Braves' camp in Disney causes extra wear, move would be welcomed

It would be a move welcome by players and coaches, as the only other team that currently trains near the Braves, Houston, is moving from nearby Kissimmee to a new facility in West Palm Beach next year. The closest team training near the Braves in 2017 will be the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland (40 miles and 45 minutes by bus). All other teams will be a two-to-three-hour drive, pending traffic.

"When you get players for 2½ hours on a bus, it's a lot of wear and tear," Gonzalez said. "And when you see what's going on in Arizona where the longest trip is like a half-hour, you're kind of envious of those people. There's some players I haven't even seen in the last three days because they're not on the trip and they come in to stretch at 10 and I'm on the bus at 8 for the trip, then the next day we're back on the road. It would make a lot of sense to get into an area with more teams around you."

That wouldn't be a problem in Sarasota. The Baltimore Orioles also train there. There are four teams just to the north: Pittsburgh (Bradenton), New York Yankees (Tampa), Philadelphia (Clearwater) and Toronto (Dunedin). There are two more to the south: Boston (Ft. Myers) and Minnesota (Fort Myers). The area also doesn't present the traffic problems that come with the Orlando are and Interstate 4. Travel along I-75 isn't nearly as taxing.

The Braves also don't like Disney having total control on the operation in spring training, including ticket prices. Disney charged up to $62 for admission to Tuesday's game against the New York Mets and also charges admission to watch non-game day workouts (approximately $15).

Recent ramblings from the Digital Jukebox