Speculation, Speculation, Speculation

Everyone loves speculation! And what else is a blog good for, if not for good ole fashion raw speculation. That’s right, unsubstantiated rumor-mongering run amuck. And the Braves have plenty of holes to fill, and there are plenty of people we could speculate are going to fill them. So without anymore delay, here are the rumors and speculations du jour:

SS: Now that ‘Raffy’ has crossed over to the West-side, we have what looks to be a gaping hole up the middle as well as at the leadoff position. Everyone and their brother has predicted that Tamp Bay’s Julio Lugo is the Braves’ backup plan. The Rays and Braves seem to match up well – we have plenty of young pitching, they need pitching, they have a shortstop and closer available, we need both a shortstop and a closer. Because they are asking for so much in return, we might have to wait these Rays out for a while, but Lugo is a viable option at short – sort of a poor man’s Furcal.

If the Braves choose to go the free agent route, they could try and sign Alex Gonzalez. No, not that Alex Gonzalez, the other Alex Gonzalez. He’s got decent power, an average bat, an above average glove, and he’s coming off a down year for him, so he may be undervalued. But with a .291 career OBA he would not be a viable option leading off.

Lead-off: What do you think about a blast from the past? That’s right, Kenny Lofton is once again a free agent. Even though he’s played for 7 teams in the past 4 years, he did hit .335 with an OBP of .392 last year, and at 38 he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Remember somewhere out there Ricky Henderson is still playing baseball, so maybe it’ a trend with these age-ed speedsters, they keep going and going.

Let’s not forget that Juan Pierre is the last one left in the Marlin’s fire sale. He would be a perfect fit at the top of the Braves lineup, and he’s the kind of player that would thrive under Bobby Cox.

Closer: I still say it’s Todd Jones or Todd Jones. He’s an Atlanta native, might be relatively inexpensive, and would sign for only one or two years. The oft-rumored other half of a Julio Lugo trade is closer Danys Baez. He’s decent, but not great, and he’s been closing for a last place team which is far different than closing for a first place team (as Dan Kolb found out).

But let’s go out on a limb here and ‘speculate’ as to who else we might be able to get. I’m just going to go ahead and throw Joe Nathan’s name out there. We match up well with the Twins, who need a third baseman, and we have Marte with no place to play. It would take a lot to get Nathan, but Marte might be just the right chip. The Twins have other power arms that can close (Romero and Rincon), and they’d be getting rid of salary at the same time (something they love to do). Nathan has an option for ’07, and is not too terribly expensive. He’s also a power closer, not a ground-baller like Kolb.

There’s been some mention of Brad Lidge being available, but I don’t think the Braves and Astros match up well. They would probably need a power outfield bat in return, and we don’t really have anyone that fits that need.

So there it is; rumors and speculation. Now we get to wait and see. But if history is any guide the Braves will not be sitting on their hands.