After acting quickly to add some stable innings to their rotation early this offseason, the Braves have bolstered their bench by signing infielder/outfielder Sean Rodriguez to a two-year deal, the team announced on Wednesday (confirming last week’s reports of his signing). Rodriguez will reportedly receive a guaranteed $11MM in the form of a $1.5MM signing bonus and annual salaries of $5MM in the 2017-18 seasons.
[Related: Updated Atlanta Braves Depth Chart]
Rodriguez, 32 next April, enjoyed a career year with the Pirates in 2016, hitting .270/.349/.510 with a career-best 18 home runs in 342 trips to the plate. A versatile right-handed hitter, Rodriguez spent more than 100 innings at shortstop, second base, first base and in the corner outfield, and he’s also no stranger to playing third base, with 652 Major League innings at the hot corner under his belt. Defensive metrics typically rate Rodriguez as an above-average contributor at second base and passable at the infield and outfield corners.
Rodriguez may not have one set position where he fits as a starter in Atlanta, but he could still play four to five times per week by spelling others and giving manager Brian Snitker a platoon option at multiple positions. Rodriguez will give the Braves a right-handed complement to Jace Peterson at second base while Ozzie Albies recovers from an elbow fracture and continues his development in the minor leagues. He can also see some action in right field against tougher lefties if the Braves want to limit Nick Markakis’ appearances against southpaws on the heels of a .243/.303/.309 line against lefties. At third base, meanwhile, Adonis Garcia is the favorite for playing time but has just 761 MLB plate appearances (with a 95 wRC+) and will turn 32 next spring. Rodriguez can act as a safety net at the hot corner as well, and his ability to play all over the diamond will give the team an experienced fill-in at virtually any position other than center field or catcher in the event of an injury.
While Rodriguez himself doesn’t come with an especially consistent track record, he’s been above or near the league average in three of the past four seasons, per OPS+, and most of his year-to-year fluctuations at the plate have come against right-handed opponents. Dating back to the 2012 season, he’s hit lefties at a solid .243/.334/.404 clip. And it’s fair to note that, while he enjoyed a lofty .344 BABIP last year, he did so with a lofty 43.1% hard-hit rate that was sixth-best in all of baseball among players with at least 300 plate appearances. Those numbers are hardly dominant, but given his modest salaries, Rodriguez need only perform as a sturdy bench option to for Atlanta to find good value in this deal.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement (Twitter link). FanRag’s Jon Heyman provided the financial breakdown (also on Twitter).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Predicted this in the contest!
You gotta love putting up decent numbers in a contract year. More than 11 million is insane
Not really. That’s only a little more than 5 million a season. The cost of a win is about 8 million, and Rodriguez, even with normal regression, will be worth more than a win per season on defense alone.
Where do you get $8 million a win? That would mean a .500 team cost would be $648 million payroll.
War, Wins Above Replacement. Each players value is his War x 8 million on the free agent market
A team with all replacement level players wouldn’t be 0-162. Far from it. It varies from year to year, but it’s typically about 48 wins.
Exactly. I should have been more clear. WAR assumes a baseline for a team’s win level if it was playing all replacement-level players, and as seamoholic rightly notes, that tends to be around 48-50 wins. Even the very worst teams in the history of baseball have rarely won any fewer than 48 games.
WAR starts at 48 wins for a team, and 8 million per win is for free agent purchases. Doesn’t account for home grown and are controlled talent.
This is a known number that has been increasing over the years at a steady rate. Just a few years ago, a free agent win cost closer to 5 million. I’d argue that position player wins cost less than pitching considering the market for pitching. And would say it’s been closing to 10 million for a pitcher win, and 6 million for a position player win.
It’s repetitive hearing people call every contract a bargain because they keep citing this arbitrary statistic that does not accurately reflect what teams are willing to pay for WAR. No one is paying $8 million with the expectation of getting 1 WAR out of it, or contracts would be about 33% higher across the board.
David your right on the money, Rodriquez is a pesky scrappy type player who is worth closer to 8 million a year in today’s market, good move by the Braves.
He hasn’t provided defensive value since 2013, how do you figure his defense alone will be worth the contract?
If he plays anywhere close to how he did last year, he’ll be a bargain at that rate. Worst case, he’ll be an average to above average fielder at multiple positions. Stephen Drew got paid $10 million plus per season to play average defense, hit a couple of homeruns, and hit below .240, $11 million over two years is chump change, especially for a team like the Braves that can afford that type of contract. It’s also affordable for most other teams so he instantly becomes a trade candidate if he plays well.
