Copy & Paste of online chat with JS on mlb.com
Mike Lattin
3pm EST. Following is copy and paste of that transcript also from mlb.com...
Braves general manager John Schuerholz answered questions from fans during
an online chat on atlantabraves.com. Schuerholz talked about the Braves'
priorities for the 2005 season and what he hopes to accomplish in the free
agent market this winter.
Base_Ball_3: Will you go after a first baseman like Richie Sexson, Carlos
Delgado or trade for Mike Sweeney?
John Schuerholz: No, we like our first base situation with Adam LaRoche,
especially the way he played in the second half. We also like having the
veteran protection with Julio Franco, whom we intend to invite back.
Base_Ball_3: Will you go after Carl Pavano, Kevin Brown or one of Oakland's
big three?
Schuerholz: With respect to this question and the particular pitchers that
you mentioned, I'll simply say we've had a lot of conversations with agents
of free agent pitchers and players, as well as talks with other teams. We're
confident that by the start of next season we'll have another strong and
deep pitching staff, even though I can't tell you the names of those
pitchers at this moment.
Base_Ball_3: Will you trade Andruw Jones or Rafael Furcal? What will you get
in return? What could you do to replace them?
Schuerholz: We have no intention of trading Andruw Jones or Furcal. Talented
players like those two are essential on championship teams.
Base_Ball_3: Do you think you'll get Odalis Perez or Kevin Millwood back?
Schuerholz: I doubt it, but I've learned over the years to never rule out
any possibility until the roster is finally set at the end of Spring
Training.
reitsmamvp: John, there has been a lot of chatter over John Smoltz returning
to the rotation. But what about Chris Reitsma? Would he have any shot at all
at the rotation? You took a shot on Jaret Wright, why not Chris?
Schuerholz: Smoltz has indicated to me his willingness to accept either role
we ask him to fill, starter or closer. We believe one of the strengths of
our pitching staff overall was the depth of our bullpen, and Reitsma filled
an important role in that bullpen. We expect him to do that again next year.
Base_Ball_3: Who will you go after to replace holes in the rotation and in
the outfield?
Schuerholz: We have had numerous conversations with agents and other team
general managers regarding our potential need and interest in offensive
outfielders, as well as starting and relief pitchers. We're confident that
when this process of team reconstruction ends prior to the start of this
season, we will have once again put together a strong championship-caliber
roster. Like I said to the earlier questioner, I just don't know their
names.
wc216: Who is the best upcoming prospect to you?
Schuerholz: It's always so hard for me to single out a particular player as
our top prospect. Our scouting and player development department does a
great job each year keeping the pipeline filled with quality talent. Some
names you'll hear a lot about in Spring Training are Jose Capellan, Dan
Meyer, Kyle Davies and Andy Marte. There are certainly many more players in
our system that we like. I can't name them all here. But if you come to
Spring Training at Wide World of Sports, you'll see most the them. Hope to
see you there.
Base_Ball_3: Is there a chance of Atlanta getting Adrian Beltre or Troy
Glaus and then moving Chipper Jones to first base?
Schuerholz: No, there is really no chance of that at all.
Base_Ball_3: Is there a chance Jermaine Dye will return to Atlanta?
Schuerholz: Of course. Jermaine is a free agent and we obviously know him
well from his time in our organization and have observed his fine years as a
productive Major League outfielder. We have made it clear that J.D. Drew is
our first priority in filling the outfield void. But if that doesn't
develop, we'll certainly consider all other options, Jermaine Dye included.
Base_Ball_3: What do you intend to do to help the starting rotation?
Schuerholz: As we have done continually, we will focus our attention on
creating the strongest, deepest starting rotation that we can, because you
and I both know our continual sucess these past 14 seasons has started on
the pitcher's mound.
onceagain3129: Hi John. As a life-long fan of the Braves, I have just one
question to ask -- do you think that there is any possibility of re-signing
Jaret Wright?
Schuerholz: We certainly hope so. We've made Jaret a multiyear contract
proposal and have expressed to him and his agent how much we'd like to have
him back in a Braves uniform next year. But, as you well know, that ultimate
decision rests with the player.
mlb_com_member: Why did you choose to add Anthony Lerew and Kyle Davies to
the 40-man roster, but didn't add Jeff Francoeur?
Schuerholz: Davies and Lerew were draft eligible and Jeff wasn't. It would
be a safe assumption on your part that Jeff would have been added had he
been eligible.
Base_Ball_3: What is your main plan this winter?
Schuerholz: We feel we have three specific areas to address. First, filling
the offensive outfield position. Second, structuring our starting pitching
staff. Our third is to structure the strongest bullpen possible.
Base_Ball_3: With a pretty good farm system and a valuable guy like Nick
Green, will you be trade-happy this winter? It is always fun looking at the
bottom of the screen on ESPN and seeing who you put in a Braves uniform.
Schuerholz: You are right. We do have a very good and deep farm system,
which allows us the flexibility to be aggressive in trade talks. We know
that we have exceptional minor league players that are attractive to other
teams in trade talks and who give great comfort to us knowing that we can
use that talent on our Major League club if need be (Nick Green and Charles
Thomas).
