Braves Report

Update: Apparently, Diaz went on the DL, so everything below about him is contingent on him coming back healthy.

Well, two months into the season and we need to look at what we need. Today is the first part of a two-part series. I’ll talk about players who we can trade and who has the most value in a trade. For the record, I’m not suggesting these players because I dislike them. The reason they are here is because they will have some value in trades, and I think it is reasonable that they could be traded (I realize most would want Chipper, Brian, or Frenchy, but they aren’t going anywhere).

Kelly Johnson

I don’t even want to suggest his name, but he has a lot of value. It was indicated that he was the most asked about player on the Braves in the offseason, and his start (.297/.356/.487/ 5 HR / 22 RBI) has not doused those flames. At age 26, he is still young and has something most second basemen don’t have, power. Although he’s had issues with the glove, most teams will look past that for the offensive prowess and that this is only his second season at the position. With Lillibridge, Prado, Infante, and Gotay hanging around to succeed Johnson, Johnson becomes expendable. Again, I really like Johnson, and if we could have him and Escobar in the middle for the next five years, it may end up being the best middle infield in baseball. Yet, he has a lot of trade value. My guess is that he or Lillibridge will not be around come August 1.

Brent Lillibridge

The young (and even younger looking) shortstop could be an integral piece in a Braves trade this season. At age 24, he is young, has a good arm, plays multiple positions, has speed, and has pop. Again, my bet is that either he or Johnson is gone this season and whoever is left will be the starting second baseman next season (Infante will probably get the job the rest of this season if Johnson is traded). I like Lillibridge as well, and I even saw him for a couple games when Richmond came to Louisville. He looks good. He even hit well for those couple of games although I think a couple bullets were caught. His inability to hit in Richmond may hurt his value, but I bet several teams will inquire about him.

Gregor Blanco

I would hate to see him leave. To me, he should be the starting left-fielder (topic for future blog?) because of his defense, speed, stick, and plate discipline. Also, he should be our lead-off hitter and let Escobar move him around or drive him in. Escobar has done a fine job as the lead-off hitter, but I feel he is more of a No. 2. But I digress. Blanco’s turn around will look good to a lot of teams looking for center fielders, and he could fetch something decent, or help get something big, for all the reasons above. Again, I want to see him stay, but Anderson, Kotsay (if healthy), and Schafer make him expendable.

Josh Anderson

See above, but substitute Blanco for Anderson. Anderson has been playing well in the minors and doesn’t deserve to be there. Someone will want him, or at least ask about him.

Matt Diaz

Who needs a platoon partner? With Blanco playing well and Kotsay doing well (until getting hurt recently), Diaz may find himself being expendable. He’s not hitting particularly well, and he’s not been very good defensively. With Josh Anderson playing well, it may be better to bring him up to serve as the fourth outfielder and help in case Kotsay continues to be hurt. Although Diaz isn’t hitting now, some teams might be attracted to the fact that he has hit the past two years and that he will hit in a new spot where he might feel like his job isn’t slowly being taken away from him. He doesn’t have the value of Johnson or Lillibridge, but he could be valuable.

Chuck James

Before you yell at me, hear me out. He does have value, just not as much as the previous five. Although he hasn’t pitched well in Atlanta, he has been fantastic in Richmond. Some teams may view his lack of success this season on his lack of third pitch and recent surgery (which also limit his value), but they may also see these as correctable. The next off-season will allow for his shoulder to heal and for him to learn another pitch. Most scouts believe that if you saw it once, it can happen again. He’s still relatively young, and he could be a throw-in to help get an important piece. I doubt Atlanta really wants to bring him back up, and a new place could be what he needs.

Jordan Schafer

Again, before you yell at me, hear me out. Steroids and HGH don’t scare anyone off from trading for players. If he comes back strong from the suspension, he will be wanted. With Blanco playing well, we don’t need Schafer to be the center fielder of the future. To me, he’s still welcome in Atlanta, but it might be a nice PR move for Atlanta to get rid of someone who was involved with PED’s. At age 21, Schafer will look really good to teams in need of center fielders for the future (Padres, Giants, White Sox, Mariners, Astros to name some). If he doesn’t come back strong, he’ll still have some value as a “needs a change of scenery” player, but not as much as he would have otherwise.

I expect at least one or two (maybe three) of these players to be gone by July 31, but there is no knowing yet. Some other minor leaguers will be needed to complete deals. In the next installment, I’ll explain what we need and who might be available.