This May Not Even Be Worth Reading, But Whatever

Jeff Schultz is just killing it at the AJC today.

First, he informs us that the Braves' best players have to play well if they're going to win the division. Who knew?

"Nate McClouth: It’s important to remember that he was not Plan A in center fielder (sic)."

Not sure why that's important at all, but O.K.!

The real story, though, is this post.

"I didn’t really like the trade when general manager Frank Wren made it just before the All-Star break, and I still don’t like it."

Fair enough. Convince me.

"Why would you trade him? Because I see only two scenarios in which I think you move Francoeur during the year: You make a trade for a player who you are pretty sure is going to help you get to the playoffs this season. You make a trade for a player who you are pretty sure is going to help you get to the playoffs next season."

Jeff Francoeur was essentially the worst everyday player in baseball. Thus, any player you trade him for will make your team better. I'm assuming "help you get to the playoffs" means "actually increase the odds you get to the playoffs," which anyone who isn't the worst player in baseball would do if the Braves traded Francoeur for him, rather than "single-handedly win the NL East on the strength of his will," but I'll admit that may be a bit too charitable.

"What evidence is there in his resume that Church can do either?"

Jeff Francoeur career OPS+: 90. Ryan Church career OPS+: 107.

"He’s a fourth outfielder."

At least he's not a AAA outfielder like the guy he was traded for.

"He’s with his fourth team in six seasons."

...and has posted a 107 OPS+ with those four teams to Francoeur's 90 on one team.

"We’ve seen what he is: a nice player with a .272 career average and no power. Correct me if I’m wrong: But platoon outfielders with a .272 career average and no power generally are not in short supply, are they?"

They apparently are for the Braves, who trotted arguably the worst player in baseball out there every night for the last year and a half. Bag Ryan Church all you want. He's not much better than average, but he is - without question - a better baseball player than Jeff Francoeur.

"Until then, at least you would have given Francoeur another half-season to work out his issues. And by the way: at 25, he’s got time to work out those issues."

If Ryan Church is what he is after 1,755 major-league at bats, then Jeff Francoeur also is what he is after 2,641 major-league at bats.

Look, Francoeur is a nice guy and was an awesome story and fun to watch when he first came up. I want the guy to do well. I talked to him one time in the Braves dugout and stuff. But he's been really terrible at playing baseball games for going on two years now.

He smiles a lot and throws the ball hard and looks like he's trying and hits home runs really far on the rare occasions he gets hold of one. But it would be totally unprecedented for someone at his age to go from what he is now to what all these people were hoping he'd be like three years ago. At this point, it would be surpring if he turned into just a serviceable player.

This shouldn't be about the Braves or Frank Wren, anyway. They got a "nice player" for someone they were going to cut at the end of the year without even initiating the trade. To me, all this story says about Wren is that he must be pretty good at pushing the mute button on his speakerphone really fast when Omar Minaya calls him to propose a trade. Because he was probably laughing. Get it?

I also don't hate Schultz or anything. He's generally pretty good and all. I just put a little more faith in things like facts and figures than gut feelings and conventional wisdom. But that's just me.

One last thing, though. I do need a little help dissecting this line at the beginning of the Francoeur post. It must be way over my head:

"Seriously, I’m curious: When Jeff Francoeur steps to the plate tonight, what will you do? Boo? Cheer? Wonder how this affects Willie Martinez’s plans in Stillwater?"

Update:

Furman Bisher successfully one-ups his colleague - "I don’t understand how it came to that. Neither do I understand just why a hitting slump can’t be cured like the common cold."

I sure do hate those two-year batting slumps. Don't you?