Jon Paul Morosi is thinking outside-the-box on how to improve the San Francisco Giants. I normally like out-of-the-box thinking, but I'm not sure about this one. See, they didn't win the World Series this year so it is time to break them up. His solution? Trade Tim Lincecum. I really do appreciate out-of-the-box thinking, but trading an ace and then spending the money on high priced hitters just doesn't seem like best move to me.
At this time last year, the baseball industry was raving about the San Francisco rotation. After going more than a half-century between titles, the Giants had the pitching to win multiple championships.
And the Giants didn't win the championship this year. Time to tear them down and rebuild!
But young starters are rarely as perfect as they seem. They get older. They get more expensive.
Very, very good young starters turn into very, very good older starters who still have value though. Granted, they get more expensive. That's just part of having a good starter on the roster, the idea you will have to pay that starter more money on an annual basis in the future. Lincecum doesn't appear to be declining, and while I do understand the idea that he will get more and more expensive to keep around, I just don't know if trading Lincecum for prospects helps the Giants win more championships now while the other Giants starters are still young as well.
Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and Ryan Vogelsong are on pace to become free agents after the 2012 season; Lincecum is up the year after that. Meanwhile, an offense that scored the fewest runs in the National League is in need of major upgrades.
I absolutely agree with this. Why not trade Ryan Vogelsong or Matt Cain? I just think Tim Lincecum is an elite pitcher, not that Cain isn't close to this level, but improvements can be made to the offense by acquiring a hitter in return for Vogelsong or Cain and the Giants can keep Lincecum.
So if the Giants wish to maximize their odds of returning to the World Series, they have two choices.
These are two, and only two, choices.
1. Spend big for Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, Jose Reyes or at the very least Carlos Beltran.
Here is my biggest problem with this plan. Much of the money that would normally go to Tim Lincecum are going to one of four free agents who have real question marks about them and are also going to require large contracts.
Prince Fielder: He is a great hitter now, but if you give him a 6 year contract how will he look in years 5 and 6 of the deal? He isn't going to get skinnier and more agile as he grows older.
Albert Pujols: Would be a great signing for the Giants, other than they have Brandon Belt to play first base, and the Giants appear to have other positions of greater need. So while Pujols would be a great signing, he would eat up a lot of the money saved by trading Linecum as well.
Jose Reyes: Injury issues. Why trade an elite starter for a shortstop who gets injured every single year? I realize Reyes is an elite leadoff hitter, but I don't see using Lincecum as a way to free up any money for Reyes as a good solution. I can get behind the Giants signing Reyes, just not at the expense of Lincecum being traded.
Carlos Beltran: Injury issues and how much money will he want? Beltran isn't getting any younger. Plus, if the Giants want an impact bat, I am not sure Beltran is exactly in the class of Fielder or Pujols.
So I don't think it is a bad idea for the Giants to spend money on a big name free agent. I just wouldn't trade Tim Lincecum to facilitate this.
2. Trade one of those prized starters for impact bats, because the day is fast approaching when the Giants won’t be able to afford them all.
This just seems like a short-term solution to me. I know this postseason taught us all that teams don't need good pitching to win the World Series (which isn't really true if you ask me), but what impact bat is available? I don't know specifically what impact bat Morosi wants the Giants to go after. Another item to consider is at some point this impact bat will have to be paid a lot of money, just like Lincecum will get paid. This is unless the impact bat under a long-term contract right now, which makes me wonder why a team would trade that player.
(I could get behind a Lincecum-Teixeira trade and then the Yankees sign Fielder...though this trade would never happen)
And if the Giants blanch at the going rates in free agency, the most practical move might be to trade Mr. Two-Time Cy Young Award Winner himself.
But why?
Sanchez has minimal value, coming off an erratic, injury-plagued season in which he barely threw 100 innings and set a new career high with nearly six walks per nine innings.
So this is definitely the guy to keep and move up in the rotation. He'll look a hell of a lot better as a third starter than a fourth starter. We all know how easy it is to find good pitching, so it shouldn't be a problem to move an erratic starter up in the rotation and replace Lincecum.
Vogelsong is a strong candidate to sign an extension with the Giants this winter. He earned less than $500,000 this year. Because of his nomadic career — he spent three seasons in Japan — Vogelsong likely would be compelled by the security of a long-term contract.
