re: Atlanta Braves must trade for Beltran...

Me too...supposed to intensify over the next "48 hours."

So I'd suspect he'll be on a new team for at least some of this weekend.

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The Mets have been turned down on requests for Mike Minor, Julio Teheran, or Arodys Vizcaino of the Braves, Zack Wheeler or Gary Brown of the Giants, and Domonic Brown or Jarred Cosart of the Phillies, reports ESPN's Jayson Stark. Stark says the Mets are telling teams the Beltran deal isn't about money, and the team that offers the best players will get him.

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Jayson Stark

Delgado not included amongst those players? Hmmm...

This is the best write up ive seen on the Braves trade situation and I agree 100%:

The Atlanta Braves Have The Prospects To Acquire An Impact Hitter, And They Should Use Them To Do Just That
by gondeee on Jul 26, 2011 1:34 PM EDT in Braves Trade News

Go look at the latest O'Brien, or the latest Bowman, or the latest Heyman, or the latest Rosenthal, or the latest Stark, and they all have one theme pulsing through them: dunno?

No one knows what the Braves are going to do. No one knows where Carlos Beltran is going to end up. No one knows if ANY team is willing to pay the price for guys like Beltran or Hunter Pence or B.J. Upton, or any of the rumored players out there. And I keep wondering if the Braves should pay that price either.

We know the limitations on Beltran, he's a pure two-month rental with no compensation. Pence plays a position already occupied by one of the Braves top young stars, so out of position players could become an issue if he was acquired. Upton is talented, but hasn't shown that full talent the last few years, and may not be the difference maker Atlanta needs, and would cost just as much as Pence.

None of these moves seem to be quite right for the Braves, and they would likely have to give up one of their top-four pitching prospects to get any of these players. If they're going to have to give one of those prospects up for a player who might not be the right fit, why not double down and go all out for the player who is the right fit. When you look at the Braves trade history, this is more in line with what they have been willing to do. And it's what they should do this year.

The Mark Teixeira trade alone proves that the team will move a stash of prospects for a player they feel they can win with for more than one season. They proved this when they acquired Tim Hudson (for their top pitching prospect), Edgar Renteria (for their top hitting prospect), J.D. Drew (for their top pitching prospect), the list goes on, but the lesson is that Atlanta has never shied away from trading their top prospects when the player they're getting back is the player they want.

So why not go after a premier center fielder like Adam Jones or Matt Kemp, two guys who would command a Teixeira-lite package to acquire, but who would give the Braves an impact bat that they would control for a number of years to come. If the price for a rental is one premier pitching prospect, then you're already half way to the price for Jones or Kemp. Add in another top pitching prospect, or two second-tier prospects, and fill that need for a right-handed hitting center fielder for at least two years. Keep in mind that Braves General Manager Frank Wren, and many of those on his staff, came from the Baltimore Orioles front office.

Even if Atlanta gives up two prospects from the group that includes Julio Teheran, Arodys Vizcaino, Mike Minor, and Randall Delgado, they will still likely not need any of them to be full time starters until 2013, and by that time other starters in the organization will have emerged as viable Major League options.

The Braves have the prospects, but we don't yet know if they have the will to pull off a big deal. The fact is that they should. We may look back on it like we look back on the Mark Teixeira deal and wish they hadn't have done it, but if the difference between making the playoffs and not making playoffs is one more right-handed impact bat, then a deal needs to be made. Just look at that array of pitching prospects mentioned above, even if Atlanta traded away two of them, they'd still have two really great young pitchers ready to help out in the Majors.

Minor League prospects exist to help the Major League club either by ascending to the Majors with that club and becoming an everyday player, or by getting traded away to fill the needs of the Major League club. The Braves have more pitching than they can use, but they could use another hitter. They need to get that hitter, an impact bat, by trading away some of their pitching.

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I read that

but Kemp is going nowhere

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Yeah, the problem is, trades take two willing partners.

Kemp and Jones aren't available. Wren said as much himself... we called, but those teams aren't having it. Those are the pieces they plan on building around...

I don't get all the love for Adam Jones. He's not available, but if he were, it would cost quite a bit. He's almost as bad as McLouth in the field and he's going to give you a very shitty OBP.

As for Ethier, I love his bat, but he would have no place to play. He's below average on the corner, although his range has been a little bit better this year for some reason.

Doesn't matter since all of those are not on the block.

Swamp give me the recap on this thread.

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Everytime I see Pacman, he is making a web gem.

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His range, according to advanced stats, is horrible.

eta: Well this year. In the previous two seasons, it was more like slightly above average.

Loser has to beat Texas, each other, and Philly/SF/ATL all without home-field.

Good luck with that.