The official "screw the future, we aren't getting any younger over here" trade from Schuerholz and Cox. I'm sure this will work out fine.

I dunno, the Braves usually have a good idea with these things. They seem to prefer McCann over Salty and I see no reason to disagree with them.

What did you want them to do with Saltalamacchia, Robert? They have two of the three best young catchers in the NL. It's the best example I've seen in years of a player being more valuable as a trading commodity than he is to the team.

I don't know about that, Robert. The Braves dealt from strength here - Salty was more valuable to other teams than Atlanta, Andrus has yet to play up to his tools (and the Braves are loaded with middle-infield prospects right now), and Harrison's a two-pitch pitcher, which probably means he's a future middle reliever.

Robert is just mad because he had high hopes for David Neid.

It's not like Teixera's an old man or something. Everyone knows Schuerholz has had a pretty good record with trades. I wouldn't bet against him.

Also, I think Scott Boras is going to give the Braves a 2 for 1 discount on the Andruw Jones/Mark Teixera contracts-sort of a volume discount sort of thing.

Whither Gerald Laird?

Boras will have to learn the word discount first.

*crosses fingers that Tommy Hanson isn't one of the pitchers*

Also, I think Scott Boras is going to give the Braves a 2 for 1 discount on the Andruw Jones/Mark Teixera contracts-sort of a volume discount sort of thing.

Wow. Someone managed to work "Boras" and "discount" into the same sentence, without the phrase "never gives" somewhere in between!

The official "screw the future, we aren't getting any younger over here" trade from Schuerholz and Cox. I'm sure this will work out fine.

Have they had one not work out? I don't know their history really well, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a prospect they dealt away coming back to bite them in the ass. Jason Schmidt maybe?

What did you want them to do with Saltalamacchia, Robert?

Start him a first base and leave him the hell alone. That would have worked fine.

i'm a braves fan and not happy at all about the trade. how hard can it be to find an average first baseman? not saying tex is that, but he's going to look a lot more like it once he leaves texas.

i've questioned js before and been wrong, but how is the $12m they're going to spend on tex for next season better than another year of salty at 1b and $12m for a pitcher (they need starting pitching more than anything).

i think this means goodbye to AJ for sure.

i'd say jermaine dye more than schmidt (since it took schmidt so long to get good). adam wainwright maybe?

Boras will have to learn the word discount first.

Or be put in his place by Andruw and his father again like he was last time Jones was a free agent. Not that I expect it to happen or anything, but it's not like Boras' first instincts havn't been trumped before.

wouldnt the reds have taken a lot less for someone like scott hatteberg???

Prospects the Braves have traded away who ended up good:

Jason Schmidt (but not for about five years)
Vinny Castilla (expansion draft, but still)

ummm, I'm sure there are a couple more, but I'm drawing a blank right now. There are a lot more Wilson Betemits and David Nieds (lost in the expansion draft) in the record...

As a Mets fan, I am unhappy about this trade for this year, but pretty happy about it for the future. I am reluctant to question Schuerholz, but I think that he is WAY overpaying to make another run with Chipper and Smoltz.

but how is the $12m they're going to spend on tex for next season better than another year of salty at 1b and $12m for a pitcher

because no good pitchers sign 1-year $12 million dollar contracts

Jermaine Dye has always been the biggest mistake. Let's hope that we didn't just change that.

people are acting like Salty is a cant-miss prospect

I think the Mets are in trouble.

because no good pitchers sign 1-year $12 million dollar contracts

And who's the best pitcher available this offseason? (This is a serious question. Buerhle probably was, but who's best now?)

don't know their history really well, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a prospect they dealt away coming back to bite them in the ass

I just looked up who they gave up for Hudson, expecting to see a name like Haren or something. But wow, in retrospect that trade was pretty damn good. Schuerholtz knows what he's doing.

And who's the best pitcher available this offseason?

Zambrano, Carlos

Have they had one not work out? I don't know their history really well, but I'm having a hard time thinking of a prospect they dealt away coming back to bite them in the ass. Jason Schmidt maybe?

The only ones people ever mention are Jason Schmidt, Jason Marquis, and the Ace of the Defending World Series Champions, the Man, the Myth, the Legend, Adam Wainwright.

Here is an attempt to think of some more. Justin Speier perhaps?

Jon Lieber is a free agent. He could sign a 1-year contract if he wants to prove his injury woe is over.

