Leadership, grittyness! This Lillibridge guy hasn't even played a MLB game!

Another key blurb:

Any potential deal, the source offered, would hinge on how much of Kotsay's salary the A's are willing to absorb, and what kind of package they'd request in return.

"[The Braves] probably wouldn't pay more than $3 million of that salary," the source explained.

After his first season with Oakland, which was dandy, Kotsay has been really hampered by back injuries and has not played well or often. 57 OPS+ in 207 ABs in 2007, for $8 Million, really hurt the team last year. If Beane can somehow turn him into something useful, super.

That said, Kotsay is cool as hell. He gives the most articulate and gracious interviews of anyone I've ever heard. Plus, the way his eyes are, he looks like he's always stoned. Plus, his wife is hot as hell. So, I like the guy and wish him well.

So Santa did get my Christmas list, after all!

I can't see Kotsay being much better than Anderson or Blanco at this point in time, so this is just shuffling deck chairs and paying someone a lump of money to do it.
oh whatever. We have lived through the Brian Jordon on one knee and Mondesi as starting corners era. This adds just another glorious chapter of self induced adversity which must be triumphed over.

A's also signing Emil Brown

Brown for $1.45MM doesn't sound like a bargain. Kotsay for a prospect sounds good, but I'll believe it when it's official.

Plus, his wife is hot as hell

It's Friday night and I'm sitting alone in my dorm room. If the mention of Jamie Kotsay doesn't start some discussion about hot baseball wives I'm going to be pretty disappointed.

If the mention of Jamie Kotsay doesn't start some discussion about hot baseball wives I'm going to be pretty disappointed.

Well, Jose Lima's wife was of course quite a dish, but for my money this is the hottest woman around baseball today.

It's Friday night and I'm sitting alone in my dorm room. If the mention of Jamie Kotsay doesn't start some discussion about hot baseball wives I'm going to be pretty disappointed.

A college dorm room?

Are you the smartest 8 year old eskimo ever?

Words can't express how much I loathe this deal. I don't even know who the Braves are giving up, but just paying $3 million for this turkey is too much. Anderson and Blanco can't possibly be worse, and they make nothing.

Is there such thing as an un-hot big league wife?

Great trade. Who do we get?

Plus, his wife is hot as hell

Come on now, let's see some photos.

Great trade. Who do we get?

Serenity Now, RHP, Dominican Rookie League.

Is there such thng as an un-hot big league wife?

I remember seeing some of Mrs. Millwood when Kevin pitched his no-hitter against the Giants. She's bovine.

A's DFAed Danny Putnam, once known as Billy Beane's "White Whale", to make room for Emil Brown.

As a Mets fan, I approve.

UZR loves Emil Brown. It has him at +17 in RF and +13 in LF per 150 games from 2003 to mid-2007.

OK but he's 33 years old. And he's likely to see time in CF. That can't be good.

If he's really a +13-17 level corner defender, he should be fine in center. That said, an OF of Cust - Brown - Buck left to right isn't particularly confidence-inspiring.

Yeah, he seems like a more expensive version of Sweeney--maybe a bit better.

Emil Brown seems to defy UZR. If you watch him for a handful games, you would think he is one of the worst defensive outfielders in baseball. I have no idea how he consistently rates high in UZR.

Him in center is laughable. Denofria will start in CF, Brown will simply be your RH bat off the bench.

Some famous folks named Emil or Emile, but not Emily:

Emil Brown, outfielder for the Kansas City Royals Oakland A's
Emil Constantinescu, President of Romania (1996 - 2000)
Emil Dimitrov, Bulgarian singer
Emile Dufraisne, Primary Antagonist in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
Emil Eagle, a bad guy in the Disney comics universe
Emil Hirsch, American rabbi
Emil Jones, Jr., Democratic politician, currently the president of the Illinois State Senate
Emil Johnson, drummer for Black Flag
Emil Kostadinov, Bulgarian football player
Emil Lindenfeld
Emil Dechebal Matasareanu
Emil Nolde, German painter and printmaker
Emil Savundra
Emil Steiner
Emil Steinberger, the stage name of the Swiss comedian
Emil i Lönneberga, fictional character from a children's book written by Astrid Lindgren
Emil Zátopek, Czech long distance runner
Emile (1827), autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life
Emile Belgrave New Black American Anime writer
Emile, Canadian film made in 2003 by Carl Bessai
Emile (producer), a hip hop producer
Emile: Or, On Education (1762) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau is a treatise on education. The full title is Émile ou de l'education
Emile de Becque, character in South Pacific (musical)
Émile Durkheim, a French sociologist.
Emile Ford, pop singer born in Saint Lucia.
Émile de Girardin, French politician and journalist.
Emile Hirsch, American actor
Émile Lahoud, the current President of Lebanon.
Émile Waldteufel, French composer
Émile Zola, French novelist
Émile, character in a Disney film

