The Braves limped across the country to LA after losing three straight to the Cubs by a combined margin of 17-6. The Dodgers had won 11 in a row and 31 of their last 35. After the Cubs’ sweep, it appeared that the the Braves’ FO was ready to focus on the continuing rebuild rather than the Quixotic quest for a wild card spot. Reports were that they had traded Jaime Garcia to the Twins for a “minor leaguer.” (What else could the return be–Bartolo Colon?)
So, of course, the Braves defeated the Dodgers 6-3. Folty had another pretty good game. He may not be an ace yet, but he’s becoming consistently good. The offense, which had been moribund through the Cubs series, struck early, scoring 6 runs in the first 4 innings. Inciarte, Freeman, Adams, and Suzuki each had two hits. Kurt’s included a 2 run bomb; why does anyone throw that guy a fastball?
And now this morning, reports are that the Garcia deal may not happen. We’ll just have to keep watching.
If Garcia is dealt, the Braves starter tonight will be Aaron Blair, who has a career MLB ERA of 7 and a half. The Dodgers counter with our old friend Alex Wood, who is 11-0 with a 1.56 ERA. Because this is baseball, the Braves will probably win.
I think I read Bowman saying that there isn’t even an agreement on money and players for Garcia. This is about as “not done” as a deal can get.
If you want to increase his trade value, I’m not sure starting Jaime vs. the Dodgers is the best way to do it? Dodgers as team are pacing the NL in hitting stats vs. lefties (granted they’re also leading vs. righties, but vs. lefties it’s more pronounced).
There will countless trades and rumors of trades over the next week. I guess we shouldn’t believe anything until there is an official announcement.
Trading Garcia for salary relief sends a terrible message to the players on the team. Maybe Coppy is feeling some backlash.
If Coppy is as smart as I think he is, he probably leaks trade rumors, reads BravesJournal for the reaction, then acts accordingly.
As well he should. Trading Garcia to make the team better in the next few years makes sense. Trading him for salary relief this year is insulting to the players and the fans. What would they do with the two months of salary relief?
Of course all of this is just rumor at this point.
@5–He could do worse!
Thanks, tfloyd.
Win today for Jaime’s wish you well gift. Maybe he’ll toss a good one.
So perhaps there’s a bidding war for Garcia now. The very Atlanta outcome here would be that he has to start against LA tonight and gives up 12 runs in the first.
I’ve gotten into the habit of checking our MIL box scores on a daily basis. Our team in Florida seems to be rained out regularly . Does anyone have any factual data to share? Games are cancelled at such a pace that I even considered suggesting that Riley’s promotion was influenced to get him some playing time. Seriously, prospects are losing the equivalent of a DL stretch by playing there.
Central Florida has experienced almost unprecedented amounts of rain this summer, so that’s definitely playing a role. The Braves aren’t the only team that agreed to put a minor league team and/or Spring Training complex in Florida, and I doubt any of them regret it. This has been a weird summer, but my grass and plants really appreciate it.
We haven’t had many fires since the monsoon season began.
@6 – Agreed, trading Garcia makes sense only if 1) a prospect is forcing him out of the rotation, or 2) they get something good for him.
To just dump his salary after 3 months makes me wonder just what did they offer him he salary to do? Because both Garcia and the Braves have done pretty what management must have expected.
Caveat, as always, whatever a GM/manager says in public is just what he wants somebody to hear, and that person may or may not be one of us.
They traded basically nothing (Gant, Ellis, and Dykstra) to get him, so getting even a B-/45 FV type of prospect for him, in addition to the more than half a season of league-average production they got from Garcia, would be a clear win.
There was opportunity cost in that Garcia’s presence on the team has blocked Lucas Sims. Maybe that’s not a big deal. I dunno. Sims would’ve been cheaper, that’s for sure.
I do wonder how you identify if a prospect is, indeed, nothing with the way the Braves/other teams handle their prospects. Gant and Ellis, from a scouting perspective, are no great shakes, and their lack of performance since then probably reinforces that. But both Gant and Ellis were on their 3rd organization in less than 18 months, and is their performance confirmation that they aren’t any good, or would most prospect struggles having 3 sets of coaches, managers, environments, policies, procedures, etc.?
Take a guy like Tyrell Jenkins. 5 organizations in 2 years. Wouldn’t you assume that ost wouldn’t be successful getting jacked around like that?
How did this guy not know how this tweet would be perceived (or did he?):
“LSD” is Lake Shore Drive.
It’s possible the Braves have a handshake deal to trade Garcia to a contender – if so they should honor it. Otherwise I agree just dumping him for salary relief is stupid. Even if he’s blocking someone, he’s only blocking them for, what, another month?
@17: LOL
Kurt Suzuki to bereavement list for grandfather’s death. Anthony Recker will be up but not on 40-man so requires a move.
I reckon that’s extra incentive to get the Garcia trade done in time for the game. If they can’t, I would think the most obvious move would be to shift Adonis to the 60-day DL. If they decide to DFA someone, my guess would be Burgos.
16—Seems like a chicken-and-egg thing to me. Are guys worth more than nothing sent all over creation like Jenkins, Gant, and Ellis were?
15—I don’t think the Braves were ever going to pitch Sims until around now, so the “Sims isn’t pitching” opportunity cost, if there is such a thing, was always going to be a sunk one. If they hadn’t acquired Garcia, they’d have acquired someone else or started Collmenter/Blair/Wisler all year.
If they take back money in any deal for Garcia, it is not because they are trying to save money on him. Coppy will be trying to get the best player he can, but other teams have to be willing to deal.