Freddy Garcia too.

Ugh, the Phillies would be in the playoffs if only...

OK, someone go set the Atlanta press box on fire. That always seems to work for the Braves.

Per the StarTlegram, one of the pitchers involved is Neftali Feliz. Trade still pending on medical evaluations.

Here is the link to the story.

There are a lot more Wilson Betemits and David Nieds (lost in the expansion draft) in the record...

Y'know, Wilson Betemit has a 116 OPS+ this year...

whats wrong with wilson betemit? .360/.470 at Dodger Stadium while being able to play multiple infield positions is pretty good. marte is still only 23 and could be ok. adam wainwright doesnt suck.

i dont know about good, but old pitchers like maddux/wells/clemens or others like that could be had for close to 1 year / 12 million.

always seemed to me that the best way to build a team is with pre-free agency talented guys like salty, mccann, escobar, francoer, and then spend big on marquee players. tex just isnt that guy to me.

I think the Mets are in trouble.

Honestly, I think the wild card teams are in more trouble. The Mets have a 4.5 game cushion on the Braves, and they still have a better rotation than Atlanta. I just can't see the Braves putting together any sort of long, sustained winning streak with a back-end made up of Carlyle and Reyes.

Atlanta's line-up is very, very potent now. It would be fun to watch them if I didn't hate them.

Odalis Perez had a couple of good years in there. They didn't develop Justin Speier, but they cut him just before he embarked on a run as a pretty useful reliever. Paul Byrd is a similar case.

I think the Braves are as good as the Phillies now, although if Myers and Gordon are back to their 2006 selves (unlikely) that may not be true.

What's the "strength of schedule" look like for the rest of the year?

Nice deal for Atlanta in getting a premier player...Salty is a good prospect but was expendable as others have said here. Both teams did well. What's the upgrade for the Braves offense...about 1/3 of a run per game?

Y'know, Wilson Betemit has a 116 OPS+ this year...

Yeah, but that's all against the Braves.

If they had Wainwright and Zach Miner right now...would they be ahead of the Mets?

All this does is prove to me Schuerholz is not infallible. I'm still scared.

I just can't see the Braves putting together any sort of long, sustained winning streak with a back-end made up of Carlyle and Reyes.

That's "the surprisingly-effective Carlyle..." to you.

I think someone made this point above-Adam Wainwright has 198 innings in his career and a 4.04 lifetime E.R.A. (and one great play-off run). Can we hold off a bit on him being a success story, yet?

Atlanta has 9 games each against Philly and the Mets; six games against Washington and Florida. It is an open race in my opinion...just dumped some money on Atlanta at 33-1 to win the Series.

The price was high for the Braves, but I think they had to make the deal. They tried the "its easy to find somebody to play first" idea after trading LaRoche with the idea of Thorman filling in, and it resulted in the current Franco debacle.

Neftali Feliz throws really hard and is young. He's a good prospect, but very, very far away from the majors. That seems like an awful lot to give up for one and a half seasons of Tex. Shucks, here's hoping it works.

Congratulations to the Braves on winning the 2007 NL East Championship.

You never know...maybe Franco will still start at first. Right?

Right?

####, I'm worried. Omar's probably gonna get Sammy now.

####, I'm worried. Omar's probably gonna get Sammy now.

If that's Omar's response, I'd like to reserve the right to change my mind on # 33 . . . .

Franco will only start at first against left-handers.

Tex helps this year, plays for a contract next year, might (or might not) give Braves a home team discount if he ends up loving Hot-lanta (especially being on a perennial contender), so yeah, lose a top prospect or two, but if Atlanta thinks they can win now and win near future, this trade is pretty good.

Comes at a good time especially with the Mets deciding to stay within reach, and not getting healthier.

Is that someone I hear wanting to take the rotting carcass of Sammy Sosa off the Rangers' hands???

I think Daniels would do that for a D+ prospect. He might even be convinced to part with a little bit of Hicks' money to make it happen, but that might require a C- prospect instead.

Teixeira is a 27-year-old with some of the best hitting tools of his generation. He hasn't hit his ceiling yet, not even close. People are acting like Saltalamacchia is the only one with room to grow.

Saltalamacchia obviously had more trade value than value to the Braves, so it makes perfect sense to move him. On the other prospects, I dunno, and I'd be quite worried if my team used Elvis Andrus as the #2 prospect in a trade, but Cox/Schuerholz have earned the benefit of the doubt for all eternity.

