It is officially a done deal! In an odd and questionable move to say the least, first baseman Derrek Lee has been dealt to the Atlanta Braves by the Chicago Cubs in exchange for three prospects. With Chipper Jones being lost for the year due to a left ACL tear and Troy Glaus struggling at the plate, GM Frank Wren is clearly attempting to add another "big bat" to the lineup.
In my opinion, this move does not do much to help the Braves. Lee, while having a respectable career line of .282 BA/.367 OBP/.499 SLG, has struggled this year while battling a back injury. His line this year is .251 BA/.335 OBP/.416 SLG.* Surprisingly, that is not much better in terms of production than that of current Braves first baseman Troy Glaus. Glaus' line this year reads .234 BA/.343 OBP/.406 SLG.* According to ESPN, Braves scout and former major league manager Jim Fregosi saw Lee in action against the Cardinals last weekend, where Lee jacked four homers in the series. So, both Fregosi and Wren must feel Lee is finally eating his spinach, thereby giving him the strength to make a late-season power surge.
Frank Wren may have done this more for defensive purposes though. That would seem logical. Lee is a four-time Gold Glove winner at first base. Atlanta's pitching staff, with Jurrjens, Lowe, and Hudson, is predominately made up of sinkerballers who get a lot of ground ball outs. So, naturally this move could be more beneficial in terms of defense, even if that was not the intent. Yet, just like their offensive numbers, Lee and Glaus have posted comparable statistics defensively this season as well. Lee has started and played in 105 games and made six errors. Glaus has played in 112 games this year, starting 105 of them. He has made eight errors.* So, maybe it is just a question of range or jumping ability. After all, Lee was recruited by Dean Smith to play basketball at North Carolina.
The natural feeling about this trade is one that gives us a sense of improvement for Atlanta. Why not? The Braves just acquired a career .282 hitter with four gold gloves. However, judging by the this season's stats from Lee in comparison to those of Glaus, forgive me if I do not share the same enthusiasm that the rest of you might. In my opinion, the Braves' solution to replacing a 34 year-old struggling, injured first baseman was to......well......acquire another 34 year-old struggling, injured first baseman. For all we know, Wren could have just had that overwhelming desire to spend more money.
As a Braves fan, I hope Wren and Fregosi indeed see something that I do not in Derrek Lee right now. I have seen Lee play a lot over the years, both in person and on television. There is no doubt he is one of the best in the game when healthy. Hell, he has been in the triple-crown talk several times through the years. I guess we will see soon enough. Ironically, Lee could take the field for the first time in a Braves uniform this weekend as they play the Cubs in Chicago.
Here's to hoping Lee helps add to the continuing misery of the Cubs!
*Stats courtesy of ESPN.com
2 comments:
Yeah they did see something in Lee and that is the fact that he has been hitting very well since the All-Star break - .313 Avg, 6HR, 20 RBI, and .583 SLG.
I think he will be just fine and the Braves will benefit having his bat in the lineup.
I hope he does continue to hit well. I appreciate you posting those stats. I should have mentioned them. What concerns me his health. If he is still taking shots for his back and cannot play, then that is a problem.
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