Braves rumors: Atlanta open to bringing back Michael Bourn

After the Atlanta Braves signed B.J. Upton to a five year/ $75M deal it seemed logical that the team would no longer try to re-sign Michael Bourn, but Braves GM Frank Wren says that is not the case, according to Jim Duquette of MLB Radio. Wren tells Duquette that the Braves are still open to bringing Bourn back and tells fans that Atlanta has “the financial flexibility and player talent” flexibility to upgrade the team.

Bourn was listed as 6^th on our top free agent list at the start of this off-season, but the speedy center fielder has not gotten much attention thus far this off-season. Texas and Seattle have shown some interest but he has still not received an offer. The cost of a draft pick is likely hurting his value, as teams like the Cubs do not want to take on that added cost. In that respect, he is slightly less expensive for the Braves since they were the team he last played for and would not have to lose a draft pick to sign him.

The Braves would still be an odd fit for Bourn following the B.J. Upton signing, however. Both Bourn and Upton derive a large amount of their value from their excellent center field defense and a shift to left would hurt that value to some degree. With the free agent market shrinking, Bourn should get more attention in the coming months. With his most logical role taken by Upton in Atlanta, Bourn is a good bet to go elsewhere.