GM for a Day: Atlanta Braves

Atlanta needs some help immediately in order to salvage 2009 (FLC/Flickr).

Originally I had another team in mind for the second installment (here’s our first) of “GM for a Day,” but with how much suffering the fans in Atlanta are experiencing this winter, I figured it was my duty to help Frank Wren out and give him some tips.

The Braves were in great position at the beginning of the winter with two main goals (big outfield bat and ace/front line starter) and a lot of cap space to accomplish it. Thus far Wren has failed miserably causing me to question if he was awake or even knew he could add players during the winter months. This is especially true considering the blunders he’s had already (Burnett, the Furcal flop, not signing anyone to help plug holes and disrespecting a legend in Smoltz). So Frank, here’s what you need to do to salvage your team and your fan’s hopes over the next month:

Atlanta needs Lowe at the top of their rotation (oneidaprincess/Flickr).

1.) Sign free agent starting pitchers Derek Lowe and Randy Wolf to a contract immediately.

I know he’s not AJ Burnett like Atlanta wanted, but Wren missed the boat on him. But then again, Derek Lowe is actually a much more reliable pitcher and a good fit for Atlanta.

As you can see by the stats below, you know what you will get from Lowe (around 14 wins, ERA in the mid-3’s and a great ground ball percentage). The ground ball percentage is especially nice to have in Atlanta when it starts to heat up and the ball begins to carry more in the humidity. Plus you have to remember that Lowe has had very little run support during his tenure with the Dodgers. They have had an offense that has been very weak at times which is why it is important for the Braves to bolster it a bit. Here’s a look at Lowe’s stats the past three years:

+------+-----+----------+-------+-------+------+-----+------+-----+
| YEAR | AGE | TEAM     | IP    |  W-L  | ERA  | SO  | WHIP | GB% |
+------+-----+----------+-------+-------+------+-----+------+-----+
| 2006 |  33 | Dodgers  | 218.0 | 16-8  | 3.63 | 123 | 1.27 | 69% |
| 2007 |  34 | Dodgers  | 199.3 | 12-14 | 3.88 | 147 | 1.27 | 65% |
| 2008 |  35 | Dodgers  | 211.0 | 14-11 | 3.24 | 147 | 1.13 | 60% |
+------+-----+----------+-------+-------+------+-----+------+-----+

In addition signing Randy Wolf (12-12, 4.30 ERA, 162 SO in the 2008 season) would not only bring more stability to the rotation but it would bring a lefty to help break up the string of righties the Braves have/would have. Wolf would be a nice pick-up for them and you could sign him to a 1-year $5.5-$6 million contract with a second year option. This would be a smart signing for the club.

2.) Trade prospects Gorkys Hernandez and Kris Medlen to the Yankees for Nick Swisher.

Some of you may think I came out of nowhere with this one, but it has been reported that the Yankees are shopping Nick Swisher around now that they have signed Mark Teixeira. With Teix taking over first base and an already crowded outfield, Swisher is going to struggle to find playing time and the Yankees would like to bring in some young prospects. Here’s a look at how Swisher has produced the past three seasons:

+------+-----+-----------+-----+-----------+----+-----+-----+----+
| YEAR | AGE | TEAM      | AB  |  AVG/OBP  | HR | RBI |  R  | 2B |
+------+-----+-----------+-----+-----------+----+-----+-----+----+
| 2006 |  25 | Athletics | 556 | .254/.372 | 35 |  95 | 106 | 24 |
| 2007 |  26 | Athletics | 539 | .262/.381 | 22 |  78 |  84 | 36 |
| 2008 |  27 | White Sox | 497 | .219/.332 | 24 |  69 |  86 | 21 |
+------+-----+-----------+-----+-----------+----+-----+-----+----+

Swisher would bring flexibility to their lineup (Kimberly*/Flickr).

As you can see he’s never been a big average guy, but I do believe last year was a fluke season for him in large part due to the White Sox’s inability to use Swisher properly. He wasn’t given a full opportunity to play especially at the end of the season after acquiring Ken Griffey Jr. Given the chance to play in Atlanta, I see Swisher giving a line of .260/.380/.495 with 28 homers and 98 RBI. This is pretty much what they were expecting from Jeff Francoeur but with a higher OBP.

3.) Sign free agent Bobby Abreu to a contract.

I know I used this one on the Cubs GM plan already but they made a mistake and signed Milton Bradley instead. My main choices were between Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn. On one hand the Braves could use Dunn’s power in the clean-up spot, but they already have quite a few high strikeout hitters in the lineup with Swisher and Francoeur. With that in mind I figured another OBP guy who is also a nice three hitter would be a better fit.

+------+-----+----------+-----+-----------+----+-----+-----+----+
| YEAR | AGE | TEAM     | AB  |  AVG/OBP  | HR | RBI |  R  | SB |
+------+-----+----------+-----+-----------+----+-----+-----+----+
| 2005 |  31 | Phillies | 588 | .286/.405 | 24 | 102 | 104 | 31 |
| 2006 |  32 | PHI/NYY  | 548 | .297/.424 | 15 | 107 |  98 | 30 |
| 2007 |  33 | Yankees  | 605 | .283/.369 | 16 | 101 | 123 | 25 |
| 2008 |  34 | Yankees  | 609 | .296/.371 | 20 | 100 | 100 | 22 |
+------+-----+----------+-----+-----------+----+-----+-----+----+

As you can see, Abreu’s presence in the lineup would be very beneficial for the Braves who need an outfielder to help them on offense. With these additions, here’s how the lineup and rotation would now look:

Escobar will help Atlanta with his bat and glove (artolog/Flickr)

1.) Yunel Escobar, SS
2.) Kelly Johnson, 2B
3.) Bobby Abreu, LF
4.) Chipper Jones, 3B
5.) Brian McCann, C
6.) Nick Swisher, CF
7.) Casey Kotchman, 1B
8.) Jeff Francoeur, RF

Derek Lowe, RHP
Jair Jurrjens, RHP
Javier Vasquez, RHP
Randy Wolf, LHP
Jorge Campillo, RHP

(Also the Braves may sign Japanese pitcher Kenshin Kawakami who could slide into the five spot in the rotation as could Tom Glavine depending on what they do with him).

I really believe that these additions will help make the Braves a contender in 2009. As they stand now with Wren’s inactivity, the Braves will not be in contention in the NL East. They will finish a distant fourth which will not make Atlanta’s dedicated fan base happy especially with them being accustomed to their organization’s long standing tradition.

Wren must make some moves because as of now he is doing nothing but hurting the Atlanta Braves as well as their chances for 2009.

By Matthew Whipps
“The Diamond Cutter“
Major & Minor League Baseball Columnist
mlbdiamondcutter@gmail.com | Facebook

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