Casey_Allison: What does the role of Eli Marrero look like for next year, or
is he going to be a bargaining piece for a trade?
Schuerholz: At the worst, Eli's role will be the same next year as it was
last season. He contributed greatly to our success. We think Eli can easily
do that job for us next year and might even play a bigger role on a more
regular basis, depending on how things turn out with talks with other teams
and other free agents. Obviously, his talent is appreciated by other teams
as well.
ryanslade22: Have the Braves offered a contract to Paul Byrd to return to
Atlanta next season?
Schuerholz: Yes.
bbob_2: Braves president Terry McGuirk came right out and said that 2005
would be the year we let the kids play, if I remember correctly. How are we
to interpret that?
Schuerholz: With the excitement that was generated by our team this past
season that included so many young players, it enthused Terry and all of us
in the organization so that we considered last season to be the beginning of
this gradual transformation to not only "young" players, but very talented
players. We are all excited about what the future holds as more of our
players make their mark on our Major League roster.
Schuerholz: Nice chatting with you. I'll talk to you next time. I have to
run now and work on our 2005 roster. Thanks for your interest in the Braves.
Colin William
> John Schuerholz: No, we like our first base situation with Adam LaRoche,
> especially the way he played in the second half. We also like having the
> veteran protection with Julio Franco, whom we intend to invite back.
More Julio, 47 and counting. Woohoo!
> Base_Ball_3: Will you trade Andruw Jones or Rafael Furcal? What will you
> get in return? What could you do to replace them?
>
> Schuerholz: We have no intention of trading Andruw Jones or Furcal.
> Talented players like those two are essential on championship teams.
Seems pretty definitive. And Dave Justice is still waiting for JS's house.
> Base_Ball_3: Do you think you'll get Odalis Perez or Kevin Millwood back?
>
> Schuerholz: I doubt it, but I've learned over the years to never rule out
> any possibility until the roster is finally set at the end of Spring
> Training.
So he'll consider it.
> reitsmamvp: John, there has been a lot of chatter over John Smoltz
> returning to the rotation. But what about Chris Reitsma? Would he have any
> shot at all at the rotation? You took a shot on Jaret Wright, why not
> Chris?
Given the handle, I have to assume this was Chris Reitsma posting the
question.
> Schuerholz: It's always so hard for me to single out a particular player
> as our top prospect. Our scouting and player development department does a
> great job each year keeping the pipeline filled with quality talent. Some
> names you'll hear a lot about in Spring Training are Jose Capellan, Dan
> Meyer, Kyle Davies and Andy Marte. There are certainly many more players
> in our system that we like. I can't name them all here. But if you come to
> Spring Training at Wide World of Sports, you'll see most the them. Hope to
> see you there.
No mention of either Jeff francouer or JSjr.
> Base_Ball_3: Is there a chance Jermaine Dye will return to Atlanta?
>
> Schuerholz: Of course. Jermaine is a free agent and we obviously know him
> well from his time in our organization and have observed his fine years as
> a productive Major League outfielder. We have made it clear that J.D. Drew
> is our first priority in filling the outfield void. But if that doesn't
> develop, we'll certainly consider all other options, Jermaine Dye
> included.
Glad to hear they're at least going to try to keep Drew.
> Base_Ball_3: What do you intend to do to help the starting rotation?
>
> Schuerholz: As we have done continually, we will focus our attention on
> creating the strongest, deepest starting rotation that we can, because you
> and I both know our continual sucess these past 14 seasons has started on
> the pitcher's mound.
Excellent avoidant answer to a rather stupid question!
> Schuerholz: We certainly hope so. We've made Jaret a multiyear contract
> proposal and have expressed to him and his agent how much we'd like to
> have him back in a Braves uniform next year. But, as you well know, that
> ultimate decision rests with the player.
Interesting, though the agent has already blown off whatever the Braves
offered.
> Schuerholz: At the worst, Eli's role will be the same next year as it was
> last season. He contributed greatly to our success. We think Eli can
> easily do that job for us next year and might even play a bigger role on a
> more regular basis, depending on how things turn out with talks with other
> teams and other free agents. Obviously, his talent is appreciated by other
> teams as well.
Oooh, Eli as trade bait. Interesting.
> ryanslade22: Have the Braves offered a contract to Paul Byrd to return to
> Atlanta next season?
>
> Schuerholz: Yes.
I fugure he'll be back.
Colin
Jon Richardson
news:31cih3F...@individual.net...
> > Schuerholz: I doubt it, but I've learned over the years to never rule
out
> > any possibility until the roster is finally set at the end of Spring
> > Training.
>
> So he'll consider it.
>
That's in the "If Leo will take these guys back for cheap, we'll do it"
category...
> > Schuerholz: It's always so hard for me to single out a particular player
> > as our top prospect. Our scouting and player development department does
a
> > great job each year keeping the pipeline filled with quality talent.
Some
> > names you'll hear a lot about in Spring Training are Jose Capellan, Dan
> > Meyer, Kyle Davies and Andy Marte. There are certainly many more players
> > in our system that we like. I can't name them all here. But if you come
to
> > Spring Training at Wide World of Sports, you'll see most the them. Hope
to
> > see you there.
