Bookmaker – Braves Get Derrek Lee from the Cubs. The Braves got Derrek Lee from the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday for prospects. The Braves can use Lee’s offense and his presence should make the Braves more of a threat to win vs. baseball odds at the Internet bookmaker. Bookmaker odds at SBG Global still favor the Braves most of the time even though they are without the injured Chipper Jones. Getting Lee could be big for the Braves as they can move Troy Glaus to third and put Lee at first. The question is whether or not Lee is healthy. Lee did have a no-trade clause in his contract but he waived it to go to the Braves. Lee rejected a trade to the Los Angeles Angels. Lee would rather stay in the National League and going to the playoffs is appealing.
Is Lee Worth it: The question for the Braves is whether or not Lee is worth the prospects they gave up? The Braves did it because this is manager Bobby Cox’s last season and they want to win. Lee has not been that great for Chicago though and there are questions as to what he has left. The Braves might be better off with Brooks Conrad at third and Glaus at first but they want the big name in Derrek Lee. When a team is in a fight for the playoffs sometimes the future doesn’t matter and the Braves did give up a lot to get Lee.
The Numbers: Let’s look at the numbers. Lee is hitting .251 this season but he does have 16 home runs and has driven in 56 runs. Those are decent numbers but not overwhelming ones. When you are in a pennant race though, anything helps so look for Lee to help the Braves,
Future: The Braves are in a tight pennant race with Philadelphia in the National League East. The Braves could also be in the Wild Card race if they don’t win the division. Getting Lee should help Atlanta as they really needed a veteran bat to replace Chipper Jones. Whether Lee is healthy enough is a question but the Braves are rolling the dice and they hope to hit the seven.