MLB Predictions

It's MLB opening day! What better time than now for some guaranteed to be wrong predictions?

AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL West: LA Angels of Anaheim
AL Central: Chicago White Sox
Wild Card: Oakland A's

NL East: Atlanta Braves
NL West: San Francisco Giants
NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals
Wild Card: Colorado Rockies

ALCS: Red Sox over White Sox
NLCS: Braves over Rockies
Wold Series: Red Sox over Braves

AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez, New York
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis

AL Cy Young: John Lester, Boston
NL Cy Young: Tommy Hanson, Atlanta

AL ROY: Michael Pineda, Seattle
NL ROY: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta

Braves Strike First

With MLB's offseason just getting underway, the Braves made the first big move by acquiring All Star Dan Uggla from the Florida Marlins for All Star utility player Omar Infante and pitcher Mike Dunn.

Infante was fun to watch last year, but Uggla is a major improvement in the power area. By the end of last year, most of the Braves big bats were injured, and with Chipper Jones nearing retirement, they needed to bring in someone who could help Jason Hayward in the power/RBI department. Uggla should help in those areas, but his acquisition also means Martin Prado won't be manning second base next year. Prado is set to move to the outfield, or fill in for Chipper if he is slow to return from his knee injury or if Chipper decides to hang up his cleats.

Needless to say, the Braves roster will look a lot different than the one they fielded in the postseason, including the coaching staff.

Thank you Bobby Cox

Thank you for making me a Braves fan. Thank you for being the only manager I ever watch coach my team. Thank you for all the playoff appearances. Thank you for the World Series title. Thank you for fielding the best pitching staff in baseball. Thank you for the ejections and the passion you brought to the game. Thank you for your slow walk to the mound. Thank you for the memories.

Braves Make a Move for the Playoff Push

On a normally quiet sports day (the day after the MLB All-Star Game), the Braves made some news by suring up a weak link in their lineup. Yesterday, the traded SS Yunel Escobar and P Jo Jo Reyes to Toronto for SS Alex Gonzalez and two prospects.

Escobar is a talented, young short stop and his presence allowed the Braves to trade now All-Star Elvis Andrus a few years ago, but Escobar is in the midst of his worst season ever with a .238 batting average and zero home runs. There's also been rumors for a couple of years that he has issues in the clubhouse, so the move isn't too surprising.

Alex Gonzalez is older, but he's having one of his better power hitting years. He is a great defensive short stop and with the Braves being built to win now, the Braves had to make the move. The two prospects they received, pitcher Tim Collins and SS Tyler Pastornicky, also have promising futures. Everything I've seen on the trade has praised the Braves for the move.

On another note, a belated congratulations to Braves catcher Brian McCann for winning the All-Star MVP!

Jason Heyward is the man!

Adam LaRoche Comes Back to Atlanta

The Braves weren't expected to be big players at the trade deadline, since they retooled their outfield with trades earlier this year. But they made a deal for more power at the first base spot with a familiar name coming back to Atlanta: Adam LaRoche.

The Braves acquired LaRoche for 1B Casey Kotchman, who had been acquired in the Mark Teixeira deal with the Angels. It's a little surprising since the Braves saw Kotchman as their long-term first baseman, but with their lack of power, LaRoche brings the long ball back to 1B.

The Braves line-up looks a lot different now than it did opening day. With the team still in the NL East and Wild Card race, it will be interesting to see if they can keep pace with the frontrunners.

RealGM doesn't really like the deal from the Braves standpoint and gives them a D+ for this move.

Braves have a busy day

The Atlanta Braves were busy yesterday, releasing Tom Glavine and trade for centerfielder Nate McLouth from the Pirates.

The release of Glavine shows that these aren't your old Braves. In a sentimental move, the team resigned Glavine in the offseason, but injuries hampered his return. Now that he's healthy, the Braves don't think he still has it. They decided to let go the last of the big three (Glavine/Smoltz/Maddux).

It's a tough call, but fans should understand. Glavine is getting up there in age and may not have much left. The Braves have to do what's best for the team now and not what "feels good." Bringing up an ace prospect like Tommy Hanson is a better move for the long-term than added Glavine back to the rotation.

The team also traded for All Star CF McLouth from the Pirates. He won a gold glove last year and finished with 26 HRs and 94 RBI. He adds some much needed pop to the Braves lineup and give some power to an outfield that was lacking in hitting the long ball. This is a great move for the Braves and fans should soon enjoy watching McLouth play in the ATL.

