Kuzul

I know, I know.

The Braves are a first place team with good vibrations all around.

They’ve been one of the best teams in the game since the beginning of May and really lack any substantial holes in their line-up.

But…I like to think ahead.

And, right now, I’m thinking about how Frank Wren and Company can improve the National League’s top run-scoring offense.

There are a couple of different routes the Braves could pursue to achieve this.

They could go with a speed guy (a dimension lacking in the line-up), but there really isn’t anyone readily available that fits that description (unless you’re thinking of Juan Pierre and his .248/.318/.278 line or Co-Co Crisp and his and injury-prone nature) – and Martin Prado has been on an absolute tear since taking over the lead-off spot.  He has pretty much eliminated the need for a “stereotypical” lead-off hitter.

An extra power bat, specifically from the right side, could also be of benefit to the Braves.

Again, there aren’t a lot of options that the Braves could pursue for this venture since teams aren’t going to just trade away a legitimate power threat if they’re even remotely close to being in a playoff race.

The other thing the Braves could look at is an everyday center field option that just, if only barely, out-performs the guys that they’ve been throwing out (Melky Cabrera and Nate McLouth and their combined sub-.550 OPS) at the plate, while playing at least average defense in the field.

And, of course, versatility anywhere would be a plus.

And with the infield set-up with Jones-Escobar-Prado-Glaus from left to right…the outfield seems to be the most viable option for an upgrade.

So, all things considered, here are two guys the Braves should be pursuing at the trade deadline.

Luke Scott

The Baltimore Orioles outfielder, who still has two more years of team control remaining on his contract, has posted a .276/.347/.505 through 219 plate appearances from the left side of the plate (although that is acceptable considering his .852 OPS) thus far in 2010.

Now, his splits aren’t pretty (.905 OPS vs. RHP to .696 vs. LHP), and his 13 games in the outfield might make him a liability from a defensive standpoint.

And (this is why he’s No. 3 – there are a few downsides with Scott) his line looks a little poor compared to current left-handed “platooning” outfielder Eric Hinske ‘s .311/.377/.548 slash (his splits are a little more drastic with .946 to .633 OPSs versus right- and left-handers, respectively).

But, even once Matt Diaz returns and Hinske continues in his platoon purgatory, Hinske’s numbers are bound to move more and more towards his career marks of .256/.338/.442.

That’s why I like Scott — his career line is .265/.349/.496 which is much closer to the numbers he has posted en route to his 10 homers and 24 RBI in what has proven to be a rather anemic Orioles offense (in other words, even if in only a platoon, he’s more likely to sustain his production).

Considering their 19-51 record and recent firing of their manager, you have to figure that Baltimore will be “blowing it up” and building for the future — so MLB-ready talent probably won’t be a “must” in a deal.

But, close-to-primo prospects will be.

And with a lack of top-flight depth in the outfield down on the farm, and the old mantra of “you can’t have too much pitching” likely coming in the negotiation process, this would be my package if I’m the Braves…

Potential Deal: Cody Johnson (OF), Randall Delgado (RHP), and Scott Diamond (LHP) for Luke Scott  (OF) and Pedro Viola  (LHP)/Jim Johnson  (RHP).

David DeJesus

Remember the “barely-better-than-the-current-options” guy?

Here he kinda is (I say “kinda” because he’s actually significantly better than the other options without being a total top-flight offensive threat).

But, for the sake of comparison, pick one of these lines blindly (with career lines)…

.260/.319/.337 (.269/.330/.380)
.323/.395/.485 (.289/.361/.429)
.176/.295/.282 (.253/.339/.439)

Obviously, you pick the dude in the middle, who is not surprisingly David DeJesus.

He’s one of the top players on the Kansas City Royals and has, as evidenced by his career line above, always been the sort of player he has been this year – one that gets on base while hitting with a little pop (i.e. an ideal No. 1 or No. 2 hitter).

His five homers and three steals don’t expire much in the “flashy” categories, but he’s been getting the job done to the tune of 22 doubles (tied for third most with many others in the AL) and three triples from the top of KC’s line-up.

You plug that sort of production, even if he is left-handed, into the top of Atlanta’s line-up between Prado and Chipper Jones and you’ve got a pretty good set-up (especially of Heyward gets to move down to a run-producing spot where he was more comfortable at the beginning of the year).

Now, to the deal.

Kansas City has some holes at various spots around its minor league system and DeJesus has an option on his contract (the Braves would be trading for a year and a half of the center fielder) — so a deal with an “eclectic” feel would likely work.

Potential Deal(s): Kris Medlen (RHP), Melky Cabrera  (OF), Zeke Spruill (RHP) OR Arodys Vizcaino  (RHP), Adam Milligan (OF), Cole Rohrbough  (LHP) for David DeJesus  (OF) – preferably the latter package.