Very hard to fault Daniels either - with his (admittedly short) track record, one has to be skeptical of everything he does, but that's a major league ready hitter and a high ceiling prospect, plus arms. Can't ask for more from a deadline deal.

Good trade all around.

I have a quesiton: What's the consensus of what Salty's bat will be like? Mccan's career OPS is 850, Teixiera's 900, and Salty's 750. If he can hit more like 800 at 1b, then you are losing 100 OPS points at 1b, but you still get to try and trade him in the offseason, spend that 12 million, and keep the other prospects. Plus Teixiera isn't even close to guaranteeing the Braves a playoff spot this and next year. I think its an overpayment, but they do get better.

Though if he walks then they also get some good draft picks back too.

It's a good point too. Daniels needed this slam dunk trade because he has been fleeced oh so many times before. His track record is pretty piss poor right now.

So texeira's price is 2 A level position prospects and 2 B+/C pitching prospects? ugh

Now now, boys, you're all overlooking the possibility that the Phillies will trade for Alex Rodriguez.

Tex has pretty bad home/road splits. But Soriano had the same before he went to RFK. So you might want to reserve decision on that.

Salty looks like a lock for a 800+ OPS from the Catcher's spot. that one is going to hurt

The park factor thing can be overrated IMO. Atlanta is an average park, so Teix could get comfortable there and do well. Outliers in talent like Teixiera and Soriano are less affected by those things.

I'm also surprised the best reliever they could get was Ron Mahay, who's old and a FA after this season. Maybe if the reliever was a bit better this would have made the deal more even.

If i were the Braves, i would now flip Teix to the Angels for the package they offered the rangers. That would fill the hole at 1B, and give them a 4th starter. That would be a block-buster trade.

And Texas can include Melhuse or Laird as a backup in another trade. Any other trade possibilities for Texas?

"Dave Sessions and Jim Reeves of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram are reporting that the two pitchers coming back in the deal will be Neftali (not “Nestali”) Feliz, a 19-year-old righthander pitching in the short-season Appalachian League, and a second pitching prospect to be determined. Feliz is 2-0, 2.05 in seven appearances for Danville, fanning 28 and walking 12 in 26.1 innings, and allowing just 16 hits (.178 opponents’ average)."

Teixeira's a good player, but I'm glad the Rangers didn't go for Saunders/Kotchman. The Braves and the NL East just became a lot more interesting.

Feliz is exactly the kind of pitching prospect I referred to in the other thread: Very replaceable. The Rangers will figure out a way to drain the life out of his arm, and in 6 mos. the Braves will have replaced him with someone as good or better.

Schuerholz is the Buzzie Bavasi of his generation; when he's offering a prospect up for trade, that means he isn't as good as everyone thought, and the Braves have figured it out.

Jermaine Dye is really the only one he's rolled the dice on and lost by trading that amounted to much. Bring on Tex and watch the Mets soil themselves.

He hasn't hit his ceiling yet, not even close. People are acting like Saltalamacchia is the only one with room to grow.

Not even close??? I should very much like to know the identity of a player with a four year track record up through the age of 27, as strong and consistent as Teixeira's has been from 2004-2007, who then went on to establish a MUCH higher ceiling. And don't give me the late '90s crop who did it through the magic of chemistry, either. I'm sure someone's done it, but it's pretty darned rare. At this point, we know who Mark Teixeira is and what he can do with a pretty high degree of confidence.

Teixeira might get a little better, but he's certainly "close" to his ceiling. Which is no criticism; he's outstanding. Saltalamacchia has a lot more room to grow (and, correspondingly, a lot more likelihood of failing to grow).

Teixeira's a good player, but I'm glad the Rangers didn't go for Saunders/Kotchman.

I still don't believe Stoneman offered Saunders. Kotchman and Santana maybe, but if he trades Saunders how exactly do the Angels get through the rest of this season with their current rotation? I know 2 things about Stoneman: He loves pitching, and he doesn't leak trade offers. I'm thinking the published rumors are guesswork on the part of reporters.

Teixeira is a 27-year-old with some of the best hitting tools of his generation. He hasn't hit his ceiling yet, not even close. People are acting like Saltalamacchia is the only one with room to grow.

I think the Ballpark at Arlington makes him look a little better than he is. His career home/road splits might be worrisome, especially since his new home skews for pitchers.

