why did the Braves,a pretty savvy organization,pass on Michael Bourn when they could have had him back without losing a draft pick?...why did they give BJ Upton,a player with some questions about his commitment,5 years and 75 million dollars and then turn around and send 5 prospects to the Dbacks in exchange for Justin Upton?

maybe Atlanta saw something in the 155 strikeouts that others who didn't watch him every day missed.....maybe it was the .238 batting average the second half of the year.....do pitchers in the NL see a weakness?...figured him out?....for a leadoff hitter his number of strikeouts and .330s OBA and lifetime .272 BA would make me think thrice

why is it that Mr. Bourn and Mr. Boras are still waiting for that 5 year/75 million dollar offer? even Angel Pagan got 4 years/40 million,it's almost February 1st

enough with the idea of signing Michael Bourn

yes,he's better than anyone we've got in the outfield right now but so is Scott Hairston and we didn't even want to offer him 6 million never mind 50 million....

keep the draft pick and the money and let Kirk and Den Dekker duke it out,Bourn isn't making a difference for us in '13 anyway...he might make sense for a contending team built to win now needing a CFer as a last piece to put them over the top that might have to give up pick #25 but not for us

Is there a deadline date where if Bourn hasn't found a home by that time the Braves forfeit their right to a draft pick?

not that i'm aware of.....that'd be something though,wouldn't it?....the Braves get the Upton brothers and then a compensatory draft pick from anyone who signs Bourn to go along with their own first rounder

i wonder if we'll ever be in the position to spend money like that and have a minor league system deep enough to send 5 prospects for a single player

That seems strange. If a team let's go of a truly unwanted player who just had a good season, what happens if a team takes a chance and signs that player say....midway through the season.

If we sign Roger Clemens for PR/ticket selling reasons do the Yankees get a draft pick? What if Bourn gets hurt in a motorcycle accident and won't be ready until next season?

Because it is more fun to watch the Mets do this comedy act, even at the cost of a few prospects.

Atlanta does not have a 1st round draft choice. They forfeited #28 & Tampa received compensation slot for BJ Upton.

Atlanta did want Bourn back but felt he was being overpriced by Boras. Upton is younger & has power with a higher ceiling.
BJ also gave them an advantage in obtaining his brother.

Who said the Braves didn't want Bourn back?

They offered him 13.3 mil to return next year.

I'm guessing Boras overpriced Bourn and for the same money and years, the Braves valued Upton more. Now, it appears unlikely Bourn will not get asking price, so someone may get good value.

Would the Braves have resigned Bourn over Upton if Bourn was getting 4/48 vs Upton's 5/75?

Word was they likely would've re-signed Bourn if the Upton trade didn't work out. But who could blame them for going the younger, more inexpensive (salary wise) route? They're rich in prospects and were in a position of strength here. I'd rather have Justin Upton too. As far as the difference between BJ Upton and Bourn, one can only assume Boras just priced him absurdly high. But none of this says to me that anything is amiss here. This argument is made here all the time - if Justin Upton is so good, why do the Diamondbacks want to trade him? You can play this game with a lot of people.

It's firmly established, though, that there's absolutely zero chance of a Bourn signing if we have to give up the pick, which means it won't happen. The fact that the Mets haven't even petitioned baseball to rule on it means interest wasn't all that serious to begin with.

The reason is simple. Bourn isn't that great.

The problem for the Mets is that he's head and shoulders better than anyone on our team that plays the OF.

I'm with the Mets on this one though, he's not worth the five year deal or the draft pick. It would be nice to have him but he's not worth the cost.

Thats not really a fair question. They offered Bourne 13 million didnt they? Boure turned it down, probably with Boras pulling his strings. He does have value and your question isn't really relevant to the situation. It hides the fact that they made him a nice offer that Bournes agent thought he was better than. When you look further and realize Bourns agent is Scott Boras, you get the entire picture.

Yeah, I tend to agree. They also didn't bring him back because they acquired a younger player with power who also possesses a lot of the speed and baserunning abilities Bourn has. I'd rather have BJ Upton too that doesn't mean Bourn isn't a valuable player. I understand the reluctance to forfeit a pick and I'm on board with that thinking but eventually we'll have to pony up some money if we're going to improve the outfield because there's nothing on the farm coming to help anytime soon. Do you want to give a 30 year old Ellsbury 80-90 million next year if he bounces back from his injury? How about 70 million for Choo? There's no such thing as a bargain anymore and unless you're going the trade route, most if not all of the players who will be free agents are going to be be older as teams are now locking up their young talent long term.

This is pure conjecture on my part, but since the Braves did offer him a contract, one designed as both a fall back option and a pick, they were hedging their bets on aquiring another OFer. Since they got Upton they no longer need Bourne as a fall back option, BUT still garner a pick.

Just a guess.

Yeah, I tend to agree. They also didn't bring him back because they acquired a younger player with power who also possesses a lot of the speed and baserunning abilities Bourn has. I'd rather have BJ Upton too that doesn't mean Bourn isn't a valuable player. I understand the reluctance to forfeit a pick and I'm on board with that thinking but eventually we'll have to pony up some money if we're going to improve the outfield because there's nothing on the farm coming to help anytime soon. Do you want to give a 30 year old Ellsbury 80-90 million next year if he bounces back from his injury? How about 70 million for Choo? There's no such thing as a bargain anymore and unless you're going the trade route, most if not all of the players who will be free agents are going to be be older as teams are now locking up their young talent long term."

Yeah. Baseball players have become more expensive and the value on certain abilities has inflated. The Braves didnt need the value of Bourne. they're set. When Lucas Duda is your best OF option, 13.3 million is suddenly a steal. Bourn is a valuable player for us. Agree on all points dude

"I'm with the Mets on this one though, he's not worth the five year deal or the draft pick. It would be nice to have him but he's not worth the cost."

I agree completely here. But I do wonder what EXACTLY Alderson is up to. From what I know he has'nt even appealed to MLB yet about the draft pick. Is he waiting for them to come to him?

Now, if they can save the pick, I might be a bit more inclined to offer Bourne something. But certainly not 5 years. 3 would be my limit.

Exactly, they generally know what they're doing. Let's not fall victim to another Jason Bay.

maybe it was boras asking for $100m for 7.

A lot of fans are not like you. You are smart. They think if we signe bourne maybe theres a chance and that means more tv revenue and more ticket sales. Im one of those fans.

Why don't the Braves want Bourn back? Why were the D'backs in such a hurry to rid themselves of Upton? Why would the Braves want someone that Arizona was anxious to get rid of? You can't let what Atlanta wants or doesn't want to rule someone else's franchise.

>> Who said the Braves didn't want Bourn back?

They Braves wanted him back.

>> They offered him 13.3 mil to return next year.

They offered that deal and Boras walked away from it.

>> I'm guessing Boras overpriced Bourn and for the same money and years, the Braves valued Upton more. Now, it appears unlikely Bourn will not get asking price, so someone may get good value.

According to Atlanta papers Bourn and Boras wanted a contract that would be for 5 years, and would of have a total value, with incentives, that would have brought the deal to 55M. Boras has said the Bourn is an impact player. He's a good player, but Boras muct be smoking drugs again if he thinks Bourn is an impact player.

>> Would the Braves have resigned Bourn over Upton if Bourn was getting 4/48 vs Upton's 5/75?

They would have still signed BJ over Bourn. Younger and more upside.

Because they have 3 better outfielders. That's what good teams do, improve. We get the scraps. What's confusing?