I'm still curious as to why Ozuna is still on this team since he plays no defensive position well, is no longer young and is coming back from a broken leg and was never much of a player to begin with.

 

Wouldn't Mark Loretta be a much better back up plan for 3B, SS, 2B ? He's also played 1B and the OF. The guy was phenomenal 3 years ago and has a very solid proven career and he just turned 36. He's not that old.

 

He sure seems available. The Sox bench seems pretty weak with Hall, Ozuna, Owens, ?

You serious? Ozuna is "no longer young" at 33 but Loretta is "not that old" at 36?

Yes, I'm way serious. What was Ozuna here for if he couldn't run fast ? Well, that wasn't enough of a reason to keep him in 2005 and now 2 years later coming off a broken leg, he's no doubt slower.

 

Besides, the comparison is a joke anyway - it's a very good player vs. a minor leaguer.

Ill take Pablo

You serious? Ozuna is "no longer young" at 33 but Loretta is "not that old" at 36?

 

No kidding.

 

Ozuna is beloved in the clubhouse and he's a jolt of energy every time he plays. It'll be great watching him play again next year.

Loretta, in a heart beat.

Pablo!

I'll take Pablo for 500 Alex....

Ozuna - provided he's healthy. Speed and aggressiveness is his game...

Loretta would be a nice bench player but were probably better off saving the cost it would take to sign him and stick with what we got right now plus in minors.

I want to go on the record and say I don't care that much.

Pablo is a sad excuse for a baseball player if he doesn't have his speed, so if thats gone (or decreased), Loretta without a doubt.

Edited December 4, 200718 yr by Felix

Pablo is a sad excuse for a baseball player if he doesn't have his speed, so if thats gone (or decreased), Loretta without a doubt.

 

BUT HE WAS ONCE A TOP 10 PROSPECT!?@$*#(!(#$>#!?

Pablo. I'm sure people here will love this argument but he simply brings things to the table off the bench that not many other guys on this team do. Pablo is an important part of this team.

Edited December 4, 200718 yr by Rowand44

Pablo, and I don't have to second guess it.

Willie Harris hates that you have forgotten him and hates that he was not an option, regardless of the fact that he is still Atlanta Braves property.

Pablo. I'm sure people here will love this argument but he simply brings things to the table off the bench that not many other guys on this team do. Pablo is an important part of this team.

Speed, but if he's lost a step because of this injury, he's not bringing that "thing to the table".

Either one would work fine though Loretta presumably is more expensive which is no good. Ozuna's speed helps him out and makes him more attractive coming off the bench as a pinch runner. Ultimately, for the amount of time they'd see, the number of at bats they'd get, there is not much difference- dollars make the difference. I'm a fella who pays attention to statistics primarily. But for every person on this site who says something like, "If Williams has a leadoff hitter who puts up a .330 OBP instead of a .350 OBP, I'm gonna stab him in the head with a screwdriver", I wish these brain geniuses would realize that in that scenario over 600 at bats, the .350 OBP player would reach base only 12 more times over the entire year- 2 more times per month- one more time on base every 2 weeks. You are talking about a difference of about 4 runs for the whole season. Now look at Ozuna vs. Loretta. Getting 150-200 at bats on the year. Their difference is pretty meaningless because they are similar enough that they are within each other's margins of reasonably expected potential outcomes on offense.

Willie Harris hates that you have forgotten him and hates that he was not an option, regardless of the fact that he is still Atlanta Braves property.

 

and we deserve that from him.

Ozuna is cheaper and has shown flexibility to fill in at many positions.

A Burke trade would almost be like a Loretta/Ozuna split. Burke might be the best option out of those three.

Willie Harris hates that you have forgotten him and hates that he was not an option, regardless of the fact that he is still Atlanta Braves property.

 

Braves designated outfielder Willie Harris for assignment.

Despite his late-season swoon, Harris ended up hitting .270/.349/.392 in 344 at-bats while playing terrific defense in left field for Atlanta. Still, the Braves were smart to guess that there was little chance of him doing it again. That he's arbitration eligible could allow him to clear waivers and become a free agent, but we're guessing some speed-obsessed team will put in a claim. The Cubs and Astros should be considered candidates.

Willie would be a nice fit for this team as a back up middle IF and CF. Given the choice between Loretta and Ozuna, as long as Pablo is healthy, I would take him for way under $1,000,000 annually with no commitment past this year versus Loretta looking for something in the neighborhood of $3 million and wanting to start.

Why weren't the sox mentioned with speed obsessed?

Ozuna all day long! he's so versatile. loretta deserves to start at 2B for a contender who has a lot of pop to surround him. ozuna all day long especially if we have uribe available as a Super Utility player making a snow shovel load of money.