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(Non-GT)Atlanta Braves Baseball....new beginnings

Time to send Blair back down. In his last month, he's 0-2 in 6 games started with an 8.28 ERA. in only 29 IP (less than 5 innings per game). Over that span, he has 17 BB and 21 K, and a hefty 1.67 WHIP. Clearly going the wrong way for the young man.
The have not managed Blair well, brought him up too soon. Then leave him in too long and frustrating him. Who knows how sending him down will affect his demeanor.
 
I don't think the Braves are too worried about Blair. He is young in age, elevated quickly as they love his makeup. You can't tell before 30 starts in the bigs. Most pitchers take a few seasons.
They felt he wouldn't learn any more in the minors or benefit further in those environments.

Look at Tehran, he struggled. Verducci said tonight his metrics make him the fourth toughest pitcher to hit in all of baseball.

The Braves got off 0-12 at home and the Twins are now 8-26 on the road. A betting man could make a few bucks using that formula this year.
 
Braves sign the number 3 overall pick in the draft, Ian Anderson for exactly 4 million.....
The Braves were $2,584,700 over-slot on the combination of Wentz, Muller and Harrington, so the savings from Anderson alone appear to be enough to ensure that Atlanta avoids the loss of a future first-round pick. That wouldn’t happen until the Braves exceeded their bonus pool by more than five percent, although Atlanta will pay a 75 percent luxury tax on any overages up to five percent. That, however, hasn’t been a deterrent for teams in the past and should be of fairly marginal consequence to the Braves should they be required to do so this year.
 
Blair was sent down to Gwinnett today in favor of bringing up a lefty reliever(Marksberry)through the All-Star break. Looks like the rotation of Tehran, Norris, Wisler and Perez or Gant is enough for now. Folty sent on a rehab. assignment to 3-A.
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Braves are 6-7 vs. the defending N.L. champion Mets this season.
 
Blair needs to get his confidence and groove back. G-Braves is what he needs. I heard something about Folty today. Could we see him back with the big club soon? Bud Norris with a good game today. Can't believe I'm perked up over an 11-13 month.
 
I wonder if the Braves will trade Norris? I am sure some teams with pitching needs will ask about him. I hope they keep him if they don't get offered a premium.
 
I know they don't care much about this season, but Norris is a good pitcher to have right now until they feel out the younger pitchers. I hope when Foltynewicz returns they send Blair back down to get his pitching back in line.
 
Blair sent down yesterday morning. Please read my post above, explaining Marksberry, et al.
Includes Folty.

Norris is only the prorated 2.5 million, roughly 1.3 m. left for 2016.
 
The Braves have designated right-hander Alexi Ogando for assignment and recalled right-hander Mauricio Cabrera from Double-A Mississippi, the team announced this afternoon.

Ogando, 32, currently has a respectable 3.94 ERA through 32 innings of work out of the Atlanta bullpen, but he’s registered that mark in spite of averaging a whopping 6.5 walks per nine innings. He’s been particularly ineffective over his past 10 outings, yielding nine runs (seven earned) on seven hits and nine walks across just seven innings. The 8.2 K/9 rate he’s posted this season is his best since 2012, and he’s still averaging 94 mph on his fastball, but ERA estimators such as FIP (4.38), xFIP (5.45) and SIERA (5.13) all feel that there’s some significant regression in store for the former Rangers and Red Sox hurler.

Ogando has been the subject of some trade chatter over the past month, so perhaps Atlanta will be able to find a taker for him. However, if the team ultimately outrights him, Ogando has enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency without forfeiting the remainder of his $2MM salary. He’s still owed about $1.06MM of that sum through season’s end, and the Braves will be on the hook for the majority of that unless they can find a trade partner. If he does become a free agent and latch on with another Major League club, he’ll earn the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time spent on a new team’s Major League roster, and that money will be subtracted from the sum still owed to him by Atlanta. In parts of seven big league seasons, Ogando has a career 3.47 ERA with 7.3 K/9, 3.3 BB/9 and a 38.8 percent ground-ball rate across 503 1/3 innings.