21-I’d say that unless you have an inside track on the budget requirements and directives to the FO about spending/saving money, you have no way to know this. I’m sure Coppy is trying to get the best return he can, but he may have been told “you must cut $6 million in payroll” for example so short of knowing that it would be impossible to speculate.
Perhaps he got permission to spend what he spent in the offseason because he assured whomever he would trade some of it away…
Kind of what I was thinking, but again we won’t ever be privy to that kind of info.
If the best player they can get is a C prospect then why even bother. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
I would have pitched Wisler and Blair a lot this season, rather than go the FA starting pitcher route. But I don’t care about winning this year nearly as much as our front office guys that have real-world actual constraints.
Anthony Recker
we welcome him back, this aggressive swing checker
his very special rearward protrusion
the hitters distracted by such a massive extrusion.
MLBTR
2:35pm: Garcia will make his scheduled start for the Braves tonight against the Dodgers, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets. Talks are still ongoing between the Braves and other teams about Garcia’s services, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick reports, so a late deal could still happen. Aaron Blair was scratched from a minor league start yesterday and is in Los Angeles to make a spot outing should Garcia be scratched at the last minute.
coop
I don’t know about anyone else but I am positively overwhelmed by your new foray into aggressive news collection and opinionated commentary. I used to think you were such a nice, quiet, old man. Lord forgive me.
The old part is right.
Alright, listen. Ozzie Albies is not Jose Peraza. Peraza doesn’t barrel up to baseballs like this tweet’s video. The similarities between the two end at Braves prospects, middle infielders, and being Latin, ya racists. 🙂
Peraza has never hit more than 4 HRs in a season, and Albies has 8 HR in a little over a half season at AAA as a 20 year old.
@30
you and me both…hey, a year after my initial diagnosis i was pronounced cancer free yesterday…you and Alex my biggest supporters. I can’t thank the two of you enough…Painter, my very best, any time.
Good for you blazon. Great to hear that.
This is wonderful news, blazon!
@22 To my knowledge, Liberty Media has never done that to the Braves. It’s possible I’ve missed news of this, so it has it ever come to light that they have delivered directives like these mid-season? I could understand if, maybe, the front office miscalculated projected revenue and felt compelled to cut payroll, however doing so with a team that is still very much in the hunt is gross.
The mere thought of making baseball transactions to benefit some parent company looks to me like pure theft.
Blazon, great news
Side, less important, note. Recker is up, EOF released, and Jaime is starting tonight
Great news, blazon! We just lost my mother-in-law to cancer a few days ago, and I rejoice when anyone gets to tell cancer that they picked on the wrong person. Great to hear, poetry king.
Wonderful! Race you to 100. I’ll spot you your head start.
After two years of hell, my wife is also cancer free. The pain and suffering was well worth it. We’re making each day count.
30, 37 — Great news. F— cancer.
Thank you all, from both of us, great people here to share this kind of good news with.
Enough already, to the ramparts, to attack the blue enemy. They look so pleased with themselves, don’t they?
I think I would let our bullpen pitch and inning a piece over letting Blair get a start vs the Dodgers
Great to hear blazon!
That’s terrific, Blazon. And also for you and your wife, Coop
@40– I think that might turn out to be the same thing
Great news blazon!
My PET scan was clear back on April 25, so I know how much weight just got lifted off your chest.
Anyway, I plan to recap tonight’s game, but will be travelling next week. Anyone able to cover for me?
Good news abounds. Congratulations and thanks to all. Let’s celebrate with a win.
Amazin, blazon.
The answer to cancer.
Condition? Remission.
@43
Painter, so pleased to hear that! If you’re still stuck with the recap mid week just holler. Holding back for now as i do Saturdays anyway, not sure if the assembled congregation could handle a double header of mine.
Chavez Ravine
sits somewhere in between
a sell out to O’Malley
and that dead Giants fan who was trying to be pally.
@43–next Thursday is an off day so I’ll be glad to cover next Friday
Guess we aren’t trading Garcia
Camargo is a winner.
Who is this Jaime Garcia and why is he in a Braves uniform?
Can we consummate the trade **NOW**?
🙂
I’m a Camargo fan
Can Kemp go two games without hitting into a double play?
One would be nice, Ethan.
Why make that throw?
Now that throw was much better.
Jaime Garcia, staff ace.
Who among Albies, Camargo, Rodriguez, and Swanson will be able to master left field?
Great play, Gumby!
Thanks for that Alex. We still like you too
When you’re a Barve, you’re a Barve all the way.
Camargo is so freaking good.
blazon, Seat Painter, coop’s bride — cheers. Wonderful news on all fronts.
Rob, I’m very sorry to hear that. We will be praying for peace and comfort for your wife and her family.
So, after getting swept by the Cubs and the Dodgers 11 game win streak, the 1st 2 games of the series are going exactly like everyone expected, right? Of course, most of us had to be expecting a grand slam from Garcia there.
did that really just happen? ha!
No trade.
W O W
Mind explosion! BLAMMO!
Might as well extended Jaime.
Coppy knew what he was doing in dumping that bum Alex Wood.
No way Aaron Blair goes deep there
Smitty you made me laugh out loud! Also, Braves catchers have hit 16 homeruns this season so far.
TAKE HIM OUT NOW, he is tiring.
So we won the Olivera trade.
Missed the game and can’t believe that Jaime Garcia hit a grand slam and pitched 7 innings of solid ball.
Wowsers. What a performance. Nice little revenge on Alex Wood for not being this good before getting traded!
Recapped.