And, most significant, Emil Sitka, foil for the Three Stooges in a number of their two-reel short subjects.

Emile Griffith, former welter- and middleweight champion

Is there such thing as an un-hot big league wife?

I sat near Ray King and his family on a plane once. His wife has skin like a basketball.

Think they end up with a Braves top 10 prospect out of the deal?

Emil Zatopek ran as if every step was run with a pebble in his shoe.

They end up with a midrange prospect, likely filler.

Eh, I (for one..and it appears, only) would actually like this deal if we only paid him a million or two and didn't give up a great prospect.

Kotsay is talented enough to rebound with the bat if he gets healthy and can play a mean CF.

rotoworld

MLB.com reports that the Braves are close to acquiring Mark Kotsay from the Athletics in exchange for a prospect.

It's not expected to be finalized until Monday at the earliest. The Braves would likely pay less than half of Kotsay's $8 million salary, though that means they'd be giving up a pretty good prospect in return. Jordan Schaefer and Brent Lillibridge should be off limits. Perhaps the A's are looking to gamble on Eric Campbell's power potential. Reliever Joey Devine might be another possibility. The Braves would use Mark Kotsay as their primary center fielder. Hopefully, they'd at least bat him at the bottom of the order until he shows he has something left. There's no reason to think he'd be a better option at the top of the order than Kelly Johnson, Yunel Escobar or Matt Diaz.
Source: Athletics.mlb.com

Is there such thing as an un-hot big league wife?

I thought Matt Stairs' wife was his mom.

Since no one answered request in post 13, I had to google up Jamie Kotsay myself...

In Search of the Elusive Jamie Kotsay

More rotoworld

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Joey Devine is Oakland’s top target in trade talks with the Braves regarding Mark Kotsay.

The Chronicle’s Susan Slusser believes the trade hinges on cash, and the Braves could still pull out of talks and wait to see how Kotsay does in spring training. Devine for Kotsay could be a steal for Oakland. Devine’s command issues may not ever completely go away, but he’ll be at least a quality setup man anyway.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle

this here website needs more straight females/gay males to be posting. because i am &(%^&@! tired of all the hot chicks with big fake boobs getting pimped.

as for wives of baseball players who are not hot - well, i don't suppose you'd like mike lamb's wife. she was a softball player and she's, um, solid and muscular. but a lot of the astros wives weren't slutty cheerleader looking chicks or anna benson giant fake boob stripper looking chicks seeing as how that seems to be the kind of females you think are hot

I think this is pretty smart for Beane. If you don't plan on winning next year, why not use money from that budget to buy out Kotsay (who is unlikely to contribute to your next winning team) and get another solid prospect back?

If it's Devine for Kotsay, I'm liable to kick a few puppies.

B-chick, here's something for everyone...

A's and hot A's wives

While Mrs. Kotsay is probably considered hot by many/most, I'll pass. She looks like she came from the Skinny Plastic Blond Factory (formerly in Sherman Oaks, now outsourced to Guangdong). MArk's happy so good for him. But traderdave is a pass.

jamie kotsay is a scorcher (imho) - looks like a college softball player or other athlete of some kind. the shot of her in the ready fielding position is ridiculous.

what, there's a trade involving the braves being discussed here? alright. kotsay would be okay, i suppose, if he could hit at all.. but can he? he sure hasn't the past few seasons. i assume the price wouldn't be too high, so i think i'm okay with it.

Émile Lahoud, the current President of Lebanon.

He re-signed in 2007 and right now, Lebanon has no president.

I am guessing if Cameron didn't have that suspension, he'd be a Brave. I still think he'd be a better fit for the Braves.