So Vogelsong will be affordable. That's why the Giants should keep him. Wouldn't this make him more attractive on the trade market though? If a team acquiring Vogelsong knew they could get a decent starter who was likely to sign with them?
Cain is highly regarded because of his reliability. He has led the staff in innings during each of the past two seasons and is coming off his best year in the majors, judging by ERA (2.88) and WHIP (1.08). Cain previously signed a three-year contract with the team and will earn $15 million in 2012 — a sturdy platform from which to begin discussions about a Jered Weaver-style extension.
I see Cain and Lincecum as being somewhat in the same position. Both are young and are going to want more money soon. At this point, based on what Morosi said, Cain looks like he would have a lot of trade value. The difference is Cain sounds like he would sign a long-term deal, which I think would give him more trade value.
Lincecum (13-14, 2.74, 220 Ks) is coming off a two-year, $23 million deal that was signed amid expectations he would set a new record in salary arbitration. He’s probably going to earn $17 million next year and upwards of $20 million in ’13, assuming his performance remains constant. At those numbers, Lincecum will achieve great wealth before reaching free agency. So he has little incentive to sign a long-term extension.
And again, as compared to Matt Cain, wouldn't this cause a team trading for Lincecum to worry a little bit? If Lincecum has little incentive to sign a long-term extension, why would a team want to trade for him as somewhat of a rental? It seems Lincecum would have more value to the Giants in this case than on the trade market.
“It’s just easier for me mentally not to have to put that kind of pressure on yourself,” Lincecum said in September. “Not that you don’t want to succeed, but when you’re signed to a long-term deal, it’s like saying, ‘I’m going to live up to every expectation.’ That’s why I like going year to year, so I can improve on it and not sit on what I’ve done.”
Lincecum will be with the Giants for two more seasons. I don't think this offseason is the time to trade Lincecum, especially if they want to win now. Lincecum doesn't seem inclined to sign a long-term deal, which I think could impact his trade value.
There is no evidence that Lincecum is available on the trade market. And he shouldn’t be — yet. General manager Brian Sabean must see where the market goes for Fielder, Reyes, et al. If he can afford them, there’s no reason to shop Lincecum.
Ever. Ok, maybe not ever, but not this offseason.
But if Sabean can’t squeeze either into a payroll of roughly $120 million, he could move Lincecum for multiple players and the flexibility that would allow him to afford Fielder or Reyes.
I'm interested at how much Morosi thinks this impact bat is going to cost the Giants. Reyes/Fielder/Pujols/Beltran will cost a lot of money as well. If the Giants are going to trade Lincecum for multiple players, the odds of them getting an impact bat aren't quite as high in this trade, so that seems like much of the reason to trade Lincecum would disappear.
In that sense, the trade would be Lincecum for prospects and Fielder — which should sound a little better to Giants fans.
So now we are talking prospects for Lincecum, not an impact bat. This brings up a whole other issue. If the Giants trade Lincecum for prospects aren't they essentially taking a step back by reducing the strength of their rotation and not necessarily improving the offense immediately? So if the Giants traded Lincecum for prospects I don't see it as a forward-thinking move. I like the idea of an impact bat better for Lincecum, though I still question whether this trade would still save an extraordinary amount of money over the next few seasons.
And for those who doubt whether a championship-caliber team would trade an ace pitcher … I suggest you ask Cliff Lee.
Yes, but the Phillies traded Cliff Lee so they could get Roy Halladay. There is a difference in trading Cliff Lee to get Roy Halladay as compared to trading Tim Lincecum to get a free agent like Fielder/Reyes it seems the Giants can afford anyway. If the Giants were getting a quality pitcher in return for Lincecum, I could understand the move a little better, but the Phillies improved their rotation by trading an ace pitcher.
I'm not sure the Giants could improve their team by trading Lincecum. If they traded him for an impact bat, this would essentially be reallocating resources from the pitching staff to the offense, and if they traded him for prospects this wouldn't help the Giants win while the other young pitchers are still affordable.
Showing posts with label jon paul morosi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jon paul morosi. Show all posts
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Thursday, June 17, 2010
6 comments Maybe Chipper Jones Should Retire...But Then What?
A couple of days ago, Chipper Jones pulled a semi-Brett Favre and called a press conference to (most likely) announce he was going to retire after this season. Later, he decided not to have the press conference. Honestly, I love Chipper Jones, but it is probably is for the better that he retires after this year, assuming he keeps hitting like he has.
