AJC > Sports > Braves > Blog > Archives > 2006 > December > 06
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Braves’ top-heavy payroll presents problems
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You want to know why the Braves must trade Marcus Giles and/or Adam LaRoche in order to improve their pitching staff and stay within budget? I’ll tell you. Rather, I’ll show you.
Because seven guys are eating up 80 percent or slightly more of the $80 million payroll. Yes, seven guys.
“It is what it is,” general manager John Schuerholz said. “We have to make some adjustments, have to be nimble on our financial feet. It doesn’t stop us from doing anything; we just have to be more creative, more patient to find possible fits.”
So that you good blog denizens don’t have to try computing it in your heads, I’ll give you the approximate payroll figures for each of the Big Seven, which includes _ this is important _ the prorated part of any signing bonuses.
This isn’t the exact salary for most of these guys, but rather the amount the Braves are paying them in salary in 2007, plus prorated bonus figure. In the case of Mike Hampton, the figure is what the Braves use for the accounting puposes, basically the average value of their commitment to him over six years.
The figures aren’t exact _ because the Braves won’t divulge them _ but they are close enough to give you an idea of the bad situation the Braves are in.
They are in this situation largely because of commitments made to a few players back when the payroll was about $20 million higher with no indication that it would be reduced _ which it was three years ago, to the $80 million figure that’s remained stagnant in a booming baseball economy. Damn you, Time Warner.
Anyway, here we go:
Andruw Jones ($13.5 mill)
Chipper Jones ($12 mill)
John Smoltz ($11 mill _ FYI, that’s $8 mill and half his $6 mill signing bonus)
Hampton ($9 mill)
Tim Hudson ($8.5 mill _ remember, he got a $10 mill signing bonus)
Bob Wickman ($6.5 mill)
Edgar Renteria ($6 mill; Red Sox paying part of his $9 mill average salary).
Add it up and weep: $66.5 mill.
And even if my figures aren’t exact, they’re pretty close, and that means the Braves are pretty well scr… uh, cash-strapped.
Think about it, that’s more than 80 percent of the total payroll, and you haven’t even figured in arbitration-eligible Braves including Giles, who can expect more than $5 mill, LaRoche ($3 mill or more), Horacio Ramirez (about $3 mill) and Oscar Villarreal (about $1.5 million).
Add it up and weep more: $12.5 million for those four, give or take. Add that to the other seven guys and you get $79 million.
Don’t cry for the Braves; send them your Christmas funds.
But seriously, that payroll obviously is dysfunctional in its top-heaviness. You can’t sign the rest of your roster for about $1 mill. So the Braves must trade at LEAST one significant salary, a Giles or Hudson, and probably at least one lesser one, too.
How else are they going to pay the small raises to all their other non-arbitration guys, not to mention do their stated goal of upgrading the pitching staff by acquiring a proven, elite setup man? Can’t be done without trades.
And please, for the last time, they can’t trade Hampton at least until he comes back and has a healthy season. The man’s owed $29.5 million in salary over the next two seasons and hasn’t pitched in more than a year. Untradeable.
OK, quick update on trade news: The LaRoche-for-Mike Gonzalez trade is still very much alive. I’m told the Braves are just waiting for some information on the hard-throwing left-hander’s elbow, and if they’re satisfied a deal could go down soon after.
Gonzalez missed the last month of the season after having an arthrogram on his sore elbow in September, a procedure that involves injecting dye into the joint to get a clear view that reveals any tissue damage. The Pirates gave him a clean bill of health and Gonzalez said he’s been throwing without any soreness since the last week of the season, when he had several full-on bullpen sessions.
Again, I’ll add that something could happen at any time with this or other deals.
Meanwhile, Bobby Cox talked about a lot of subjects today during a roundtable session with writers, some of which I’m going to post in a Q&A format on our website soon after I finish this blog. But a few of the more interesting things he had to say included:
_ Kelly Johnson is working with coach Glenn Hubbard on defense not just at second base, as previously reported, but also shortstop, third base and left field. Johnson had elbow surgery and missed all of the 2006 season, and he’s trying to broaden his skills so he has a better chance of making the team.
(Just from listening to Cox, it didn’t sound like the Braves are counting on him, mainly because the elbow still isn’t ready to permit him to make strong throws. But he’ll definitely have a chance to prove himself this spring.)
_ Daryle Ward. Braves are still negotiating with him _ “talking to him every day,” Cox said _ and hopeful to have him back pinch-hitting and possibly playing some 1B or LF. Cox also said if the Braves have LaRoche back, Scott Thorman would play some left field in addition to backing up LaRoche.
_ Thorman is ready to handle first base, if necessary. Cox said he might struggle a little early and won’t match LaRoche’s production or defense, but said the big Canadian has improved a lot with the glove and has a big upside.
_ Chipper Jones is not moving to first base this year. Cox said he “absolutely” would be back at third base this season.
_ Yunel Escobar. Cox said the top infield prospect is viewed as a shortstop by the Braves, reiterating what John Schuerholz said a few days ago. Schuerholz said Escobar was not ready to play second base in the majors at this time.
_ Back of rotation. Cox said James is penciled in as the fourth starter right now, with Davies and Horacio likely to battle for the fifth job, if spring training opened today. (Personally, let me say I don’t think the Braves will bring Horacio back at $3 mill to compete for a fifth starter job; he’ll have a job or be traded. But that’s just me talking.)
_ On Chuck James: “I think he had the best winning percentage in the second half. He was pretty classy every start. To hear hitters talk about him, some hitters, good hitters, I won’t mention names but they will come back and say, ‘This is the toughest guy we face to hit at.’ He is extremely sneaky-quick, hard to pick up.” (Personally, let me say that Chuck James is a cool dude.
_ On Tim Hudson: “His [two] years could have been better, but he still won 13-14 games, and Huddy is very capable of winning 15-20, there’s no doubt in my mind. He is still working hard and I know he wasn’t satisfied with his year last year or the year before, actually. But it’s there. I think he is going to be a big winner this year, if we get our bullpen straightened out.”
_ On the Braves’ winter needs: “The core of the team is still there. We still have a real good team. We are looking for a little bullpen depth, if we could locate a real good one. We signed [Tanyon] Sturtze, and he should be able to go shortly after the season starts, I think. And I’ve heard nothing but good stuff about him…. We added him and we’re looking to add a little bit more.”
OK, enough. Gotta write a couple stories for the paper.
Oh, one more thing: Cox raved about Hampton and how getting him back is like adding a free agent and all. He said when he and other team officials saw Hampton throw in an instructional league game, he pitched 1-2/3 innings (was supposed to go 2) and came out after tearing an “adhesion” in his elbow where the surgery was performed, but that he and the Braves were assured it’s entirely normal to experience that brief stinging sensation when that occurs.
Hampton said it felt nothing like a ligament problem or the pain he had before, and went away quickly after he came off the mound. Braves expect him to be ready for full workload this spring and Cox expects him to be ready to go seven innings when the season begins, just like he does all his other starts.
Services »
