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Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Braves seek Pirates closer Gonzalez for LaRoche
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s my quick but not-so-short update on the Braves’ winter-meetings “rumblings” here from Dark Star (Disney World), though I’ve gotta tell you these scenarios are all so fluid, what I write here could be dated and obsolete by midnight.
So gather ‘round the Hot Stove, kids (OK, read that again _ yes, very cheesy).
First and foremost, let me start by saying: Mike Gonzalez. Would that be something that would interest you?
Damn right, which is why the Braves are talking to the Pittsburgh Pirates about the flamethrowing left-handed closer in a potential deal for first baseman Adam LaRoche.
The Pirates so far have refused to part with Gonzalez, but my understanding is that there’s still a chance it could happen.
Braves GM John Schuerholz said a lot of trade discussions they were having, including presumably talks involving LaRoche, Marcus Giles and Tim Hudson, slowed to a crawl Tuesday, meeting with obstacles. But these things happen. He didn’t say any of the talks died, just slowed. So stay tuned, still two more days to go at the winter meetings.
I’ve got a feeling at least one trade will happen with the Braves this week, but not sure if it’ll be the one that could really set up their bullpen for next season _ Gonzalez could do that. I say this because Pirates GM Dave Littlefield is notorious for asking more than teams are willing to give for his guys, and ending up with nothing.
Gonzalez converted 24 of 24 saves and had a 2.17 ERA with 64 strikeouts over 54 innings in a hugely impressive performance last season, when he took over as Pirates closer after Roberto Hernandez faltered. The Braves could team Gonzalez with Bob Wickman to give them one of the most devastating 1-2 back-end relief combos in baseball.
Gonzalez, 28, is a first-time arbitration-eligible pitcher who’ll make perhaps $2-3 million, and would be heir apparent to the Wickman as closer. For now he could set up Wickman most days, close others.
He missed the last month of the season after having a contrast MRI on his elbow, where dye is injected to determine if there’s any damage. The test requires a few weeks of recovery, and Gonzalez ended up sitting out the last month, but reportedly the test showed no problems with the elbow and he has a clean bill of health.
After posting a 3.14 ERA and .265 opponents’ average in his first 29 games last season, Gonzalez was arguably the most dominant reliever in baseball for the next two months before shutting it down.
From June 25 to Aug. 24, he was 2-1 and 12-for-12 in saves while posting a 1.07 ERA and .143 opponents’ average in 25 appearances, with 12 hits, 14 walks and 35 strikeouts in 25-1/3 innings. Sheer brilliance.
Imagine having Gonzalez, who limited lefties to a .163 average last season (all hitters, .213), as a “complement” to lefty Macay McBride? Helluva complement, and if anything happened to Wickman they’d simply slide Gonzalez into the closer role.
The Braves are still talking to Anaheim about a potential LaRoche deal for super utility man and potential 2B/leadoff hitter Chone Figgins, a deal that would probably also include Angels 1B prospect Casey Kotchman, who missed most of last season with mono and somewhat mysteriously lingering effects.
But the Braves also want a pitcher from Anaheim. They’re certainly not going to get Ervin Santana or Scot Shields, who are deemed nearly untouchable, and the Braves might have a tough time prying any useful pitcher from them.
“Everybody wants a pitcher, especially our pitchers,” Angels GM Bill Stoneman said, referring to general trade talks and not the LaRoche deal, specifically. “They would like to have one of our relievers or starters. The reason why our pitching is what it is, we’ve worked hard to get it that way. To do something that would deplete our pitching, unless it makes us better, we’re not going to do it.”
As good a fit as Figgins could be for the Braves, they might have an even better one if they could pry Gonzalez from the Pirates. The “flamethrower” tag gets thrown around too easily, but it absolutely applies in this dude’s case.
You just don’t find many lefties who throw 96-mph gas like Gonzalez, who also has a very good slider and curveball. In parts of three seasons in the majors (all with Pittsburgh), he has a 2.37 ERA, 28-for-31 saves, a .206 opponents’ average, and 183 strikeouts with 74 walks in 155-2/3 innings.
Yowza.
The Pirates are understandably reluctant to part with him. They have a stable of young pitchers (they don’t want to trade any of their starters) and also have rubber-armed veteran Salomon Torres, who made 94 appearances last year. They’d rather give the Braves Torres, but Atlanta wants a lights-out setup man with “closer stuff.”
As much as they’d hate to see LaRoche (.285, 32 homers, 90 RBIs) go after his breakout third season, the Braves know they have precious few trade pieces that other teams covet, and they’re determined to restore their pitching staff to an elite level _ this time via the bullpen, which is getting more emphasis this winter after undermining the Braves in 2006.
The Braves certainly can’t afford to put together a Big Three in-their-prime rotation like they enjoyed for most of their run of 14 consecutive division titles, but they can be creative and come up with a potentially outstanding bullpen to complement a good rotation.
Now that other teams have learned LaRoche is available _ no one knew until recent the Braves would listen to offers for him _ major interest has developed quickly from several teams.
But much of what you hear from the rumor mill is unlikely or completely ridiculous. Let me take this moment to shoot down two reports that had the Braves considering a deal of Tim Hudson to Seattle for $14 million whiff machine first baseman Richie Sexson. Think about it _ the Braves want to improve their pitching staff and manage their payroll. That does neither.
Then there was the LaRoche AND Marcus Giles to Baltimore for Brian Roberts and pitching prospect Hayden Penn. Huh?
While the Braves liked Roberts as a potential leadoff man, it seems unlikely they’d give up both Giles _ most of his stats mirrored Roberts’ .286-10-55 and .347 OBP last season, except Roberts’ 36 steals to Giles’ 10 _ AND LaRoche for Roberts, who’s eligible for free agency after the 2008 season, and Penny, a prospect whose big league numbers (3-6, 9.31 ERA in 14 starts) are worse than Kyle Davies’.
The Braves, whose stated priority, we repeat, is to improve their pitching, would be giving up two of their best bargaining chips _ not counting Andruw Jones _ and for Roberts and a prospect who was 0-4 with a 15.10 ERA in six starts in ’06. I can’t see it happening.
Nothing new on the Hudson or Andruw fronts, at least nothing that seems legitimate.
But as I said, these things are fluid. By midnight, things could change. Deals could go down at any time, or not at all while we’re here. I’ll try to update you as soon as I hear anything worth repeating.
Regarding persistent Andruw-to-Dodgers rumors on the airwaves and internet: That’s a long way from even getting to the stage of the Braves approaching Andruw to ask whether he’d waive his 10-and-5 veto power, and the Braves haven’t had any serious discussions of it.
I still can’t see the Braves trading Andruw before or even during the season, not unless they got a big bat to replace him and he got a huge enough contract extension guarantee from a team to his liking. Too difficult, and the Braves would be blowing a hole in their lineup.
Uber agent Scott Boras will tell him to exercise his trade veto for anything less. ‘Dru is not going to switch leagues and/or go play in the cold weather he hates in his free-agent “walk” year, not when he can safely put up big numbers again in comfortable surroundings for the Braves. Not without first being assured of market value in a big multi-year contract extension.
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