Braves Open To Trading Jurrjens, Prado

[cvollbrecht]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/11/braves-open-to-trading-jurrjens-prado.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

The Braves have told some teams they would be willing to move Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado in a trade, a Major League source tells MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Atlanta is known to be looking for a power-hitting outfielder and possibly a new shortstop, so either could be acquired in a Jurrjens/Prado trade, or at the very least the Braves could pick up some salary relief --- both Jurrjens and Prado are arbitration-eligible for the second time this winter.

The Braves and Royals have already discussed a Jurrjens trade, and the Braves have an interest in minor league outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Wil Myers, amongst several other prospects in K.C.'s deep farm system. The Royals are known to be targeting veteran starting pitching on the trade market this winter so the two sides would seem like a fit as trading partners. As Bowman notes, Cain could be seen by the Braves as a future center field option if Michael Bourn isn't signed to an extension.

Jurrjens was an All-Star in 2011, though the right-hander struggled badly (a 5.88 ERA) in the second half of the season and spent time on the DL with a knee injury. While Jurrjens' health is a question mark, Myers also took a minor step back (a .745 OPS in Double-A) in 2011 after being ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the sport in Baseball America's preseason rankings. Myers is still just 20, however, and was converted to the outfield this year after spending his first two pro seasons as a catcher.

After an impressive 2010 season that saw him finish ninth in NL MVP voting, Prado took a step back in 2011, hitting .260/.302/.385 as Atlanta's everyday left fielder. Prado's ability to play left, third, first and second base would make him an intriguing trade possibility for a number of teams, especially since he could be available at a somewhat buy-low price.

 

Maybe they would still be interested in Hart?

[PrinceEatMeat]

I'll pass on trading them Hart. Hart is better than Prado, and we don't need Jurrjens. Interesting that Cain could be on the move again. The Braves showed interest in him while he was with the Brewers.

[chadomac]

Are we trading just to trade? Hart is more valuable to the 2012 team than Jurrgens is.

[RockCoCougars]

Both of these guys are about to get expensive, so I can see the Braves motives here. Don't see a fit for the Brewers, however.

[cvollbrecht]

Are we trading just to trade? Hart is more valuable to the 2012 team than Jurrgens is.

 

I mean all of this stuff is speculation and pipe dreams as far as trades go. That doesn't mean its not fun to think about.

 

Hart & Thornburg? for Prado & Jurrjens

Sign Sizemore to an incentive deal

Marcum for Lowrie & Reynaudo

 

Prado

Sizemore

Braun

Weeks

Gamel

Lucroy

Lowrie

Morgan/Gomez

P

 

Gallardo

Greinke

Wolf

Jurrjens

Narverson

You would obviously be hoping that the healthy Sizemore and the 2010 Jurrjens and Prado show up. Either way that is a pretty balanced lineup and rotation.

[endaround]

Jurrjens of 2008-2009? Sure. Jurrjens of 2010-2011 who keeps missing time? Much less interested.

[paul253]

I'll pass on trading them Hart. Hart is better than Prado, and we don't need Jurrjens.

 

How can you say we don't need him? Do we have 5 starting pitchers better than him? And Prado could be a perfect buy low candidate. I think we need to deal Hart. His value is about as high as it could be right now and we do have some outfielders on the cusp on being ready (Schafer and Gindl). Trading Hart will make up for the salaries of the other two but it also gives you the option of getting something for Marcum, Wolf, or Narveson. And depending on what you want to do with Prado, you could either dump McGehee and let Prado play third or maybe move Braun to right and play Pardo in left. Or he could just be a utility guy which means you don't have to worry about signing Hairston. I'd jump all over this is I were Milwaukee. Maybe Hart and McGehee for these two.

[pingman]

Jurrjens' injuries have not been arm related.....nagging stuff like oblique, hip, bone bruise on a knee, etc.... IIRC he led the NL in ERA at the all-star break....Jurrjens is still only 25 with a career record of 50-33 3.40 ....damn good, but he's a Boras client ....free agent after 2014

 

Prado also had injury issues after hitting over .300 in 2010 ....he just turned 28 & has career numbers of .293/.341/.434

 

The Brewers lack the prospects to even sniff these guys; Braves need a LF with power, preferably a right handed stick....a CF of the future, and a stop-gap SS for one year, and they all must be cheap......

 

the Braves had little interest in Hart; the rumor was the Braves turned down Hart for Minor....counter offers didn't work because the Braves didn't want to give up Minor while Melvin didn't want to give up Cain

[PrinceEatMeat]

I'll pass on trading them Hart. Hart is better than Prado, and we don't need Jurrjens.

