Braves Close to getting Mark Texeira

[KB21]

There is talk all over the internet that says a deal for Mark Texeira could be done as soon as today. Bill Shanks has a big podcast about it on his The Braves Show website, and Dave O'Brien has been talking about it a lot as well. Both seem to think something could get done soon.

I like Mark Texeira. I don't really like having to give up Jarrod Saltalamacchia to get him. However, it's pretty obvious that Bobby doesn't feel Salty is adequate enough at first base, which is why we are seeing Julio Franco start 5 out of the last 6 games at 1B. Even with this said, I think the Braves go into this deal knowing full well that Tex is probably a 1.5 year rental. I highly doubt the Braves will be able to resign him after the 2008 season when he becomes a free agent. Tex is going to be in that 18-20 million per year range. Plus, he is represented by Scott Boras.

There is a lot of talk about who else may be included in the deal, and Elvis Andrus's name has been thrown out there. To give up Salty and Andrus, I think the Braves would be sacrificing their future for a run now, which could signal that both Bobby and John don't expect to be around after the 2008 season.

We will have to see what happens. I think this deal could be the Adam Wainwright for JD Drew deal revisited though.

[DJ_Money]

Can he pitch the 9th?

Tex would be a huge boost and gives us stability at the 1B position. Looking to next year, we've got our cleanup hitter. But can we keep him past 2008? He's another Boras client. Liberty better be opening the checkbook, because I'll hate to see Salty gone for anything less than a long-term solution.

The two guys I really don't want to see traded are Salty and Brandon Jones. We've got so many middle infield prospects, I'm fine with giving up Escobar or Elvis to get another SP or somebody (anybody!) to help the bullpen.

I didn't like the idea of trading Edgar, either. Maybe that can be explored this winter, but not right now.

[D.R.P.]

I wouldn't give up Salty in a deal unless it was for a highly capable starting pitcher like a Dontrell Willis. I think Juilio Franco is a great guy and all to have on the team, but he shouldn't be starting over Salty; it looks like old age has finally caught up with Julio.

[KB21]

Escobar is the one guy that Braves have no desire to give up. They love him, and they actually offered Renteria to Chicago for John Garland to open up a spot for Escobar.

[DJ_Money]

I like Escobar, but he's got more value as a trading chip than he does to us.

Escobar can't match Kelly Johnson's OBP or SLG. Kelly has more value to us than Escobar, whether he's hitting 1st or 6th.

If you're trying to contend this year, which a trade for Teixeira would obviously signal, don't trade the guy with the 3rd highest average in the NL. Having your 1/2/3 hitters (KJ/Edgar/Chipper) all with OBPs hovering around .400 makes us extremely dangerous, even given Andruw's struggles.

Escobar can't replace Edgar's production at the plate. Edgar is signed through 2008, I believe, when we could replace him with any number of middle infield prospects in our system (Lillibridge, Andrus, etc.)

Escobar should be able to easily get us a decent reliever, or a starter when packaged with another prospect. Don't trade Edgar, and surely don't trade him for Jon Garland.

[AHF]

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I think Julio Franco is a great guy and all to have on the team, but he shouldn't be starting over Salty

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That is my feeling, as well.

[frosgrim]

While I think everyone would like another starting pitcher, the market doesn't seem to have one for the Braves (or anyone for that matter). Getting Tex would instantly make the Braves offense the deadliest in the NL. So, I like J.S.'s approach. Since we can't find any pitching on the market, why not go out and get the best 1st baseman available. His offense will push us past the Mets, IMO. Plus make us very difficult to deal with in the post-season.

Willie/KJ

Edger

Chipper

Tex

Frenchy

McCann

Andruw

KJ/Diaz

Pitcher

Good grief we'll score 5 to 6 runs a night with that line-up.

The other thing that getting Tex does is that it covers the loss of Andruw next season. We don't need Andy's bat if we have Tex. CF can be handled either by J.F. or Willie Harris.

