AJ ([info]i_am_aj) wrote in [info]atlanta_braves,
@ 2008-08-23 15:34:00
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I don't know how much it has been discussed around here, but we got hosed in the Teixeira trade. Unless Marek wins more Cy Youngs than Randy Johnson, Wren really bombed at his first trade deadline. It's not the thing that has doomed this team (injuries are the runaway winner of that category with starting pitching in second), but it falls into the category of "being kicked when you're down." Surely we can bring up charges against the Angels' GM for robbery or extortion.

I hope there is some news out there that makes this sting less, but from my precursory view, we got hosed.

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[info]john_holton
2008-08-24 01:41 am UTC (link)
I think Wren was concerned that, had he held onto Teixeira for the rest of the year, we'd lose him at the end of the year without a suitable replacement in the organization. Boras is going to be looking for gigabucks and a long-term contract for Tex this winter, and I doubt that Wren would have done business with him, knowing that he might have to replace at least half of the starting rotation. Smoltz was already down, Glavine was dealing with arm trouble, and even if they came back in 2009, they're both at the end of their careers, and who could tell how much longer either of them had anyway?

This year was lost long before Wren traded Teixeira. I know people won't be happy with me for saying that, but it was obvious early on that this team was going nowhere in a hurry. Wren said at the time of the trade that he was starting to rebuild the team for 2009. And, on the surface, it was a good deal: the Braves were getting a good defensive first baseman who hit for average and struck out a lot less, plus a good pitcher from their farm system. (If anything was a ripoff, consider the trade that brought Teixeira here.) Granted, Kotchman hasn't been the player he was in Anaheim, but there might be extenuating circumstances, e.g. the change of league, lack of hitting around him, even his mother's illness that probably started long before his recent absence would suggest. I'm willing to wait and see what next year holds.

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[info]i_am_aj
2008-08-24 01:54 am UTC (link)
Kotchman has been awful, but maybe you're right. Still, with the wealth of middle infielders in the minors, I don't mind them tinkering with putting Prado at 1st. He hits for a higher average. If he can get his defense to come around at a new position, then release Kotchman and accept that we botched the trade.

I heard that Marek wasn't highly rated by the Angels, so who knows if he'll ever get the call up?

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[info]john_holton
2008-08-24 02:06 pm UTC (link)
There are a lot of questions the Braves are going to have this winter. Prado has done an excellent job as a replacement at first, and he's a great hitter; he's also shown his value at the other infield positions and as a pinch hitter, which puts him in the same category as Infante, who will be in the lineup every day at a different position. I still think Kotchman is an excellent fielder, and that he'll break out of his slump when he gets back. Even if his woes continue, the experience he gets will help him next season. Perhaps, if nothing else, he could draw some interest from an AL team. Right now, the best we can do is Thorman.

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[info]trainingmontage
2008-08-24 02:45 pm UTC (link)
On the surface, it really didn't look like a good deal. Teixeira and Kotchman are both good defenders (and they play first base, so great defense is not such a big deal), but Kotchman can't hold a candle to Teixeira with the bat. I don't know where everybody is getting this notion that Kotchman hits for a higher average than Teixeira; looking at their respective stats for about 2 seconds will tell you that's not the case. It's true that Kotchman is only 25, so he could improve, but his loss of on-base ability this season is troubling.

Marek doesn't impress me that much. He could become a pretty good middle reliever, but I think the Braves could have gotten more than a fringe prospect like that for one of the game's top sluggers...

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[info]aneternalenigma
2008-08-24 07:09 am UTC (link)
I'd rather have Casey Kotchman than part 2 of the Scott Thorman experiment.

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[info]i_am_aj
2008-08-24 12:18 pm UTC (link)
Touche

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[info]papi
2008-08-24 09:31 pm UTC (link)
This.

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