Jermaine Dye is really the only one he's rolled the dice on and lost by trading that amounted to much.

What about Jason Schmidt? Granted, he got a useful Denny Neagle out of it and it took 4-5 years and another team for Schmidt to come into his own but yeah, what about Jason?

This certainly seems like a winning trade for both sides. I think you trade prospects for in-prime plus players, and Tex certainly qualifies.

The Braves clearly made themselves better in 2007, and Tex should help them for the next few years as well.

I'm still not seeing them overtaking the Mets-though the Beltran injury certainly doesn't help matters...

If Teixeira's move to the NL goes as well as say Fransisco Cordero, the NL East has one serious bad guy showing up in their backyard. I know Coco has flamed out this year on the road but overall since arriving from Texas he has been pretty impressive. And Mark is a better player.

It isn't often one player can make the difference in a race. This might be that instance.......

Teixeira is a 27-year-old with some of the best hitting tools of his generation. He hasn't hit his ceiling yet, not even close.

Huh? On what are you basing these comments? How do you know he hasn't hit his ceiling?

and he doesn't leak trade offers. I'm thinking the published rumors are guesswork on the part of reporters.

The same thing was said about Schuerholz, and the rumors turned out to be right. So it was almost certainly Texas that was leaking them.

Schuerholz is the Buzzie Bavasi of his generation; when he's offering a prospect up for trade, that means he isn't as good as everyone thought, and the Braves have figured it out.

See, this -- I don't buy. There's no reason whatsoever to throw that out there and just assume Saltalamacchia has some hidden flaw that only master gemologist Schuerholz can spot. I love, though, how Braves' fans do this -- they laud Schuerholz and their scouts for drafting so well, and developing talent, and talk about how great all their prospects are, until the very day that one of them gets traded . . . at which time that prospect (unlike all the others, mind you, who are still all destined for superstardom) becomes certain to be a bum.

Unless he's Dye, or Schmidt, or Betamit, mind you. Sigh. The whole thing is overrated. Saltalamacchia might pan out; he might not. But it's not somehow a certainty now just because Schuerholz "knows" it or he wouldn't have traded him. He didn't trade Saltalamacchia because he "knows" something. He traded the kid because he has a surplus of young catchers, and he needed a first baseman like a Hummer needs gas.

Salty isn't flawed or doomeed to failure...that's not what JS is all about. It's about selling when his commodities are at peak value. Right now Salty's value is at an all-time high so he's selling high.

See, this -- I don't buy. There's no reason whatsoever to throw that out there and just assume Saltalamacchia has some hidden flaw that only master gemologist Schuerholz can spot. I love, though, how Braves' fans do this -- they laud Schuerholz and their scouts for drafting so well, and developing talent, and talk about how great all their prospects are, until the very day that one of them gets traded . . . at which time that prospect (unlike all the others, mind you, who are still all destined for superstardom) becomes certain to be a bum.

As I said in the other thread, Schuerholz' record in this respect is quite good, and has been documented. That does not mean he is right in this case, but it should be considered.

See, this -- I don't buy. There's no reason whatsoever to throw that out there and just assume Saltalamacchia has some hidden flaw that only master gemologist Schuerholz can spot.

I wish I had the time and desire to go back and find one of the various threads where you advocated trusting Minaya on questionable moves because of his track record.

Tex went to college in Atlanta, I'm not sure if that betters the Braves chances of re-signing or extending him.

I think JS is hoping this turns out to be this decade's version of the Crime Dog trade. Better get the fire extinguishers ready in the press box.

Seriously, thi sis value for value, but the Braves are overpaying here. too many prospects, and too many high level prospects

Teixeira is a 27-year-old with some of the best hitting tools of his generation.

Also, Teixeira was born the same year as a certain 1b for the Cardinals, so there's really no chance that he has "the best hitting tools of his generation."

I think JS is hoping this turns out to be this decade's version of the Crime Dog trade,

I said that in the other thread, so I of course agree.

I said that in the other thread, so I of course agree.

Not been following baseball for a week! had a couple of good cricket matches to watch!!

I wish I had the time and desire to go back and find one of the various threads where you advocated trusting Minaya on questionable moves because of his track record.

I don't think Sam is saying that Schuerholz doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt, just that there's no reason to assume that the fact that Schuerholz traded Salty means that he won't pan out. It is possible that both sides will benefit from the trade -- i.e., Teixiera will help the Braves, and Salty will turn into a good player.