 

How can you say we don't need him? Do we have 5 starting pitchers better than him? And Prado could be a perfect buy low candidate. I think we need to deal Hart. His value is about as high as it could be right now and we do have some outfielders on the cusp on being ready (Schafer and Gindl). Trading Hart will make up for the salaries of the other two but it also gives you the option of getting something for Marcum, Wolf, or Narveson. And depending on what you want to do with Prado, you could either dump McGehee and let Prado play third or maybe move Braun to right and play Pardo in left. Or he could just be a utility guy which means you don't have to worry about signing Hairston. I'd jump all over this is I were Milwaukee. Maybe Hart and McGehee for these two.

I can say we don't need him because we have 5 solid starters already, and you have to give up quite a bit to get him. I'd rather stick with who we have in the rotation and keep Hart and whoever else might be traded than get Jurrjens. I'm not saying that he's not a better pitcher than guys we have, but we don't NEED him to the point that we should be giving up a lot for him. I don't see the Brewers being a fit for a trade here. Jurrjens will go to the Royals and Prado will go somewhere else.

[paul253]

I don't see the Brewers being a fit for a trade here. Jurrjens will go to the Royals and Prado will go somewhere else.

I would trade Hart straight up for Jurrgens in a heart beat if it was offered. I think Hart's value is as high as it's going to be. His defense and baserunning took a nosedive this year and the fact that he is incapable of hitting 5th or 6th effectively is a huge concern for me. Assuming he is healthy, Jurrgens is better than at least two and possibly three of our current starters. He's also under control for a few more years, which three of our five starters are not. He is in the prime of his career and, minus a little hiccup in 2010, has VERY good career numbers. If you trade for him, you could then trade Wolf, Marcum, or Narveson for another piece. I'd prefer Marcum or Wolf because they are expensive and are free agents after year's end. Or you could keep all of them, move Narveson to the bullpen for a year as a lefty or long man and your rotation (and depth) would be better than it was this year. Trading Hart for Jurrgens would also save money this year and would allow us to spend more on a free agents if they want to.

 

Atlanta has a ton of pitching and now is the time to get them. They need a power hitting outfielder and it just so happens we have one who they might like (they did last year). If they are willing to move Jerrjens for Hart or Hart and a mid level prospect I think you jump all over that.

[PrinceEatMeat]

There's no way they're trading Jurrjens for Hart. It's gonna take a lot more than that. Obviously you take that deal, that's not even a question. It would take Hart and at least one top prospect, and probably more to get him. The Brewers won't consider that. Jurrjens will go to a team that is willing to give up top prospects, such as the Royals. We already did that with Greinke. Won't happen two years in a row, and doesn't need to. We can't really afford to give up more top prospects at least point, because we don't have many left.

[paul253]

I'm a little confused by the article. I don't know if they are talking about Cain/Myers for Jurrjens/Prado or one for one or one for two or what. But if they are considering those two....Cain isn't really a top prospect and Myers doesn't look like he'd be ready right away, which kind of defeats the purpose of trading for him. Hart has some pretty decent value. And let's not forget Atlanta is considering trading Jurrjens because they have a surplus of major league ready pitching. Teams know that so they can't ask for too much. I think Hart would be a good start and it wouldn't take much more than a mid level prospect to complete the deal.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Cain and Myers are just two guys they like. They aren't saying that the trade only involves them. Those guys would just be included in a trade for Jurrjens. Others would be involved too. The Braves aren't just gonna give him away. If you think Hart and a mid level prospect would net Jurrjens you are nuts, I'm sorry. Never gonna happen. They are looking for young OF prospects, preferably CF's. They wouldn't even give us Minor for Hart straight up. Jurrjens and Minor are in two different categories.

[dadofandrew]

If Prado could play SS, this makes some sense, as Jurrjens will be far cheaper than anyone besides Narveson. However, Prado hits like a SS, while Hart hits like an above average RF.

[JohnBriggs12]

I'll pass on trading them Hart. Hart is better than Prado, and we don't need Jurrjens.

 

How can you say we don't need him? Do we have 5 starting pitchers better than him? And Prado could be a perfect buy low candidate. I think we need to deal Hart. His value is about as high as it could be right now and we do have some outfielders on the cusp on being ready (Schafer and Gindl). Trading Hart will make up for the salaries of the other two but it also gives you the option of getting something for Marcum, Wolf, or Narveson. And depending on what you want to do with Prado, you could either dump McGehee and let Prado play third or maybe move Braun to right and play Pardo in left. Or he could just be a utility guy which means you don't have to worry about signing Hairston. I'd jump all over this is I were Milwaukee. Maybe Hart and McGehee for these two.

