Isn’t this too precious? The Braves swap some players.
Fine, not “precious,” but nonetheless something equally sweet.
07/31/2007 10:53 PM ET
Braves appreciate new additions to club
Players looking forward to making a postseason run
By Mark Bowman / MLB.com
ATLANTA — As Tuesday afternoon unfolded and they watched their general manager make a flurry of significant trades, Braves players began to get a sense that they’ve been given the challenge of realizing ultimate October jubilation. “It looks like they’re trying to make us win the World Series,” said the always witty Tim Hudson. “So I guess there’s no choice, right? There’s really no more options. We’ve just got to go out and do it right now.”
When they awoke on Tuesday, the Braves were expecting to find Mark Teixeira and left-handed reliever Ron Mahay as new teammates. Once that deal was finished, they were encouraged by the fact that their general manager John Schuerholz wasn’t.
After making this season’s biggest splash on the trade market with the acquisition of Teixeira, Schuerholz managed to get closer Octavio Dotel from the Royals and Royce Ring from the Padres.
With Teixeira, the Braves believe they might now have the National League’s best lineup. With Mahay, Dotel and Ring, who should be promoted from Triple-A Richmond soon, they foresee entering October with the same kind of formidable bullpen they felt they’d had before losing Mike Gonzalez in mid-May.
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What is a bit precious, though, is that I am older than 9 out of the 25 Braves listed on the active roster. I was born in late January in 1981–I’m four years older than pitcher Jose Ascanio; three years older than pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes, catcher Brian McCann, and outfielder Jeff Francoeur; one year older than infielders Yunel Escobar, Kelly Johnson, and Scott Thorman; and about ten months older than pitchers Chuck James andOscar Villarreal.
