New names to add to the potential trade candidate pool are; Ryan Braun, Justin Upton, B.J. Upton, Carlos Quentin, Delmon Young, and the all of the Oakland A's outfielders. Also available is Dan Uggla, it is believed that the Braves would move him to left field in the unlikely circumstance that they trade for him.
New the free agent pool is Scott Podsednik, the Dodgers picked up their half of his mutual option, but he declined. Indicating that he will probably be looking to make more than the 2Million that he would have made had he picked it up.
I'd also like to add Magglio Ordonez to the pool of available free agent outfielders, I didn't list him earlier because I was unsure if the broken ankle he suffered would allow him to start spring training normally. It appears that he is doing well and is going to be ready to play in the spring. He looks to be in line for a 1-2 year deal worth 6-10 million per season.
Breaking down the trade candidates;
Ryan Braun- He is exactly the player the Braves wold love to have, a young player(27 next season) coming into his prime. In four seasons he's never hit less than 25 home runs, and only hit under .300 once, he also brings some speed to the table stealing at least 14 bases in every big league season. He also has a fairly team friendly contract that runs through 2015, which means that by the time that his money starts to get fairly substantial the Braves will have Chipper Jones and Derek Lowe off the books. The bad part about Braun is the fact that he's coming off a relative down year hitting a career low 25 home runs with an OPS of .866, he also rates slightly below average in LF with a -9.3 UZR and he will likely cost a hefty price to move.
The Brewers are desperate for pitching which means they will likely be asking for an MLB ready arm and either a top pitching prospect and a bullpen arm or two top prospects. A scenario that has been speculated is Jiar Jurrgens, Randall Delgado and Arodys Vizcaino for Braun. The Brewers would have more incentive to trade Corey Hart while his stock is up, but don't seem inclined to do so.
Justin Upton- We have been hearing about Upton for years which makes it hard to believe that the Diamondback talented right fielder will only be 23 during the 2011 season. He brings power and speed to the table, and though he is still developing as a player his ceiling is incredibly high. Last year he digressed some after his 2009 all star campaign(.300/26/86) but is still considered to be the D-Backs main building block should they choose to keep him posting a .273/16/66 line last season.
His contract like Braun's runs through 2015, it's a little less team friendly reaching 14.5 million in it's final season to Braun's 12million. He has a higher ceiling so the asking price could be even higher, to net Upton Frank Wren would likely need to trade top pitching prospect Julio Tehran. That makes this deal even less likely to happen. In Atlanta he would have to move to left or center field with Jason Heyward entrenched in right, Upton has said in the past the he can play CF and his 7.6 UZR in RF indicate he may be correct.
B.J. Upton-The older Upton Brother is only 25 and has been a full time big league player since 2007 when he found a permanent home in CF after bouncing around the infield at 2B and 3B for a few seasons. His hitting statistics are enigmatic, he clearly has potential to post a .275/25/80 line with 40+ stolen bases, but has yet to put all that potential together. His batting average has dropped steadily every season, though his power last season was better than every year other than 2007.
He's an above average defensive center fielder so that would allow Nate McLouth to play left field, but the Braves don't seem inclined to add another streaky bat to their outfield mix. The asking price is reportedly an all time low, but I wouldn't give this deal a great shot at happening. Though the fact that he's going year to year instead of a long term deal may make him appealing.
Carlos Quentin- He's got more power than any player the Braves have had since Mark Texeria, and is capable of putting up a fantastic offensive year at any time. He's coming off a so-so .243/26/87 campaign, but has been hampered by injuries some in the past few years. He offers nothing defensively, though his numbers in LF (-14 UZR) are less dismal than those he posted in RF (-22) he has an average arm but nearly all of his value is with the bat.
He's gong through arbitration year to year so if he's monstrously unproductive he could always be non-tendered. It's always hard to predict White Sox GM Ken Williams but Wren has worked with him before and both like to move quickly so if a deal happens we probably wont hear about it until it's nearly complete.
Delmon Young- I listed Michael Cuddyer as a trade candidate earlier, but some sources think the Twins are more likely to deal Young. His numbers this year may be slightly above what he's capable(.298/21/112), or he may just be coming into his own as a hitter at age 25. The Twins need bullpen help as most of their 'pen are now free agents, so a Brandon Beachy/Mike Dunn swap for Young may be an optimistic starting point.
Defensively he's rates as just below average in left field(-9.4 UZR) with about an average arm. He also going though year to year arbitration so he won't break the bank unless he puts up monster numbers.
A's Outfielders- I mentioned Coco Crisp in an earlier post, though now that his option has been picked up it seems that Crisp and David DeJesus are the least likely to be moved from the A's. GM Billy Beane has been extremely busy this off season already and probably will be until opening day. With Crips and DeJesus off the table that leaves Rajai Davis, Ryan Sweeny, and Conor Jackson as the potential odd men out in Oakland.
Davis is an all speed guy, he's a decent average hitter(.284 last season) but his OPB is a sometimes a little low at .320 last season. He's a good defensive outfielder at the corners, though slightly below average in center field. He has tons of speed and a terrible arm. The asking price would have to be fairly low for Atlanta to have interest he'll be less expensive than some other options, but his age 30 next season will likely make him less appealing.
Sweeny is also a good corner outfielder who can play center, but not any better than Nate McLouth. He has a decent arm and good on base skills but almost no power and not a lot of speed. Think Ryan Langerhans with better OBP. Not many teams would view him as an everyday starter and the Braves are among thsoe who would not.
Jackson, will probably be non-tendered coming off an off year even by his modest standards. I like his skills, but with Joe Mather in the fold, with a near identical skill set, don't expect the Braves to be a player for Jackson.
To mention Uggla briefly, he's will be too costly to trade for because the Braves are a division rival. He will be playing outside of Florida in 2011 but don't expect it to be in Atlanta.
To mention Uggla briefly, he's will be too costly to trade for because the Braves are a division rival. He will be playing outside of Florida in 2011 but don't expect it to be in Atlanta.
Speaking again of the free agents, I don't think the Braves will make a play for Scott Podsednik. They could have had him any of the last few seasons and have passed, a declining speed player who is only an above average fielder in right field and has no arm isn't a huge interest to them. Though his speed could make him an interesting platoon option if things are forced to go that way.
Ordonez has had a lot of injuries recently, but could still be very useful if he could be had on a one year deal. His declining range could be hidden a little better in Turner Fields left field as opposed to Comerica's spacious right. Even at this stage he may price himself out of the Brave price range.
To throw in a wild card Softbank Hawks outfielder Hitoshi Tamura is expected to declare international free agency today. He's an older guy at 34 but has displayed power when healthy with 24 home runs this season, and as many as 40 in a season in the NPB . He's had injury issues, but could be very good in a platoon or semi full time role. It's negotiable if he's that much better than Matt Diaz and if his body could hold up for a full season, but at the 1-3 million one year deal he will likely get he could be a decent piece. Frank Wren might be wary of Japanese players after the Kawakmi deal, though Saito worked out good.
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