Braves now interested in Maggs

[DBAHO]

GM's start ur bidding.

 

Oh, Atlanta: The White Sox have received plenty of inquiries about Magglio Ordonez. He is clearly an option for the Yankees if they can't close a deal with Sheffield, and he could become one for the Atlanta Braves if Sheffield bolts.

 

Ordonez is GM John Schuerholz's kind of player—a stud who understands he's not bigger than the game. He could fill the Sheffield hole nicely, and the Braves probably wouldn't be scared away by his being unsigned beyond 2004.

 

If the Sox deal Ordonez, it will be for two arms (a starter and a reliever), some payroll flexibility and prospects. Hard to believe, but Atlanta might not have the pitching to trade, not with it possibly cutting ties Sunday with Greg Maddux.

 

Thinking big: Despite reports from the Los Angeles Times, there were mixed reports last week on the Dodgers' interest in Paul Konerko. If it is sincere, then why wouldn't White Sox GM Ken Williams pursue Kevin Brown instead of Odalis Perez?

 

Sure, trading for the 38-year-old Brown is risky. He's signed for two more seasons at $15 million a year, but he was as good in 2003 as Bartolo Colon. The Dodgers would be taking on a risk of their own in Konerko, who is owed about $17 million over the next two years.

 

The trouble here is adding salary, which the White Sox definitely can't do. Los Angeles GM Dan Evans would have to take Jose Valentin in the deal (making good-field, no-hit Juan Uribe the Sox's shortstop) and Williams seems inclined to hold on to both Carlos Lee and Valentin.

 

That makes Ordonez or Konerko the most likely salaries to go at next weekend's winter meetings, if not before.

 

In the wings: If the White Sox did trade Konerko or Ordonez, Carl Everett would not be the only run-producer on their radar screen. According to sources, they have been doing background checks on Juan Gonzalez, whom they believe could have a monster season or two at U.S. Cellular Field.

 

Montreal, which is making a real effort to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero, also has some interest in Gonzalez, who is the only reason Ramirez isn't baseball's biggest head case. Gonzalez gave Cleveland a great effort in 2001 but pouted through much a two-year return to Texas, where he twice had won the American League MVP.

 

If Konerko were traded the White Sox probably would platoon Frank Thomas at first base with the left-handed-hitting Ross Gload. Some in the organization are high on Gload, who is killing the ball in the Mexican winter league (.312, 9 homers, 43 RBIs in 46 games) after a solid year at Triple-A Charlotte.

[Pastime]

I'll believe it when I see it.

 

Kenny Williams vs. Jon Schuerholtz? Oh please! You might as well have Lennox Lewis face Bill Parcells!

 

Kenny will get fleeced - he always does when he faces another GM with an actual IQ above that of pocket lint.

[Cali]

Any Maggs to the Braves deal better include Adam Wainwright.

 

I also wouldn't mind Adam LaRoche, he sounds like he could take over 1B for the Sox for many years. And he has those qualities everybody loves: slick fielding, left handed first baseman

[DBAHO]

Here r the Braves' top 10 prospects that they mite offa in a trade for Maggs.

1. Adam Wainwright, RHP, Age: 21

Scouts love Wainwright's build, velocity and deep repertoire. And the numbers back up those perceptions. He pitched quite well at both levels of A ball, and he's performing capably in the early going at Double-A Greenville. One thing to pay attention to with Braves pitching prospects is their performance at Single-A Myrtle Beach in the Carolina League. It's probably the most drastic pitcher's park in professional baseball, and it can make a lot of young arms look much better than they really are. Wainwright, however, appears to be the real deal. He'll need to perform at the higher levels, but so far he's one the scouts and the stat-heads both agree on. ETA: Late 2004.

 

2. Buddy Hernandez, RHP, Age: 24

In contrast to Wainwright, scouts have a healthy disdain for Hernandez. Why? He's 5 feet 9, pudgy and doesn't have a lights-out fastball. He also can't seem to find a home. The Braves left him unprotected in the most recent Rule 5 draft. The Padres selected him, and then dealt him to Oakland. The A's kept him around for most of spring training before sending him back to the Braves. Knowing this, it might surprise you to know he's been utterly dominant at every stop in the minors. He struck out 81 batters in 59 innings at Double-A Greenville last year and is off to another tremendous start at Triple-A Richmond this season. If the Braves can ignore the unfounded bias against undersized right-handers, they'll have one heck of a reliever on their hands. He's a tremendous pitcher, and he deserves more respect than he's getting. ETA: Late 2003.