Jon Paul Morosi wonders if Chipper shouldn't retire RIGHT NOW. Again, honestly this isn't a terrible idea but Morosi's solutions to the whole "who will play third base" problem aren't effective. I normally try to avoid articles that talk about my favorite teams, but I couldn't do it this time.
In time, we will talk about Chipper Jones as a Hall of Fame candidate, the preeminent switch hitter of his generation, one of the best offensive third basemen in history.
We will offer the proper compliments to a player who is among the top 10 active players in hits and games played.
Now I feel all warm inside just thinking about this (Bengoodfella hugs a teddy bear and gently blows a butterfly off a leaf as he sits in a field of daisies).
But not today.
What? An article that is entitled "Is it time for Chipper to hang 'em up" isn't a sweet eulogy towards him? I don't know if I can handle this sudden switch in tone.
(Cries into the teddy bear and swats angrily at butterflies while tearing the daisies up from their roots)
Right now, Jones is a .233 hitter who isn’t ready to stop playing. And .233 hitters don’t usually have much say-so beyond what they eat for lunch.
Chipper doesn't even get to decide what he has for lunch now. You don't like salmon for lunch Chipper? YOU WILL EAT YOUR SALMON AND FUCKING ENJOY IT!
But his agent, B.B. Abbott, told FOXSports.com on Tuesday that Jones will “absolutely not” walk away before the season is over.
Chipper's agent is named B.B. Abbott? Why do I feel like this guy should smoke a cigar and have a top hat on?
Part of the reason it is not smart for Chipper to walk away is that the Braves have no other third base options, Chipper Jones still has a great OBP and the Braves would like for fans to continue to attend the games in Atlanta. It sort of leaves the Braves in a bind if he just up and quits this year. He is not hitting well currently, but the options to replace him (and the jerseys he sells) are not attractive.
It makes sense for Chipper to not pull a Griffey and just quit midseason after getting caught taking a siesta in the clubhouse.
So, the Atlanta Braves have a very delicate situation on their hands. If they would like to remain in first place, it must be resolved very quickly – and with bluntly honest communication.
I guess I don't get why the Braves have to move quickly on this decision to stay in first place. They made it into first place with Chipper playing terribly, along with some other players playing even worse than him, so based on the idea they will get healthier and the average players start playing average and stop playing out of their mind (looks at Eric Hinske) and the good players start playing well, the Braves still have a good shot at the NL East. This isn't me as a Braves fan saying this, this is me being logical.
Jones, 38, is well within his rights to stick around for the rest of this season. Heck, the Braves still owe him $14 million next year and $14 million the year after that. He could, in theory, hang out on the bench or disabled list and collect every penny.
It's been pretty much established that Chipper Jones won't do this. I think this idea is off the table.
But he doesn’t want to diminish his legacy by hanging on too long. Jones might soon make an announcement about his future.
And if he does, it should go something like this: I’m going to retire at the end of this season, and I should be a part-time player between now and then.
I guess we are working the assumption that playing the rest of this year will diminish his legacy, but calling a press conference to say, "Hey I suck now. I think a career minor league player like Brooks Conrad should take my place at third base" will in no way affect his legacy. I don't agree with this assumption.
Let's weigh the difference in playing out the year and quitting immediately or being benched so another player can take his position:
On one hand, we have playing out the rest of this year and not having a great year. This will let everyone know that he is declining as a player and this should probably be his last year. He runs the risk of staying around too long.
On the other hand, Jon Paul Morosi advocates giving up on being a full-time player so a career minor leaguer can take over his position. This will let everyone know that not only has Chipper Jones' talent level declined, but now a 30 year old guy who is barely a major league baseball player is now considered a better option for the team than Jones, even when this may not be true.
Both options seem to be equal in the realm of "legacy diminishing" to me.
That’s right. If Cox won’t do it, Chipper Jones should bench himself.
Why the hell should Bobby Cox listen to Chipper Jones? If Bobby Cox keeps running him out there and believes he is the best guy to play third base on the roster, then Chipper shouldn't go over the manager's head to get public opinion in favor of Cox benching him. There is something about publicly telling his manager what to do that doesn't seem like the smart move for Chipper.