Jamie Kotsay doesn't look at all like an athlete. Female athletes, except for a few really tall basketball players and people who do things like cross-country, tend to be a lot thicker than that, a lot more muscular (and a not cut muscular, thick muscular). Look at her legs, really thin, no power base. A decent college athlete would eat her for lunch.

Sports Illustrated for Women used to (and maybe still does) have this feature where they'd have a photo of some unknown female athlete and they'd ask some trainers what sport she plays. It was really interesting in a body-as-machine way to read about what sports tend to call for and develop this muscle or that one. They they started getting tricky by showing short basketball players and fat swimmers and soccer players with skinny legs and things like that, so it stopped being worthwhile.

I am guessing if Cameron didn't have that suspension, he'd be a Brave. I still think he'd be a better fit for the Braves.

Well, yeah. Unfortunately the Braves have a budget and Cameron couldn't be slotted in it. He was never really a plausible option, suspension or not.

The Braves have roughly $3M to spend on a CF. So you end up with names like Mark Kotsay and Corey Patterson.

Olney is saying it's Devine for Kotsay

#### Frank Wren.

Why do you make this trade if you're Atlanta? I'd rather spend money on Corey Patterson than trade a reliever with some value like Joey Devine. I can't imagine Patterson would ask for much more than what the Braves will pay Kotsay.

At the very worst, I have to imagine you could find a warm body to play CF off waivers or off the minor league FA route that would be only marginally worse at this point than Kotsay. Or heck, play Josh Anderson if you have to.

I'm really hoping Kotsay passes that physical. In fact I'm willing to provide a doctor.

n return for Kotsay, the Braves are trading pitcher Joey Devine, and Oakland will assume $5.325 million of the $7.325 million owed to the center fielder for this year.

Uh, the Braves will be paying $2m for Kotsay. I can safely assume Patterson will want, and get, a lot more than $2m. Methinks $2m for Kotsay isn't a bad deal for the Braves.

And Devine... seems like he just needed a change of scenery. The Braves probably got tired waiting on him to take a step forward in his control. The A's can be more patient.

Devine had a really good year in the minors last season, split between AA and AAA -- 1.89 ERA in 57 innings with a 78/19 SO/BB ratio.

The Braves traded that for a one year rental of a sub replacement level 32 year old CF with a bum back.

Lovely.

Sweet.

Devine seems like he has been around for a really long time but 2008 will only be his age-24 season.

Cash or no cash, I can't believe the A's got anything interesting for Kotsay who is pretty much done. I like this a LOT better than what the Cubs got for Pagan who I think is much better than Kotsay at this point. I was hoping the A's would just DFA Kotsay and let Denorfia or Sweeney or whatever AAAA guy they can find show what they can do in 2008. This is much better.

Uh, the Braves will be paying $2m for Kotsay. I can safely assume Patterson will want, and get, a lot more than $2m. Methinks $2m for Kotsay isn't a bad deal for the Braves.

Maybe not, but I wouldn't give up an arm for him, particularly one with upside like Devine. I'd rather pay more money and not lose talent by signing Patterson. Or like I said, find freely available talent.

Now, *I* wouldn't have done this trade if I were the Braves GM, but I can see why Wren would do it. I read somewhere that Wren has been an admirer of Kotsay for a long time. My guess is Jamie Kotsay.

Beane continues to assemble some nice talent. Andrew Brown and Joey Devine are both inspired pickups.

Great. WRT to Wren v Schuerholz, somebody cue up ELO's "It's Over".

Irish Meusel's actual first name was Emil.

Emil Kostadinov, Bulgarian football player

Highlight of Emil Kostadinov's football career:

Paris, 1993: Game-winning goal in second half injury time vs France

A thing of beauty. France needed a tie to advance to the 1994 World Cup in USA; instead, Bulgaria advanced on this goal and reached the semi-finals of the World Cup where it lost to Italy.

No love for Emile Francis? Or Emil Jannings?

Emile de Antonio, American documentary film maker.

Emile Bouchard > Emile Francis ;)

This is certainly a late-in-the-day boost for "Emile" in the Saturday Google rankings.

The plot thickens. From Slusser:

Oakland also will receive a Class-A pitcher in the deal, according to a Braves source.

This is getting better and better. Soon we will find the reason for the trade is Beane has stolen Jamie Kotsay and is keeping her for himself.