Disgrace
can someone please explain why the braves are getting a bunch of old players. Is it to sell seats in the new stadium?
I was thinking to trade the entire roster for prospects in July.
There are worse ways to rebuild.
They are all a bridge to the younger players. They will put up decent numbers while giving the propects more time to rebuild.
Exactly ^^^ well said Tim
Entire roster eh? He will trade the veterans that aren’t named Freemen or Teheran but if the deal is right but Coppi has already expressed that the days of trading productive stars for prospects is over.
Ikr. This to me makes no sense
No sense? Let’s see, it’s a short deal (2 years) for a player that has put up average or above-average offense/defense in no less than 4 positions that would allow them the flexibility to platoon with Adonis Garcia (3B), Jace Peterson (2B) or any rookies when they are ready (Rio Ruiz 3B, Ozzie Albies 2B) or spelling Markakis, Kemp in the corner OF positions. This is a poor, poor man’s Zobrist. He has upside and his contract is not that much or long enough to not be able to write-off if he is a complete bust. Another plus is that because of how many positions he is capable at, they could roster someone else presumably.
and easily traded in July if the Braves bomb again.
Here come the braves..
Meh, not crazy about it but by no means a bad deal. Just don’t go expecting him to have another year like 2016 again. I mean, fingers crossed and all that, but last year was a serious outlier from the rest of his career. Hopefully it’s legitimate improvement and not just a nice fluke.
I believe .250/.320/.400 would be an optimistic projection. Not great numbers but good lengthen the lineup.
Positionally a bit redundant with Jace Peterson, but batting RH while Jace is a lefty makes them a good 2B / utility duo depending on pitching matchups. It looks like Sean hasn’t been particularly strong against lefties for most of his career, but still gotta be better than what Jace has done.
If Albies isnt ready. Jace is the only other option at 2nd. Or if Garcia struggles again the other 3b option Ruiz is lh. Would be 5 lefties in the lineup. Kake and Freeman can hit lefties but they are the only 2 that has proven it consistently.
**Cough** Travis Demeritte **Cough**
He’s only the most-talked about player from ATL in the AFL (for whatever that’s worth).
I remember when Tyler Flowers was all the rage after his AFL performance.
Just presenting another option at 2B to speak about the depth. Demeritte has had several seasons of high power, high OBP with high K-totals. His defense is showing to be above-average and could make for an interesting situation if Albies sticks at 2B.
Sure, the AFL should be taken with a grain of salt, but it says something that Demeritte’s running with the opportunity to showcase his talents against some talent. I am trying to find a comp to him and all I can come up with is a more compact version of Alfonso Soriano, but that’s not even close.
Uggla type hitter. His D makes him an interesting choice and hard to find a comp for. Most prospects or players for that matter with his power potential are usually brutal with a glove. The potential is there to be an above average player. They still have Demeritte and his potential but now they have established insurance policy. That wouldnt have been available is TD isnt ready to begin next season.
Teams have always raved about his bat speed. It’s very possible he can continue hitting well. In his defense, he’s never really been given the reigns to start. Either way, the price isn’t too steep even weighing regression.
Definitely nowhere near the worst way for a baseball team to spend $11mil over 2 years.
I like this signing. He can play anywhere (like Prado) but has more power. Great leader too! Good insurance for infield in case of any injuries or someone scuffles.
Yes, he’s a poor mans Prado!
Where do you get that he is a great leader (genuinely curious)? Everything I’ve seen from him is that he’s a hot head with a tendency to assault coolers.
From what I’ve seen and heard he is a pros pro. Joe Maddon likes him alot and that’s a compliment. Plays wherever he’s asked and doesn’t bitch about it. He’ll be the 1st guy to stand up and defend a fellow teamate on the field (pitchers throwing at someone or vise a vera). He does play alot like Bryce Harper and will look silly at times like you said with the water cooler.
All in all, I think a 1 win player (WAR) is worth about 8 mil. And i would take s.rod over a replacement level player any day of the week.
Yah but he only punched the cooler because he cares so much.
*sarcasm*
where is he going to play?
2nd, 3rd, LF, RF everywhere really.
Second against lefties (Peterson can’t hit them) and filling in virtually everywhere else around the diamond when others need a day off/have a minor injury. Doesn’t need to be a regular by any means when he’s making less than $12MM total on the two-year deal.