He doesn’t need to permanently take himself out of the lineup, per se. But he should make clear to the Braves that he is only interested in sticking around if Cox and general manager Frank Wren
Which they obviously do believe or else he wouldn't be in the starting lineup when he isn't injured. I think the fact he has played third base as much as possible this year shows that the Braves still believe in his ability to play third base...or they are afraid of letting him not play third base, which really Chipper can't do anything about anyway.
Who is to say Chipper hasn't left it up to the Braves management and Bobby Cox? We don't know this for sure. He very well could have told them to only put him out there if they think he is the best player to play third base...and Cox has continued to play him out there.
Recently, he went 37 games without hitting a home run. He had six RBIs in April.
He had 15 RBI's in May. He has two RBI's in June...so maybe July will be a decent month for him.
He’s hitting just .221 with one homer from the left side – a startling regression, considering his .305/.409/.547 career line against right-handers.
That is terrible. Let's look at some other numbers that may show Morosi why Chipper is staying in the lineup.
.233/.376/.366
That was his line as of the time I wrote this post. Not great, but also not a terrible OBP, and it always helps a team score runs when a guy gets on base.
40
That's how many walks Chipper currently has.
28
That's how many strikeouts Chipper currently has.
101
Chipper's OPS+
1.0
His WAR
So yes, he isn't playing well, but there are reasons to keep him in the lineup everyday that go beyond what a popular player he is.
Because he’s technically owed $28 million over the next two seasons, he could negotiate one of the greatest golden parachutes in baseball history. He can say to the Braves: I won’t show up to play next season, which will allow you to void the contract … as long as you hire me back as a well-compensated special adviser.
A person who is concerned about his legacy doesn't do this. Even though he has this leverage, there is no way I think Chipper would do this. Technically this is an option, but a guy who is worried enough about his legacy doesn't do this.
Fans in Atlanta, who aren’t exactly known for packing the house, are pretty attached to Chipper. It wouldn’t be a good time to alienate them.
This is very true, I will admit this, but I don't entirely get what this has to do with Chipper Jones retiring. Maybe he is in the lineup because of his .376 OBP or it may be because the fans want to see him. Either way his strikeouts aren't up, he still gets on base and he really isn't that big of a detriment to the team, especially compared to the black hole that is 2/3 of the starting outfield. There are reasons for him to stick around and reasons for the Braves to not bench him immediately.
Conrad is hitting better left-handed than he is right-handed. The opposite is true of Jones. So, maybe the Braves should consider a platoon.
In fairness to Morosi, he did say Brooks Conrad and Omar Infante are not very good internal options, but the idea of platooning Chipper Jones with a guy who has 42 at-bats from the left-hand side of the plate this year and is a career minor leaguer doesn't make sense to me. Conrad has been a great pinch-hitter and a decent role-player this year. Doesn't the fact he is 30 years old and he hasn't had more than 54 at-bats at the major league level not concern Morosi that Conrad may get exposed if he gets 300 at-bats and plays everyday? I would think it should concern him.
But what if Wren can swing a deal for a third baseman? What if the Diamondbacks start shopping power threat Mark Reynolds?
You mean the guy who is actually hitting for a lower average than Chipper Jones at .218? Or is this the guy who has a lower OBP than Chipper has? So we go from a guy with an OPS+ of 101 and WAR of 1.0 to a guy with an OPS+ of 105 and a WAR of 0.6? Reynolds over Jones makes sense in terms of power, but there are other reasons to think it isn't such a great move to trade for Reynolds.
He has triple the strikeouts Chipper Jones has and has less walks than Chipper Jones has. Reynolds slugging percentage is higher and he hits more home runs, the Braves do need home runs, but trading prospects for Reynolds doesn't seem worth it to me.
What if the Red Sox, desperate to trade Mike Lowell to a team outside of the American League, would give him to the Braves for a bargain price?
Then that would mean the Braves are absolute morons because Mike Lowell is two years younger than Chipper Jones and is worse than Chipper Jones in nearly every single category I could find or think of. Sure, he hasn't gotten a chance to play much with the Red Sox this year, but outside of the Red Sox giving Lowell to the Braves, there should be no reason the Braves should trade for him.
Lowell's line for this year: .215/.311/.354. He also has two home runs though AND 12 RBI's though! Who wouldn't want that production from a corner infielder? I am sure the fact Lowell doesn't start has nothing to do with the fact Lowell's performance has been steadily declining and I am sure he will bounce back once he gets a chance to play. No really, it makes sense to trade prospects for a guy who isn't as good as the guy he is replacing.
