House That Hank Built
Fansided

Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Markakis, Lazarito, Speed

By Alan Carpenter

Oct 29, 2015; San Deigo, CA, USA; San Diego Padres new manager Andy Green (right) speaks to media as general manager A.J. Preller looks on during a press conference at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2015; San Deigo, CA, USA; San Diego Padres new manager Andy Green (right) speaks to media as general manager A.J. Preller looks on during a press conference at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
Dec 8, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzales speaks with the media during the MLB winter meetings at Gaylord Opryland Resort . Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 8, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzales speaks with the media during the MLB winter meetings at Gaylord Opryland Resort . Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Braves News Items for March 2nd

John Coppolella Speaks Spanish and Russian

During the @Braves “#AskCoppy” session from Monday (recap here), GM John Coppolella was asked a question from a Mexican fan.  His answer was as shown below:

Translated, that comes out to:  “Thank you Leonardo. I love the future of our team.”

Then yesterday morning, Peter Gammons tweeted this:

MattDamon
MattDamon /

In case you aren’t aware, “nyet” is Russian for “no”.  But if the Braves choose to go after that yet-untapped Russian baseball market, this could give them a big head start over the rest of the league.

It would be good, however, for Coppy to insure that in any future dealings with the Russians he work hard to avoid the pitfalls Matt Damon suffered in the movie Oceans 13.  The chance for a “Lost in Translation” ploy is high – and could cost the Braves severly.

But Wait… Markakis??

Back to the real matter here:  while the Baltimore beat writers are tending to pooh-pooh the thought that Baltimore would even consider taking Nick Markakis back, Gammons’ view is that they indeed tried – and failed.

Atlanta would certainly like to continue to shed salary – but Markakis’ $33 million still due (over 3 more years) doesn’t really seem the right place to cut.  He’s an excellent hitter and fans probably will get a chance to see what he can really do this season, which should be a reliable spark in the midst of a lineup that sorely needs a boost.  Taking him out of the mix would certainly be problematic for the Braves… at least for this season.

There also hadn’t been a sniff as to what kind of return the Braves might have been looking for in such a deal, or frankly whether it even got to that stage.  The Orioles top pitching prospects (Hunter Harvey and Dylan Bundy) are almost certainly off-limits, but had I been John Coppolella, I would have set the price at outfielder D.J. Stewart.  He hits well – when he actually makes contact – and that sounds like a hitter that either Chipper Jones or Kevin Seitzer could work with.

Regardless, Markakis is our starting right fielder, and that doesn’t look to change in the short term.

Next: Padres Emerging from the Pack

Home/Braves News