Peterson actually hit lefties at a .255 clip in 2016, up from .190 in 2015. Also that was a touch higher than against RHP pitchers in 2016 (.254). His OBP, SLG and OPS were higher from the right side, but if memory serves me correctly he hit a few bombs including a grand slam against some tough lefties in 2016.
Peterson is trash tho
Based on what?
Peterson is trash? Have some class.
His ISO against lefties this season was zero. Besides, he had all of 58 PAs against lefties spread across 39 games. The Braves very clearly view him as a platoon given that he had all of 6 starts against a left-hander in the 115 games he played this season (vs 84 starts against right-handers).
S-Rod had a .344 BABIP in 2016 vs .292 for his career. He’s more of a .240 hitter than a .270 one. That said, its not too much money and he’s a fine bench option, just don’t be expecting a .859 OPS from him, think closer to .725 OPS, which I guess $6M a year for a ultra-low budget version of Ben Zobrist with that offense output isn’t a bad deal, its just its easier to find a version of him in the minors..
ATL has been really active in interesting ways, I didn’t think they’d go in this direction but its a nice case study we can look back on from 2018 on.
The difference being his change in approach. Back in the Angels system the took away his leg kick. Last year he introduced his leg kick and boom the sudden outburst of production. It’s interesting to see what a change in approach and mechanics can do, ala Bautista and Turner. So if he BABIP may not account for certain things and certain things might be influenced by weaker connect in his normal balls in play. That being said I wouldn’t discount him returning to his previous stat line and I wouldn’t discount his production toward. BABIP doesn’t always account for change and if it continues well be safe in assuming there’s a correlation with the change in approach, or leg kick. Let’s just wait to make assumptions on what type of hitter he is.
?? Insurance signing? If Albies doesn’t bounce back quick and Jace struggles?? Or sign that a trade is in the works?
He’s better than Peterson.
I agree he is better than Peterson but I also think a big Braves trade is coming.
Brilliant signing. Rh bat thats plays multiple positions. Good insurance policy for Garcia, Peterson, allows Mallex to start in AAA because he is the perfect 4th OF with their other INF options.
I wonder if this leads to a trade. Interesting.
When you don’t have star players, you need to make sure your depth is strong. This is a smart move to lessen the pain of a losing team and bridge the young players and ease them in.
Nope
I like the signing. The Braves still need to bridge
Didn’t see this coming but I’m good with it. Not expecting his 2016 numbers but he’ll be a solid almost everyday player to tide us over for a few years.
I’m just hoping he doesn’t destroy our Gatorade coolers like he did PNC’s…
Love this signing. Provides depth with a super sub that is gritty and tough. And more importantly it gives the young guys a leader in the clubhouse. Kinda like what Jonny Gomes and AJ gave.
Aj was really bad man
No he wasn’t
He was only bad this past year. The season before he was quite good.
A little upset the angels didn’t make a run at him
I like this deal. I was hoping my A’s were going to sign him to a similar pact to play a similar role for us. I can see the Braves, if not competing for a WC, sending out SRod, Big Sex, and RAD out at the deadline for more prospects.
Seriously what are the braves doing. They r a joke of a team.
Your trolling is pathetic. Did you get drunk early on Thanksgiving?
Nope and nope. I’m it trolling. But what the braves are doing is confusing. Why are they signing old veterans when they are trying to rebuild.
I think where part of your confusion is coming from is in the fact that not every kid at AAA is ready to graduate to the bigs. Not too mention not every guy at the bigs is the best player available. Srod is a better utility guy than Gordan Beckham was for not a whole lot more per season. Even a fully loaded team has inexpensive vet bats and arms on the team to lead the young guys and to teach them “On the Field” how to approach and play the game. These moves aren’t meant to be glamorous, but a means to an end-which is to put a better team on the field within the teams payroll constraints.
Does this help you some?
Because every team always has veteran players, especially young teams. Veterans either provide: a stopgap option or veteran leadership for a young squad. Outside of being Jon Lester’s personal catcher, it’s why the Cubs signed David Ross two years ago…to give that roster a veteran who has basically seen it all.
Obviously you don’t understand how to properly rebuild. You have to sign veterans to help bridge the gap between the present and your next prospect waves and also to help provide stability at the major leagues. And also while none of these vets are amazing, none of them are as bad as you make them out to be. If you want proof this is part of a good rebuilding process just look at some of the players added to the Cubs three or four years ago. You’ll see they added veterans as well.