As for Cabrera, the 22-year-old will be making his Major League debut when he first takes the hill. He’s worked to a 3.21 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings at Double-A this season, though he’s endured similar control problems to the ones displayed by Ogando in the Majors; Cabrera has walked 22 batters (two intentional) and hit three men during that brief stint at Double-A. Both Baseball America and MLB.com rated Cabrera 27th in a very deep Braves farm system. The Dominican-born flamethrower averages 100 mph on his heater and has topped out at 103 mph, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, though he struggles to command the pitch. Cabrera also features a ridiculous-sounding 92 mph changeup, though BA notes that it needs work. The two scouting reports are split on whether his change or his slider is Cabrera’s best secondary offering, indicating that he’s not especially consistent with either pitch.
 
With the Kershaw injury, the Dodgers were looking for anyone with a good record and a team willing to make a deal. I think the Braves could have done a little better with this trade.
 
Braves sign Omar Infante to a minor league deal(released earlier this month by K.C.).
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The Dodgers on Thursday officially acquired right-hander Bud Norris, minor league outfielder Dian Toscano, a player to be named later and cash considerations from the Braves in exchange for minor league right-hander Caleb Dirks and minor league lefty Phil Pfeifer. Norris should step right into an injury-plagued rotation that saw Clayton Kershaw hit the disabled list with a back injury earlier today. Norris last pitched on June 26, so he could start in place of Kershaw tomorrow.

[Related: Updated Los Angeles Dodgers depth chart]

Bud Norris

Norris, 31, began the season in the Atlanta rotation and pitched dreadfully throughout the month of April, logging an ERA just under 9.00 and losing his spot in the rotation. However, Norris made some alterations while working out of the bullpen and forced his way back into the Atlanta rotation, and he’s been a revelation since. As Fangraphs’ Jeff Sullivan recently examined, Norris ditched an ineffective changeup for a cutter that has been scintillating since its adoption, and the results have been stunning. In 29 1/3 innings since rejoining the rotation, Norris has pitched to a 2.15 ERA with a 29-to-8 K/BB ratio and an enormous 59.2 percent ground-ball rate. Overall, since losing his rotation spot in late April, Norris holds a 2.08 ERA in 47 1/3 innings.

While finances are rarely of concern for the Dodgers, they’re particularly negligible in the case of Norris, who inked a one-year, $2.5MM contract with Atlanta this offseason. Of that sum, Norris is still owed about $1.3MM through the end of the season. Toscano, meanwhile, is owed $1.3MM in 2016, $1.5MM in 2017 and $1.5MM in 2018 plus a $200K buyout of a $1.7MM option for the 2019 season. The outfielder, signed out of Cuba a couple of years ago, had already been removed from the Braves’ 40-man roster, so presumably the Dodgers have agreed to take on some of that salary in order to entice the Braves to part with Norris and the PTBNL.

The Dodgers essentially have an entire rotation on the disabled list, as Kershaw is joined there by Alex Wood, Brett Anderson, Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-jin Ryu. Norris will join healthy starters Scott Kazmir, Kenta Maeda, Julio Urias and Brock Stewart in the L.A. rotation, though that group figures to be thinned once again when Urias is shut down for a time following the All-Star break. Then again, the Dodgers’ hope is that Kershaw can return following the Midsummer Classic, so in a best-case scenario they’ll swap Kershaw out for Urias following the break.

Dirks, 23, was a 15th-round pick by the Braves back in 2014 but was traded to the Dodgers last summer for international slot money. He currently ranks 30th among their prospects in the eyes of MLB.com’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo and will now return to the organization that originally selected him out of the draft. Dirks has a 1.44 ERA and a stellar 35-to-7 K/BB ratio through 31 1/3 innings out of the ’pen for the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate in Tulsa this season. Callis and Mayo write that Dirks has a fastball with good sink that sits in the low 90s and tops out around 94 mph as well as a slider in the low 80s that grades out as an average pitch. The MLB.com duo notes that the Dodgers “love” Dirks’ competitive streak and ability to handle high leverage situations, adding that he could be a setup man in the Majors if everything clicks.

Pfeifer, also 23, was Los Angeles’ third-round pick just last season. He’s split the year between Class-A and Class-A Advanced, where he’s worked to a 2.67 ERA with 42 strikeouts against 18 walks in 30 1/3 innings out of the bullpen.

