AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2006 > December > 02
Saturday, December 2, 2006
Lame ending to Glavine saga
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There could not have been a more abrupt and empty ending to the Tom Glavine matter than what happened Friday, when the lefty decided to return to the Mets before the Braves had so much as made an offer.
Talk about lack of communication. The Braves wanted Glavine and Glavine wanted back with the Braves, but neither side apparently could pick up the phone Thursday and simply explain to the other exactly where things stood.
I mean, come on. Very intelligent people on both sides of the “talks,” people who spent an awful lot of time and mental energy trying to figure out how to make this work, and it ends because one side doesn’t know the other is getting antsy?
(Before I forget this, let me quash one internet rumor, totally unrelated to Glavine, but since this is a blog I can do things in any illogical order. The Braves are absolutely not involved and have never been involved in any three-way trade talks that would involve San Diego’s Jake Peavy, Boston’s Manny Ramirez and Atlanta’s Andruw Jones.
(Again, absolutely, unequivocally not, a Braves official assured me last night. And here’s what Padres GM Kevin Towers told the San Diego Union-Tribune about rumors of a trade of Ramirez for Peavy and Adrian Gonzalez: “[Expletive] no. God, I don’t have enough time in the day to keep knocking this [manure] down. It’s talk radio. It’s crazy. Lunacy. Neither player has been offered in a trade, I can assure you that.”)
OK, where were we? Oh, yes, the Glavine debacle, Pt. II.
In the end, when Glavine goes into the Hall of Fame _ and are we even certain any longer that a Braves cap, not a Mets, will be on his bust? _ you wonder if either or both sides will shake their heads and wonder how this happened.
Glavine will be fine in New York, pitching another season or two, making $20.5 million if he pitches 200 innings next season (which he’s done in nine of the past 10 seasons) and opts to pitch again in 2008 ($19.5 mill if he does 190 next season and comes back in ‘08).
But the simple fact is, he’d have preferred to come back to Atlanta and would’ve done so for less. How much less, we’ll probably never know, unless he wanted to tweak the Braves by saying at some point, ‘Oh, they could’ve had me for half of what the Mets paid.’ But he won’t.
The Mets are “only” paying him $7.5 million next season, and the rest is tied up in a vesting option based on innings pitched, with only $10.5 mill guaranteed (next year’s salary plus a $3 mill option buyout).
By the way, those who’ve downplayed Glavine’s effectiveness might want to consider this great stat from Elias Sports Bureau: The Mets were 24-8 in his starts in 2006, second-highest winning percentage for any major league pitcher, behind Minnesota’s Johan Santana (27-7) and just ahead of Detroit’s Kenny Rogers (24-9).
Yes, Glavine got great run support (5.91 runs per nine innings pitched), but not as great as the run support enjoyed (and often squandered) by Tim Hudson (6.10).
GM John Schuerholz was uncharacteristically candid last night after Glavine’s decision, telling me that the Braves tried to make trades to clear up money to re-sign Glavine, whom Schuerholz admitted was the Braves’ primary target this winter. They really wanted him and were ready to trade Hudson to make it happen.
But they weren’t willing to simply dump Hudson’s salary and take a package of fringe prospects or non-impact players in return.
Schuerholz said he thought they could have cleared payroll within the next day or two, possibly, and made an offer to Glavine. But Glavine, either frustrated at the glacial pace or concerned that the Mets might get anxious and move on to Barry Zito and others, decided to pull the plug on the “talks” with the Braves and sign with the Braves.
I say “talks” in parenthesis because Glavine said he only spoke to Schuerholz once last week, and that the GM said only that the Braves were interested in bringing him back. He didn’t give Glavine any hint what they might pay. I think Schuerholz was more enthusiastic telling me how much they wanted Glavine back than he was telling Glavine how much they wanted him.
I don’t see why the Braves couldn’t have been candid, even if off the record, and told Glavine this amount or that amount is what they’d be willing to pay if trades they were trying to pull off went through, and also give him some idea when and if those trades were likely to happen. No harm in that. No tampering charges would have been filed. This stuff happens.
