Mark Teixeira to the Braves?...that and other possible trades

Jon Heyman over at Sports Illustrated has an interesting article on the upcoming trade deadline and the players that he thinks will be traded and where. There is a few people on his lists that I have heard rumored to be going to the Braves, so I thought i'd break it down real quick for everyone.

1. Mark Teixeira, 1B (Texas)

AVG: .299
HR: 13
RBI: 49

The Skinny:

Mark Teixeira is one of the best young, power-hitting first baseman in baseball right now and seeing as how the Rangers aren't going anywhere for awhile and they probably won't be able to afford him after this year, the likelihood that he will be traded is extremely high. Teixeira's name has been linked to blockbuster deals to the Atlanta Braves in which the would have to give up top prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia and the Los Angeles Angels in which they would have to give up Casey Kotchman, a fellow first baseman. The only question that remains are these teams willing to give up two or three top prospects in exchange for someone who could walk after next season and command $13 million a year?

Best Guess:

My gut instinct is that Teixeira will be a Brave by time the trade deadline on July 31st ends, I mean the Angels or any team for that matter just can't match what the Braves could give the Rangers, Salty is widely regarded as the top catching prospect in baseball and is a switch-hitter just like Teixeira that has a ton of power and then include a pitching prospect and or our seventeen year-old kid at shortstop, Elvis Andrus. I just don't see how other teams can match that.

But i'm not too sure if I want this trade to go down or not, sure Teixeira is a great talent and our first baseman combo of the Mighty Thor and the 789 year-old Julio Franco is currently giving us shit, it makes sense. But I really like Salty and I don't want to see him go, I'd prefer we move him to the first base instead of trading him, I just don't want to see us trade him for Teixeira and then see Teixeira leave a couple of years later like everyone always seems to do. But even if we do trade him **most likely going to happen** I just hope we can re-sign Teixeira and keep him for awhile.

Some other players that we've been linked to are:

Livan Hernandez, SP (Arizona)
Zack Greinke, SP/RP (Kansas City)
Matt Morris, SP (San Francisco)
Steve Kline, RP (San Francisco)
Jon Garland, SP (Chicago [AL] )

Atlanta Braves 2007 MLB Draft (rounds 1-5)

The fifth round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft has just wrapped up, and I have to say, at first I wasn't very thrilled with how the Braves had done thus far, at least not right away, But after looking at some of their profiles and their scouting reports I started to come around. I'm still not sold on some prospects, like our third round picks, I just don't see why we would take them. We definitely passed up on a lot of great prospects and in return drafted some mediocre prospects according to scouting reports, scouting videos and hearsay that i've been able to find.

After doing some more research and talking with people who have first hand knowledge, our first three picks are actually pretty good, granted our third round pick I might've done differently but hey, that's just me. But alas, here are our first seven prospects that we drafted.

Side Note: These great player profiles come courtesy of MLB.com

1st round (14th overall):

Jason Heyward

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 220
Birth Date: 8/09/89
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
School: Henry County HS (McDonough, GA)
Position: Outfield and First Base



Hitting Ability: Heyward is a strong, left-handed hitter with the chance to hit for average and power.

Power: His best tool. He's got tremendous power and power potential from the left side.

Running Speed: Close to average. He's not a speedster, but he won't clog up the bases, either.

Arm Strength: Near average, but should develop average arm strength with a good long-tossing program.

Fielding: Heyward plays center for his high school team, but will likely be a left fielder or first baseman at the next level. He's average defensively overall.

Range: He's got average range. He's not a stiff, but won't win any gold gloves.

Baseball Instinct: He's got very good baseball instincts.

Physical Description: Heyward is a big strong, power-hitting lefty at age 17.

Medical Update: Healthy

Strengths: Power potential from the left side, approach at the plate.

Weaknesses: Some think he can be too patient at times, but that could be the result of not seeing any good pitches. He also may be limited to left field or first base.

Summary: Heyward is one of the most intriguing high school bats in the draft class. He's got legitimate power potential from the left side, always a hot commodity, but isn't an all-or-nothing hitter. He's got a good approach at the plate and has the chance to hit for average and power. If the cards fall right, he could be a future cleanup hitter.

My Grade: A+

Supplemental Round (33rd overall):

Jon Gilmore

Height: 6'3"
Weight: 190
Birthdate: 8/23/88
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
School: Iowa City HS (Iowa City, IA)
Position: Third Base



Hitting Ability: Gilmore showed a better approach at the plate during this showcase than he had in the past. He adjusted well to offspeed stuff and showed good extension through the zone.

