Phillies sign Cliff Lee, for several years and somewhere around $60 million less than the Yankees were offering.

Halladay
Lee
Oswalt
Hamels

FML

Huddy, our Ace, is the only guy we have that could definitely be better than fourth in that rotation.

(12-14-2010 01:33 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  Phillies sign Cliff Lee, for several years and somewhere around $60 million less than the Yankees were offering.
Halladay
Lee
Oswalt
Hamels
FML
Huddy, our Ace, is the only guy we have that could definitely be better than fourth in that rotation.

Yep. Braves and Marlins will be playing for the wild-card for the next 5 years or so. Probably a good time to discuss the play-off expansion format.

It sucks that the Phillies keep adding these aces. They were basically handed Halladay and Oswalt in trades for medicore prospects and now they get Lee at a bargain price...But they were already the best team in the divison before adding Lee, so the Marlins, Braves, and the rest of the divison will just have to fight to match up even harder. Hopefully the expaned playoffs will come sooner then later though...

We are screwed.

(12-14-2010 01:33 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  Phillies sign Cliff Lee, for several years and somewhere around $60 million less than the Yankees were offering.

Halladay
Lee
Oswalt
Hamels

FML

Huddy, our Ace, is the only guy we have that could definitely be better than fourth in that rotation.

I'm not a Phillies fan, but I sure enjoy watching Brave fans melt down.

I wouldn't give up so quickly.

Can the Braves win the division over and entire 162? Probably not when Cole Hamels is the Phillies 4th starter.

Can anything happen in a 7 game series? Yup.

Huddy, Jurrjens, Lowe (groundball machine), and Hanson (the good Hanson, not the evil Hanson that shows up every 2 starts or so) can hold thier own in a short series - yup.

Add in Uggla, growth from Heyward, healthy Chipper and Prado, McCann - and that's a formidible line up.

To be on the safe side - I'd go get Zach Greinke if I was Frank Wren. They have the ammo to do it too.

(12-14-2010 09:41 AM)fauowls561 Wrote:  It sucks that the Phillies keep adding these aces. They were basically handed Halladay and Oswalt in trades for medicore prospects and now they get Lee at a bargain price...But they were already the best team in the divison before adding Lee, so the Marlins, Braves, and the rest of the divison will just have to fight to match up even harder. Hopefully the expaned playoffs will come sooner then later though...

24 mil a year is hardly a bargain

Seems to me the Phillies have one helluva GM to make all this happen.

This a franchise that had 10,000 losses, more than any team in the history of baseball. Yet 7 years ago, they start over with a new ballpark park, slowly build a franchise with a lot of home grown talent, and upgrade it with a few key trades and one big free agent signing. The Phils don't have the Yankee's money, but they are putting out a product on the field that sells out every game at 44K and they are reinvesting the gate money into better players.

Halladay, Oswalt and Lee were all available players - it's just that it was the Phillies who did the work to get them. My hat is off to them. A lot of fans wish their own GMs had this kind of vision and skill.

From what I've read the Braves only have about 1 million left to spend unless they find someone interested in Kawakami (not going to happen).

So I guess I shouldn't expect anymore exciting pick ups.

Our starting rotation:

Tim Hudson

Jair Jurrjens

Tommy Hanson

Kris Medlen

Brandon Beachy/ Mike Minor

I heard that they may start Beachy in the place of Minor so Minor can get some more experience in AAA. At least at the beginning of the year...

Regardless I guess the real question is how do we stack up. I think the Braves are the overwhelming "favorites" to take 2nd in the East and one of the favorites to take the wild card again.

Uggla definitely helps the line up with more power than it is use to but I think much of our success depends on how Freddie Freeman pans out over the year. The Braves have had problems with gaps in the lineup for awhile now; it has been our superior ability to play small ball that has kept us winning and less dependent on power hitting.

We shall see...

(12-15-2010 07:10 PM)Paul of Troy Wrote:  From what I've read the Braves only have about 1 million left to spend unless they find someone interested in Kawakami (not going to happen).

So I guess I shouldn't expect anymore exciting pick ups.