Glavine told me the no-trade clause might have come into play _ Mets gave him a full no-trade clause, just like in his last deal; Schuerholz doesn’t give such clauses _ but that he wouldn’t have known until the Braves made him an offer.
My guess is that the no-trade wouldn’t have been a deal-breaker, not if the Braves had offered him, say, $7 million next season with a vesting option worth $7-8 million for 2008.
Instead, we have Schuerholz sounding surprised Friday when word got out that Glavine was going back to Flushing. Apparently the Braves thought they had at least until Sunday, since Glavine had promised only to give the Mets an answer until before the winter meetings, which officially begin in Orlando on Monday, though everyone arrives and starts talking Sunday.
Anyway, seems like it would have been prudent to be absolutely clear on that, to have called Glavine Thursday night and said, “Tommy, do we have a couple more days to get you an offer, or what?”
Or for Glavine to have given them the courtesy, since he’d said how much he wanted back in Atlanta and was ready to take a hometown discount to get it done, of a call Thursday night to say, “John, I appreciate your position but I really need to know how serious you are, and what kind of deal you might offer, and when you might be ready to make that offer.”
Doesn’t that seem reasonable to the average person out there? I think all of us are going, you’ve got to be kidding me. A potential deal falls apart over miscommunication or misunderstanding of dates and deadlines? OK. But seems silly when millions of dollars and the NL East title might be in the balance (stop laughing Mets fans, the Braves really do believe they can catch you in 2007).
But enough of that matter….
Onward and upward. Or at least onward. What will the Braves do this week? I’m not sure, to be honest. I still think they’ll trade Marcus Giles, perhaps to San Diego with Scott Linebrink the key part of the deal at that end.
I think they’re a lot less likely to deal Hudson now, not without getting a solid young starter in return. Braves just can’t open up that hole in their rotation and leave the top end of it to aging John Smoltz (great as he’s been for two seasons, he’s still pushing 40 with an elbow that’s been ‘scoped or cut four times), Mike Hampton (will have gone 1-1/2 years between starts) and second-year lefty Chuck James (very promising, but hasn’t started for a full season).
And with the ridiculous price of free agents, how many of you believe the Braves could afford to get one to replace Hudson, who’ll make $6 mill in 2007, then $13 mill each of the next two years? They might have to wait and just hope he has a good year, then trade him if they want to next winter (they’ll be plenty of suitors if he has a decent year, considering what $13 mill-a-season will get you on the starting-pitcher market these days).
There’s seemingly no excuse now not to get Daryle Ward signed right away, which would at least take care of the pinch-hitting department.
There are a few veteran free-agent relievers available that might not be too overpriced, including lefties Ron Villone and Alan Embree (though Embree was offered arbitration by the Padres) and righty David Weathers. I know, I know, those dudes get your pulses racing.
Schuerholz told me the Braves fully expect Blaine Boyer to be healthy and ready to go this spring, so once again he’ll be penciled in for a middle or setup role that could be prominent _ but IF, if he’s recovered from his arm problems and surgery.
Braves didn’t offer arbitration to pitcher John Thomson or their three remaining free agents _ Ward, catcher Todd Pratt, outfielder Brian Jordan _ because none was a Type A or B free agent, so none would’ve brought compensation anyway. Thomson is reportedly close to signing with Seattle at any moment.
What else … Oh, did you see the latest insane signing? Dave Roberts to San Francisco for three years and $16 million (wait, that actually a far more reasonable deal than five years and $44 million for one-dimensional singles hitter Juan Pierre or five years and $50 mill for 32-year-old Gary Matthews Jr., a journeyman until his good-not-great season with Texas).
For yet another indication of the bizarro pitching market, consider that Ted Lilly is seeking a four-year deal worth about $40 million, and the Cubs, Yankees, Orioles, Blue Jays and Giants are all interested. He’ll get at least $37 mill. Count on it. Ted Lilly, with a 59-58 career record and 4.60 ERA, and an embarrassing on-mound squabble with his manager. Ted … Lilly.
Then again, he is left-handed, and his agent is named O’Brien (Larry).
I had a dog named Larry. My ex has him now. He was a smart old dog, an amiable mutt. I’d be willing to bet he could represent Ted Lilly and get a $30 million contract in this market.