Power: Gilmore has projectable raw power.

Running Speed: He's a below-average runner.

Arm Strength: Gilmore's arm seemed tired or labored during the showcase.

Fielding: Gilmore was a little slow defensively with an almost casual approach.

Range: The lack of quickness showed and his range was limited.

Physical Description: Gilmore has an Aaron Boone-body type and has changed physically in the past year, looking stronger now.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: Offensive potential, with power and overall hitting ability projection.

Weaknesses: His defensive game is behind his bat and was lackluster with the glove at this showcase.

Summary: Gilmore improved at the plate tremendously in his senior season. The infielder has good raw power and showed a better overall approach in his offensive game. His defense isn't as sharp, but he will be drafted because of his bat potential.

My Grade: B-

Second Round (69th Overall)

Josh Fields

Height: 6'0"
Weight: 180
Birthdate: 8/19/85
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
School: Georgia University
Position: Relief Pitcher



Fastball: Fields throws a plus fastball that sat consistently in the 93-96 mph range.

Fastball Movement: Coming from a direct overhand slot, Fields' fastball is very straight.

Slider: Usually, Fields has a good hard slider in the 78-79 mph range. He didn't throw it much in his Friday outing.

Control: Usually Fields has decent control, but he was overthrowing up and out of the strike zone on Friday. He came out of his delivery and was constantly behind in the count, which kept him from getting to his above-average slider.

Poise: It was below average on Friday. He was given a lead and was perhaps too amped up to close out a win against Oregon State on opening night.

Aggressiveness: Being aggressive for a closer is a good thing, but he was overly-aggressive in a save situation on Friday. He can be too aggressive, wanting to come in and throw hard. He needs to learn to channel that.

Physical Description: He's a six-foot righty with a power arm who'll likely always have to answer questions about his size.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: Fields has a legitimate power arm with the classic fastball-slider mix.

Weaknesses: Normally, command is not a problem for Fields, but it was on Friday. He has shown the ability to keep his fastball down in the zone and will need to get back to that in the future.

Summary: Fields will be one of the most-watched college closers this season. His outing on Friday may be just one hiccup chalked up to Opening Night jitters. His size will always be an issue because of his plane to the plate and leverage, though others (Billy Wagner from the left side) have shown size doesn't always matter.

My Grade: C+

Third Round (78th Overall)

Frederick Freeman

Height: 6'5"
Weight: N/A
Birthdate: 9/12/89
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
School: El Modena HS (California)
Position: Third Base

I apologize for this, but I can't find any information on Frederick Freeman, I'll will be trying my damnedest to find out some stuff about him...I will update when I do.

The only thing I can find is his scouting video...here's the link, just scroll down and click the "400k" next to his name.

Third Round (108th Overall):

Brandon Hicks

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 205
Birthdate: 9/14/85
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
School: Texas A&M University
Position: Shortstop



Hitting Ability: Hicks grades out as a below-average hitter.

Power: He has below-average power.

Running Speed: Hicks has above-average speed.

Base Running: He uses his speed well and knows how to steal a base.

Arm Strength: Hicks has above-average arm strength at short.

Fielding: He is average across the board defensively.

Range: The speed helps, and Hicks has Major League average range.

Physical Description: Hicks is an athletic middle infielder with a Jay Bell body type.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: He's solid defensively, he can run well and his makeup is off the charts.

Weaknessess: There are questions about whether he'll hit enough at the next level.

Summary: Hicks is a speedy shortstop with excellent defensive skills and tremendous makeup. All of that won't make him an everyday shortstop at the next level unless he can hit enough, something that scouts question. Worst-case, he could make for a very good defensive-minded utility guy who can run.

My Grade: D+

Fourth Round (138th Overall):

Cory Gearrin

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185
Birthdate: 4/14/86
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
School: Mercer University
Position: Relief Pitcher



Fastball: Gearrin throws an average fastball.

Fastball Movement: His fastball has below-average life.

Slider: Gearrin's slider projects as an average pitch. Right now, it's not as there is too much sweeping action when he throws it.

Control: He should have average command in the future.

Poise: Gearrin is a very aggressive pitcher as Mercer's closer.

Physical Description: Gearrin is a sidearming right-hander with a Scot Shields body type.