Then the team would need to free up a roster spot. And given the versatility that Conrad and Infante offer, it would be hard to justify Jones’ continued presence on the club.
Read more about this move in Morosi's upcoming book, "How to Take a Division-Leading Baseball Team and Make Them Worse in One Easy Trade!"
I am not defending Chipper Jones and I don't care if he gets benched, but the only reason it makes sense to bench Jones is if the team gets better because of it. The Braves may not win the NL East this year, I don't expect them to, but the way to ensure they have a better chance to win the NL East is to not trade for Mike Lowell. The Braves already have a third baseman with injury problems playing for them, and he is playing better than Lowell.
In pondering Jones’ future, I can’t help but think about Ken Griffey Jr., another legend who faded late.
There is absolutely no comparison here. Griffey Jr. had a line of .184/.250/.204 this year before he retired. He had no home runs in 97 at-bats. Chipper has four home runs in 172 at-bats and as bad as his numbers are this year, they are much better than what Griffey was putting up this year and even in some ways is putting up better numbers this year than what Griffey did last year. Chipper is playing terrible, but as long as he is getting on-base and showing flashes of his old self, the Braves should be fine with him playing every day.
Jones should save himself that anguish and only stick around as long as the Braves truly need him. Maybe that will mean serving as a super-utility player and pinch hitter.
Super-utility player? He only plays third base. Not to mention, the other internal option to replace him, Omar Infante, isn't playing much better than Jones and has much, much more value as a utility player because he can play multiple positions. So of the four options presented here, Brooks Conrad, Omar Infante, Mark Reynolds, and Mike Lowell...Jones is playing better than two of them (Lowell, Infante), another will probably be exposed by playing everyday (Conrad), and the other hits home runs and that is about the only advantage he has over Jones (Reynolds).
I am a Braves fan, but I am not a homer. There are many times I think Bobby Cox should have retired years ago, and Chipper Jones should retire after this year. Why replace him with a player who brings in less fans to the park and is playing either worse or marginally better than him?
The Braves can win the division this season, and Jones can help them do it.
They are in 1st place now. If the Braves don't win the division it will be because of poor pitching and other players on the Braves roster not doing their part either. Nate McLouth is an abomination right now, Yunel Escobar is offensively challenged currently, Brian McCann is underperforming, and seeing Melky Cabrera play every day because he is the 2nd best everyday outfielder just makes me sad.
Jones contributing is important, but his performance isn't what holds the team back or makes them play well at this point. They can win with him playing poorly and lose with him hitting well.
Just not in the way that he always did. Only if he realizes that a phased-out retirement has a chance to work.
But once Jones has phased himself out and retired, who the Braves put at third base? Infante is too valuable everywhere else to play third base everyday, Brooks Conrad isn't an everyday guy and there isn't a third baseman out there that is available and worth trading prospects for. The Braves have few options at this point, outside of putting Troy Glaus at third base and finding someone to play first base...which creates a whole new problem.
Perhaps the Braves should worry more about Nate McLouth's .577 OPS or Melky Cabrera's .646 OPS, both of which are much worse than what Jones is hitting. Yes, I think the outfield is the sore thumb that sticks out needing to be fixed more than third base.
-One last thing. Johnette Howard wrote an article that I don't mind, but we need an editor up in here STAT!
and you’re at the point now where you can almost mouth the dialogue along with them like someone who’s watching Bull Durham or Annie Hall for the 1,423rd time? When umpire Tim Joyce painfully confessed
TIM Joyce? I know it is one letter, but this guy has been all-over the news for the last two weeks. Who the hell edits columns for NBCSports and why didn't anyone notice this mistake? It's Jim Joyce and this should have been caught.
That's not it though. I'll let Johnette finish the sentence now...
to messing up Armando Gallaragga’s perfect game – now that was an unscripted apology.
I guess no one notice that Johnette Howard threw an extra "l" and "g" in Galarraga's name, while leaving out the extra "r." This is sad. If you don't know how to spell something, just do an internet search on it. It's like Johnette gave up and just started adding letters.
For two professional people, a writer and an editor, to miss these two big mistakes in one column is just ridiculous to me, much less for them to miss these mistakes in one sentence of a column. Is editing really that hard? This should be the easy part of the job, learning the correct spelling of names and making sure the names in the column written are correct.
