12-17-2004, 03:17 PM
" John Schuerholz runs absolute circles around the rest of the GMs in the game. The dean of the deal has made the rest of his division -- and most of the rest of baseball -- look like utter dopes in the last couple of days. A recap:
Last weekend, he traded a young arm for Brewers closer Dan Kolb. Now, admittedly, Kolb may not be John Smoltz. But he's good enough to close, and his presence gets Smoltz back into the starting lineup. And that could be huge.
Thursday, Schuerholz tore up Smoltz's old contract and signed him to an extension, and then he traded a couple of young arms (guys you've probably never heard of) and a young outfielder (Charles Thomas, who you also probably never heard of) for A's ace Tim Hudson. In effect, the Braves traded three near-minor leaguers, whatever their potential, for a 29-year-old with a 92-39 career record.
So, with Smoltz and Hudson on board, the Braves have a far better rotation and -- get this -- a lower payroll than they did a week ago. That's the way it's done."
Last weekend, he traded a young arm for Brewers closer Dan Kolb. Now, admittedly, Kolb may not be John Smoltz. But he's good enough to close, and his presence gets Smoltz back into the starting lineup. And that could be huge.
Thursday, Schuerholz tore up Smoltz's old contract and signed him to an extension, and then he traded a couple of young arms (guys you've probably never heard of) and a young outfielder (Charles Thomas, who you also probably never heard of) for A's ace Tim Hudson. In effect, the Braves traded three near-minor leaguers, whatever their potential, for a 29-year-old with a 92-39 career record.
So, with Smoltz and Hudson on board, the Braves have a far better rotation and -- get this -- a lower payroll than they did a week ago. That's the way it's done."