I wish I had the time and desire to go back and find one of the various threads where you advocated trusting Minaya on questionable moves because of his track record.

Oh, I do trust Schuerholz based on his track record, and I think this was a good move. I just don't think Schuerholz's track record is any reason to suppose Saltalamacchia is flawed, or even overrated, as a prospect. I think you have to look at the circumstances of this deal on its own terms, and see that Daniels had a very valuable commodity that Schuerholz really wanted. It is more likely Schuerholz simply paid a high (though IMO reasonable) price for Teixeira, than that he paid a cheap (and flawed) price for him.

If they are having doubts about this trade, Braves' fans should absolutely give John Schuerholz the benefit of the doubt based on his track record. Just as I would give Omar Minaya the benefit of the doubt if he made a move I found questionable (as opposed to utterly moronic . . .), because he's done so well by us to date. Have I said anything to contradict that?

EDIT: What Yeaarrgghhhh said . . . .

I wouldn't like/dislike a trade based solely on JS's previous trading record. . . but it certainly should inform the discussion of such a trade.

Salty looks like a lock for a 800+ OPS from the Catcher's spot.
Start him a first base and leave him the hell alone. That would have worked fine.

A lock? I'm not sure about that. Salty's a hell of a prospect, but given JS/Cox's record on getting young players into the lineup and giving them consistent at-bats, I wouldn't rush to condemn this trade yet. I mean, it's not like Dusty Baker is running the ATL show.

I'm a Braves fan, and think (and hope) Saltalamacchia will be a fine player, whether at C or 1B. But for now, I love the trade: Brayan Pena is a decent backup to McCann, Salty's basically learning 1b on the fly and Teixiera offers a far better chance at power numbers for the rest of the season, at Atlanta's weakest-hitting position.

Sam's assessment is the most on-target, I believe.

Even if Salty turns out to be an all-star catcher, I think this is a good trade, esp. if they can re-sign Teixeira. It's certainly not a case of selling their future down the river. Regardless, you should work to improve your team now if you've got a contender on your hands.

I suspect JS has another move for a pitcher up his sleeve.

And Texas can include Melhuse or Laird as a backup in another trade. Any other trade possibilities for Texas?

This seems a little ludicrous to me, but apparently the NY Post is reporting that the Rangers might consider sending Laird and a reliever to the Cubbies for Felix Pie. I don't see how that makes any sense for the Cubs without it being Gagne, and I don't see how the Rangers do it unless the reliever is Joaquin Benoit or Frankie Francisco or someone of that ilk.

Has Pie's stock dropped THAT much?

Andy Marte was a lock to OPS 900+ at 3B. How's that working out?

Guess this trade could've been worse -- assuming that Hanson isn't the other pitching prospect. The Braves are giving up a lot of talented prospects, but low-level ones. Andrus hasn't played above A-ball nor has he performed up to his tools, and Feliz, while reportedly having a great arm, has pitched all of 56 professional innings of rookie ball. Salty is a stud. I'm was hoping for a better arm than Mahay but what can you do.

Has Pie's stock dropped THAT much?

I think he's been passed by Angel Pagan. Which would mean the Cubs, like the Braves, would be trading from depth to fix weakness.

I like this deal from both ends -- I'd put both GMs down with high grades at first glance. The Braves gave up expendable pieces, albeit highly regarded pieces and it sounds like the Rangers worked this player shopping thing well, getting the best possible return. Neither team is taking a huge risk -- yes, who knows what the future holds for Salty, but he's always been highly regarded and certainly looked like he belongs in his short time in the bigs. They get a couple nice, talented --but raw -- prospects who may or may not pan out. The Braves get a premier (or at least near premier) switch hitting slugger who just happens to play a position of need -- and at only 27, isn't just a swan song or half season rental (he's still BRaves property next year, even if they don't work out an extension). I would wonder if he could also slide over to 3B when chipper's done, if he stays in town.

Phil Rogers may just be blowing smoke (and despite not liking Pie as much as most, I hope he is) -- but Phil reported a Laird/Mahay for Pie deal being a possibility. That would be monumentally dumb trade -- and I think unlikely since the Padres were apparently told just 2-3 weeks ago that Pie was "as untouchable as untouchable gets". I don't agree with Pie being untouchable -- but I certainly wouldn't want a Laird/Mahay for him.

