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A triumphant playoff exit

Sporting News, The, Oct 25, 2004 by Ken Rosenthal

If the Braves had finished a game out of first place, the perception would have been, "Wow, what a season. That team really overachieved." If the Braves had been swept in the Division Series, the perception might have been the same.

Instead, the Braves pushed the Astros to Game 5 before getting eliminated, triggering yet another cycle of "Why can't this team win in the postseason?" angst. Closer John Smoltz, however, isn't buying it. He admits to anger over the team's first-round knockouts the previous two seasons, but not this one.

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It's not that Smoltz has grown resigned to losing; it's just that he recognizes the Astros were the better club. The Braves led after only four of 47 innings in the series. As Smoltz points out, they were overmatched in virtually every aspect and fortunate to win two games.

So, the usual question lingers: Where do the Braves go from here? Their major free agents are right fielder J.D. Drew and starting pitchers Jaret Wright and Russ Ortiz.

Team president Terry McGuirk has said the payroll will remain at about $82 million. Smoltz, third baseman Chipper Jones and center fielder Andruw Jones will account for nearly half of that.

General manager John Schuerholz should at least explore trading Andruw Jones, who still plays elite defense but struck out a career-high 147 times this season and had an .831 on-base/slugging percentage, 17th among N.L. outfielders. Jones, however, is guaranteed $39 million over the next three seasons, making him difficult to move. Plus, the Braves will need him if Drew proves to be too expensive--not unlikely, given his agent is Scott Boras.

Schuerholz has made dramatic changes in each of the past two offseasons, but his best course now might be to sit tight. By 2006, several of the team's top prospects--third baseman Andy Marte, shortstop Tony Pena Jr. and right fielder Jeff Francoeur--could be ready to join the team's emerging young core. Schuerholz can find a one-year stopgap if he loses Drew, patch together a rotation, then trade from strength next offseason.

As always, Schuerholz is ready to fire back at his team's critics, many of whom predicted the Braves would not win their 13th straight division title. "People who say we had no chance can't say now, 'Are you disappointed with the season?'" Schuerholz says. "We're disappointed with the last game, not the season."

Ask Schuerholz about the three straight first-round eliminations, and he sounds almost like A's G.M. Billy Beane, who has likened the postseason to a "crapshoot."

"You're frustrated, agitated," Schuerholz says. "But this is not unlike the NCAA basketball tournament. Someone asked me, 'What are you hoping for going into the playoffs?' I said two things--good health and good luck."

The Braves didn't have good health--Chipper Jones played with a hand injury, and the rotation was limited by injuries and ineffectiveness. The relievers pitched 26 2/3 innings in the Division Series, 7 1/3 more than the starters.

The Braves also didn't have good fortune, drawing a hot opponent for the third straight postseason. Still, even if you accept that luck is a major element in October, a team probably should win more than one World Series in 13 straight tries.

"The (two) teams before, we should have done better," Smoltz says. "Last year's team, no excuse. I don't care if we weren't as good as the (offensive) numbers. We should have taken care of home-field advantage in the best-of-five. The year before, same thing."

This year? The epitaph is different.

Wow, what a season. That team really overachieved.

(S) Get the latest postseason news and analysis from TSN and FOX insiders at msn.foxsports.com.

SPEED READ

* It's always difficult parting with an aging franchise player, but the Reds' farewell to shortstop Barry Larkin would have been cleaner if the team had a superior replacement waiting. Larkin, 40, apparently believes he is better than Felipe Lopez and Anderson Machado, and the team was concerned Larkin might not have embraced a utility role.

INSIDE DISH

Several scouts and executives believe the Cubs will go hard after free-agent CF Carlos Beltran if they part with LF Moises Alou and/or trade RF Sammy Sosa. The Cubs also could pursue free-agent SS Orlando Cabrera, another move that would make them much stronger up the middle. A third possibility: 2B Placido Polanco, who recovered from a strained left calf to post an .860 on-base/slugging percentage after the All-Star break.... Reds 1B Sean Casey received assurances that the team would attempt to compete next season in a recent meeting with G.M. Dan O'Brien and manager Dave Miley. "I'm not looking to go anywhere else right now," Casey says. "I want to win, but I want to win in Cincinnati." ... Considering Brewers RHP Ben Sheets required postseason surgery to repair a herniated disk in his lower back, it's mind-boggling that he finished tied for third in the N.L. in innings pitched and third in ERA. Brewers G.M. Doug Melvin says Sheets could have opted for surgery on August 1. Instead, Sheets went 3-6 with a 2.87 ERA after that date, pitching 94 of his 237 innings. He even declined manager Ned Yost's offer of extra rest in late September, opting for a matchup with Diamondbacks LHP Randy Johnson. ... Add Expos third base coach Manny Acta to the list of up-and-coming minority managerial candidates. Acta, who led Licey to the Dominican League championship last winter, recently interviewed with the Diamondbacks. The team figures to choose a strong, passionate leader--possibly former major league 2B Wally Backman, who was the SPORTING NEWS Minor League Manager of the Year with Arizona's Class A Lancaster club this season.--K.R.

A triumphant playoff exit

Sporting News, The, Oct 25, 2004 by Ken Rosenthal

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