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Monday, November 13, 2006
Schuerholz, Wren have busy week ahead
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
He won’t stop to mill around in the lobby with reporters and agents at the Naples Grande Resort this week, because John Schuerholz doesn’t do that schmooze-with-the-enemy thing the way that many new-age GMs do.
But rest assured, the dean will be working hard in the Braves’ suite during the GM meetings, alongside top assistant and financial whiz Frank Wren, their big board up in the middle of the room listing free agents and other potentially available players.
I think some outside observers get an impression Schuerholz might be slowing down a bit simply because the Braves aren’t at the middle of a lot of the rumored pursuits of marquee free agents and other big-salaried trade bait.
He hasn’t slowed down, from what other team officials tell me. And between Schuerholz and Wren, and their special assistants and scouts, the Braves are not leaving any stone unturned in their quest to fix the holes and problems that kept last year’s team out of the playoffs.
(No, they can’t do anything to prevent injuries to key players, but the Braves can make sure they have a bit more depth to prevent the debacle that ensued last year when a handful of pitchers including would-be closer Chris Reitsma struggled and/or went directly on the disabled list, crippling the team.)
With a stagnant $80 million payroll _ it could be argued payroll has gone down three straight years, when you factor in inflation and rising payrolls of other teams _ the Braves are limited in their involvement with the free-agent markets, since they can’t realistically throw the huge offers at the likes of Alfonso Soriano, Barry Zito, Jason Schmidt, et al, that so many teams can with payrolls anywhere from $30 mill to $120 million higher than the Braves’ payroll.
So they are forced to be creative and also to hope that some players will take a little less to play for Bobby Cox, which other players contend is a huge draw for free agents _ not enough to offset large differences in offers, but enough to convince some to take a bit less to come to Atlanta or stay with the Braves.
Anyway, this week and this winter the Braves are exploring trades more so than free agency, since the latter market is so pricey _ and getting pricier, with the new labor agreement in place and the luxury tax threshold raised to $148 million and so many teams enjoying record revenues and revenue-sharing.
And this is where Schuerholz/Wren are often at their best. Their trade for Tim Hudson two winters ago was a prime example. Even though Hudson has been something of a disappointment with the Braves, everyone in baseball at that time, especially the many other teams that pursued him, seemed surprised by how little the Braves gave up to get the then-Oakland ace.
On the other hand, this can also be where Schuerholz/Wren are left in the cold at times, because they simply will not be fleeced in a deal, and they’ll drive and drive until sometimes a targeted player is traded elsewhere.
This time around they’re trying to fill holes in the bullpen, adding at least two proven arms to shore up a major weakness from last season. They took the first and biggest step by re-signing closer Bob Wickman, but the Braves want to assure the bridge from starters to Wickman is strengthened, and they could take another step in that regard by trading Marcus Giles to San Diego for right-hander Scott Linebrink, a hard-throwing, reliable setup man whose $2.15 million salary next season is very reasonable (barely more than Reitsma’s last year).
(Speaking of Reitsma, the Braves say they haven’t yet decided yet if the rehabbing right-hander will be part of their team next season, though he’s expected to be ready to pitch this spring.)
Though Linebrink hasn’t served as a closer, everyone believes he has the stuff to step in if needed, even for an extended stretch in the event of an injury.
Some Braves fans don’t take into account the complexities of the situation when they ask, why not trade injury-prone Chipper Jones instead of Giles, the undersized, spunky favorite of many?
I’ll reiterate a response I posted in the last blog, for those who missed it:
Despite enduring his third straight injury-plagued season, Chipper still managed to hit .324 with 26 homers, 86 RBIs and 87 runs in 110 games, with a team-high 1.005 OPS.
More importantly, he has full no-trade protection as a 10-and-5 guy (10 years service in majors, at least five with current team). And he’s got $11 mill guaranteed each of the next two years.
So it’s not as easy as trading baseball cards or making fantasy-league trades, even if the Braves were trying to trade him (and from everything I’m told, they’re not and never have tried to trade Chipper).