Medical Update: Healty.

Strengths: Gearrin's sidearm action is difficult to pick up for hitters.

Weaknesses: The arm angle does cause the sweep on the slider.

Summary: Gearrin jumped on the map early this year when his Mercer team took two games from the University of Miami. Gearrin saved both of those games, going three innings and striking out six without allowing a hit. The sidearmer is a very aggressive pitcher who'll need to work on tightening his slider. He profiles as a decent middle or setup guy out of someone's bullpen.

My Grade: C+

5th Round (168th Overall):

Dennis Dixon

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 205
Birthdate: 1/11/85
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
School: Oregon University
Position: Outfield


Much like Freeman, there is no information available at this time on Dennis Dixon. But when I heard his name, it rang a bell for some reason, after thinking about it for a second I realized that Dennis Dixon was the Oregon Ducks starting quarterback last season. That shows how athletic he is if he can start at quarterback at a major college and be successful. After doing some further research, I found that he was once ranked as a tremendous baseball prospect as an outfielder and was chosen in the 20th round of the 2003 Amateur Baseball Draft by Cincinnati. Obviously he decided to go ahead and pursue a career in football, but now he's back and looking to help out my beloved Braves.

My Grade: C

My thoughts:

I'm sorry but one of the biggest disappointments for me so far have been us not drafting a starting pitcher, despite the fact that we are currently having starting pitching problems, now I know that majority of the guys we draft won't make it to the majors for at least two or more years, but still, we need starting pitching. Besides the lack of addressing starting pitching, another move that left me in awe was both of our third round picks. First off, we had just drafted a third baseman two rounds before, why would we need to draft another, less talented player at the same position? You got me. And secondly, what the fuck is this team's obsession with middle infielders that can't hit for shit? We, in essence, drafted Pete Orr version two when we picked Brandon Hicks with the 108th pick. Besides those two picks, I was overall pleased.

I just really wished we could've got Matt Harvey, a right-handed pitcher out of Fitch HS in Groton, Conn. The kid has so much talent and should've been a top 15 pick this season if it wasn't for his choice in a representative(aka an agent). He decided that it would be a good move to have Scott Boras as his agent, and it cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars and he dropped, oh about 100 picks, give or take. Boras had teams afraid to draft Harvey because he mentioned that he wanted his clients to be signed to huge contracts and teams weren't willing to invest as much as he wanted to an 18 year-old high school kid. But he was finally taken by the Los Angeles Angels with the 118th overall selection and trust me, if they can get this kid signed, he's an bonafide STEAL.

The other 45 rounds(!) will begin tomorrow, I won't be live blogging that, for obvious reasons, but I'll recap with my Braves' picks.

UPDATE:

Thanks to Stephen of the BravesJournal, he found information about Frederick Freeman and he graciously shared with me. Also the link that he supplied also had infomation on Dennis Dixon, so I'll go ahead and update him as well. So without further adieu, here's Freeman's and Dixon's profile.

Third Round (78th Overall)

Frederick "Freddie" Freeman

Height: 6'5"
Weight: N/A
Birthdate: 9/12/89
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
School: El Modena HS (California)
Position: Third Base

The Braves love this power-hitting infielder who spent most of his high school career at third base but will play first base as a pro. Freeman can also pitch, but the Braves feel he has great power potential as a corner infielder. Like Heyward, Freeman is only 17 and doesn’t turn 18 until September 12th. The six-foot-five, 215-pounder has a solid swing from the left side of the plate. He hit .453 this season with 5 home runs and 20 RBI in 75 at bats. Freeman will join Heyward in the Gulf Coast League this summer in Florida.

5th Round (168th Overall):

Dennis Dixon

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 205
Birthdate: 1/11/85
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
School: Oregon University
Position: Outfield

Dennis Dixon was drafted by the Reds in the 20th round out of high school a few years ago, but instead he decided to attend Oregon to play football. He’s been one of the Ducks’ starting quarterbacks the last few seasons, but he believes baseball is his future. Even though he has not played baseball in a few years, the Braves were one of a few teams interested in Dixon on the diamond. He worked out twice for the Braves, and the scouts were convinced he would be a project worth the gamble. Dixon is six-foot-four, 205-pounder and he will turn 23 next January. The Braves will send him down to the Gulf Coast League this summer, and then he’ll return to Oregon for his senior season as the Ducks’ starting signal-caller in August. Dixon can run, throw, and catch the ball, so he just has to work on his hitting. The Braves will not rush him, and the scouts feel like he could be a special athlete that could really excel on the baseball field.