Jon Paul Morosi wonders if Chipper shouldn't retire RIGHT NOW. Again, honestly this isn't a terrible idea but Morosi's solutions to the whole "who will play third base" problem aren't effective. I normally try to avoid articles that talk about my favorite teams, but I couldn't do it this time.
In time, we will talk about Chipper Jones as a Hall of Fame candidate, the preeminent switch hitter of his generation, one of the best offensive third basemen in history.
We will offer the proper compliments to a player who is among the top 10 active players in hits and games played.
Now I feel all warm inside just thinking about this (Bengoodfella hugs a teddy bear and gently blows a butterfly off a leaf as he sits in a field of daisies).
But not today.
What? An article that is entitled "Is it time for Chipper to hang 'em up" isn't a sweet eulogy towards him? I don't know if I can handle this sudden switch in tone.
(Cries into the teddy bear and swats angrily at butterflies while tearing the daisies up from their roots)
Right now, Jones is a .233 hitter who isn’t ready to stop playing. And .233 hitters don’t usually have much say-so beyond what they eat for lunch.
Chipper doesn't even get to decide what he has for lunch now. You don't like salmon for lunch Chipper? YOU WILL EAT YOUR SALMON AND FUCKING ENJOY IT!
But his agent, B.B. Abbott, told FOXSports.com on Tuesday that Jones will “absolutely not” walk away before the season is over.
Chipper's agent is named B.B. Abbott? Why do I feel like this guy should smoke a cigar and have a top hat on?
Part of the reason it is not smart for Chipper to walk away is that the Braves have no other third base options, Chipper Jones still has a great OBP and the Braves would like for fans to continue to attend the games in Atlanta. It sort of leaves the Braves in a bind if he just up and quits this year. He is not hitting well currently, but the options to replace him (and the jerseys he sells) are not attractive.
It makes sense for Chipper to not pull a Griffey and just quit midseason after getting caught taking a siesta in the clubhouse.
So, the Atlanta Braves have a very delicate situation on their hands. If they would like to remain in first place, it must be resolved very quickly – and with bluntly honest communication.
I guess I don't get why the Braves have to move quickly on this decision to stay in first place. They made it into first place with Chipper playing terribly, along with some other players playing even worse than him, so based on the idea they will get healthier and the average players start playing average and stop playing out of their mind (looks at Eric Hinske) and the good players start playing well, the Braves still have a good shot at the NL East. This isn't me as a Braves fan saying this, this is me being logical.
Jones, 38, is well within his rights to stick around for the rest of this season. Heck, the Braves still owe him $14 million next year and $14 million the year after that. He could, in theory, hang out on the bench or disabled list and collect every penny.
It's been pretty much established that Chipper Jones won't do this. I think this idea is off the table.
But he doesn’t want to diminish his legacy by hanging on too long. Jones might soon make an announcement about his future.
And if he does, it should go something like this: I’m going to retire at the end of this season, and I should be a part-time player between now and then.
I guess we are working the assumption that playing the rest of this year will diminish his legacy, but calling a press conference to say, "Hey I suck now. I think a career minor league player like Brooks Conrad should take my place at third base" will in no way affect his legacy. I don't agree with this assumption.
Let's weigh the difference in playing out the year and quitting immediately or being benched so another player can take his position:
On one hand, we have playing out the rest of this year and not having a great year. This will let everyone know that he is declining as a player and this should probably be his last year. He runs the risk of staying around too long.
On the other hand, Jon Paul Morosi advocates giving up on being a full-time player so a career minor leaguer can take over his position. This will let everyone know that not only has Chipper Jones' talent level declined, but now a 30 year old guy who is barely a major league baseball player is now considered a better option for the team than Jones, even when this may not be true.
Both options seem to be equal in the realm of "legacy diminishing" to me.
That’s right. If Cox won’t do it, Chipper Jones should bench himself.
Why the hell should Bobby Cox listen to Chipper Jones? If Bobby Cox keeps running him out there and believes he is the best guy to play third base on the roster, then Chipper shouldn't go over the manager's head to get public opinion in favor of Cox benching him. There is something about publicly telling his manager what to do that doesn't seem like the smart move for Chipper.
