Suddenly it appears that the Atlanta Braves will put up a fight in the National League East this season after all.
Before Tuesday, there seemed to be a huge opening in the East for annual also-rans such as the Mets, Marlins and Phillies. Atlanta's lineup had scarcely improved from a year ago, and its pitching staff was nothing but a year older.
But John Schuerholz finally did something that he hadn't done in a long, long time: He went out and got a BIG BAT for the Braves, a BIG BAT they sorely needed. Remember, this is a team that scored only 729 runs last season, 13th in the NL.
Will Gary Sheffield solve all of the team's offensive problems? No, but he'll certainly make a substantial dent (assuming, of course, that he's healthy). Over the past two seasons, Sheffield posted a .428 OBP and slugged .612. Meanwhile, Brian Jordan, the man Sheffield replaces in the lineup, posted .328 and .461 figures over those two seasons.
As for the Dodgers, this deal leaves them with one less unhappy outfielder, but also with one more unproductive outfielder ( joining Marquis Grissom and Tom Goodwin).
And while Odalis Perez may yet become a quality major-league pitcher, at this point the odds are not in his -- or the Dodgers' -- favor. So even though the NL West is still wide open, the Dodgers look like less a part of the picture than they did Monday.
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