Live Blog: The MLB Draft (1st round)

END OF THE 1ST ROUND

#30- Current Selection, New York(AL) selects Andrew Brackman, RHP, North Carolina State

The New York Yankees are now on the clock

#29- Current Selection, San Francsico selects Wendell Fairley, CF, George County HS (MS)

The San Francisco Giants are back on the clock.

#28- Current Selection, Minnesota selects Ben Revere, CF, Lexington Catholic HS (KY)

The Minnesota Twins are now on the clock.

#27- Current Selection, Detroit selects Rick Porcello, RHP, Seton Hall Prep

The Detroit Tigers are now on the clock.

#26- Current Selection, Oakland selects James Simmons, RHP, UC-Riverside

The Oakland Athletics are now on the clock.

#25- Current Selection, Chicago(AL) selects Aaron Poreda, LHP, University of San Francisco

The Chicago White Sox are on the clcok now.

#24- Current Selection, Texas(for the second time) selects Michael Main, RHP, Deland HS (Fla.)

The Texas Rangers are back on the clock.

#23- Current Selection, San Diego selects Nick Schmidt, LHP, Arkansas

The San Diego Padres are on the clock now.

#22- Current Selection, San Francisco(for the second time) selects Tim Alderson, RHP, Horizon HS, Scottsdale (Ariz.)

The San Francisco Giants are on the clock again.

#21- Current Selection, Toronto(for the second time) selects J.P. Arencibia, C/1B, Tennessee

The Toronto Blue Jays are back on the clock.

#20- Current Selection, Los Angeles selects Chris Withrow, RHP, Midland Christian HS (Texas)

The Los Angeles Dodgers are now on the clock.

#19- Current Selection, Philadelphia selects Joe Savery, LHP, Rice

The Philadelphia Phillies are on the clock.

#18- Current Selection, St.Louis selects Peter Kozma, SS, Owasso HS (Okla.)

The St.Louis Cardinals are now on the clock.

#17- Current Selection, Texas selects Blake Beavan, RHP, Irving HS (Texas)

The Texas Rangers are on the clock.

#16- Current Selection, Toronto selects Kevin Ahrens, 3B, Memorial HS (Texas)

The Toronto Blue Jays are now on the clock.

#15- Current Selection, Cincinnati selects Devin Mesoraco, C, Punxsatawney HS (Pa.)

The Cincinnati Reds are now on the clock.

#14- Current Selection, Atlanta selects Jason Heyward, Henry County HS (Ga.) YES!

THE ATLANTA BRAVES ARE NOW ON THE CLOCK!!!

#13- Current Selection, Cleveland selects Beau Mills, 3B, Lewis-Clark State

The Cleveland Indians are now on the clock.

#12-Current Selection, Florida selects Matt Dominguez, 3B, Chatsworth HS (Calif.)

The Florida Marlins are now on the clock.

#11-Current Selection, Seattle selects Phillipe Aumont, RHP, Ecole Du Versant Gatineau, Quebec

The Seattle Mariners are now on the clock.

#10-Current Selection, San Francisco selects Madison Bumgarner, LHP, South Caldwell HS (N.C.)

The San Francisco Giants are now on the clock.

#9-Current Selections, Arizona selects Jarrod Parker, RHP, Norwell HS (Ind.)

The Arizona Diamondbacks are on the clock. Also a side note, can someone please get Bud some Red Bull or something...WAKE UP!

#8- Current Selection, Colorado selects Casey Weathers, RHP, Vanderbilt

The Colorado Rockies are now on the clock.

#7- Current Selection, Milwaukee selects Matthew LaPorta, 1B, Florida

The Milwaukee Brewers are now on the clock.

#6- Current Selection, Washington selects Ross Detwiler, LHP, Missouri State

The Washington Nationals are now on the clock(BOO).

#5- Current Selection, Baltimore selects Matt Wieters, C, Georgia Tech

The Baltimore Orioles are now on the clock.

#4- Current Selection, Pittsburgh selects Daniel Moskos, LHP, Clemson

The Pittsburgh Pirates are now on the clock.

#3- Current Selection, Chicago(NL) selects Josh Vitters, 3B, Cypress HS (Calif.)

