McGriff and Teixeira

July 30, 8:14 AMMLB ExaminerDavid Pinto

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Casey Kotchman
Photo: Icon SMI

In 1993, the Atlanta Braves faced a problem. They consistently trailed the San Francisco Giants in the middle of July by 8 or 9 games. Their first baseman, Sid Bream, hit like a poor shortstop. So they traded three prospects for Fred McGriff, having an off year for the Padres. The three prospects amounted to very little, but McGriff caught fire power wise and helped the Braves to a great comeback. (The change of park probably helped.)

Tuesday, trailing the NL East leader consistently by 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 games over three weeks, the Braves trade a top hitting first baseman away. While Casey Kotchman is no Sid Bream, he's still hitting below average for a major league first baseman.

The Braves have changed. Frank Wren made a trade that turned a strength into a weakness. John Schuerholz did just the opposite during his tenure. He was excellent at identifying a weakness on the Braves, and trading for or signing a player to shore up the position. Wren certainly has a huge hole in the outfield with Jeff Francoeur and needs help in the back of the rotation. By not addressing the real weaknesses of the team, Wren shows that he doesn't understand the model that made the Braves successful for well over a decade.