Rowland's Office

Ted coming to the Ted?

This is the second post I've done in a row whose headline ends with a question mark. Kinda goofy, eh? Especially since I've written about two posts in the past month.

Anyway, Ted Turner told Robin Roberts on Good Morning America -- who knew she was on Good Morning America? Who knew Good Morning America was still on TV? -- that he'd like to buy the Braves. Maybe he was kidding. I haven't seen the clip.

Three or four years ago, I would have greeted this like I would news the home team had traded for Jake Peavy and Albert Pujols. Now, I'm not so sure.

Yeah, it'd be a hell of a lot more fun having Ted sitting in the box seats every night. But the dude has proven in the past few years that he's loonier than ever. North Korea's not so bad? Sorry, Capt. Outrageous. Gonna have to disagree with you there, as Bill Lumberg said.

According to Bill Shanks' piece about this, Liberty has to hold onto the club until at least 2011. So this is probably just Ted muttering.

--CD

Good news for Azar's

The Braves want Fukey back, says Ken Rosenthal. That assumes the Peavy deal goes through, and contrary to our previous post, Rosenthal said it's not close to being finalized.

There will be plenty of competition for Furcal. The Dodgers want him back, and as many as 10 other teams are rumored to have interest. Fukey wants a four-year deal, which would be too much for a guy coming off back surgery.

Raffy, 31, was having a career-year last season before his injury. He looked spry after his return, and the Braves would fill two huge holes -- SS and lead-off -- by signing him. 

--CB

Peavy on the way?

Cbs Sportsline reports that the Peavy deal is close to done. If this guy, Scott Miller, is right, the home team would give up Yesco, Gorkys, probably Morton and either Boyer or Jeff Locke. 

That would be no steal, but a good deal for the Bravos. Established aces like Peavy just done come along very often. And to get him without giving up Hanson or another of the organization's top pitching prospects, and for a very reasonable salary, would be an excellent way to start the offseason for Wren.

Yesco could be a star. So could Hernandez. Morton might be a good middle of the rotation starter. Boyer? I'm not sure why they'd want him over Locke. Apparently the Podrees want bullpen help now. In exchange for one of the top starters in baseball, you make that deal. No doubt.

--CD

Frenchy IS available, Wren says

“We haven’t talked about him at all,” Wren said. “It’s not to say that we wouldn’t.”

Man against boys

That's how DOB described Tommy Hanson's outing Wednesday. The phenom struck out nine in five innings, allowing one run, one walk and three hits. 

He’s now 4-0 in the AFL with an 0.76 ERA. In 23-2/3 innings pitched, Hanson's allowed only nine hits, two runs and five walks, striking out 39. 

Meanwhile, Tyler Flowers hit another homer, and DOB says the Padres are trying to talk Frank Wren into substituting him for Gorkys. The Braves are reluctant, and should be. Power-hitting catchers are a rare breed. 

--CB

Field of Crap

If you asked me yesterday what I thought of "Field of Dreams," I would've probably spoken favorably. It had been years since I last watched it -- must've been high as shit. 

The movie reminded me of the Christian Rock Hard episode of "South Park," in which the record exec questions Cartman's feelings toward Christ. "You really, really love Jesus." "Yeah, don't you?" 

If I had to spend the day listening to Kevin Costner's character spew his cornball pronouncements about the game I'd turn to football. Go suck off a Louisville slugger and be done with it, Ray. 

Then there's all that hippie angst -- "Oh, I'm turning into my father" ... 

Finally, if you're making a valentine to the game, get your facts straight. Nothing against Ray Liotta, but having him play Shoeless Joe Jackson would be like casting Johnny Depp as Babe Ruth. 

I'm not against sentimentality (the subplot about Moonlight Graham was a nice touch). And I'll admit, the movie worked for me the first time I saw it. 

Must've been high.

--CB

That's what I get for bashing Jim Bowden

The Nats GM just completed a deal the Braves should've made. Imagine trading the likes of Lillibridge, Brandon Jones and Jo-Jo Reyes for a 24-year-old southpaw who topped 200 innings in '08 and a right-handed hitting left fielder who averages 25 homers and 85 RBI a season? 

Granted, Scott Olsen is a hothead, and Josh Willingham is recovering from a herniated disc, but I would've made this trade in a heartbeat. 

--CB

Sounds like something Jim Bowden would do

John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus predicts Tex will wind up in Washington with a 10-year, $200 mil deal. Bowden is also reportedly pursuing Adam Dunn.  

How the hell does he keep his job? 

--CB

If Yesco goes, who plays SS?

Two former Braves are free agents: Fukey, injury-prone of late but electric in the postseason, and Edgar, coming off a subpar season in Detroit. 

The demand for Fukey is high, and his price tag is estimated to be 30 mil for two years, a bit rich for the Braves. His skill atop the order would fill two needs. 

Edgar would be much more affordable and is only a year removed from a .332 average. But you can't overlook his declining range. Edgar's only 33 but has 13 big league seasons under his belt. By most accounts he's starting to show his age.

Orlando Cabrera is a year older but a step faster. He won a Gold Glove in '07 while batting .301 with 86 RBI. He struggled a bit in Chicago last year, publicly questioned his teammates and, on a few occasions, the official scorer. As far as I know he had never been considered a malcontent before, and his play down the stretch for the '04 Red Sox was widely hailed. He can bat lead-off, though his OBP is below average. Cabrera's defense remains above par. I expect he'll get 3 years at 10 mil per. 

Before you lobby for Omar Infante, consider that his career fielding percentage at short is .960, well below the league average. I have my doubts about his ability to play every day, though he made a pretty strong case last season. He's still only 27. 

You can't underestimate Yesco's departure. Brent Lillibridge has seemingly turned into Pat Rockett, leaving Brandon Hicks as the only decent SS prospect in the Braves system. Hicks has intriguing power (582 career AB's, 40 doubles, 27 HR, 91 RBI) and good range. The 2007 third-round draft pick is expected to start the 2009 season in Mississippi. 

--CB

Tommy Hanson is overrated

He finally allowed a run -- the Braves might as well trade him.

Kidding, of course. Hanson's AFL stats continue to wow: 18.2 IP, 6 HA, 4 BB, 30 K's. He may be the Braves' best pitching prospect since Steve Avery, though you could make a case for Kevin Millwood and Adam Wainwright. 

Kris Medlin is also impressing in 'zona: 15 IP, 12 HA, 1 BB, 17 K's. In the 'pen, Stephen Marek has logged nine scoreless innings. At the plate, Ty Flowers continues to mash, with seven homers and a .352 batting average. 

Mixed results in Mexico for Jordan Schafer. The good: .281 BA, .361 OBP, seven steals. The bad: 23 strikeouts (in 96 AB's) and a paltry .354 slugging percentage. The strikeouts worry me. 

--CB