It really is pathetic
Looks like someone wanted Srod in LA eh? Maybe your team shouldve offered more than 5 mil which is nothing these days. Isnt that the ML average now? Maybe 3.5 ?
Rodriguez has logged 60 innings in CF and can be used there. Hasn’t shown any struggles there.
That’s an expensive bench bat
That’s not his only job though, he will play and spell others and for 5 mil a season will probably be a bargain before the contract is up.
And teams pay guys more money to play for other teams, sit in the minors, or even sit on the bench, $5 million is nothing.
Good signing, little risk. If you aren’t competing in year two of the deal he becomes trade bait at the deadline
This guy rakes lefties and plays with his hair on fire at multiple positions. Great pickup, ATL.
a 730 ops vs lefties is considered “raking” against lefties? lol
Decent/okay vs lefties sounds more approtiate
This sets up Albies to be traded to Tampa in a big Archer/Longo deal
No.
Not sure if Albies will go in a trade.. but Mallex and D. Peterson with a few pitching prospects will be heading out, if a trade is made.. i also still think Garcia (though he improved last season defensively) belongs in the AL.
I think albies is untouchable in a trade along with maitan neaither of them will be traded we have the players to get a deal done without dealing those 2 players
Sure, if you want to give up Swanson… Otherwise, they aren’t getting any big name players.
Agreed. A Braves trade for a star starts with one of Swanson or Albies. I understand Swanson being off the table, but that has to mean Albies is the centerpiece. I get that the Braves have a deep farm, but unless you’re going to give another team say 6 plus prospects, they’re not going to bite. I imagine most GMs rather take one or two less prospects and get one quality prospect with a good chance of panning out (like Swanson or Albies) than take a larger package of prospects and hope that a couple of them turn into something useful.
It’s possible for one or the other but probably not both. Depends on much the team believes in what they’ve seen from Demeritte. SRod’s deal may take him up to when Demeritte is deemed ready so you never for sure with Coppy running things.
Jhawk- I believe your saying one of Archer or Longoria? I would think to get both would be a ridiculous haul for Tampa, one that no team would be willing to do.. I would actually like to see ATL go for Longoria over Archer.. what are your thoughts on a package for him??
Unfortunately I see any package for Longoria probably starting with Maitan and that may be the dealbreaker right out of the gate. Now if TB is willing to go another route with a different package then maybe Folty, Albies, Newk, Ruiz, Sims and Touki or Ellis. That seems like a start, and may not be what Coppy wants to give up.
I think the jays should had go for Sean, instead of looking for Steve Pearce. Prefect player to give guys days off.
Without knowing much about the bluejays depth in the minors. Would have been a good move to give rest to Tulow, Donaldson, and have to think he’d be a decent platoon with Smoak at 1st. Also can play a good RF. Plays with his hair on fire and has an outstanding arm. And for only 5 million a year?
Yes, that right. Where is Ross Atkins on him. He’s cheap for the must need roles in the jays.
Or maybe he wanted an opportunity to play everyday one he would not be guaranteed in Tor. Just because a club wants a guy doesn’t mean team and player are looking for the same thing. He has a two year contract to continue to establish value and get that one big contract.
at 33?
I completely agree. This would have solidified many spots on their roster.
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Not really a believer in his outlier season at the plate. Not breaking the bank….. but reminds me of drew butera signing, not as nice if you use another year as his platform stats. Slight overpay by a couple mill IMO
I’m not a Rodriguez fan (dude is a hot head). But this is a good baseball move. In Atlanta he’ll get to play closer to every day and make more than he could in Pittsburgh and more than they were going to pay him. I think he regresses slash wise by a lot but gets to play way more.
Atlanta needs these filler pieces on short term, cost effective buys. It’s good all around
I don’t understand all the claims that this is an overpay. Best case scenario, he plays similar to last year and everyone is raving about how this was a great signing by the Braves and either they keep him for the two years or trade him. Worst case scenario, he becomes a poor hitter but provides average to above average defense at multiple positions and still probably finds himself as a potential trade option for a team looking for a utility guy. $11 million is chump change for a team like the Braves and his roughly $5 million cap hit is still small enough for almost every team to take on for a playoff push. I said this somewhere above, but teams literally pay other guys more to play on other teams, play in the minors, or sit on their bench as well (while providing less positional flexibility). I’m not even a Braves fan and I think this is a great deal for them. People are probably bashing this signing because they either have never even heard of Rodriguez before and/or it’s not the big splash signing everyone was expecting. Every team needs a guy like this who can play multiple positions at a passable level. Most teams end up employing an even worse bat to be their utility guy only to trade for a better one come midseason.
i really don’t know if you can have a 2 year 11 million dollar over pay.
