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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GM for a Day: Chicago Cubs Edition

Wrigley Field needs to see a World Series and I think I know how (wallyg/Flickr).

In a new series entitled “GM for a Day” here on “The Diamond Cutter” I will take a look at what I would do if I could take over one of the major league clubs for a day and what moves I would make to get them on track. To start off I figured we’d attack a club who is not only high profile but also has been at the forefront of a lot of rumors this off season. The Chicago Cubs have a very strong team heading into 2009 but still have some major holes that need filling. This is my chance to give some free advice to Jim Hendry in hopes he can steer them in the right direction.

The Cubs have a very deep and talented roster heading into the upcoming season. But as strong as they are, they do have some very blatant holes that have plagued them for years. While many clubs have a lot of issues that need to be addressed, the Cubs really only have two main ones that I would fix. Here’s a look at the two that will really help out heading into ’09:

Roberts is one of the best lead off hitters in baseball (Keith Allison/Flickr).

1.) Close the deal they couldn’t make happen last season and bring Brian Roberts to Chicago.

Can you imagine if this club actually had a legitimate lead off hitter like Brian Roberts? I swear if I see Alfonso Soriano and his career .329 OBP and over 20% K% in the lead off spot again I will request to have Sweet Lou’s managerial card taken away. As good of a ballplayer as Soriano is, he’s not a lead off guy. Never has been, never will be and the Cubs have been hurting for a legitimate one for years.

That’s why having a catalyst like Brian Roberts at the top of your order is so important. Roberts not only averaged an OBP of .378 over the past two seasons, he has also averaged 45 stolen bases over that span. Now that’s a lead off guy. Here’s a look at Roberts stats over the past four seasons:

+------+-----+----------+-----+-----------+----+-----+-----+----+
| YEAR | AGE | TEAM     | AB  |  AVG/OBP  | HR | RBI |  R  | SB |
+------+-----+----------+-----+-----------+----+-----+-----+----+
| 2005 |  27 | Orioles  | 561 | .314/.387 | 18 |  73 |  92 | 27 |
| 2006 |  28 | Orioles  | 563 | .286/.347 | 10 |  55 |  85 | 36 |
| 2007 |  29 | Orioles  | 621 | .290/.377 | 12 |  57 | 103 | 50 |
| 2008 |  30 | Orioles  | 611 | .296/.378 |  9 |  57 | 107 | 40 |
+------+-----+----------+-----+-----------+----+-----+-----+----+

In fact the Cubs need to pull the trigger on this one ASAP with reports that the Chicago White Sox are interested in acquiring Roberts for the sum of right handed pitcher Gavin Floyd. If this is all it would take to acquire Roberts, the Cubs should have no problem getting him. I’d offer up a Rich Hill or two of the three mediocre prospects they just received from the Indians in the Mark DeRosa ripoff. Whatever it may be, the Cubs need to acquire Roberts to energize the top of the Cubs order.

2.) Don’t sign the fragile Milton Bradley, instead offer up a 3-year contract to Bobby Abreu.

Any National League team that signs Milton Bradley is making a huge mistake. Bradley has averaged only 89.5 games per season over the last four years with only once (2008) playing over 100. If you don’t have a DH spot in your lineup you are just asking for trouble.

But Bobby Abreu on the other hand is just the type of player the Cubs need to slip into their lineup. Not only is he a legitimate number three hitter, but he will help fill the void that Kosuke Fukudome was supposed to fill. Here’s a look at Abreu’s stats over the past four seasons:

+------+-----+----------+-----+-----------+----+-----+-----+----+
| 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 |
+------+-----+----------+-----+-----------+----+-----+-----+----+

Sure his numbers have gradually declined over the past few seasons, but that is to be expected from someone in his mid-30’s. However he is still proving to have enough left in the tank to offer him a contract and is the type of leader the Cubs could use.

Abreu would help solidify the Cubs' lineup (Keith Allison/Flickr).

Looking at these two moves, here is what your lineup would now look like:

1.) Brian Roberts, 2B
2.) Ryan Theriot, SS
3.) Bobby Abreu, RF
4.) Aramis Ramirez, 3B
5.) Derrek Lee, 1B
6.) Alfonso Soriano, LF
7.) Geovany Soto, C
8.) Reed Johnson/Kosuke Fukodome, CF
9.) Pitcher

Now that is a lineup I would much rather go into battle with than the one they could alternatively trot out there. It is very balanced with good on base and speed guys at the top, good run producers and power in the middle and it finishes off strong which not too many NL teams can say.

I know a lot of people think that bringing Jake Peavy to the Cubs is critical. While this would definitely be a nice addition, I believe the Cubs rotation, if healthy, is one of the best in the game already. Adding Roberts to the team is a much bigger addition than Peavy is because the Cubs need a legitimate lead off hitter more than they need another ace.

Now its your turn to voice what you would do or if you agree or disagree with my assessment of the Cubs.

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

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