I hope this trade happens. Salty is a nice prospect, but Tex is a serious power and RBI threat.

[matt52500]

Elvis Andrus should not be traded, no matter what. An 18 year old middle infielder with a ton of upside. In saying that, Teixeira would be a great addition for a sorry production position we have, and I would hate to give up Salty for him. But it would make our lineup dangerous. We still need some help, especially a left reliever that can get lefties out (ie- not Ledezma). Hopefully Schuerholz has some cards up his sleeve and can get us some more pitching.

[gsuteke]

Salty may be a good player. Texeira is already a great player.

I would try to work out an extension. if not Andruw is walking so spend that money on someone who will give you better #s.

[AHF]

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Salty may be a good player. Texeira is already a great player.

I would try to work out an extension. if not Andruw is walking so spend that money on someone who will give you better #s.

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If we sign Tex long-term, I don't have a problem with dealing Salty. That would give us our long-term C and 1B anyway.

If we don't sign Tex long-term, that would be a problem for me. I don't like giving up studly young players for rentals.

[gsuteke]

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Salty may be a good player. Texeira is already a great player.

I would try to work out an extension. if not Andruw is walking so spend that money on someone who will give you better #s.

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If we sign Tex long-term, I don't have a problem with dealing Salty. That would give us our long-term C and 1B anyway.

If we don't sign Tex long-term, that would be a problem for me. I don't like giving up studly young players for rentals.

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this one is different in that we have an All-Star in front of Salty in addition to Texeira having 1.5 years left on his deal, not just half a season.

You play to win the games brother.

[AHF]

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Salty may be a good player. Texeira is already a great player.

I would try to work out an extension. if not Andruw is walking so spend that money on someone who will give you better #s.

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If we sign Tex long-term, I don't have a problem with dealing Salty. That would give us our long-term C and 1B anyway.

If we don't sign Tex long-term, that would be a problem for me. I don't like giving up studly young players for rentals.

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this one is different in that we have an All-Star in front of Salty in addition to Texeira having 1.5 years left on his deal, not just half a season.

You play to win the games brother.

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We'd be winning more games if we hadn't traded Wainwright for Drew!

[Dukegotgame]

won't happen be gone by then? we will have a lot of money to spend with hampton and most likely andruw gone. i dont see why we couldnt resign texiera and i dont think JS is dumb enough to trade such highly touted players for a rental

[gsuteke]

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Salty may be a good player. Texeira is already a great player.

I would try to work out an extension. if not Andruw is walking so spend that money on someone who will give you better #s.

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If we sign Tex long-term, I don't have a problem with dealing Salty. That would give us our long-term C and 1B anyway.

If we don't sign Tex long-term, that would be a problem for me. I don't like giving up studly young players for rentals.

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this one is different in that we have an All-Star in front of Salty in addition to Texeira having 1.5 years left on his deal, not just half a season.

You play to win the games brother.

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We'd be winning more games if we hadn't traded Wainwright for Drew!

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well sometimes you have to take certain things into account, like will said player give you a hometown discount (hudson) or will said player go where ever he can make 10 bucks more (drew).

[AHF]

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Salty may be a good player. Texeira is already a great player.

I would try to work out an extension. if not Andruw is walking so spend that money on someone who will give you better #s.

---

If we sign Tex long-term, I don't have a problem with dealing Salty. That would give us our long-term C and 1B anyway.

If we don't sign Tex long-term, that would be a problem for me. I don't like giving up studly young players for rentals.

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this one is different in that we have an All-Star in front of Salty in addition to Texeira having 1.5 years left on his deal, not just half a season.

You play to win the games brother.

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We'd be winning more games if we hadn't traded Wainwright for Drew!

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well sometimes you have to take certain things into account, like will said player give you a hometown discount (hudson) or will said player go where ever he can make 10 bucks more (drew).