He doesn’t need to permanently take himself out of the lineup, per se. But he should make clear to the Braves that he is only interested in sticking around if Cox and general manager Frank Wren
Which they obviously do believe or else he wouldn't be in the starting lineup when he isn't injured. I think the fact he has played third base as much as possible this year shows that the Braves still believe in his ability to play third base...or they are afraid of letting him not play third base, which really Chipper can't do anything about anyway.
Who is to say Chipper hasn't left it up to the Braves management and Bobby Cox? We don't know this for sure. He very well could have told them to only put him out there if they think he is the best player to play third base...and Cox has continued to play him out there.
Recently, he went 37 games without hitting a home run. He had six RBIs in April.
He had 15 RBI's in May. He has two RBI's in June...so maybe July will be a decent month for him.
He’s hitting just .221 with one homer from the left side – a startling regression, considering his .305/.409/.547 career line against right-handers.
That is terrible. Let's look at some other numbers that may show Morosi why Chipper is staying in the lineup.
.233/.376/.366
That was his line as of the time I wrote this post. Not great, but also not a terrible OBP, and it always helps a team score runs when a guy gets on base.
40
That's how many walks Chipper currently has.
28
That's how many strikeouts Chipper currently has.
101
Chipper's OPS+
1.0
His WAR
So yes, he isn't playing well, but there are reasons to keep him in the lineup everyday that go beyond what a popular player he is.
Because he’s technically owed $28 million over the next two seasons, he could negotiate one of the greatest golden parachutes in baseball history. He can say to the Braves: I won’t show up to play next season, which will allow you to void the contract … as long as you hire me back as a well-compensated special adviser.
A person who is concerned about his legacy doesn't do this. Even though he has this leverage, there is no way I think Chipper would do this. Technically this is an option, but a guy who is worried enough about his legacy doesn't do this.
Fans in Atlanta, who aren’t exactly known for packing the house, are pretty attached to Chipper. It wouldn’t be a good time to alienate them.
This is very true, I will admit this, but I don't entirely get what this has to do with Chipper Jones retiring. Maybe he is in the lineup because of his .376 OBP or it may be because the fans want to see him. Either way his strikeouts aren't up, he still gets on base and he really isn't that big of a detriment to the team, especially compared to the black hole that is 2/3 of the starting outfield. There are reasons for him to stick around and reasons for the Braves to not bench him immediately.
Conrad is hitting better left-handed than he is right-handed. The opposite is true of Jones. So, maybe the Braves should consider a platoon.
In fairness to Morosi, he did say Brooks Conrad and Omar Infante are not very good internal options, but the idea of platooning Chipper Jones with a guy who has 42 at-bats from the left-hand side of the plate this year and is a career minor leaguer doesn't make sense to me. Conrad has been a great pinch-hitter and a decent role-player this year. Doesn't the fact he is 30 years old and he hasn't had more than 54 at-bats at the major league level not concern Morosi that Conrad may get exposed if he gets 300 at-bats and plays everyday? I would think it should concern him.
But what if Wren can swing a deal for a third baseman? What if the Diamondbacks start shopping power threat Mark Reynolds?
You mean the guy who is actually hitting for a lower average than Chipper Jones at .218? Or is this the guy who has a lower OBP than Chipper has? So we go from a guy with an OPS+ of 101 and WAR of 1.0 to a guy with an OPS+ of 105 and a WAR of 0.6? Reynolds over Jones makes sense in terms of power, but there are other reasons to think it isn't such a great move to trade for Reynolds.
He has triple the strikeouts Chipper Jones has and has less walks than Chipper Jones has. Reynolds slugging percentage is higher and he hits more home runs, the Braves do need home runs, but trading prospects for Reynolds doesn't seem worth it to me.
What if the Red Sox, desperate to trade Mike Lowell to a team outside of the American League, would give him to the Braves for a bargain price?
Then that would mean the Braves are absolute morons because Mike Lowell is two years younger than Chipper Jones and is worse than Chipper Jones in nearly every single category I could find or think of. Sure, he hasn't gotten a chance to play much with the Red Sox this year, but outside of the Red Sox giving Lowell to the Braves, there should be no reason the Braves should trade for him.
Lowell's line for this year: .215/.311/.354. He also has two home runs though AND 12 RBI's though! Who wouldn't want that production from a corner infielder? I am sure the fact Lowell doesn't start has nothing to do with the fact Lowell's performance has been steadily declining and I am sure he will bounce back once he gets a chance to play. No really, it makes sense to trade prospects for a guy who isn't as good as the guy he is replacing.
