They signed when he was an all-star pitcher. Who knew he'd be out this long with injuries???
i dont think they care about the money.
wrong, my friend. All Time Warner cares about is making profits. HE coudl give a damn a bout braves getting class-A free agents. The past 2 years, the braves payroll salary has declined from 106 million to about 86. I think the spending attitude over the past few years has led the Braves to make some bad trades because all of the FAs are signing elsewhere in the off season. Then when they realize that there are places that need to be tweaked, the season is in full swing & the only way to fill the gap is by making 'rent-a-player' deals.Looking over the years, Maddux was the one major FA signing made. He came to Atlanta for LESS money than the Yankees were offering. At that time the Braves were making strides towards a possible dynasty & were offering multi-year deals to the entire pitching staff & some other key players. It was that security that led to the semi-dynasty but also, as we now see, the eventual downfall of that semi-dynasty.Bring in some players. Give them 2-3 year deals & pay them well for their time. When trading prospects for provens, make sure you are getting players with more than a one year deal in place.I still think it will take a team payroll of $100 - $125 million for this team to stay competitive but that money needs to be wisely invested. They don't want to make A-Rod type deals in Atlanta. Show the players that they want to win & I think they'll get some FAs interested in playing for them again
