s that had a ton of young pitching

some questionable defense but a great coach and they put it all together and for 13 years, they ruled a division.

Washington is built to win and if we underestimate them, we will be sorry.

The organization admitted Strasburg will be on an innings limit in 2012.

true, but how MANY innings? you can’t tell me that in the midst of a pennat race they’d shut down possibly the best pitcher in baseball. I’ve read 150 innings. I’ve read 200. I’ll take the middle and say 175. If so, that guy’s gonna K 200 batters and win 15 games.

I think the idea of setting an innings limit for the season is poor thinking. The logical way to set a limit would be innings per game. If he goes out and pitches 9 innings every game until he reaches his 175 innings limit would wear him out quicker than if they limited him to 6 innings per game. I know this is an exaggerated example but that would equal about 20 games in the season compared to about 30 games.

If they put him on a 100-pitch limit, that’s probably about 6 innings per start. So if he has 30 starts in the season, that’s 180 innings.

I rounded up in both cases using JoelGuzman’sScout avg of 175 innings. I realize 9 innings per game times 20 games is 180 innings, and 6 innings per game times 30 games is 180 innings. That’s not the point I was trying to make. 20 games vs 19.5(rounding again) and 30 games vs 29.2(rounding again) sound better since the number of games started can only be a whole number anyways. Just focus on the fact that it is ridiculous to set a season long innings limit as opposed to a game long innings limit.

I agree with you; I just think there may be some managerial technique at work here. Depending on the manager, if you know you have a season budget of innings for a guy, you’re less likely to leave him out there for 10 innings. But then again, there are managers who won’t care.

I would not be surprised if the end of the season saw:

Nats
Phillies
Marlins
Braves
Mets

I want nothing to do with this evil universe you live in.

me either...

but you can’t say it’s not possible.

I like this possibility better

1. Braves
2. Everybody else get in line.

Oh me too... hands down.
me fail english

that’s un possible.

FTFY

My true worry prediction is that the Nats Braves are poised to shock the world… They have so much talent, it’s oozing out of the woodwork.

haha... thanks for the edit...

Well, if the Braves aren’t going to beat the Phillies this year (which is probably true), the Nationals aren’t either. That said, Krash is correct in that it would be a mistake to underestimate the Nationals. They could very well be a wild-card contender. The Marlins… nah. Despite all the moves they’ve made, they still have too many holes. And they’re probably already planning the 2013 fire sale, and the players all know it.

I don’t think the Phillies have done anything in the off-season to improve themselves (Papelbon isn’t really an upgrade over Madsen). And they’ve lost Oswalt, although if they have the good sense to plug Vance Worley into their rotation and leave him there, they might not miss Oswalt.

yup… not blowing my skirt up…

I'm okay with this.

Not cheering or getting excited, but this could work out pretty well.

Let's see...

a career OPS+ of 105, played for five different teams, unimpressive fielder, too expensive to be a bench guy….

Pass!

How about

we just invest 3-4 mil back into the team and then they can charge a couple bucks less for a beer at the Ted this year.

...or

they add 50 cents more to the beer and hotdogs and all of that money goes to signing Carlos Beltran?

That wouldn’t even pay for Carlos Beltran’s medical bill for 2012, but I like where your head’s at.

UGH...

I wanted us to sign Cody Ross from the get-go and get over this Seth Smith nonsense.

I understand how the game is played, and you have to dangle players out there to get an Arenado-type prospect, but I think the Braves function extremely well with Cody Ross as a 4th OF…especially considering that it’s not IF Chipper will need rest/recouperation…but more like HOW MUCH….and Prado will be logging many innings at 3B.

it aint nonsense if we get Arenado out of it

it’s the slow play. I think Wren’s got the Rockies on the hook and he’s waiting for them to bite on an Arenado + Smith + OF (possibly Wheeler) for Prado and JJ.

I think the Braves will be waiting forever for the Rockies to accept that trade.

Arenado isn’t going anywhere.

-C

What if you replace/add...

Arodys Vizcaino or Randall Delgado to the deal?

….Viz and Delgado are not set to make 5 mil next year….the whole reason that Prado and JJ are the names being thrown around in trade talks

yes but think how much we save 5 years from now!!!!!!!

I never thought about it like that. Should we start shopping Heyward now?

DUH!

Imagine what we could get for a Hanson/Heyward package…

every 12 year old in Cuba
We do have a pastor on the roster....

Wait… that’s probably the wrong way to take that…

On second thought, maybe we should just step away from the keyboard on that one.

yes, back to your teleprompter, Mr. President.

I don’t think they move him, tbh. We can toss in names ‘til we’re blue in the face, but I don’t think it changes much. They see him as the 3B star they’ve never had, and they’re going to keep him.

-C

I love rosterbating til i’m blue in the face… it’s fun…

I do it so much

I have to put myself on a re-hydration program just to keep from passing out.