Braves Win Season Opener

The Braves spoiled the Philadelphia fans opening day by beating the World Series Champs 4-1 last night.

The Braves looked good and #1 started Derek Lowe looked better than expected with eight innings of shut-out baseball. Rookie Jordan Schafer became the 99th MLB player to hit a home run in his first Major League at bat. He followed that up with a single in his next at bat.

The Braves, who aren't supposed to be a power-hitting team, scored all of their runs off of homers. Along with Schafer, Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur also homered.

Braves Extend Chipper

After failing to land a few of their target free agents this offseason (A.J. Burnett, Rafael Furcal, Ken Griffey Jr.) and losing long-time ace John Smoltz, the Braves have gotten something right just before opening day on Sunday.

The Braves have given Chipper Jones a contract extension that should allow him to finish his career in Atlanta. Chipper is the team leader and the soul of the Atlanta lineup. He was upset in seeing Smoltz leave only a few years after having to watch Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux do the same.

Its great for fans to know that they won't have to watch Chipper in a Yankees or Red Sox jersey to finish off his great career. Good move Frank Wren (Atlanta GM).

Braves Add Pitching

After losing fan favorite and future Hall of Famer John Smoltz to the Red Sox, the Braves worked toward actually having enough arms to form a pitching rotation by signing Derek Lowe and former Japanese Central League MVP Kenshin Kawakami.

After missing out on guys like Jake Peavy and A.J. Burnett, the Braves had to settle for other options. With Smoltz gone and Tom Glavine still injured and unsigned, the Braves rotation will definatley have a new look next year.

I don't know much abotu Kawakami, so it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to playing in the United States. Derek Lowe is a name pitcher in the Big Leagues, but he has had an up and down career. The Braves have been known for their solid pitching and haven't really had to rebuild their rotation in a while. It's safe to say that times have changed in Atlanta, but will this new approach work at keeping the Braves as one of the most popular and competitive teams in MLB?

Smoltz Leaves the Braves for Red Sox

A little part of my childhood ended this past week when I found out John Smoltz was leaving the Atlanta Braves for the Boston Red Sox. I've been a Braves fan ever since I started following MLB and for as long as I can remember watching the Braves, Smoltz has been part of the team.

I started following the Braves when I was young, mainly because of TBS. Being from Louisiana, we don't have a professional baseball team, so most people here follow the Houston Astros (since they are the closest to us), the Braves (b/c of TBS) or the Cubs (b/c of WGN). I chose the Braves.

In the past few years, TBS started to show other teams' games, so I didn't get to follow the Braves as much, but I am still a huge fan and I enjoyed watching no player more than Smoltz. Whether he was a starter or a closer, I always wanted to watch him pitch. He is a definate Hall of Famer and out of the Braves Big Three (Smoltz, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine), he was the one who I always felt would play out his career with Atlanta.

Now he's off to the American League and the Red Sox. All I can say is good luck and I hope you beat the Yankees. From me being a 12 year old kid trying my best to stay up late to watch the '91 World Series to the you being moved to the bullpen to your comeback as a starter, I have enjoyed following you with the Braves. Thanks for all the memories.

Time to sell?

Injuries have taken their toll on the Atlanta Braves and it may be time to start planning for the future...a future that probably doesn't include 1B Mark Teixeira.

The Braves currently sit in 4th place in the NL East (6 1/2 games out) and 10 1/2 games back in the wild card race. With Chipper Jones possibly going back on the DL and catcher Brian McCann's recent concussion, the Braves may see a chance to move Teixeira for some young prospects.

Last year, the Braves traded for Teixeira, but the deal didn't pay off as the team failed to reach the post season. They gave up some promising young talent, including Jarrod Saltalamoccihia. So now the Braves are faced with a decision. Move Teixeira before the trade deadline or lose him in free agency after the season and recoup draft picks?

If this were the early 90s Braves, having Teixeira go to free agency wouldn't be a problem because they would be one of the major players to have him return. But this Atlanta Braves team spends its money more wisely and has been more frugal with spending on free agents. When they traded for him last year, they knew that he'd likely only be a Brave through this season, but it'll probably be a bit less.

