Show #87: The Braves Retool the Bullpen with Wagner and Saito
Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito join the Braves’ bullpen. Revisiting 1st base. And clearing up that Bob Rathbun hire.
447 Responses to “Show #87: The Braves Retool the Bullpen with Wagner and Saito”
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December 13th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
I’m always here for ya. Glad I could help.
December 13th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
OH MY GOSH I SOLVED THE PUZZLER ON CAAARRRR TAAALLLLKKK!
First time ever.
I got it. 8)
I have arrived.
December 13th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Just over two months until pitchers and catchers report. Bub, how many episodes of Car Talk will that be? Congrats on the puzzler..no small feat, but if you’re that smart can you tell me who the “Big Bat” is gonna be???
December 13th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Seven shows in two days, Tcc. I now have a Boston accent.
No idea on the Big Bat. Nady, maybe, and hopefully a 1B back-up plan. Truly, no idea. I’ve lost track. The DeRosa and LaRoche (supposed) contracts are crazy talk.
My highest hopes at this point: Dump 2/3 of the Lowe money, snag a couple of medium-decent bats, and have some cash/leverage at the ASB after we see where we are with Heyward and all the pitching. Also curious to see if Prado can repeat.
Other high hopes: a crazy good year from McLouth, Heyward goes nuts (ROY), Hanson throws a no-no, Kawakami posts a 3.50, Wagner leads the NL in saves, Chipper hits 29 homers and bats .255, McCann hits 29 homers and bats .295 (mvp), Jurrjens wins 22 games (cy young), and Diaz has two separate 20 game hitting streaks. Braves pitching sets MLB record for games giving up less than three hits.
Suspected (slight-to-heavy) disappointments: Vazquez, Saito, Prado.
Amazing Semi-unexpected Results: Proctor, Infante
Bobby’s Great Send-Out: Loses World Series one more time for old time’s sake.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
Oh…no…he…did…not! Prado? A dissappointment? Never! Don’t dwell on the KJ love Bub. Just transfer it. Stick AG at 1st/ win the WS and i’ll drink the koolaid.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
My Prado aprehension has zero to do with KJ. Nope, not even subconsciously.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:47 pm
(I was completely in favor of Prado winning the job … after TP wrecked Kelly.)
December 14th, 2009 at 12:40 am
Alright. I have finally reached the Click & Clack snort-laughter threshold. Everybody’s got one.
I’m blasting Led Zeppelin at volume 25 to wash the NPR-suburban residue out of my brain. Tomorrow I’ll burn an Izod sweater at dawn and my manhood will be fully recovered.
Goodnight, ABT.
*shaking two rock-n-roll fists at the screen, violently shaking head back and forth*
“… nobody’s fault but miiiiiiiine…. nobody’s fault but miiiiiiiiiine…”
December 14th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Kris – welcome to the board. It’s good to have you. I’ll get your link up shortly.
Bub – Nobody’s Fault But Mine is just so, so good. I don’t think it gets the love that it should. It should be Rock and Roll/Black Dog/All of My Love/Heatbreaker kind of big. And yet, no. And speaking of Zeppelin, I will now involve the board in my on-going campaign to generate more love for Out on the Tiles from Led Zeppelin III. How did that song not enter the Zep pantheon?
Sad about Kelly in many ways. Sad that he faltered so badly this past year, sad that no one wanted to trade for him and sad because he seems like a really good guy. Of the clubhouse interviews from last year, he was, hands down, the most honest, real and vulnerable guy I spoke to. And now that that’s over with, screw him and let’s get a big bat!
Nady?!?!?! Two TJ surgeries, people. Two.
December 14th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Steve, I’m yet a babe in the ways of Led. One of the absurd holes in my musical education. So I have no real albums (a Rock & Roll sin, I know), just Mothership and a CD of iTunes I brilliantly labeled “Led Z. Not on Mothership” with songs like Tangerine and that woman-who-won’t-be-true song. Really, I don’t know, beyond Kashmier and St*@$rw^y to H%$v#n, which songs are best loved.
