No Griffey, No Problem

After falling short in their attempts to sign, well, everyone, the rumors are beginning to swirl that the Atlanta Braves are now going after 36-year old Garret Anderson. This should be to no ones surprise as he is likely the best left-handed hitting outfielder still available on the free agent wire.

Braves Nation was subjected to quite a roller coaster ride over the last few weeks as the team tried to bring Ken Griffey Jr. to town. Although it appeared (and was reported) that Griffey had decided to sign with the Braves, in the end, he actually chose Seattle and the Braves were, again, the odd team out. Many fans are upset and disappointed with the outcome, but should they be?

I certainly was not.

Griffey is one of the best players in major league history and certainly would’ve put a few more fans in the seats, but he is not the player he used to be and there were, and still are, better options available.

Enter Garret Anderson.

The Braves appear to be looking for a one year holdover in left field and, at the age of 36, Anderson can be that player. He has been on the decline over the last couple of years, but the left-handed hitting Anderson is solid at the plate against righthanded pitchers, which is ideal since the team will be asking him to platoon with lefty-killer Matt Diaz.

Last season, Anderson hit just 15 homers (20 below his career high back in 2000), but 15 of them came against righties. His OPS and slugging percentage were 70 and 79 points higher, respectively, when the hill was not occupied by a southpaw.

It should be pretty clear that Anderson would likely be no better than average at the plate for Atlanta. He has been a plus hitter only once in the last four years and isn’t getting any younger. Where he made up for that last season, however, was in the field, where he put up a 9.3 UZR. On the surface, that seems all good and well, but his UZR was negative the previous four seasons, which could be a concern.

In comparison, Griffey Jr. has been absolutely atrocious in the field for years. In Seattle, he will be able to DH instead of costing his team runs in the outfield. That would not have been the case if he signed with Atlanta. Although you’d give him a slight edge offensively over Anderson, the Braves need someone who can both field and hit. Anderson, assuming he gives the Braves at least average production at the plate and fields as well as he did last season, would be the better fit for Atlanta.

Update: According to David O’Brien over at AJC, the Braves have, in fact, signed Anderson. The deal is reportedly 1 year for $2.5 million.