Giles, by the way, also missed 21 games last season with an assortment of injuries. And he hit .262 with 11 homers, 60 RBIs, 97 runs and a .728 OPS while playing 31 games more than Chipper.
For the sake of comparison: Chipper: .324-26-86 with 1.005 OPS in 110 games; Giles: .262-11-60 with .728 OPS in 141 games.
To recap: Chipper has full no-trade protection, is 33 years old, hasn’t been healthy for a full season since 2003, is guaranteed $22 mill over next two seasons (and likely headed to the Hall of Fame in a Braves uniform someday), and as far as anybody I’ve talked to knows, doesn’t have any teams calling the Braves inquiring about picking up his salary, much less sending them any talent back in a trade.
Giles is 27, will make $5.5-6 mill next year as a fifth-year arbitration player, and has several teams interested in trading for him and giving the Braves talent in return. And plays a position where the Braves have some replacements ready to step in.
Regarding second base, the Braves would consider several options if Giles is traded, and they might consider several options right up through spring training, after seeing how the likes of prospects Martin Prado and Yunel Escobar look there in spring games.
Willy Aybar is probably not as serious an option, since he’s more likely to remain a utility player simply because the Braves need a backup third baseman who can play plenty when Chipper is out of the lineup.
Another potential option: Kelly Johnson, a former shortstop-turned-outfielder who missed the 2006 season with elbow problems that eventually required Tommy John surgery. He showed flashes of big offensive potential as a rookie in 2005, and the Braves think that moving him back to the infield might potentially fill a need while also preserving his arm, which he reinjured last spring making throws from the outfield after having the elbow ‘scoped the previous October.
Johnson isn’t going to win Gold Gloves in the outfield or infield, but he’s worked with coach Glenn Hubbard recently on his second-base defense and the Braves see some potential there, at least as an option. Still, Johnson as the regular second baseman and/or hitting leadoff, I’d classify at this juncture as a longshot.
(As a public service, I’ll pause here to allow you to refill your glass or mug, go get the mail, feed the dog, change the CD, or empty the trash.)
OK, welcome back. Now where were we? Oh, yeah…
Another option might be 36-year-old Craig Counsell, who has a knack for making big contributions to playoff teams, and who’s always admired Cox and the Braves organization since his days with the 1997 World Series champion Marlins.
If Giles is traded, the Braves will obviously need another leadoff man (he hated the job anyway). One option they’ll probably exlore further is free agent Dave Roberts, the 34-year-old outfielder who made only $2.25 mill with San Diego last season and hit .293 with a .360 OBP, career-high 49 steals and 13 triples.
But at least 10 other teams are interested in him, and in this market Roberts might double his salary.
The rumors about Andruw Jones have finally began to taper off, indicating that more folks believe the Braves, Jones and agent Scott Boras when they hear the team isn’t trying to trade him and that the player and agent say Jones fully intends to play the 2007 season in Atlanta, where he’s comfortable and probably has his best chance to put up strong numbers in a free-agent walk year.
The Braves say they want to re-sign him, but it remains to be seen whether Jones will take a steep hometown discount to stay here (indications are, he will not accept a steep discount, if any discount at all).
But if the Braves wanted to be creative, if they really wanted to make sure they’d get something besides draft picks for losing Jones, and if Jones wanted to go somewhere where he could put up even bigger numbers in his walk year than he could in his Atlanta comfort zone, then how about this:
Houston has money to spend, has plenty of relievers, and has a good, young center fielder who can hit leadoff. They have a ballpark with a short left-field porch where Jones could realistically hit 50-60 homers a year for the next five.
So maybe Houston would listen, and maybe Jones would consider, a deal that would send the nine-time Gold Glove winner to Houston in exchange for Willy Taveras (.284 average with 67 stolen bases during 2005-06 seasons) and setup man Dan Wheeler or Chad Qualls, plus perhaps a prospect. Whaddya think?
Then again, Taveras has a .329 career on-base percentage, so he might not be such a great option at leadoff. Tell you what, I’ll just let Schuerholz/Wren find a solution.