The Chicago Cubs are now on the clock.

#2- Current Selection, Kansas City selects Michael Moustakas, 3B, Chatsworth HS (Calif.)

The Kansas City Royals are now on the clock.

#1- Current Selection, Tampa Bay selects David Price, LHP (Vanderbilt)

1st ROUND

Bud Selig is kicking this Draft off, I dislike this guy with a passion...he angers me, but that story is for another time...let's get to the first pick.

Today I'm going to be live blogging the first ever MLB draft that is being shown nationally, I'm still trying to think of a reason why i'm live blogging it other than for shits and giggles. But anyways, I'll be your stop for all the drafting shenanigans today.

Saltalamacchia and Escobar continue to impress

The first game of the Braves double-header against the Florida Marlins just went into a rain delay with Atlanta leading 3-1, thanks to a Jarrod Saltalamacchia two-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning. Yet another reason why I want the Braves to keep Salty instead of trading him for pitching help. Sure we need the help, but guys like Salty don't come along everyday and with the saddening and almost definite departure of Andruw Jones after this season we are going to need someone to help fill the hole left by him, power wise. And no one is better suited to do that than Salty.

But then that brings up the next question, where does he play? He is a catcher by trade, that's where all his "value" is, but he has experience playing first base and seeing as how Scott Thorman is doing everything in his power to suck, and he's doing a might fine job at it, I must admit, it wouldn't be that big of a deal to put Thor on the bench. There was talk about switching Brian McCann to first base and play Salty at catcher, but there is no way in hell that is going to happen, McCann is our catcher and nothing is going to change that, he's the best offensive catcher in the National league, maybe in all of baseball and he just signed a fat new contract a month or so ago.

Here is Salty's numbers as of right now, note these don't include his performance today in which he went 2-3 with a game-winning two run homer.

Another player that was recently brought up is Yunel Escobar and he, much like Salty, has been playing extremely well and opened a lot of eyes. Escobar has only played in four games but he's hitting .438 and just hit his first career homerun last night against the Marlins and just to cap off that night, he went 4-4. Escobar has been playing third base while Chipper is on the shelf and it isn't known what his role will be when Chipper does come back, i'd anticipate he'll return in two to three weeks. Escobar could stay on the roster as a super-utility guy much like Wilson Betemit was before he was traded another possibility is let him keep raising his trade value and then try and find a bidder, such as the Cubs or the Giants who could really use a middle infielder. But it's hard to say what we should do, Chipper is still injured, and he has a history of getting injured and no one wants to see Prado, Woodward(eww) and Orr playing on a regular basis. But that's why i'm not paid to make those decisions, that's John Schuerholz's job.

Here's Escobar's stats as of right now, once again they don't include today's stats where he got one hit.

Side Note wife, Ashley, is a total : Both Saltalamacchia and Escobar have very hot wives, i've posted before that Salty'smilf and last night I learned Escobar's is too, both men are doing quite well for themselves and uh...they play baseball really well too. I'm still trying to find pics of both women.

It's official, Salty is going to start

It is now official, According to David O'Brien of AJC.com and Mark Bowman of AtlantaBraves.com, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is in Atlanta and he will be making his major league debut against Freddy Garcia and the Phillies. Salty will be in the starting line-up as their catcher. Brian McCann and Brayan Pena are unable to play tonight, and luckily the Braves have an off day tomorrow so that will cushion the blow of not having McCann.
To make this day even better, it's Saltalmacchia's 22nd birthday today. He is he Braves’ top-rated prospect who is hitting .309 with seven doubles, six homers and 13 RBIs in 22 games for Double-A Mississippi, with 13 walks and 17 strikeouts. He has been rumored to be on a number of team's lists to try and trade for, including the Detroit Tigers who are looking for a top catching prospect. Here is Saltalamacchia's career stats since being the Braves number one pick in 2002.

The slugging switch-hitter known as “Salty” is at Turner Field today. Jarrod Saltalamacchia was recalled from Class AA Mississippi and will be in the lineup at catcher tonight against the Phillies.

I can't wait to see how he fairs, I really like him and I want to see how he hits against major league pitchers. Best case scenario is he kicks major ass and doesn't get sent down when both catchers are completely healed, I would love to see him learn to play first base so we can then move Scott Thorman to left field. That would give us one hell of a lineup. If he does hit well and we don't keep him up, that would mean the likelihood of him being traded for pitching help.