Yea... I have to wear a wrist brace now... :(

You’re supposed to learn to use your other hand.

"the 3B star they’ve never had"...Excuse me, Sir!

Not sure if srs...

On one hand, I think it’s funny, but he was also very good for awhile. That’s not the caliber of star I was speaking of, tho.

-C

Since you're not sure

you really think I was serious about Vinny Castilla as a “star”? He was good, but my definition of a “star” is a little higher level than he ever reached.

We’re on the same page, then. A ’tweener. Had some really good years, though.

-C

Cody Ross have been an above-average hitter 3 of the last 4 seasons (the non-average year actually being in 2010). If he’s available at a reasonable price there’s not a much better fit for 4th outfielder out there.

he made 6 mil last year...

I don’t see that as 4th OF money…

Diaz vs Ross

Ummm……..I usually agree with you Gondeee but to compare Ross to Diaz is wildly ridiculous. Cody is a reliable fielder in the corner spots and mediocre in center and has a career OPS significantly higher than Diaz vs both righties and lefties. I don’t think we should pay the guy anything like what he will probably get but to suggest that his talent is on par with Diaz is just disingenuous. By all means, run the guy down as being only a middle of the road player, but Diaz is a only a fringe bench guy at this point in his career…..Ross could probably still start for over half the teams in the majors.

Excellent point. Ross would be a very large upgrade over Diaz. No question about it.

I'm not sure I buy that

Over Ross’ last two seasons, about 1000 PA, he’s posted an OPS in the .735 range. He had a hell of a run through 2007-2008, but over the past three seasons his average WAR is 1.7. That’s not bad, but it’s not a $4-5M improvement over Diaz. The one thing Ross has going for him is that he’s three years younger. But I’m afraid he may turn out to be an early decliner. I did a comparison of Ross and Diaz at Fangraphs, and the two graphs track almost perfectly on batting average, OBP, K%, ISO, and BABIP. Ross hits for power a bit more consistently, but that’s about it. For the kind of money being discussed, we should be able to do better.

Cody Ross could be a good add

provided that his price is not too high (and it’s apparently coming down). It’s not quite the splashy move that many of us are hoping for, of course.

Sorry Gondee but I can honestly say i hate it...

No platoons…no Cody or Seth Smith (particularly if we had to trade a Prads for him)

Gimme an everyday LFer, and move Prads to superutility….Chip isn’t gonna play more than 110-120 games…Uggs needs breaks…and call me foolish, but someone’s gonna have to play for an injured and/or slumping Jay Hey at some point as he continues his development.

i don’t believe simply getting healthy is going to be his elixir, and the way he left 2011, i am dubious about him being whole without a bunch more work (this in no way means i’d even consider moving him, so don’t lump me in with those a-holes, just call me a hater and keep moving)

agreed

I think the whole idea of a platoon makes it hard for a player to get into a groove or a rhythm in the long season. Going out there and playing everyday gives you the ability to make those minor adjusments you need and fix the problems you were having in the previous game(s) as opposed to only getting the opportunity to improve while playing against your lefty/righty matchup.

PLATOON, MELKY STYLE

Platoons make a lot of sense in certain situations.

With two players with strong and opposite platoon splits, a team with budget limitations and a hole in the lineup can get good production for cheaper than a single starter who can hit as well as the platoon would command. I don’t see that as an issue for the Braves as currently constructed, however. We could trade Prado and then use a platoon in left, but since there are no good SS options to trade for and we have pretty much everything else covered, why would we?

Platoons do make sense in certain situations, but....

You want to put the best product on the field. Having a player that can do well against lefties and righties is more ideal than using a platoon. That would potentially open up the roster to have a more versatile bench. You do not want to be in “certain situations” if you do not have to, and the Braves do not. I would rather enter the season having Prado(or a better LF) as the full time starter than have any sort of platoon involving any combination of Diaz/Hinske/Smith/Ross. The only way I want the Braves to have a platoon is if the full-time starter gets injured.

I’d rather have Wren sign C Ross than trade Prado. He can take CF when Bourn leaves town. But we need a back up SS, Ross is a luxury, go get a freaking SS.

We have Heap... he can backup SS...

Heard a rumor about letting Fielder play SS as his gravitational force would suck all the balls to his glove… What if we just do one better… Let’s go sign Mark Henry and put him at SS… His gravitational force would be unbelievable… and he’d come fairly cheap…

Your on quite a WWE kick now.

Besides, Mark Henry is hurt right now.

Just saw a house show....RIGHT HERE.....IN CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA(thanks Mick Foley!hehe)

Last Saturday the family went to see ’em. Man, that place exploded when Cena came out! My son was sooooo hyped up!

It's a good time to be a WWE fan.
I hear Glaus is out of work too

We could play him as the DH/ Rover position from May 5th to June 10th.