>
> No mention of either Jeff francouer or JSjr.
Or Tony Peña Jr, who hopefully can get enough of an Ordoñez defensive rep in
AAA next year that he can be traded without ever playing a game in
Atlanta...
>
> > Base_Ball_3: Is there a chance Jermaine Dye will return to Atlanta?
> >
> > Schuerholz: Of course. Jermaine is a free agent and we obviously know
him
> > well from his time in our organization and have observed his fine years
as
> > a productive Major League outfielder. We have made it clear that J.D.
Drew
> > is our first priority in filling the outfield void. But if that doesn't
> > develop, we'll certainly consider all other options, Jermaine Dye
> > included.
>
> Glad to hear they're at least going to try to keep Drew.
According to speculation on MLB.com (I know, I know) both Drew and Wright
will be offered arb. From above, it looks like Julio will as well. I doubt
anybody else would be.
> > ryanslade22: Have the Braves offered a contract to Paul Byrd to return
to
> > Atlanta next season?
> >
> > Schuerholz: Yes.
>
> I fugure he'll be back.
I figure he'll be offered the Terry Mulholland role. Long-reliever, spot
starter. He can't be offered arbitration because he'll get far more in arb
(no more than 25% drop from $7M) than he would on the open market. I think
some team (Texas?) will give him $4M to be a 3rd starter and he'll wind up
going there. JS went out of his way to discuss how much they want Wright
back, while giving a one word answer about Byrd. I suspect he'll be gone...
Jon
--
****************************
"The best day of my life was the day my Mother entered menopause. Not
coincidentally, it was the same day she realized that we needed air
conditioning." - Colin Johnson, Phoenix, AZ, 11/24/2004
Colin William
>> So he'll consider it.
>
> That's in the "If Leo will take these guys back for cheap, we'll do it"
> category...
Exactly. I honestly don 't think Millwood is going to get many decent
offers. It's one thing that his ERA and such dropped off, but the dropoff in
his reported velocity is likely to scare off a lot of teams.
>> Glad to hear they're at least going to try to keep Drew.
>
> According to speculation on MLB.com (I know, I know) both Drew and Wright
> will be offered arb. From above, it looks like Julio will as well. I
> doubt
> anybody else would be.
Probably not. I'm not so sure Drew will take arb. I guess it depends what
happens with beltran, and if teams come calling after he's off the market.
Drew surely has to see a one-year deal as taking a huge chance given his
history, but then he may well believe that he's all better now.
> I figure he'll be offered the Terry Mulholland role. Long-reliever, spot
> starter. He can't be offered arbitration because he'll get far more in
> arb
> (no more than 25% drop from $7M) than he would on the open market. I
> think
> some team (Texas?) will give him $4M to be a 3rd starter and he'll wind up
> going there. JS went out of his way to discuss how much they want Wright
> back, while giving a one word answer about Byrd. I suspect he'll be
> gone...
Interesting take.
Colin
Jon Richardson
> >> Glad to hear they're at least going to try to keep Drew.
> >
> > According to speculation on MLB.com (I know, I know) both Drew and
Wright
> > will be offered arb. From above, it looks like Julio will as well. I
> > doubt
> > anybody else would be.
>
> Probably not. I'm not so sure Drew will take arb. I guess it depends what
> happens with beltran, and if teams come calling after he's off the market.
> Drew surely has to see a one-year deal as taking a huge chance given his
> history, but then he may well believe that he's all better now.
>
I very strongly doubt either Drew or Wright would take arbitration if it
were offered. However, the Braves have to offer arbitration if they want to
keep negotiating, otherwise the two of them are gone for sure. The way JS
was answering questions, it led me to believe that both Drew and Wright
would be offered arbitration so the Braves could continue to try and re-sign
them. Like you said, they're also both at low risk of accepting so the risk
factor of offering arbitration goes way down (so there's no upset in budget
projections) while the draft picks are always a plus as well.
Byrd, Ortiz, Alfonseca...those guys are much more risky to offer
arbitration. Byrd's the most risky (like I argued last post), then Ortiz.
Colin William
> I very strongly doubt either Drew or Wright would take arbitration if it
> were offered. However, the Braves have to offer arbitration if they want
> to
> keep negotiating, otherwise the two of them are gone for sure. The way JS
> was answering questions, it led me to believe that both Drew and Wright
> would be offered arbitration so the Braves could continue to try and
> re-sign them.
Drew is a crapshoot of sorts, since who knows what Boras thinks he can get
for one year. But Still it's a low-risk crapshoot, someone will offer him a
pile of cash.
> Byrd, Ortiz, Alfonseca...those guys are much more risky to offer
> arbitration. Byrd's the most risky (like I argued last post), then Ortiz.
Yeah. They sound pretty committed to letting Ortiz go, so they may well not
offer it to him if his market seems soft. Alfonsexa they may decide to keep
as closer if they decide to use Smoltz as a starter. Byrd they may ask to
accept arb with an understanding of meeting some deal, and it sounds like
they're already negotiating with him anyway.
Colin