 

3. Ray Aguilar, LHP, Age: 23

Aguilar was originally a draftee of the Rockies, but a rules snafu made him a free agent. The Braves snatched him up, and they now have one of the best lefty relief prospects around. He strikes guys out, exhibits good control and has a career minor-league ERA of 1.55. He's doing well in his first taste of the high minors, and if he keeps it up you'll begin hearing a lot more about him. ETA: Late 2004.

 

4. Dan Meyer, LHP, Age: 21

Meyer, out of James Madison, is one of the few promising college arms in the Braves' system (this is mostly because they do a better job than anyone of developing high-school pitchers). He had an outstanding season at rookie-league Danville last year, but it's not uncommon for college-trained pitchers to dominate at the lowest levels. He throws hard and has a good split-finger pitch. Stuff-wise, there's a lot of promise here. He's off to an excellent start this season in the Sally League. He's got a long way to go, but so far so good. ETA: 2005.

 

5. Wilson Betemit, SS, Age: 21

The good: He's a shortstop, great tools, strong offensive season in 2001, still very young. The bad: He bombed in Triple-A last year, and he's off to a slow start again this season. As is the case for a lot of Braves positional prospects, this will be a critical year for Betemit. He's shown the ability to hit for average in the past, and that's his main calling card. But he's also battled injuries, shown a weak grasp of the strike zone and hasn't yet found his power stroke. He has, however, always been younger than his peers, and that's always a good sign. But eventually he's going to have to put up the numbers. Personally, I think he's one of the most overrated prospects in the game, but the potential is there. It's time to produce, though. ETA: 2004.

 

6. Kevin Barry, RHP, Age: 24

Yes, it's another dominating reliever. Statistically, Barry is similar to Aguilar: lots of strikeouts, solid control, low ERA. Also like Aguilar, he's getting his first taste of the high minors and doing well so far at Double-A Greenville. He's ranked lower because of his age. He's still an excellent relief prospect, though. The Braves have the makings of a cheap and potentially dominating bullpen all within their own system. ETA: 2004.

 

7. Anthony Lerew, RHP, Age: 20

Lerew is a young high school product, and he's in the right organization. He's been excellent so far in the Gulf Coast and Appalachian Leagues, but his strikeout rate, although good, hasn't been eye-popping. The control is there, and he's still very young. He's looked great thus far in the Sally League, and the Braves can be patient with him, since they have enough arms ahead of him in the queue. I like his chances to emerge as a top-shelf pitching prospect. ETA: 2006.

 

8. Jeff Francoeur, OF, Age: 19

Francoeur was the Braves' top pick in the 2002 draft. A high-schooler out of Georgia, he's athletic, toolsy and raw. He knocked the crap out of the ball in brief stint in the Appy League last season, but there's just too little to go on at this point. He's struggling in the Sally League thus far in 2003, but he's showing good gap power, which is an excellent sign in such a young hitter. The jury will remain out until he reaches the upper minors. He's got a lot of raw ability, though. ETA: 2006.

 

9. Gregor Blanco, OF, Age: 19

Blanco is a speedster who draws walks and has genuine leadoff skills. But, as is the case with a lot of players with his skill set, there's some question as to whether he'll be able to get around on pitches at the higher levels. Is he Shannon Stewart or Esix Sneed? He's probably somewhere between them, but where he falls on that continuum won't be known for a while. He drew 85 walks and stole 40 bases in 2002, but a .385 SLG doesn't bode well for his chances to hit in the upper minors. He's off to a slow start at Myrtle Beach this season, but he's younger than his peer group. ETA: Late 2005.

 

10. Kelly Johnson, SS, Age: 21

Like Betemit, Johnson was high on a lot of prospect lists this time last year. But a weak year at Myrtle Beach sent him spiraling back to earth. In 2001, Johnson showed strong walk rates and excellent power in low-A ball, but his skills collapsed in 2002. His glove will eventually force him to third, which means the hitting onus will be on him to an even greater degree. Despite his struggles, the Braves promoted him to Double-A for this season, and he's struggling. If he can rebound and put together a good season, he's back to being a legit prospect. I don't like his chances, though. The skill set is there, but he's got a lot to prove in the high minors. This will be a critical year for him. ETA: Late 2004.

 

I wouldn't mind a pitcher and one of their SS's at least