…and hours later the Braves pop up to again make me question the M’s…
2010 – .324 BABIP, .312 wOBA
2011 – .268 BABIP, .306 wOBA
2012 – .260 BABIP, .269 wOBA
2013 – .323 BABIP, .313 wOBA
2014 – .235 BABIP ,.305 wOBA
2015 – .325 BABIP, .281 wOBA
2016 – .240 BABIP, .363 wOBA
That is Rodriguez, who the Braves just signed for 2/11.5
2012 – .302 BABIP, .278 wOBA
2013 (1st) – .349 BABIP, .369 wOBA
2013 (2nd) – .285 BABIP, .258 wOBA
2014 – .275 BABIP, .272 wOBA
2015 – .298 BABIP, .267 wOBA
2016 – .353 BABIP, .371 wOBA
That is Segura, who is projected to cost the Mariners about 2/18mm plus meant Walker and Marte to get the rights to
So where Rodriguez consistently sits in the .280-.310 wOBA range regardless of his BABIP, Segura is an unbelievably consistent .275-.300 BABIP guy with a .260-.280 wOBA outside of 2016 and the first half of 2013 (both of which saw a near identical .350 BABIP and .370 wOBA)
Now some might say that Rodriguez isnt really an everyday player, and that is true – but much of that is because he is much better against Lefties than he is Righties. Of course, Marte is much better against Righties and cant hit Lefties very well at all too…
So lets look at the splits:
Rodriguez – .334 wOBA, 112 wRC+ career against Lefties
Marte – .302 wOBA, 92 wRC+ career against Righties
Compare to
Segura – .300 wOBA, 83 wRC+ career against Lefties
Segura – .315 wOBA, 93 wRC+ career against Righties
The M’s could have very easily run a Marte/Rodriguez platoon in 2017 (while gaining plenty of flexibility in the lineup) and quite possibly would have gotten similar production than they are going to get from Segura. It would have also cost them less money over the 2 seasons, provided much more flexibility to the club, given them the opportunity to possibly see Marte reach his potential (5 years of control on Marte too) and left Walker (4 years of control) in the Rotation or allowed them to trade him for some other hole.
Instead they traded a combined 9 years worth of Walker and Marte to spend more money on a total gamble who they are hoping repeats a higher BABIP instead of the one he has otherwise consistently produced
I of course like this signing for the Braves, and leaves me thinking the M’s probably should have pondered options more than they apparently did
Yeah evidently they covited him being their leadoff guy. Im sure he can still run and got on base a good bit, but if your leadoff hitter can just get on base, his slugging isn’t as necessary as they follow w Cano and some more thunder up and down the order.
Also not sure how he grades out defensively as shortstop. Big field there in Seattle too. So either more doubles or more flyouys. My guess is the latter.
Ms need to go out and grab a couple starting pitchers. I hear Hammel alot but wonder if theyll spluge on Rich Hill. Could be the most talked about signing this offseason. Which isnt saying much.
2012 – .066 ISO, .315 OBP (.302 BABIP)
2013 (1st) – .161 ISO, .363 OBP (.349 BABIP)
2013 (2nd) – .074 ISO .315 OBP (.285 BABIP)
2014 – .080 ISO, .289 OBP (.275 BABIP)
2015 – .079 ISO, ..281 OBP (.298 BABIP)
2016 – .181 ISO, .368 OBP (.353 BABIP)
The ISO and OBP are absolutely completely dependent on that BABIP
When he produces his more normal .275-.300 BABIP he consistently sits with a .060-.080 ISO and .290-.315 OBP. In the limited time he produced his .350 BABIP though then he sees a .160-.180 ISO and .365 OBP
If the Mariners just traded 9 years of Walker and Marte for the .070 ISO, .305 OBP, .270 wOBA guy he has proven his default to be…
As far as Def, UZR doesnt seem to like him much at SS, grading him between below and well below average with the Glove.
Good thing they opened up a hole in the rotation for that BABIP gamble
I can see 3/51. But he’d also get a Cespedes style opt out after each year
For who? Segura when he hits FA?