####in' A! JS is a genius. He never should have written that book about himself though.

PECOTA puts Saltalamacchia as a pretty consistent .270/.350/.460 guy with slightly below average defense, a consistent 4 to 4.5 WARP guy through his age 26 season. Sounds like a pretty accurate projection to me. That's certainly a good player to have, but I don't think it's the kind of guy you fret too much about trading for an MVP-contending type of player, which I am very confident Tex will be.

BTW -- Tex went to school in Georgia, but I think he's from Baltimore... I read somewhere that he dreamed of playing in Camden.


Also - I know he's a 1B/DH, so the bar is a bit higher... but I think people are confusing him with Pat Burrell (i.e., supposedly once in a generation hitters that haven't lived up to expectations).

He's played in 162 games each of hte last 2 seasons -- so he appears to be pretty durable. He's put up 103, 128, 146, 123, and 138 OPS+ in 4 1/2 seasons, with lines of:
.259/.331/.480 (age 23)
.281/.370/.560 (age 24)
.301/.379/.560 (age 25)
.282/.371/.514 (age 26)
.297/.397/.524 (so far this year at age 27).

Forgive me for lighting the match -- but a lot of folks seem to be undervaluing Teixeira... did you all overpay for him in fantasy baseball last year thinking he go from a OPS+ of 146 in 2005 to something otherworldly in 2006?

The kid can flat out hit. Good eye - but not Ensbergian has-to-sit-on-mistakes, good power, .283 lifetime hitter...

The Cubs don't need a 1B (or even a 3B -- though I bet he could handle the position as well as A-Ram) -- but if they did, I'd be willing to give the Rangers pretty much the pick of my farm system (say... Pie+Veal+whomever) for a hitter of his skills and age.

In looking up Neftali Feliz, I came across this kid Cole Rohrbough who the braves drafted last year as a JUCO draft and follow. They gave him $730k to sign in May and he's been freakin' nasty so far - 0.59 ERA in 30 IP with 6 BB and 52 Ks, no homers allowed in the Appy League. In his last 3 starts, he's given up 2 hits, pitched 16 innings, walked 2, and struck out 33, while allowing no runs to score. All hail our new Cole Rohrbough overlords!

A quick synopsis of the Braves trading of prospects of note (list not meant to be exhausitve):

Melvin Nieves. All the rage. Traded as part of the McGriff deal

David Nied. Oh yes he was all the hoo-ha. Rob Neyer said so. Left available in the expansion draft.

Tony Tarasco. Traded as part of the package for Marquis Grissom.

Mike Kelly. Traded for Chad Fox and Ray King

Jason Schmidt. Traded to Pirates for Denny Neagle

Ron Wright. Went with Schmidt to Pirates for Neagle

Jermaine Dye. Traded to Royals for Michael Tucker Keith Lockhart

Bruce Chen. Traded for Andy Ashby

Jose Capellan. Traded for Danny Kolb

Andy Marte

Wilson Betemit

Was Jung Bong considered any good?

@ #92

Adam Wainwright

Jung Bong and Bubba Nelson for Reitsma. Both of them were supposed to be decent. You missed Wainwright for 1 yr of Drew

Neagle gave couple of very good years for Schmidt. I think that was a good trade

I think the Marte trade gives JS the benefit of the doubt until he actually makes a losing trade in the future.

Dye's the only move I'd count as a loss.

I remember alot of Braves fans being upset about Dan Meyer for Tim Hudson.

The recent Betemit-for-nothing and McBride-for-nothing deals aren't exactly resume builders.

Tex also has a gold glove!

Oh, I do trust Schuerholz based on his track record, and I think this was a good move. I just don't think Schuerholz's track record is any reason to suppose Saltalamacchia is flawed, or even overrated, as a prospect.

I agree on Salty; if the Braves didn't have McCann, they wouldn't be trading him. It's not that there's a flaw, just useable depth.

Were I another organization, I'd be wary of Braves pitching prospects, but maybe it's just that Schuerholz subscribes to TINSTAAPP.

Here's the thing. Schmidt was ok in Pittsburgh but not GREAT. Neagle won 36 games over two years. Jason Schmidt didn't become JASON SCHMIDT until he got into that big ballpark in San Fran.

And Jermaine Dye took two years before hitting his stride in KC. Meanwhile, the Braves were winning pennants and a World Series. I think they are over it.