Then the team would need to free up a roster spot. And given the versatility that Conrad and Infante offer, it would be hard to justify Jones’ continued presence on the club.
Read more about this move in Morosi's upcoming book, "How to Take a Division-Leading Baseball Team and Make Them Worse in One Easy Trade!"
I am not defending Chipper Jones and I don't care if he gets benched, but the only reason it makes sense to bench Jones is if the team gets better because of it. The Braves may not win the NL East this year, I don't expect them to, but the way to ensure they have a better chance to win the NL East is to not trade for Mike Lowell. The Braves already have a third baseman with injury problems playing for them, and he is playing better than Lowell.
In pondering Jones’ future, I can’t help but think about Ken Griffey Jr., another legend who faded late.
There is absolutely no comparison here. Griffey Jr. had a line of .184/.250/.204 this year before he retired. He had no home runs in 97 at-bats. Chipper has four home runs in 172 at-bats and as bad as his numbers are this year, they are much better than what Griffey was putting up this year and even in some ways is putting up better numbers this year than what Griffey did last year. Chipper is playing terrible, but as long as he is getting on-base and showing flashes of his old self, the Braves should be fine with him playing every day.
Jones should save himself that anguish and only stick around as long as the Braves truly need him. Maybe that will mean serving as a super-utility player and pinch hitter.
Super-utility player? He only plays third base. Not to mention, the other internal option to replace him, Omar Infante, isn't playing much better than Jones and has much, much more value as a utility player because he can play multiple positions. So of the four options presented here, Brooks Conrad, Omar Infante, Mark Reynolds, and Mike Lowell...Jones is playing better than two of them (Lowell, Infante), another will probably be exposed by playing everyday (Conrad), and the other hits home runs and that is about the only advantage he has over Jones (Reynolds).
I am a Braves fan, but I am not a homer. There are many times I think Bobby Cox should have retired years ago, and Chipper Jones should retire after this year. Why replace him with a player who brings in less fans to the park and is playing either worse or marginally better than him?
The Braves can win the division this season, and Jones can help them do it.
They are in 1st place now. If the Braves don't win the division it will be because of poor pitching and other players on the Braves roster not doing their part either. Nate McLouth is an abomination right now, Yunel Escobar is offensively challenged currently, Brian McCann is underperforming, and seeing Melky Cabrera play every day because he is the 2nd best everyday outfielder just makes me sad.
Jones contributing is important, but his performance isn't what holds the team back or makes them play well at this point. They can win with him playing poorly and lose with him hitting well.
Just not in the way that he always did. Only if he realizes that a phased-out retirement has a chance to work.
But once Jones has phased himself out and retired, who the Braves put at third base? Infante is too valuable everywhere else to play third base everyday, Brooks Conrad isn't an everyday guy and there isn't a third baseman out there that is available and worth trading prospects for. The Braves have few options at this point, outside of putting Troy Glaus at third base and finding someone to play first base...which creates a whole new problem.
Perhaps the Braves should worry more about Nate McLouth's .577 OPS or Melky Cabrera's .646 OPS, both of which are much worse than what Jones is hitting. Yes, I think the outfield is the sore thumb that sticks out needing to be fixed more than third base.
-One last thing. Johnette Howard wrote an article that I don't mind, but we need an editor up in here STAT!
and you’re at the point now where you can almost mouth the dialogue along with them like someone who’s watching Bull Durham or Annie Hall for the 1,423rd time? When umpire Tim Joyce painfully confessed
TIM Joyce? I know it is one letter, but this guy has been all-over the news for the last two weeks. Who the hell edits columns for NBCSports and why didn't anyone notice this mistake? It's Jim Joyce and this should have been caught.
That's not it though. I'll let Johnette finish the sentence now...
to messing up Armando Gallaragga’s perfect game – now that was an unscripted apology.
I guess no one notice that Johnette Howard threw an extra "l" and "g" in Galarraga's name, while leaving out the extra "r." This is sad. If you don't know how to spell something, just do an internet search on it. It's like Johnette gave up and just started adding letters.
For two professional people, a writer and an editor, to miss these two big mistakes in one column is just ridiculous to me, much less for them to miss these mistakes in one sentence of a column. Is editing really that hard? This should be the easy part of the job, learning the correct spelling of names and making sure the names in the column written are correct.
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