Oh, and I will admit to being generous in my deals with talent being given up from the Braves’ perspective — I sometimes think too much into the “talent-for-talent” theory and surrender too much in certain packages.

(This article is also featured on The Hey Train .)

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As we inch closer and closer to Major League Baseball’s trade deadline at the end of July, the rumors will start flying fast and furious.

There have already been a few rumors shot down in the last few weeks, including one that was about to send an ace to a team that wouldn’t have any way of picking up his remaining salary because of their financial trouble.

Why some of these rumors get started is beyond me, but that’s what makes baseball, and the trade deadline, fun. We can talk about players, possible moves that our teams should or shouldn’t make, and how those potential trades could affect said team in the playoff race.

So who are the hot names making the rounds on the rumor sheets right now?

I’m glad you asked, let’s get to it.

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There have many reports which have Kansas City Royals outfielder David DeJesus being available in trade. And why not? The Royals stink and they can do just as badly without DeJesus as they can with him*.

*That reminds me of a story in which Ralph Kiner, then a power hitting right-handed hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, going into Branch Rickey’s (then GM of the Pirates) office before the 1953 season to talk contract. Kiner had just led the National League again in home runs (he would lead the NL in home runs his first seven seasons!).

Kiner wanted a raise, and Rickey, a notorious tightwad, wanted no part of it and cut his salary from $90K to $65K. When Kiner said he just led the league in home runs again and would possibly hold out the season, Rickey replied, “Well, we came in last place with you, and we can certainly come in last place without you.”

So DeJesus is not doing any good being in Kansas City, and if the Royals can move him for a few younger players, they can save a few dollars and get younger. DeJesus is due about $3 million remaining on his 2010 contract, which also has a club option for $6 million or a $500,000 buyout.

Speculation by Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated suggests DeJesus would be a good fit for the Yankees .

He would be wrong.

Why do the Yankees NEED David DeJesus? He is a good player, but the Yankees are good with outfielders, and have more than enough 30-plus-year-old designated hitters.

The Yankees already have starters Brett Gardner in left field, Curtis Granderson in center field and Nick Swisher in right field.

That is a pretty good outfield with each corner outfielder doing their jobs, while Granderson could begin hitting for a little more power. Although Granderson’s April numbers were horrible, he has been very productive since returning from his groin injury.

Granderson is hitting .314 BA/.368 OBP/.514 SLG/.882 OPS with six runs, four doubles, and a home run since returning to the lineup. His approach has been better and he is hitting left handers much better, too.

Gardner went through a mini-slump in late May, but has since rebounded nicely, and Swisher is having one of the best starts of his career. Don’t overanalyze the people writing about Swisher starting well in other seasons, then heavily regressing. With Kevin Long in his corner, and Swisher’s great work ethic, those slump days are long behind him.

So, with all three outfielders performing well right now, why the need for DeJesus? If the Royals trade the highly respected outfielder, they would need at least a prospect such pitchers Zach McAllister, Ivan Nova, David Phelps, or Hector Noesi and/or Double-A hitting star Brandon Laird.

That would be too much for a guy who would be sitting the bench. Yes, DeJesus would not start for this Yankee team.

If he would be a starter, the Yankees would make a huge mistake.

DeJesus would probably take over left field, then, right? Play in place of Gardner. But why?

Gardner is slashing .311/.393/.421/.814 OPS with 41 runs scored, 25 walks, and 20 stolen bases.

DeJesus is slashing .307/.380/460/.841 OPS with 30 runs scores, 23 walks, and two stolen bases.

So, a little pop via more doubles for DeJesus. With Gardner’s blazing speed, his ability to steal bases gives his singles and walks a chance to be converted to “Brett type doubles.” Heyman talked about the Yankees wanting a “a high on base guy.” Don’t they already have that in Gardner, who has an actual higher OBP than DeJesus?

And Gardner’s defense is much better than DeJesus’s, who is four years older.

There was also talk of moving Swisher to the DH spot on a full-time basis, but Swish has played an excellent right field this season. Dropping the 15 pounds in the offseason has helped Swisher tremendously to get to balls more quickly.

This type of move for DeJesus is a bad one for the Yankees, they do not appreciably improve their team with him on the roster.

If that trade is made, Gardner’s development and improvement would be stagnated. He is playing Brett baseball—no need to change that.

I actually advocated the Yankees go after DeJesus in December rather than sign Johnny Damon to an insane multi-year contract.

That was before Gardner became Brett the Jet, and began to play his game very well in the majors.

But now that Gardner is playing well, the Yankees do not need any moves right now.

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