The problem with that theory is, it would create such a gravity well at 1B that no baserunners would ever get past it, and every game would end 0-0.

Off topic tweets
@BattingStanceG
Brewers posted Yuniesky Betancourt. Royals bid a Chil-fil-A #2 combo w/Polynesian sauce.
Done.
@gondee
Bullet dodged for Atlanta! RT @DKnobler: Royals announce they’ve signed Yuniesky Betancourt as utility infielder.
i <3 gondee
Don't knock Chik Fil A!

We didn’t say that it wasn’t a valuable sandwich. Personally, I would have held out for honey mustard, though.

I would have wanted a 12 piece nugget combo...

ok… maybe he’s only worth an 8 piece.

Nothing says "you're worth a lot to me"...

…like a spicy chicken sandwich combo with no pickles and a coke zero.

Pickles are evil.

They are the zombies of the vegetable world.

No...

Pickles are cucumbers that sold their soul to the devil. And the devil is dill.
-Mitch Hedburg

Mitch Hedburg…aww..RIP

“Escalators cannot break. They can only become stairs.”

If you are flammable and have legs you are never blocking a fire exit.

“I like Kit-Kat, unless I’m with four or more people.”

“I was told I had to re-do a paper. I said ‘fuck that, I’ll make a copy.’”

Help! I’ve locked myself out of the car, and it’s about to rain, and the windows are all open!

I like Cody Ross a lot. I would say something stat-y here, but all I know is he’s a very nice guy. Also, high socks. Can’t beat high socks.

when does your Brian McCann picketing begin?

At absolute best he’s a sideways step from Prado, and will probably cost around the same this season (and is looking for a multi-year deal). So … why?

still can’t forgive C. Ross for doing that lil’ HR hop he did against us.

He does it to everyone. It’s some kind of tic or habit. In fact, his Giants bobblehead likeness is in mid-hop.

Ugh

Prado > Ross

What a generalization....

Prado is greater than all the Ross’s we have discussed!? smh. I don’t understand this logic. Seems like a very steep statement.

And in what way is Prado > Ross… a better dresser? better cook? better joke teller?

I am so confused.

is this a serious post?

Ross has a career .779 OPS Prado a career .775 OPS.

Ross has more power while Prado has the higher OBP and BA. I’d prefer the OBP and the fact that he can play 5 of the 9 positions on the field where as Ross is just an outfileder.

Can I get some clarification on this "pelican" thing?

I wanna play.

See below:

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-see-what-you-did-there

Thanks

Now I feel initiated in the club of seeing what you guys are doing there.

What about Andruw? I think he’s still avaliable. Or would he be too expensive. Would also be able to cover CF in an emergency.

Wouldn’t bug me. His price would probably allow us to keep Prado and JJ and still add a backup MI.

The Dodgers are paying Andruw $3.2M per year in 2012,13 and 14. Assuming he can be signed for $1.5-2M, we could probably still afford somebody like Ryan Theriot at about $4-5M and keep the total payroll under $94M, a small increase over 2011’s starting payroll of $91M (per Cot’s). That $94M includes Jurrjens and Prado at ~$5M each.

Bourn has played 157, 141 and 158 games the last 3 years. Barring injury, he doesn’t need much time off. Jones, Heyward, maybe even Prado could spell Bourn in CF in case of emergency or a day off. Constanza could be called up in a DL situation.

Andruw might be a better idea than Cody Ross at $6M per.

I concur w/ this train of thought.

In fact, I would rather have Andruw than anyone else out there on the FA market… Except maybe Barry Bonds.. I hear he can still hit really well… … …

I miss Andruw....
I miss GOOD Andruw...

Overweight, out of shape, lazy Andruw I do not miss…

I still liked him then....

if only because of that stupid smile he always had on his face….reminds me of, “Private Pyle you better wipe that stupid smile off your face or I will gouge out your eyeballs and skull$*#@ you!”

MLBTR

Quoting a Baltimore newspaper….Braves offered Jurrjens, Prado AND a pitching prospect for Adam Jones. Baltimore “didn’t bite”.

That is a crazy offer if it is true.

I replied to this in Gondeee's post..

I would organize a rally with pitchforks and torches and we would all march on Turner Field.

Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun....

You are silly, silly little man.

Other way around

That’s what Baltimore asked for… Wren said, “Har dee har har. It is to laugh.”

Two thoughts from the not gonna happen file

1) Cody Ross accepts a cheap 1 yr, $2-3m deal ala Diaz.
2) Diaz becomes anywhere near what Ross can be going forward.

I’m just not of the opinion that Diaz’ll ever be worth an MLB roster spot again. Let’s hope the Pirates gave enough cash to cover buying him out.

You could be right

Diaz declined last year, and he’s 33.

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