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Agreed. Although I like Texiera, isn't his agent Scott "Give My Client 50 Bucks More" Boras?

[Dukegotgame]

on my last post, i was talking about mike hampton. i dont know why "happen" showed up.. sorry for the confusion

[frosgrim]

Has any client of Boras ever signed a deal that he didn't later regret due to playing in the wrong place? I mean he gets his guys HUGE contracts, but they never seem to be in places where they win consistently. Maybe he has a few guys on the Yankees when the Yanks were winning, but other than that who?

Point is, 25 mil a season doesn't mean you'll be happy making that money while on the field. Look at A-rod and his problems in NY or even while he was with Texas. That contract is an albatross for the teams. Manny has a huge deal that the Sox can't move, even when Manny wanted to go somewhere else. J.D. Drew has only been healthy and productive in Atlanta, yet he took a ton of money to go to LA and now the Red Sox.

Andruw is going to find out that going for the big bucks isn't necessarily going to buy him a lot of joy on the field. Tex might realize that and take a hometown contract with the Braves.

At any rate, its still a good deal to get Tex to help John Smoltz and the Braves win another WS. Sort of like when we got Fred McGriff.

[KB21]

Which may be what ultimately happens with Texeira. There is already strong talk that when he hits the market, he will go to Baltimore (he's originally from Maryland). Baltimore is one of those teams that isn't afraid to spend big, and they will be willing to give Texeira the likely 7 year, $140 million deal he will command.

I don't want to look at this team in 2009 and see Kala Kaaihue struggling in his rookie season at 1B while Jarrod Saltalamacchia is hitting 30+ home runs for Texas and Texeira is hitting 30+ home runs for Baltimore. Sure, Kaaihue has tremendous power. He's hit something like 35 home runs in 140 career games at Myrtle Beach, which is amazing considering that park's reputation as a pitcher's park. The thing I notice with Kaaihue is the same thing I noticed with Andy Marte....Kaaihue strikes out entirely too much. Out of 360 some odd at bats this year, Kaaihue has struck out 92 times. It may not be quite Adam Dunn like, but it is close. To me, his saving grace is the fact that he can still hit .300 with 22 home runs despite the fact that he strikes out that much. If he could cut his strike out totals in half, he could be a legitimate .300 hitter at the major league level.

[frosgrim]

The thing is, Smoltz is entering into his final years, same with Bobby, J.S., and possibly Chipper. Getting Tex would give the Braves that big-bat that is sorely needed by the club.

I heard last night that the deal is shaping up into a large one. We are possibly gettting Tex and Milwood from the Rangers. This morning there is mention of a reliever as well. Going out from the Braves are prospects: Salty, Elvis, and a pitcher not named Jo-Jo Reyes. This trade looks very good to me. I am sure, however, that the Rangers are going to want a little more, but I don't know if they could get more on the market than what the Braves are offering.

Prospects are prospects, they aren't proven. I remember when we made the McGriff trade Nieves was supposed to be the next big thing, he did nothing. The same can be said of a ton of other trades the Braves have made. In fact there really are only two trades that I wish the Braves hadn't made, the Justic deal and the Dye deal. Other than those, J.S. has made out well. Possibly the JD Drew deal, but Wainwright didn't look all that good last night.

[KB21]

There is a lot of talk about this trade. The talk has ranged from a package that includes Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jo-Jo Reyes, and Elvis Andrus to a package that includes Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison, and Brent Lillibridge.

I've seen some articles that say the Braves are wanting Ron Mahay in this deal as well, and then Steve Phillips comments that he heard Kevin Millwood may be part of the deal.

My personal feeling is still that I don't want to give up Salty for a 1 and a half year rental, particularly when I'm not convinced that Kala Kaaihue is the guy that can take over for Tex after he leaves as a free agent.

I'd rather give up Lillibridge than Andrus, and I'd rather give up Reyes than either Davies or Harrison.