Morning Chop: Atlanta Braves’ News 12/15
Morning Chop: Summary of Atlanta Braves’ News
Braves sign first baseman Mark Hamilton
As first reported by Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish, the Braves have reached agreement on a minor league contract with first baseman Mark Hamilton.
Hamilton was a second-round pick of the Cardinals in the 2006 MLB Amateur Draft. He appeared in 47 games for St. Louis between the 2010 and 2011 seasons but has not been back to the bigs since.
The 29-year-old batted .265/.365/.458 with 12 home runs and 60 RBI in 89 games this past season for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox and Boston’s Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Hamilton will function as organizational depth at first base for the Braves in 2014.
His minor league deal includes an invitation to spring training.
Grading Atlanta Braves on the 2013 MLB Winter Meetings
Despite anxious fans hoping for the Atlanta Braves to make some moves this offseason, the 2013 MLB winter meetings came and went without the Braves making a move.
General manager Frank Wren clearly did not feel comfortable with any moves to pull the trigger this week.
While many fans would like to see the Braves improve the team, this was a predictable week.
The Braves enter the 2014 season with a young nucleus and very few team needs.
Brian McCann signed with the New York Yankees, but the Braves are already set at catcher with Evan Gattis, Gerald Laird and the up-and-coming Christian Bethancourt.
Veteran Tim Hudson signed with the San Francisco Giants, and the Braves will likely look to add another starter. However, one could argue it is not vital with the likes of Julio Teheran, Kris Medlen, Mike Minor, Alex Wood and Brandon Beachy in the rotation.
This puts Wren in the position of being able to pick and choose the most valuable deal.
For example, Bartolo Colon agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract with the New York Mets. Colon looked to be a potential fit in the Braves’ rotation, but there’s no way I’d give the 40-year-old a two-year deal for that amount.
Sometimes the right move is not making the move.
Residents question new Braves stadium funding
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COBB COUNTY, Ga. –
Resident want answers about Cobb County’s plans to help build a new Braves stadium near Interstate 75 and Interstate 285. The group called for a response to citizen concerns before the project moves forward.
They call themselves Cobb Citizens for Governmental Transparency. The group argues that Cobb County officials have not provided enough information about their plans for a $300 million public contribution to a new Atlanta Braves stadium. The citizens group had sent a letter to the county asking for details about financing and other plans to build the stadium.
“Many of the stadium projects elsewhere have not lived up to their promise, guess that is left holding the bag, the taxpayer. We are worried that the Cobb County taxpayers could be left holding the bag. Not getting a lot of new revenue,” says Ben Williams, SCLC.