A year ago today ...

[hoosjon]

I think we're making progress, maybe not sign Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay progress, but look at a year ago:

7/31 lineup through 8/4 lineup
1B Krotchman
2B KJ
3B Infante (Prado started on 8/2)
SS Esco
LF Blanco (Infante started on 8/2)
CF Kotsay
RF Frenchy
C Sammons

Now, admittedly last season, according to www.baseball-almanac.com, Tex played the most at first base, Chip at 3rd and Mac at catcher ... but we've DEFINITELY upgraded our outfield.

The BIG improvement comes on the mound. Those 5 days we had Hampton, Chuck James, Charlie Morton, Jorge Campillo, and Jair Jurrjens start for us.

Think where we are now. Whether you approve of the trade or not, Braves management is attempting to fill all the holes and is at least at improving us, if not filling the holes.

Problems in the outfield? Garrett, Nate, Church signed and Heyward and Schafer on the way.

Problems on first? LaRoche traded for and Canizero and Freeman on the way

Problems on the mound? Javy V, Derek Lowe, and Kenshin signed/traded for and Tommy Hanson and Kris Medlen come up.

I think that the Braves are at least :thumbsup: compared to last year :thumbsdown: at this same time both for THIS season and for the long term.

[KB 34]

My analysis would be a bit more complicated as Wren had several constraints that have been lifted. First off Wren was able to add significant payrol this offseason. It's tough to improve a team when payroll has stayed the same or decreased for over half a decade, that was one challenge. Next you throw in dead weight Hampton taking up $8 million of said limited payrol. Now add in simply bad luck with Hudson and Smoltz being injured. The Braves leftover prospects from the Teix deal have also had another year to develop and progress there has been really good. On the flip side Lowe and Chipper have deals that really scare me and the bullpen is going to need a lot of work pretty soon. Without the payrol increase this team isn't much better so some credit goes to Liberty while Wren has been an improvement over JS in his last couple of years as GM.

[hoosjon]

That's true, I didn't even gloss over the bullpen, I didn't even bring it up. Our present bullpen (this season) seems okay, if they last, but I am concerned about our bullpen's future. Tell me we don't plan of having Moylan close!

I don't know. I'm not nearly as concerned about Lowe's and Chipper's contracts ... though we will soon have Kenshin in the bullpen, making an awful lot of money. I say that, hoping that BC doesn't just keep trotting him out there somehow. All 3 of them make a little bit of sense. Maybe we overpaid for the pitching, but we REALLY needed pitching at the time, and Frank was working on stocking our staff.

Now, Chip is the same situation as Smoltzy (not so much Glavine). He' performing now, still and we signed him to a multi-year deal. I just hope it doesn't end up to be a Bagwell sort of thing. I like the idea of treating a future HOF with respect, but there's such a thing as TOO MUCH respect.

All that said, I still look at our team now with a LOT more hope than last year ... both in the short term (our playoff chances) and in the long term.

[KB 34]

I'll believe Hudson can return to the starting rotation when I see it, and I won't be disappointed if he has to go to the bullpen because the Braves have thrown a few relievers a lot and they could use some help somehow. The contracts may seem fine right now but Chipper needs to live in a vacuum chamber to stay healthy and Lowe isn't pitching like a $15 million pitcher and he's just going to get older over the next 3 years. This year he was supposed to be the man, which hasn't happened. My biggest concern is about the deal lengths because the Braves really need both to perform for the next 3 seasons of there's trouble. It could go either way, how lucky are the Braves is the question.

[BigWorm]

Lowe gets a lot of flack due to his contract. The dude's a work horse. He's up there in wins in the national league at (11-7), and has had the tenacity to bounce back after several bad starts. He has heart, something that can't be measured by statheads. I don't think the Lowe signing will be as bad as some make it out to be. He's been exactly as advertised, a number two starter (or low number 1) that gives you several quality starts and doesn't miss much time.

[wordslayer©]

He has heart, something that can't be measured by statheads.

1) Pulse
2) Diastolic function
3) Echocardiography
4) Ejection Fraction
5) X-Rays
6) EKG
7) Blood tests
8) ECG
9) Fluid monitoring
10) Ultrasound

[Dreamscape]

1) Pulse
2) Diastolic function
3) Echocardiography
4) Ejection Fraction
5) X-Rays
6) EKG
7) Blood tests
8) ECG
9) Fluid monitoring
10) Ultrasound
Well played.

[Dreamscape]

Didn't we say Russ Ortiz has heart? He's competitive?

There are two ways to look at Derek Lowe, but to come from it from a positive side, you have to ignore the financial implications. But for us statheads, he has been a major disappointment this year. $15M buys a lot, but an innings eater shouldn't be one of them. Half of that price tag buys an effective innings eater.

He's on the wrong side of 35, which is worrisome because pitchers tend to not get better after 35, but get worse. Sure, there is Jamie Moyer, but the majority of pitchers don't see that kind of career curve happen after they are eligible to run for president.

I was a fan of going to get Lowe. I was not a fan of what it cost, but I could accept it if it was a short term deal. When that option failed, it became a mistake by Braves management. They overreacted because after Burnett and Peavy went bust and basically, they were the drunk kid who strikes out with two hotties so he takes home whatever he sees next.

Not that I would know...

[luvdembravos]

They overreacted because after Burnett and Peavy went bust and basically, they were the drunk kid who strikes out with two hotties so he takes home whatever he sees next.

Not that I would know...


In this case, an expensive whore ;)

[BigWorm]

Touche.