The good, the bad and what this means for 2013.
- Jim Bowden likes the move. That’s worrisome.
- Upton whiffs. A lot. But so did Michael Bourn. Upton is not Bourn’s equal as a defender, but he ain’t bad.
- Speaking of Bourn, he’s not coming back.
- Upton will be 33 when his contract ends. Derek Lowe was 36 when he signed with the Braves.
- Nick Swisher won’t be house-hunting in Atlanta. Be thankful.
- Unlike Swisher, Upton (7 HR, 18 RBI and 9 SB in 25 postseason games) delivers in October.
- Bossman Jr., who had a career-worst .298 OBP in 2012, won’t hit lead-off. FW has already said as much.
- Most batters show more patience as they age. Not Upton. In his first full season with the Rays (his best), Upton posted a .386 OBP.
- Conversely, Upton’s power has risen every year since 2008.
- So who bats lead-off? Shane Victornio?? Not likely.
- Don’t expect any other major free agent signings, since FW has an estimated $10 million left in the kitty. Besides, they can do better.
- Trade candidates include the usual suspects: Denard Span and Dexter Fowler. Coco Crisp is another possibility, as he appears to be the odd man out of the A’s outfield after the Chris Young acquisition.
- I’d keep the phone lines open with our old pal Dayton. Wil Myers may be wishful thinking, but Alex Gordon, signed through 2015, has surfaced in trade rumors. He has a .373 OBP, 96 doubles and 37 homers since 2011, mostly out of the lead-off spot. Gordon has three years and $31.5 million remaining on his contract with a team option in 2016, so the Braves can afford him. Barely. A package including Julio Teheran and Nick Ahmed might do it.
- Bet on Span. The Twins need what the Braves have — pitching, and Span is signed for two more years with a team option in 2015.
Projected 2013 line-up:
- Span
- Prado
- Jay Hey
- Freddie
- Upton
- McCann
- Uggla
- Simmons
I can live with that.