Dang it, got this one wrong
Me too. Had him going to LAD or angels.
How does that guy get so much? He’s not worth 3mil let alone 11.5mil
Why, cause you don’t know about him? Even if his bat regresses back to norm, his defense and positional flexibility is worth the investment. Stephen Drew got paid $10 million plus a year to play average defense, hit a couple of homeruns, and hit below .240.
Why this guy all he is good at is punching a water jug when he gets mad
yeah, that is ALL he is good for. great comment. you’re so intelligent.
Pirates prove once again they are too cheap to pay players. Hope they can unearth another diamond in the rough.
Did you really want them to resign him? I love Sean Rod but I don’t think he’s worth that much. I agree the buccos are cheap but this doesn’t bother me.
Already have them in Frazier and Hansen.
I know they are not the same player but why does he remind me so much of Jose Bautista?
Also this is every Braves fans wet dream heading into 2017 who think all their prospect will prosper and they should not acquire and spend money on players who will actually make them better.
Congrats Braves on signing Sean. Make sure everyone protects the Gatorade buckets
Possible prelude to a Sale/Swanson, others trade? Rodriguez did play most of his innings at SS in 2016. Just saying. Sox maybe include Lawrie who can hit lefties in a platoon with Jace to increase the return? Makes sense if the Braves have the prospects.
Swanson isn’t getting traded.. Would make zero sense for the Braves.
Anybody think Vizzy could get us Reese McGuire ???
yeah, every team wants an injured reliever…no. Braves fans are fking ridiculous.
Everything I have read states Vizcaino will enter Spring Training with no restrictions. Toronto needs bullpen arms and McGuire is blocked by Russel Martin. I don’t see how this is rediculous.
Look I am a Braves fan and I like the signing. I think it is a good addition to add some veteran leadership till the farm is ready. We didn’t break the bank and he is a decent player. Sure there are other guys out there that I would like for us to peruse but I don’t think they need to break the bank or give up the farm. Now I will like to see us get another big name pitcher but not give up all the future for him. It would defeat the purpose of the past few years.
Oh and Swanson isn’t going anywhere. I really believe they could be prepping him to be the next face of the Braves like Chipper was…
Smith/D Peterson/Newcomb/Soroka/Wisler/Blair for Archer or Sale. Keep Albies and sign Drew Storen for pen, Wieters/Suzuki/Hundley for C and that would be a good off season.
1. Inciarte CF
2. Swanson SS
3. Freeman 1B
4. Kemp LF
5. Markakis RF
6. Garcia 3B
7. Wieters or Suzuki or Hundley/Flowers C
8. Peterson/Rodriguez 2B
Teheran/Sale or Archer/Colon/Folty/Dickey
The Buccos are going to miss him but they already have replacement in Frazier and Hansen. Good luck Sean…show the Braves the good version.
Braves is dawgin and sloggin in the mud
When the Pirates can’t sign Yoenis Cespedes, so be it….
When they can’t even keep Sean Rodriguez, my ability and interest in defending Nutting reaches near zero.
Really good player. Great team guy.
Lame.
Possibly setting up a trade that will include Albies, creating a straight platoon of Jace and Rodriguez. Albies is expendable with Demorite (sp) on his way.
So reporting stats is fine especially as a precursor, but if you don’t fully intend to look at whole season and changes in mechanics or approach such precursors are useless. Yes Rodriguez had a huge jump in BABIP, but no one seems to argue maybe he’s making more solid contact. More solid contact means soft ground balls, routine ground balls turn into hard hit balls and rockets. That means BABIP as your only argument tool makes your argument flawed. If you failed to take the time let’s go through it. So when drafted taken into the Angels system they took away his leg kick try to mold him into the contact guy get on top of ball etc. The issue with that is such approach is becoming antiqued in the game as fielders are more athletic and plays are becoming more routine as a result. Now fast forward to last year. He reintroduced his leg kick. What happened well power went up, his BABIP went up etc. So let’s stop pretending you’re armchair GMs especially if you’ve never seen the guy play or researched his game. Is it sustainable maybe maybe but just like Bautista, Zimmerman, or Turner maybe it is conceivable. If his offensive production continues next year then there’s a correlation. Sure his offensive stats were an outlier comparative to early career but his leg kick and offensive approach was also an outlier. What needs to watch next year: is he on time, does he have conviction, is he willing to work through his rough offensive patches or just scrap the leg kick. It’s just so frustrating when all that is looked at is stats instead of discussing other probably more relevant changes in play. If he was a beat it into the ground outrun the ball speedster type of player then go ahead and fill free to use BABIP as your outlier. But he’s not. But I digress.
