<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">cause Kotchman played all of last year and hit 11 hr, no sign this year isn't just some kind of fluke..... </div></div>

Kotchman didn't "play" all of last year, he platooned. He played in 137 games, had 443 AB's, which is only about 70 more AB's than he has so far this season, and we're just past midway. He just this season became the Angels' starting 1B full-time.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">the Braves lost some pop the 2nd half of this season...And gained alot of future potential in return...</div></div>

Fixed...though I didn't fix that, John Schuerholz came in my office and typed that for me.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">alot of time??? Tex is 2 years older???</div></div>

In baseball time, that's a lot of time. Fall Leagues, offseason training w/your coaching staff, etc...that's a lot of developmental time that you weren't going to get with Tex because he was walking to greener pastures.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">they lost the most feared hitter in their lineup, for what now will probably be the 4th most feared, if even that high...</div></div>

Granted...Tex/Chipper/McCann/Francoeur is more intimidating to face than Chipper/McCann/Francoeur/Kotchman, but for the long run (and that's what matters here, not now) the latter foursome isn't a bad lineup to have as your top 4 hitters. Kotchman can only get better working with those 3 guys and hitting in that lineup. Also note that in the Braves lineup, you'll likely see Kotchman moving down to about the 5th spot in the lineup, not hitting 2nd like he was with the Angels. More opportunity to hit homers, more opportunity for RBI's. His K's may go up as a side effect, but then again--Tex has 70 K's so far this season, Kotchman only 23.

So even if they lost "pop", they got more consistent with the pretty good possibility of getting that "pop" back over the course of the next 5 years or so. That's a good solid trade. You're freaking out over them losing "pop" in the 2nd half of a season where they've fallen out of contention for the playoffs, when you should be looking towards what they did to build for the future to get back into contention.