The Braves signed Toscano, now 27, out of Cuba prior to the 2015 season. Visa issues significantly delayed his arrival to the Braves’ organization even after his signing, and he was outrighted off the 40-man roster last year. Toscano was once looked at as having the upside of a fourth outfielder, but he’s batted just .226/.310/.271 in 203 plate appearances for Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate this season.
 
The Braves are giving teams the impression that it’ll take a huge haul to land Julio Teheran, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). In fact, Atlanta is signaling that it wants a return that’s “better than the Shelby Miller deal,” per a rival executive. Despite their many young arms, and ongoing rumblings regarding Teheran, the Braves are actually looking at starting pitching, GM John Coppolella tells David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). Atlanta has had talks about controllable arms, per the report. Presumably, the organization is looking for value opportunities that fit its contention timeline.

Here’s more from the NL East:

The Braves have moved hyped prospect Ozhaino Albies down to Double-A, O’Brien tweets. It’s not a demotion, though Albies was struggling a bit at Triple-A. He’ll play second base there, pairing up with shortstop Dansby Swanson as the team’s hopeful future double-play combo gets comfortable together.
 
Blair slated to pitch the July 4th game at Coolray Field in Gwinnett. I'm going to see it and hoping to see a similar performance to the one I saw him pitch back in April.

We are 80 games in - half way as of tonight - and the Braves have 27 wins against 53 losses... 26 games below .500. Ten years ago I never dreamed I'd ever see this again. But alas, things do change. I certainly hope they don't keep trading every marketable player. Teheran is a pillar of the future for the Braves, as is Freeman, and perhaps even Mallex Smith and Vizcaino (a bit of a stretch in both cases, yes). At some point, the front office has to drive a stake in the ground and say "we're building from here." I think this constantly shifting stance is what is most bothersome to me. I don't think they can say this with two guys at the AA level.
 
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Braves are on ESPN Sunday night, home game in Ft. Bragg, N.C. vs. Marlins
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Happy 4th to all! Keep your fingers in place, so you can still type. My secret is let the pros. light 'em and stand back, way back.

Burger King has 1$ grilled dogs for a dollar, limit 5 per purchase(ESPN advertised on a morning show, and I called the ones in my area). Honoring today and Sunday, not Monday.
 
Braves trash Marlins, ace of staff Jose Fernandez, 9-1.

10:04am: The Braves have officially announced the Maitan and Gutierrez signings.

9:04am: The Braves have agreed to terms with five top international prospects, including top overall prospect Kevin Maitan, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (Twitter links: 1 2 3 4 5 6). Maitan will receive $4.25MM. The Braves also nabbed catcher Abrahan Gutierrez, No. 18 on MLB.com’s international prospects list, for $3.5MM. Dominican righty Juan Contreras, not ranked on MLB.com’s list but ranked No. 41 on Baseball America’s list, will receive $1.2MM. Dominican shortstops Yunior Severino (No. 19) and Yenci Pena (No. 22) will each receive $1MM apiece, as will Venezuelan infielder Livan Soto (No. 24).

The big prize here is Maitan, who MLB.com writes is “the best international prospect since Miguel Sano” and compares to Miguel Cabrera and Chipper Jones. He’s a switch-hitter with good power and a mature approach at the dish, and he also has an excellent arm and solid range. As the Jones comparison suggests, he ultimately projects as a third baseman. Baseball America also rates Maitan the top international prospect available this signing season, with their scouting report (subscriber only) noting that he could eventually have 70-grade raw power on the 20-80 scale. Maitan has long been connected to the Braves.

Gutierrez wins praise for his arm, receiving skills and line-drive stroke. Via Baseball America, Contreras rates as a potential power arm, as he already throws 89-94 MPH and has the projection to reach into the high 90s, although his secondary pitches lag behind his fastball. Severino has good bat speed and looks like an “offensive-minded middle infielder,” according to MLB.com’s scouting report. He struggles with offspeed stuff, although that’s hardly surprising given his age (16). Pena appears solid on both offense and defense and might be able to stay at shortstop, although he’s tall, at 6’2, and might eventually move to third. Soto’s hitting is more of the line-drive than home-run variety, although he has a good approach at the plate and could wind up playing shortstop at the big leagues if all goes well.