FWIW, I tacked on a note re his BABIP and hard-hit rate.
Hey Jeff that rant wasn’t based on your article. It was just a rant for people solely basing their opinion on him having a major digression based on previous BABIP. Just taking a look at what he might have changed. Enjoy your work though. Happy thanksgiving!
I’d take this gap signing for only 11mil then 15-20 mil a year on something we dont need just to sign someone
Dear braves fans, you aren’t getting chris sale without albies or swanson. The end of your stupid trade proposals.
Probabaly both Swanson and Albies plus two other top 20-25 prospects.
And that’s why a deal isn’t getting done. ATL isn’t further along in their development to be able to part with something like that. However, I don’t think Sale would require Swanson and Albies with all the pitching talent we have. I’d rather go after Chris Archer with more controllable years. He’d be an excellent partner with Teheran to lead the rotation with prospects filling in the gaps.
Archer is probably going to cost just as much if not more solely based on his controllability. We also have to realize that both clubs in question are pretty flush with SP prospects/do a pretty great job of developing SP prospects. What they lack are elite positional guys. Which is also essentially what the braves lack without their willingness to part with Sawanson/Albines without the inclusion of those two or one of those plus established MLB positional talent I don’t see a trade being made. The Braves severely lack what the Red Soxs and Dodgers have. There’s no getting around the depth of the braves system but it still lacks the elite players comparative. All that being said both of those clubs have the luxury of hold onto Sale and Archer until they get exactly what they desire or someone gets extremely desperate.
That’s not the problem Chester- The problem is the Sox are asking for 5 of a teams top 10. Giving up Albies isn’t as big a problem as giving up our Top 2-6 and more. Sale is a great pitcher, BUT he’s only got 3 yrs left on his deal. Too much to give up for a guy who would only be with the team that long. Furthermore giving up Maitan is a non starter, not happening at this point. I’ve spent hours talking with Sox people and this just isn’t a good match for the Braves at this point.
They aren’t getting Sale and I doubt anyone else is either. The demands are justifiably to high.
Honestly what is going to happen is the market will correct itself and Sale’s value will come back to earth. Braves will offer a nice package but nothing like what is being thrown around on these sites. After Chicago realizes that this is their best option, they will probably pull the trigger on a lesser deal. Maybe not from Atlanta but maybe Washington. Sale wants out of Chicago terribly and I think the WS are going to make this deal now because the longer they wait, the less valuable he will be.
Braves will offer Albies, Smith, and 2 pitchers not in the top 10 and they may end up getting that deal done.
5 mil a year for a guy that can play any position and you don’t have to be worried about him at the plate. Seems like a no brainer. Been watching him closely with pirates last few years, and the dude is a gamer. obviously not zobrist status, but the closest/cheapest thing to it. Reminds me of a prado. Pirates will miss him big time.
This is a good move. We get a bench guy that can play anywhere. We’ve got insurance in case Ozzie Albies isn’t fully healthy by the start of the season or the Braves want him to spend a few weeks in the minors to gain the extra year of control. This is also insurance against Garcia bombing.
If Albies starts the season on the DL or in the minors I’d like to see the Braves roll with a platoon of Rodriguez/Peterson at 2B and Garcia/Ruiz at 3B. Platoons, when used correctly, are the perfect solution to a team in the Braves position that doesn’t have a great player to play everyday.
+1 and this would help if Albies needs another year too. The dude is young
I wasn’t a fan of Rodriquez when he was in Tampa bay but my opinion change after what I saw in Pittsburgh. Something seemed to click with his confidence at the plate. I think he will be fired up at the opportunity for more at bats and will be very productive for Atlanta.
cliff pennington is gonna be our second baseman this year. that’s just brutal to watch
This reminds of when the Braves had Infante as a super utility. I really like this signing. The braves have not had a player like this in a long time. By that I mean a super utility type that is actually better than a backup on most rosters.
Seriously do the Braves actually think theyre gonna content next year??? Rodriguez is one of the best UTL players I think a lot of other teams shoulda tried for him
Rule 5 draft. Braves should pick up V.Cartini(Cubs).Should be starting C in 2018. Could spell Flowers in 2017. Also pick up Jeff Locke(FA)