Only problem is, Jeff Francouer sucks...hard.

Then fitting in shouldn't be a problem.

Um...what? This move is puzzling to me. At best. Exactly what are we, er, gaining? Definitely not OBP.

Now we'll have another reliable black hole in our lineup every day!

I con-coeur.

Francour is 5 or so years younger.
Hits right handed.
Less injury prone - so far.

What are the left field - right field home run splits this year at the new yard ? I suspect that might be part of it. As Nix bangs one into the Pepsi Porch.

I keep reading that Jerry "doesn't like Church's game". Whatever that means.

no, he like Tatis' game better...

Well, nobody ever said Orlando Cabrera should be mentioned in the same breath as Nomar, either, and they still don't, but Cabrera following that trade nabbed himself one more piece of jewelry than Nomar (still with zero and counting -- not that I blame him for that, exactly, but lousy luck matters as much in this game as anything else, as we know). And almost everyone in New York thought Carlos Baerga was going to be a lot more of a value-add than Jeff "Mr. Humor" Kent. So, who knows.

But unless Omar knows something we don't know about Church, in the same way the Indians knew something we didn't know about Baerga and later, Roberto Alomar (which is certainly possible -- GMs probably don't blab a fraction of what they know to the press, for obvious reasons)...it does look like the Braves done fleeced us. (I refuse on general principle to use the word "scalped.")

But of course I will give Francouer (do I have to call him "Frenchie"? -oh, well, I guess "Frankie" is taken) every opportunity to make me eat my words.

so . . . very . . . bad. It was bad enough that our Manager doesn't believe in stats or track record, but now it seems fairly clear neither does our GM. I feel as though I was just punched in the crotch.

I always liked Church. Mostly because of his OVP days early last season. But when I really think about this deal, it's like Endy Chavez for Jeremy Reed. Similar offensively, similar defensively. Sentimental attachment to the player we're losing, so it looks like a worse deal than it is. Omar basically just traded Church for a 25 year old version of Church. Other than maybe shaking up the clubhouse a little bit, there's nothing more too it, but 5 years of age is a big difference in the long run.

Ditto, ditto: I hate it.