FWIW, “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” threatens to be my favorite. I youtubed Out of the Tiles, and though I don’t qualify for your revolution, I dug it muchly.
December 14th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Lackey to Rsox looks likely. Good news for the Bravos, possibly.
December 14th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
‘Achilles Last Stand.’ That’s all I will say. It might be the greatest rock song ever. Bonham at his finest. And that’s saying something.
December 14th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
*Poof* Halliday and Lackey gone.
Lowe up to bat.
December 14th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
*Halladay
December 14th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
The Lee-to-Mariners part of the Halladay deal isn’t official yet. I’ll freaking die if the Phillies end up with both Lee and Halladay. Die. Dead.
December 14th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
The Atlanta Braves holiday e-card is goofy and adorable…FYI.
December 14th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Anne, I love your new hairdo! I imagine no one else will notice because, well they’re men.
Dear Santa, please send us a big bat for Christmas. Love, ABT
December 14th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Dear Santa,
F*ck the big bat, please send us a 2010 Braves World Championship Trophy. It doesn’t have real, just authentic enough to heal the pain of a Philly World Championship.
Also, I want $1,000…. and world peace, but DON”T get distract! 1,000 bucks comes first!
December 14th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Steve –
Don’t worry about it.
December 14th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
No worries about Halladay. We have Goldar the giant killer on our team.
December 14th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Halladay = fine, okay. Halladay + Lee = start car, run hose from tail pipe to window.
December 14th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
We beat up on Lee pretty bad, & we beat Halladay with our #5. The Phillies are out of there ever loving mind. DO IT RUBEN AMARO. I DARE YOU!!!
IMO, they’re gonna lose more than they’ll gain. They’ll likely still have the most potent offense in the division…but they’re pitching staff will be a JOKE. We’ll probably beat the piss out of them in ’10, but we need to knock around the Marlins & the Nationals too!
December 14th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Amen, Brother!
December 14th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
I turn off the computer for a couple of hours and both Lackey and Halladay are looking to be gone. Very, very nice. The Lowe talk should now heat up like crazy. Dealt before Christmas? Quite possibly. And Bub, all the talk I’ve heard/seen is that the Phillies have to move Lee because they can’t afford both he and Halladay.
Bluesman, I like your confidence, but is it real or just bravado? You could argue that gaining Halladay and losing Lee is somewhat of an upgrade or even a wash. Now it depends if Happ goes or Drabek goes. Is Pedro back for the Phils next year? Probably not. Is Moyer back in the rotation? Doubtful. Getting rid of Happ would be a blow to the rotation, for sure.
Cameron to the Sox. That blows. I really, really wanted Cameron.
December 14th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
From Danny Knobler:
Could Yankees trade for Lowe?
Posted on: December 14, 2009 5:52 pm
Now that John Lackey is headed to the Red Sox, and now that Roy Halladay is headed to the Phillies, and now that Cliff Lee is headed to the Mariners, where does Derek Lowe go?
How about the Yankees?
The Yankees want a fourth starter to go with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte, and they have hitters who could interest the Braves. The two teams have talked, and while it’s not certain that a Lowe deal has been discussed, it would make sense.
Lowe also makes sense for the Angels, who have lost out on both Halladay and Lackey, their two top targets. Outfielder Juan Rivera would be “a nice start” to a package for Lowe, according to someone familiar with the two teams.
The Mariners have also shown interest in Lowe, but now that they are set to get Lee, they would seem to have less motivation to make a trade.
The Braves began the offseason exploring deals for either Lowe or Javier Vazquez, but sources said that they are now much more focused on dealing Lowe than Vazquez. Vazquez, in any case, would be a tough deal to make for the Angels, because of the pitcher’s strong preference to stay on the East Coast.
The Braves are willing to pay some of Lowe’s salary ($45 million over the next three years), depending on the players they get in the trade.