The smart move is to deal him now to the highest bidder and get whatever they can get for him. This just hasn't been the Braves year with injuries to pitchers to start the season to the now hurting All Stars in Jones and McCann. Its time to look for the future, especially since Teixeira would likely only be in Atlanta for 2 more months. Why not get some top prospects now? Braves, its up to you to find the best deal and good luck to Teixeira, where ever he goes. And if you're willing to take a little less next year, take a look at Atlanta in free agency.

Braves reach .500

It's been an up and down season thus far for the Atlanta Braves, but after crushing the Reds yesterday 14-7, they are at the .500 mark (15-15) and seem to be on the right track.

Injuries to the pitching staff have hurt this year with John Smoltz and Tom Glavine both spending time on the DL. The Braves bullpen injuries have been even worse and now there's talk of Smoltz regaining the closer role when he comes back.

Through all the injuries and diversity, one man has lead the charge to keep the Braves in contention...Chipper Jones. Yesterday, Jones had 5 RBI and continued his great season. He's batting .425 with 9 HRs and 27 RBI in what could be the best season yet for the future Hall of Famer.

It would be nice to get to see more Braves games this year though. Over the years, thousands of kids became Braves fans all across the country for one reason, TBS. With no local team in my hometown area, I got to see the Braves almost every day on TBS growing up. With the likes of Dale Murphy, Ron Gant, Dave Justice, Otis Nixon, Mark Lemke, Charlie Liebrandt, Sid Bream, Terry Pendleton, Steve Avery, etc., I became a huge Braves fan. But now, for some reason, MLB wants TBS to show a variety of games. Last night, they aired the Mets/Diamondbacks game. What gives? People tun into TBS baseball to see the Braves. Let's keep it that way.

Braves get their centerfielder

The Braves completed a trade yesterday for CF Mark Kotsay, formerly of the Oakland A's. While not necessarily an upgrade over Andruw Jones, Kotsay comes at a much smaller price tag, especially with the A's picking up more than $5 million of his $7.325 million contract. If he stays healthy, Kotsay will provide a solid option for the Braves in the outfield.

I don't know much about him, but after reading up on him a bit, he looks like a solid bat in the line-up and has played a gold-glove worthy centerfield. Last season, he suffered from a back injury that required surgery and limited him to 56 games. The Braves medical staff performed a physical on Kotsay and if he stays healthy, he will man centerfield for at least next season.

The Braves parted ways with relief pitcher Joey Devine, their first round pick in 2005, and minor league pitcher Jamie Richmond. I liked Devine, but he probably was put in the majors too quickly. He is infamous for giving up the 18th inning HR against Houston in the 2005 playoffs.

Stay Away from The Sports Guy's Columns for a While

With the Red Sox four-game sweep in the World Series, the Patriots running up the score on everybody and the NBA season tipping off this week, it would be a wise move to avoid ESPN's Bill Simmons for a while. He's always focused on Boston sports, but the past few years (since the Patriots won three Superbowls and Red Sox World Series win in 2004), he's been almost impossible to read. Every column comes back to Brady and Patriots or the Sox. Now that the Celtics are projected to have a good year, he's throwing them out there even more.

I imagine he'll write a couple of columns this week. One talking about how awesome the Red Sox are with two World Series sweeps in the past four years (even tough most baseball fans now view them as the equivalent of the Yankees). Also, the undefeated Patriots play the undefeated Colts on Sunday in a game that will be more hyped than this year's Superbowl. Simmons will join the fun and talk about the Patriots being the best team ever, and how Brady is smashing every passing record known to man. While Peyton Manning is viewed as the best QB of this era, and perhaps all-time, Simmons gives him little credit. When the Colts won the Superbowl last year, Simmons did not write a column and eat his crow in public. There was no Superbowl column from Sports Guy...just a mention in a later column.

When it came out earlier this year that the Patriots cheated and were caught, Simmons owned up to it and wrote about it. After a couple of weeks though, he tried to do like the NFL and sweep it under the rug. Journalist all around the country were trying to get to the bottom of the cheating scandal and Simmons and the league just played the "forget about it" card. The Pats are showing themselves to be a classless franchise, also equal to the Yankees with their swagger and free agent spending. Running up the score on one of the most loved coaches in NFL history, Joe Gibbs, was ridiculous and just remember, what comes around, goes around. The Pats and Boston sports fans may be on top of the world right now, but with people like Simmons rubbing everyone's face in it each week, the good times won't last.