I have to write this.

The Ropolitans wrote recently that the Mets must sign Manny at all costs in 2009.  I see where he’s coming from, but I have something to say about it.

The Braves need to line up for long-term success. The Braves need a power bat in the outfield, and they need it now. The Braves need Manny to push their offense from good to absolutely pummeling. The Braves should also spend some cash and re-sign Rafael Furcal to play up the middle of the infield with Yunel (sorry, all you KJ lovers). That’d be just fun to watch.

Imagine the lineup:

Rafael Furcal
Yunel Escobar
Chipper Jones
Manny Ramirez
Brian McCann
Gregor Blanco / Josh Anderson
Casey Kotchman
Jeff Francoeur

That’s a scary lineup from a power aspect. That’s a scary lineup from a speed aspect. That lineup could just plain rake.  And, we’d still have some money to get some young pitchers and an ace (hopefully) to bolster the rotation.

Have I mentioned that we have TONS of money to spend this offseason? Let’s get creative and build a fun-to-watch Braves team in 2009. Watch out, Mets. You have competition (I hope).