Oct 07 2008
Bay to the Braves … what might’ve been
By Bud L. Ellis
braves.today.com
ATLANTA — Everybody knows the Braves ended up being sellers at the trade deadline, shipping Mark Teixeira to the Los Angeles Angels and, for all intents, waving the white flag on the 2008 season.
But during the first three weeks of July, a stretch where the Braves bounced from six to seven and one-half games out of first place in the NL East, but still believed they could play their way back into the race, the “buy or sell” talk ran rampant.
Should the Braves buy and try to contend, or sell and look to the future? Those who wanted Atlanta to be buyers screamed for Frank Wren to acquire a difference-making left fielder. Jason Bay, being shopped by the Pittsburgh Pirates, would have been a good fit.
One hot rumor, confirmed by MLB.com’s Mark Bowman – who finished behind me in our fantasy baseball league, for what it’s worth, which isn’t much when you figure I finished ninth … moving along – that rumor had the Braves sending Brent Lillibridge, Brandon Jones and two prospects to the Pirates for Bay, who hit .282 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs in 106 games with the Buccos.
The deal never happened, reportedly nixed by Pittsburgh ownership. It was moot a few days later, the Braves deciding to sell after blowing back-to-back leads in two critical losses at Philadelphia. You know the rest of the story there.
As for Bay? As you know, went to where the Braves once resided – Boston – at the trade deadline. He hit .293 with nine homers and 37 RBIs in 49 games, and last night scored the series-winning run in the bottom of the ninth as the Red Sox eliminated the Angels in Game 4 of the American League Division Series.
Bay’s story continues. Good for him, even if it hurts just a touch to wonder what could’ve been. Had Bay been traded to the Braves, three guys on the field last night at Fenway Park – Teixeira, Mark Kotsay and Bay – wouldn’t have been there. Who’s to say they wouldn’t have been at Turner Field, playing in the NLDS instead.
Oh yeah, none of those three can pitch. Sorry, just letting my daydreams run rampant, I guess.
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