I can say we don't need him because we have 5 solid starters already, and you have to give up quite a bit to get him. I'd rather stick with who we have in the rotation and keep Hart and whoever else might be traded than get Jurrjens. I'm not saying that he's not a better pitcher than guys we have, but we don't NEED him to the point that we should be giving up a lot for him. I don't see the Brewers being a fit for a trade here. Jurrjens will go to the Royals and Prado will go somewhere else.

The 5 "solid starters" the Brewers have will get them a solid 80-85 wins next year, then 3 of them will be gone unless you want to throw big money after Greinke who's going to want to be paid like the 09 pitcher he was, not the guy he is now. Jurjens is at least under control beyond next year. I'd take Prado and Jurjens for Hart and a prospect. I don't think the Braves will though.

 

 

[pingman]

there is ZERO Braves interest in Hart.....don't have the $$$$$ ....that's why they're shopping Jurrjens & Prado a) to get some working room under their budget, and b) to get some high quality prospects that they can control at a low salary

[NievesNoNO]

Are we trading just to trade? Hart is more valuable to the 2012 team than Jurrgens is.

I think this is what it boils down to mostly. I'd say Jurrjens for Hart straight up is about as even a trade is you're going to get. I think some of you are undervaluing Hart a bit. Hart's offensive numbers (OPS) over the last two seasons would put him in the top 10-15 range for outfielders. That's pretty solid. If the Brewers put him on the market there would be no shortage of interest. I also like Prado quite a bit and would be a good option at 3B and give us some nice flexibility if needed. If they're really looking to acquire a proven power outfield bat Hart is probably as good as they're going to get. If they're looking for prospects then we don't match. I don't think they would deal Jurrjens and Prado together.

 

 

[Hate those Rodents]

Braves would probably looks at Gindl and Schaefer or Gindl and Green for Jurjjens. Not sure we want to go there, but we really should trade one of Schaefer/Gomez/Morgan, as it's an opportunity to "sell high" for each.

[jhart05]

I wouldn't trade Hart for either of these guys and don't understand why Corey's name keeps coming up in trade talk.

 

Prado is not an everyday SS. You could put him at 3B, I want to see Green win that position thou.

 

I've had Jurrjens on my PC Replay League team. I like him, but the Brewers have greater priorities than adding another SP.

[yoshii8]

If they added Jurrjens, which I don't think is likely. They then could turn around and trade Marcum or Wolf to fill another spot. Then they have another 25 year old ace, that they have locked up until 2014. Again, I highly doubt the Brewers have a chance to get Jurrjens.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Again, I'm not saying I don't want Jurrjens. Of course I'd take him. There's just no way we'll get him. If we couldn't get Minor for Hart, we're not getting Jurrjens. We'd need a stronger package than that. Jurrjens is worth a lot more than Corey Hart. He's under control for a few more years, and is still young. Pitchers like that are valuable.

[endaround]

If Jurrjens is on the block its because the Braves think he'll miss more time and is closer the FIP 4.00 pitcher he has been the last two years than the pitcher he was in 2008 and 2009. Hart last year was more valuable then Jurrjens was the last 2. Jurrjens' ERA last year is a BABIP artifact (.269), he's solid but not great and there is a huge injury risk. He and Narveson basically had the same season given what a pitcher can control.

[paul253]

If we couldn't get Minor for Hart, we're not getting Jurrjens.

 

That's a poor comparison. Minor at the time was considered one of the better pitching prospects in all of baseball. And Hart at the time was a pending free agent. It would have been trading 6 years of Minor for a few months of Hart. Supposedly the Brewers could have gotten Brandon Beachy for Hart. I'd take that trade in an instant right now.

 

If Jurrjens is on the block its because the Braves think he'll miss more

time and is closer the FIP 4.00 pitcher he has been the last two years

than the pitcher he was in 2008 and 2009.

 

It might also be that they have an excess of top major league ready pitching prospects and want to use that excess to fill a hole (unlike Milwaukee's strategy). Maybe they are down on Jurrjens a bit but I think it's too soon to suggest that the only reason he's on the block is because they think he's done.

[endaround]

There is a reason the talk is about him and not the older and more expensive Hudson.

[NievesNoNO]

There is a reason the talk is about him and not the older and more expensive Hudson.

You might be right or it's possible they think they can get more for Jurrjens than Hudson. I'm not all that high on Jurrjens, but I'd like him better than Wolf and Narveson. If Hart was a free agent this year he'd easily be the best OF option. Right now Hart is more of a sure thing than Jurrjens based on the last two seasons. I'll stand by that Hart for Jurrjens is as fair as it gets for both sides. Now, whether it's a good move for each side I'm not sure. If your into taking some chances you could, as was suggested, trade Hart for Jurrjens and make a run at Sizemore to play right field.