It was a pleasant surprise when the Braves increased payroll to sign Ervin Santana. But Liberty’s largesse apparently ends there, according to Bowman.
If the Braves do land a reliever or bench player, they will likely have to strike a deal with which they do not incur any cost for this season. They went well over their budget when they gave Ervin Santana a $14.1 million (contract) in March.
A lefty reliever and bat off the bench are not luxuries but needs. Glaring ones, though the cost, in relative terms, would be minimal. Not minimal enough, it seems, and with declining TV ratings and attendance down more than 3,000 a game from this time last year, I wouldn’t expect the bean counters to budge.
But some members of the Braves’ organization believe their best option to add a left-handed reliever might come in the form of a rejuvenated and improved Luis Avilan, who was sent to Triple-A Gwinnett this past weekend with the hope that he will regain the form he possessed last year.
No guarantee that will happen. And what about the bench, which has been abysmal? No worries, Todd Cunningham and Joey Terdoslavich will save us.
Speaking of abysmal, B.J. has five hits and 11 K’s in his last 32 AB’s. He’s now on pace for 198 K’s and is a safe bet to reach 200 as long as he remains in the lead-off spot.
Fredi’s line-ups + Liberty’s penny pinching = No October baseball.
B Upton, La Stella, Freeman, J Upton, Heyward, Gattis, C Johnson, Simmons, Minor
ROWLAND'S OFFICE 