Quote (tuckerblair89 @ Jun 17 2011 01:12pm)

yea possibly wont be, but he is the best leadoff option though right?

Quote (Basement @ Jun 17 2011 03:14pm)

remember when markakis used to be capable of 20/20? yeah neither do i

Quote (tuckerblair89 @ Jun 17 2011 01:15pm)

i slightly remember this time period.
he wants to be more like juan pierre light now though

Quote (Wydz @ Jun 17 2011 03:16pm)

light now

Quote (tuckerblair89 @ Jun 17 2011 03:12pm)

yea possibly wont be, but he is the best leadoff option though right?

Quote

Atlanta Braves beat writer Mark Bowman just tweeted that an MRI on Tommy Hanson's right shoulder showed no structural damage, but it did show inflammation. The Braves will place Hanson on the disabled list today when they activate rookie Randall Delgado, who will be making his first Major League start in place of Hanson.

In another move to add a fresh arm to the Braves bullpen, the team has called up relief pitcher Jairo Asencio and demoted infielder Brandon Hicks to triple-A. I wrote earlier about the extreme overuse of the Braves bullpen the last few days, and the potential for more tonight with a rookie starting, so adding a fresh arm is certainly a good move by the team.

With Hicks getting sent down and Chipper Jones out of the lineup, the Braves bench will be greatly depleted, with Diory Hernandez as the only reserve infielder (unless Chipper is available in an emergency).

Disabling Hanson is unfortunate, but the right move in order to ensure the long-term health of one of Atlanta's best pitchers. His DL trip will likely be retroactive to June 13th, so Tommy could only miss his next two starts, setting him up to return to the Braves rotation while they are in Seattle.

Quote (EwokHellKite @ Jun 17 2011 05:31pm)

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/248660_10150201805337831_35071097830_7319992_932667_n.jpg

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/252372_10150203742407831_35071097830_7336621_7373408_n.jpg

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/255050_10150216161592831_35071097830_7449612_2078356_n.jpg - balk-off win

Quote (austinhb @ Jun 17 2011 06:33pm)

make me a sig with any of those 3 pics lol

Quote (EwokHellKite @ Jun 17 2011 06:24pm)

The Braves are "aggressively positioning themselves to deal for an outfield bat as soon as they can find a team ready to open its sell-off shop for business," writes Stark, and they've already checked in on Josh Willingham and Hunter Pence. 
We outlined potentially available power bats earlier this month.

Quote

I called it a week ago when the entire Atlanta Braves starting outfield was on the disabled list. General Manger Frank Wren and company are not going to sit on their hands and wait any longer, they're are going to go trade for someone to help this team sooner rather than later. From Jayson Stark's Rumblings and Grumblings:

The Braves are outpitching just about every team in baseball -- including the Phillies. But the Braves continue to worry about an offense that ranks 12th in the National League and 22nd in the big leagues in runs scored per game. So they're aggressively positioning themselves to deal for an outfield bat as soon as they can find a team ready to open its sell-off shop for business. They've checked in on both Josh Willingham and Hunter Pence. And an exec of one team reports: "They want a right-handed bat. But at this point, I think they'd take any bat."

These offensive woes should be on full display for the next week, as the Atlanta faces the good hitting American League teams of Texas and Toronto. If the offense can't keep up with those teams, then I'd expect a bit more panic (and sense of urgency) from the club in the coming weeks. Though I'm also worried about two things, (1) if they rush a trade they may not get a player who is the right fit for Atlanta, and (2) they may wind up trading too much talent for that not right player.

Before any deal I would expect the Braves to wait until they are back to full strength when Nate McLouth, Brandon Beachy, and Martin Prado return. Give that full team a week or two to play up to the level they should be at, then see where you're at.

Feel free to speculate as to whom you'd like to see the Braves acquire in a trade (realistically, of course). I'm not necessarily opposed to adding the Praying Mantis, but he's likely overvalued by Houston, and not quite the difference maker we need. Willingham is kind of meh.