Baseball Prospectus – Transaction Analysis: March 2-7, 2004

I am reminded, however, that the Braves brought in Dave Nilsson, and that I neglected to talk about him. Nilsson is, in theory, exactly the sort of player the Braves should have signed instead of Eddie Perez — a guy who can catch some and also play a couple of other positions. Since he hits lefty, he’s a good match for Marrero. This way, you have two guys who can back up Estrada and pinch-hit, plus fill in at other positions.

In reality, he hasn’t played in the majors for four years, his health is a little questionable, and the Braves don’t have a roster spot for him unless Perez’s arm falls off. Which is possible. If he’s willing to wait in Richmond for awhile he could get called up for the Matt Franco role.