Our starting rotation:

Tim Hudson

Jair Jurrjens

Tommy Hanson

Kris Medlen

Brandon Beachy/ Mike Minor

I heard that they may start Beachy in the place of Minor so Minor can get some more experience in AAA. At least at the beginning of the year...

Regardless I guess the real question is how do we stack up. I think the Braves are the overwhelming "favorites" to take 2nd in the East and one of the favorites to take the wild card again.

Uggla definitely helps the line up with more power than it is use to but I think much of our success depends on how Freddie Freeman pans out over the year. The Braves have had problems with gaps in the lineup for awhile now; it has been our superior ability to play small ball that has kept us winning and less dependent on power hitting.

We shall see...

You forgot D-Lowe, who was mowing people down in the last month of the season and Medlen won't be available at all until like August and even then it will be for bullpen work. Personally I expect Hanson to be ahead of JJ in the rotation, Hanson was great last year, his run support was one of the worst in all of baseball.

(12-15-2010 11:53 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(12-15-2010 07:10 PM)Paul of Troy Wrote:  From what I've read the Braves only have about 1 million left to spend unless they find someone interested in Kawakami (not going to happen).

So I guess I shouldn't expect anymore exciting pick ups.

Our starting rotation:

Tim Hudson

Jair Jurrjens

Tommy Hanson

Kris Medlen

Brandon Beachy/ Mike Minor

I heard that they may start Beachy in the place of Minor so Minor can get some more experience in AAA. At least at the beginning of the year...

Regardless I guess the real question is how do we stack up. I think the Braves are the overwhelming "favorites" to take 2nd in the East and one of the favorites to take the wild card again.

Uggla definitely helps the line up with more power than it is use to but I think much of our success depends on how Freddie Freeman pans out over the year. The Braves have had problems with gaps in the lineup for awhile now; it has been our superior ability to play small ball that has kept us winning and less dependent on power hitting.

We shall see...

You forgot D-Lowe, who was mowing people down in the last month of the season and Medlen won't be available at all until like August and even then it will be for bullpen work. Personally I expect Hanson to be ahead of JJ in the rotation, Hanson was great last year, his run support was one of the worst in all of baseball.

I'm not exactly sure how I forgot about D-Lowe. Maybe just wishful thinking...

I really think that this is going to be JJ's best year to date. Don't ask me how I know...I just do.

(12-16-2010 10:25 AM)Paul of Troy Wrote:  

(12-15-2010 11:53 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(12-15-2010 07:10 PM)Paul of Troy Wrote:  From what I've read the Braves only have about 1 million left to spend unless they find someone interested in Kawakami (not going to happen).

So I guess I shouldn't expect anymore exciting pick ups.

Our starting rotation:

Tim Hudson

Jair Jurrjens

Tommy Hanson

Kris Medlen

Brandon Beachy/ Mike Minor

I heard that they may start Beachy in the place of Minor so Minor can get some more experience in AAA. At least at the beginning of the year...

Regardless I guess the real question is how do we stack up. I think the Braves are the overwhelming "favorites" to take 2nd in the East and one of the favorites to take the wild card again.

Uggla definitely helps the line up with more power than it is use to but I think much of our success depends on how Freddie Freeman pans out over the year. The Braves have had problems with gaps in the lineup for awhile now; it has been our superior ability to play small ball that has kept us winning and less dependent on power hitting.

We shall see...

You forgot D-Lowe, who was mowing people down in the last month of the season and Medlen won't be available at all until like August and even then it will be for bullpen work. Personally I expect Hanson to be ahead of JJ in the rotation, Hanson was great last year, his run support was one of the worst in all of baseball.

I'm not exactly sure how I forgot about D-Lowe. Maybe just wishful thinking...

I really think that this is going to be JJ's best year to date. Don't ask me how I know...I just do.

The only problem with Lowe is that he's overpaid. He definitely struggled at times last year, but he was still a solid starter and the last month or two last year he was pitching as well as anyone on our staff. He's definitely overpaid, but our staff is better with him than without him.