Macon Telegraph | 01/08/2006 | Braves may be looking for closer next month
Only Reitsma is back, and the comments from Schuerholz indicate he is not viewed as the top candidate for ninth-inning work.
I’m guessing, from these comments, that he will wait until spring training. If someone looks really good then, he can win the job. If not, they’ll bite the bullet and make the Baez trade. I hope someone looks good.
Not a bad idea with so many new additions and rookies on the team to see what you have first but if there are no closers left to deal for at season’s start then he has to hope that he can pick up another Farnsworth after the allstar break.
Following the other thread on LaRoche I see Durazo is a free agent and has not been signed to a contract. The Braves were hot on him 2 years ago. Has he has a career threatening injury?
What about the Braves getting Ryan Klesko?
Wonder who we will have to give up for Baez …. ?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF FRANCOEUR!!!
It is amazing to me how there is so much talk of the closer without any comments from the new pitching coach Roger McDowell on this matter-even if it is just scenarios or philosophy. Looking for this guy to come out of the closet.
Today is Elvis’s birhday too
The Bengals think Carson Palmer may be ready by tranning camp. Torn ACL
Durazo underwent Tommy John surgery last year. Not “career threatening”, except in the sense that teams will be wary of taking a chance on him. He’s a lefty 1B though, and so long as the Brave’s mgmt shares ububba’s view of things, it’s not going to happen.
Durazo has gone downhill fast. If the Braves want a RH caddy for Laroche, they should call Pittsburgh and see what Craig Wilson would cost.
Durazo was just fine in 2004, and his numbers last year were probably a result of injury. I don’t see the Braves going for him, though.
I think we have a closer on the team right now, we just don’t know it yet.
Where is Kerry Ligtenberg these days?
He signed a minor league deal with the Marlins.
keepman – Roger McDowell has an hour long audio interview with Bill Shanks in the scout.com premium section.
I’m guessing that the Braves share my view that Durazo, before his injury, was a helluva offensive player.
If JS wants him, I’m sure he’ll be given a full physical. If he can play & not cost a ton, he could be a valuable guy.
I’ll always remember that opposite-field HR he hit off Glavine in the 2001 NLCS; it landed about 2 rows in front of me.
I think Durazo is pretty brutal in the field, enough to give back most of whatever advantage he’d have over Adam on offense. He couldn’t be platooned with Adam and would likely be too expensive to do so to boot. I think a Matt Diaz/Adam LaRoche platoon would provide pretty good offense at 1B for 650k and two roster spots, so I hope that’s what we end up with.