While I've dreamed of being the first female GM in baseball since I was a kid, I'm beginning to see why there perhaps hasn't been one. Generally speaking, women are far more driven by their emotions than men. I consider myself to be a pretty tough, non-emotional type gal, but it still creeps up on me now and then.
The thought of Andruw or Smoltz leaving Atlanta absolutely breaks my heart. Over the years I've mourned lots of players after their days as a Braves player were over - Steve Avery (my childhood crush), Dale Murphy (named my dog after him), Ron Gant (who gave me a ball one time), Terry Pendleton (I started playing third base in softball because of him), Tom Glavine, Greg Maddox, etc. Sometimes I long for the days when players stayed with one team their entire career. On the other hand, we've acquired many faces I've loved over the years - Renteria being my most recent favorite. Once they're here though, I don't want to let them go. For that reason, my first instinct is to say that the new owners have to do whatever they have to do to keep Andruw.
Upon further reflection though, I think I could let Andruw go, especially if he doesn't give us a hometown discount. I'm not a huge fan of Scott Boras and have always been surprised that Andruw chose him as his agent. Andruw just seems too nice to be represented by such a bulldog. But, if Andruw feels forced to follow the money trail, I'll let him go. I agree that he's probably the greatest outfielder to ever play, but I also think we have plenty of young talent that can fill at least a large portion of his shoes. Although, I disagree with those that say Blanco might be the one - I like to see a little ambition, a real go-getter, and this guy didn't even report to camp early. To be fair, Renteria, who I love, didn't report early either. I know if I got to make baseball my living, I'd be there everytime they opened the gates and let me in. Then again, Renteria isn't trying to make it in the big leagues - he's already there. But I digress...
My point is, if keeping Andruw means we'll have to lose up and coming players like Francouer and McCann when it's time for them to get a raise, I'll pass. No one player should take up greater than 20% of the club's overall budget, which is what would happen if we kept Andruw at the amount he'll want with the budget we currently have. Perhaps things will change and Liberty Media will increase our budget, but all the commentary I've read seems to suggest this is doubtful. Liberty Media isn't trying to gain an asset in the Braves - they're trying to sell off TimeWarner stock without having to pay capital gains taxes. My prediction is that they'll be one of those owners that we neither hate nor love. They'll just be an owner.
In the meantime, I'll enjoy the dozens of chances I'll have to see the greatest outfielder of our time (and possibly ever) play live before my eyes at The Ted, and I'll pretend that these days will never end.
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3 comments:
I don't think women are the only ones that become emotionally involved in baseball. I think any true fan is emotionally invested in the game - whether it's Braves baseball, SEC football, or ACC basketball.
On to your question about resigning Andruw, though. Vernon Wells recently signed a 7 year deal worth $126m or $18m per year. Alfonso Soriano's deal was 8 years for $136m or $17m per year. I don't think there's any question that Andruw out performs both of those in every area except perhaps batting average. More HRs, RBIs, SLG, and of course, better defense. So I think the market has been set. If Andruw wants the maximum value, then someone's going to offer him 7-8 years for $150-160m.
I think Andruw would like to stay in Atlanta, though. I think the fans have always supported him immensely. He adores Bobby Cox. He's comfortable here. His family lives here, I think his wife is originally from the Atlanta area. I think if the Braves pony up and offer him something close to what these other guys have gotten then he'll take it. I think a lot of the conversation is Boras posturing to get as much from Atlanta for Andruw as he can. If I had to guess I'd say Andruw would stay in Atlanta for 6 years and $100m. But that's just a guess. Me? I'd stay for half that :)
I like the write up, but i did want to say this about these guys that don't report early. Renteria is from Colombia and Blanco is from Venezuela. I know blanco played winter ball and i think renteria did (he usually does). So these guys have been playing ball year round and probably only got to see their family for a couple of weeks or so in the offseason when they flew home. These guys don't have their family waiting for them after every home game like a lot of the American players. So if they want to wait and arrive in camp 'on time' instead of early thats fine with me and i don't think it shows much towards their go-getter personality.
That's a very valid point Foreman. Thanks for the input!
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