McCarroll21
11-09-2006, 08:10 AM
More Change On The Way?
By: Josh McCarroll (http://www.braves-nation.com/forums/member.php?u=1) | Braves-Nation.com
Over the years, the Braves have been known for making due with tremendous amounts of turnover in the roster from year to year. Chipper Jones and John Smoltz are the only players left from the 1995 World Series Champion team, joining Marcus Giles, Andruw Jones and Brian Jordan as the only players on the Braves current 40-man roster that have been with the Braves for at least five years. It appears that list is about to change.
With the recent influx of youth in Atlanta, roster turnover is not as apparent as it has been in the past. A large percentage of the Braves roster is going to remain under, Atlanta GM, John Schuerholz' control for years to come. The problem the Braves are now experiencing is the fact that salaries in baseball are rising, while the Braves payroll limitation has remained constant.
Last off-season, the Braves entered free agent talks with, all-star shortstop, Rafael Furcal and, the team's potential closer, Kyle Farnsworth only to see them bolt for more money on the open market. To be determined that does not happen again, the Braves are looking to trade Marcus Giles, the team's starting second baseman for the better part of the last five seasons. Giles, entering his final year before becoming a free agent, is set to make upwards of $5 million in 2007. That number alone is too much for the Braves to take on, and would then be forced to give in to a similar amount for the 2008 season, and beyond, to not lose him on the open market following the season. The most logical solution to this problem is trading Giles to San Diego, where he can be paired with his older brother, for one of their bullpen arms. This exchange has been rumored about for quite some time, and with the recent event of the Padres trading their starting second basemen to the Indians, talk has even furthered.
If this trade were to go down, the Braves would have to hope for, another free-agent to be, Scott Linebrink in return. Acquiring Linebrink would be a huge step in remaking the Atlanta bullpen, one that ranked near the bottom of the league in every category last season. Linebrink is known as one of the better setup men in baseball, but with free-agency looming, combined with the emergence of Cla Meredith, the Padres may be willing to trade him in order to fill other needs.
And so now we're down to four Braves with five years of experience with the team.
Exit Brian Jordan.
After bringing Jordan back for two subpar seasons, it appears that Jordan's time in Atlanta is over, thankfully. Jordan provided the Braves with three wonderful seasons, spanning from 1999 to 2001, before being traded to Los Angeles in exchange for Gary Sheffield. Unfortunately for him, he will more than likely be remembered by the fit he threw after being traded, and the even more disappointing return trip to Atlanta for the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
Now we're down to three.
Exit Andruw Jones?
Andruw Jones is entering the final year of his contract with Atlanta, and though he gained 10/5 status late last season, he may very well be traded due to baseball's economics. It would be hard to argue that Andruw Jones production is not worth his $13.5 million price tag, but it doesn't fit in Atlanta. If the Braves could somehow manage to re-sign Jones for that same figure, they would probably do it, but that doesn't seem likely. Jones' agent, Scott Boras, feels set on entering the free agent period after the upcoming season demanding upwards of $20 million for his client. If that is the case, the Braves would be better off finding a different suitor for this Jones boy before the 2007 season begins.
And now we're down to two.
By: Josh McCarroll (http://www.braves-nation.com/forums/member.php?u=1) | Braves-Nation.com
Over the years, the Braves have been known for making due with tremendous amounts of turnover in the roster from year to year. Chipper Jones and John Smoltz are the only players left from the 1995 World Series Champion team, joining Marcus Giles, Andruw Jones and Brian Jordan as the only players on the Braves current 40-man roster that have been with the Braves for at least five years. It appears that list is about to change.
With the recent influx of youth in Atlanta, roster turnover is not as apparent as it has been in the past. A large percentage of the Braves roster is going to remain under, Atlanta GM, John Schuerholz' control for years to come. The problem the Braves are now experiencing is the fact that salaries in baseball are rising, while the Braves payroll limitation has remained constant.
Last off-season, the Braves entered free agent talks with, all-star shortstop, Rafael Furcal and, the team's potential closer, Kyle Farnsworth only to see them bolt for more money on the open market. To be determined that does not happen again, the Braves are looking to trade Marcus Giles, the team's starting second baseman for the better part of the last five seasons. Giles, entering his final year before becoming a free agent, is set to make upwards of $5 million in 2007. That number alone is too much for the Braves to take on, and would then be forced to give in to a similar amount for the 2008 season, and beyond, to not lose him on the open market following the season. The most logical solution to this problem is trading Giles to San Diego, where he can be paired with his older brother, for one of their bullpen arms. This exchange has been rumored about for quite some time, and with the recent event of the Padres trading their starting second basemen to the Indians, talk has even furthered.
If this trade were to go down, the Braves would have to hope for, another free-agent to be, Scott Linebrink in return. Acquiring Linebrink would be a huge step in remaking the Atlanta bullpen, one that ranked near the bottom of the league in every category last season. Linebrink is known as one of the better setup men in baseball, but with free-agency looming, combined with the emergence of Cla Meredith, the Padres may be willing to trade him in order to fill other needs.
And so now we're down to four Braves with five years of experience with the team.
Exit Brian Jordan.
After bringing Jordan back for two subpar seasons, it appears that Jordan's time in Atlanta is over, thankfully. Jordan provided the Braves with three wonderful seasons, spanning from 1999 to 2001, before being traded to Los Angeles in exchange for Gary Sheffield. Unfortunately for him, he will more than likely be remembered by the fit he threw after being traded, and the even more disappointing return trip to Atlanta for the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
Now we're down to three.
Exit Andruw Jones?
Andruw Jones is entering the final year of his contract with Atlanta, and though he gained 10/5 status late last season, he may very well be traded due to baseball's economics. It would be hard to argue that Andruw Jones production is not worth his $13.5 million price tag, but it doesn't fit in Atlanta. If the Braves could somehow manage to re-sign Jones for that same figure, they would probably do it, but that doesn't seem likely. Jones' agent, Scott Boras, feels set on entering the free agent period after the upcoming season demanding upwards of $20 million for his client. If that is the case, the Braves would be better off finding a different suitor for this Jones boy before the 2007 season begins.
And now we're down to two.