Comments on: C’mon Braves, At Least Be Honest

By: true999

true999 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:21:22 +0000

Well, folks on this thread look a bit silly today with the signing of Lowe.

Smoltz left over $2-3 million, he’s made over $130 million not counting endorsements. He wanted to leave and he wanted the front office to take the hit for his fit of ego and desire to be in the spotlight.

I love Smoltz, but this idea that he can do no wrong is misguided sentiment.

By: Heath

Heath — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:28:11 +0000

I don’t think I ever mentioned that signing Smoltz would block Hanson or Heyward. And Smoltz was asked to reconsider before his deal with Boston was final, and he turned it down. He simply didn’t want to pitch in Atlanta.

Hawes wrote: “The Braves need to shut up and sign someone, rather than say, “We want to bring in Burnett/Furcal/Peavy” or “We want Smoltz to pitch here if he’s healthy.” And just DO something.”
Hahaha. So you would rather Wren just blow some money on a schmoe instead of being smart with it? Just to look like he is doing something? Maybe we should sign Barry Bonds, that would be something.

It might make you happy but it will cost him his job pretty fast. We are in a good spot to land Lowe and Kawakami, and that gives us a decent rotation…projected Lowe, Vazquez, Kawakami, Jurrjens, Morton/Glavine/Reyes. No clear cut number one but still a decent rotation…maybe even better than we all think with our bullpen. Time will tell. But making stupid moves for the sake of doing something is…stupid.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:00:33 +0000

I’ve been a Braves fan for too long. The issue is that the Braves front office has lost credibility, first starting with trading for J.D. Drew for one year and giving up too much, not trading Andrew Jones for Roy Oswalt when we had the chance, trading for Tex for one year and giving up too much, trading for Kotsay for one year and giving up too much, tipping our hand with Glavine when the Mets probably wouldn’t have offered arbitration, and thus losing out on a number one draft pick. Etc. Smoltz did the right thing because of a front office that is in disarray (and disrespectful). Smoltz should have been signed back in November. Instead, they couldn’t make a commitment and when they were forced to, they offered a smaller carot ring. You snooze, you lose…rs.

By: Hawes

Hawes — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:38:30 +0000

Smoltz is the most competitive guy in baseball. It shows in his ability to pitch through pain if it means a win for the team. He’s put his body through many surgeries and enormous pain over the years. Everyone saying that Smoltz still would have left for Boston if Wren had matched the Boston offer are speaking out their kiesters. As Schneider said, Smoltz say the Braves offer as disrespectful. The incentives – to have meant anything comparable to the Boston offer – would have required him to leave Spring Training ready to pitch. That’s insulting.
The Braves need to shut up and sign someone, rather than say, “We want to bring in Burnett/Furcal/Peavy” or “We want Smoltz to pitch here if he’s healthy.” And just DO something.
And for all those who say good riddance, what else are the Braves doing to improve this club for 2009? Signing Smoltz wouldn’t block Hanson or Heyward. Signing Smoltz wouldn’t forfeit prospects. It would just allow one of the game greatest competitors to retire a Brave.
Read Chipper Jones’s reaction to this to see how Wren is destroying the fabric of the team and alienating the fans.

By: Neil

Neil — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:35:49 +0000

I think there’s plenty of blame on both sides here. But I hardly think that ponying up an extra 3 mill for Smoltz would have mortgaged the competitiveness of the team. I have to agree with Chipper on this one. The Braves have spent a lot of money on guys that didn’t pan out. (Remember Dan Kolb?) Surely the icon of your organization is worth a gamble. There’s nothing in his past to suggest he won’t succeed on some level. The way this has panned out, now I’m afraid Wren has lost his clubhouse, including Cox. That can’t be good for an organization.
On the other hand, I’m also in agreement with those who are ready to blow it all up and bring up the kids. That’s how we started the amazing run in the first place. Let Bobby be GM again, give TP the reigns and let’s see what happens.

By: jfalk

jfalk — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:23:03 +0000

No comment on Smoltz, but I love the sentence: “Wren is apparently referring to the first derivative of the incentive schedule.” You may think he’s a rocket scientist, but at least you think he knows calculus!

Now my question: is the payment function upper-semicontinuous?

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:08:19 +0000

The problem with this analysis is that it doesn’t factor in any other incentives that Smoltz might have earned. We only know the incentives he would have gotten for being on the roster. Mark Bowman said there were bonuses for Cy Young votes (and if CC Sabathia can get Cy votes for two months in the NL, what’s to say Smoltzie couldn’t get a few), and All-Star selections (admittedly unlikely). Couldn’t there have been other monies for things like starts, games finished, etc. We don’t know all the details, so your analysis is based on an awful lot of speculation.

By: Wes

Wes — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:00:50 +0000

Well, Ben I agree with absolutely everything……..except Huddy won’t be back next year. He got hurt way too late to be back this season. It would be nice for Wren to do something right and actually work an extention with him throughout this season to keep him here for a bit longer after his rehab is done.

By: Jammie

Jammie — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 18:26:06 +0000

Smoltz left because he is broke and needed the extra 3 million. Remember he is recently divorced and his wife took a bulk of his fortune with her. He only has 1-2 years left to make money for himself, so this year was his only chance.

I say let him go, and lets see what the baby braves have this year. Save the payroll to land some big guys in the next 2 offseasons.

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:57:06 +0000

Who cares? Let him go. Let Glavine go. We already dumped Hampton. This is the best thing that could have happened. Finally we can see what our farm system has been doing with all those top drafted pitching prospects. I cant wait for the season to begin. Everyone who’s talking so much crap about Wren will be eating crow. We already lead for the services of Kawakami and we got Vasquez. If we get Lowe our rotation would start the season Lowe/Jurrjens/Vasquez/Kawakami/Hanson or Campillo. And Hudson will be back in the summer. WHY IS EVERYONE FREAKING OUT?? Instead of whining about Smoltz leaving for greener pastures why dont people shift their focus to complaining about us getting some outfielders? Braves fans have really got me pissed this year with all the crying. The key stat…..34 HRs….that’s all the HRs every outfielder who put on a Braves uni last year hit. But yeah, lets complain about losing a 41 year old coming off surgery. Gimme a break.