Would Braves bite on Kosuke?
The now, (thankfully) seldom-used Cubs outfielder was mentioned today in Jay Jaffe’s “Hit & Run” column at Baseball Prospectus (subscription required).
In the piece, which focuses on replacement-level players holding down jobs for contenders, Jaffe identifies Fukudome as an expensive, though viable, center field option for the Braves, who could use an improvement over Nate McLouth.
To date, McLouth has a .176 average and -.5 WARP.
Of a possible Fukudome-to-Atlanta trade, Jaffe writes:
[Fukudome] hasn’t played any center field this year due to the arrival of Marlon Byrd and the emergence of Tyler Colvin; the Cubs would have to absorb much of the remaining $19 million remaining on his contract through next year though they might jump at any chance to trim their $144 million payroll and reduce their collection of eight-figure salaries.
So far this year, Fukudome has appeared in 81 games (264 plate appearances) and has an OPS of 761 (OPS+ of 97); in 85 games (218 plate appearances), Colvin has an 853 OPS (117 OPS+).