Needless to say, the Braves’ spending spree projects to incur penalties, including a 100 percent tax on overages beyond their assigned bonus pool of $4,766,000 and a restriction on signing any player for over $300K in either of the next two signing seasons. The addition of Maitan, however, along with the rest of their prospect haul, appears to be more than enough to make up for that.
 
Newly signed 16-year-old Braves prospects Kevin Maitan and Abrahan Gutierrez might not be as far from the majors as their youth suggests, general manager John Coppolella told David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I think when you look at Andruw Jones hit two home runs in the World Series at age 18, both these kids are 16,” Coppolella said of Maitan and Gutierrez, who combined to sign for $7.75MM. “I’m not saying they’re going to hit two home runs in the 2018 World Series, but we think that they’re special talents that won’t take six or seven years. They could be here fairly quickly and they could have a big impact on the Braves.” Coppolella also stated that he hopes the two begin 2017 in the Gulf Coast League.
When the Dodgers took on Dian Toscano from the Braves as part of the Bud Norris deal, the club agreed to absorb only a portion of the $3MM left on his contract, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The 27-year-old outfielder is struggling at Double-A and has not shown any signs of providing value to Atlanta. It’s not known how much of the balance will transfer to L.A.
 
With the 13 signings yesterday, the Braves spent 12 million surpassing their allotment which was just under 5 m. which makes them over the luxury tax of 100% to incur penalties.
 
The presence of senior vice president of baseball operations Frank Wren, formerly the Braves’ GM, could lead the Red Sox to go after Atlanta right-hander Julio Teheran. Wren – who’s high on Teheran – is Red Sox president Dave Dombrowski’s right-hand man, Cafardo notes, and could push him toward putting together a package for the 25-year-old.
 
The Braves selected the contract of outfielder/third baseman Ronnier Mustelier, the club announced. This will be Mustelier’s first taste of the big leagues in a 13-year pro career that began with seven seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional. Since defecting from Cuba, Mustelier has played in the Yankees’ minor league system and in the Mexican League. Over 1382 career plate appearances in the New York and Atlanta farm systems, Mustelier has a .303/.356/.440 slash line and 26 homers.
 
Get something for him(last year on contract, 2016)........
Erick Aybar has been receiving some trade interest, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Twitter link). Aybar hit his first homer of the season today, and entered Monday’s action hitting .323/.405/.415 over his first 74 plate appearances since returning from the disabled list. Aybar drew some attention as a veteran trade chip for the rebuilding Braves during the spring, but an incredibly poor start to the season cost him his starting job and obliterated his trade value. Even with his recent hot streak, Aybar is still hitting just .226/.282/.286 over 241 PA this season.
 
The Braves announced this afternoon that they’ve activated infielder Gordon Beckham from the disabled list and designated veteran utilityman Emilio Bonifacio for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster.
 
The Twins have won 6 of their last 10 and are now back to 1 game behind the Braves.

At Wrigley for a 1-game make up of postponement from earlier this season.

Braves then stay in Chicagoland for 3 at the White Hose before the break. If the Braves win 1 of these next 4 in Chicago, we will enter the break with a 29-60 record. Fun times. :eek:
 
The Twins have won 6 of their last 10 and are now back to 1 game behind the Braves.

At Wrigley for a 1-game make up of postponement from earlier this season.

Braves then stay in Chicagoland for 3 at the White Hose before the break. If the Braves win 1 of these next 4 in Chicago, we will enter the break with a 29-60 record. Fun times. :eek:

I was hoping for 2 wins before the break. Guess we will see.
 
Braves got the win last night over the now-all-of-a-sudden-struggling Cubs, but the Twins can gain no ground as they also won at Tejas. Good race for the cellar right now.

Braves -
Twins 1 game back
Reds 3 games back
Rays 5.5 games back

Braves at ChiSox
Twins at Tejas
Reds at Fish
Rays at BoSox
 
The Reds have been a fabulous play OVER the total this season. Seems like 3 out of ever 4 games winds up with total runs scored by both teams in the double digits. Fun stuff.
 
Reds seem to be opposite of Braves in many cases.

Braves seem to lose more low scoring games because their pitching is good enough to keep the runs down, but the bats can't produce runs.

Reds seem to lose more high scoring games because they drive in runs in bunches, but can't keep the other teams from scoring as well.
 
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