The Braves are still interested in free agent outfielder Angel Pagan, reports Jim Bowedn of ESPN and MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, citing a club source (Twitter link). Atlanta has been tied to Pagan at various points this offseason. The 35-year-old Pagan has reportedly been holding out for a Major League deal that’ll pay him in the neighborhood of $5MM, however, which seems unlikely at this juncture. Fleet-footed Emilio Bonifacio has won a spot on the Atlanta roster as a backup outfielder, but Pagan has quite a bit more experience and could serve as a backup at all three positions, deepening the Atlanta bench, if the two sides are ultimately able to agree to a deal. Pagan hit .277/.331/.418 in 453 plate appearances with the Giants last year — a solid effort, especially when considering the pitcher-friendly nature of AT&T Park.
More on the Braves…
- Flamethrowing setup man Mauricio Cabrera will begin the season on the 10-day disabled list, reports MLB.com’s Mark Bowman (via Twitter). While that’s an unfortunate blow to the Atlanta relief corps — Cabrera posted a 2.82 ERA and averaged 100.1 mph on his fastball in 38 1/3 innings as a rookie in 2016 — the good news is that there’s no indication of any structural damage in the 23-year-old’s elbow. Bowman suggests that Cabrera is simply dealing with some arm fatigue that requires some additional rest. Bowman first noted last week that Cabrera was in jeopardy of opening the year on the shelf.
- David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution conducted an excellent Q&A with always-candid Braves general manager John Coppolella. Within, Coppolella discusses his team’s offseason moves at length, as well as his team’s top-ranked farm system and the impact of SunTrust Park on the timeline of his team’s rebuild. Coppolella notes that the decision to add R.A. Dickey, Bartolo Colon and Jaime Garcia on one-year commitments was made in an effort to spare the ’pen and avoid the same cavalcade of roster shuffling the Braves had to go through in 2016 just to get through the season. “There were so many times last year where our pitcher would be knocked out before the fourth inning and you absolutely decimate your bullpen and end up having to make three or four roster moves each day,” Coppolella explains. “We rushed some pitchers up here who weren’t ready and, candidly, some who were just not good.”
- Also in the Q&A, Coppolella touches on the late acquisition of Brandon Phillips and how that will (or won’t) impact the timeline for top-rated infield prospect Ozzie Albies to crack the Majors. “We expect a big year for Brandon and also expect it will have very little impact on when we call up Ozzie,” says the GM. “Ozzie is going to tell us when he is ready, and he needs to play, be completely healthy, and dominate Triple-A.” Coppolella also suggests that Albies doesn’t immediately need to be locked into one position upon arriving in the Majors due to his athleticism and versatility. “Ask the Cubs about Javier Baez,” says Coppolella when explaining how a versatile young talent can mesh with veteran pieces.
- Coppolella also discusses Atlanta’s wealth of top-tier pitching prospects. While he neglects to single out specific arms on which he’s especially bullish, Coppolella assertively states that in terms of potential top-of-the-rotation arms, the Braves stand alone: “…with all due respect, we can confidently say we have more than any other team — and it’s not even close.” Those who have yet to read O’Brien’s Q&A in its entirety — even if you’re not a Braves fan — are highly encouraged to do so.
Tell it like it is Coppy
Cool take Pagan, my third favorite Met behind Dickey and Colon….
At this point, i see no need for us to waste money on Pagan. We have guys that will get us through the year. Don’t spend extra money on what’s honestly gonna be a wasted year. With that said, still excited for the year. I think we will perform better than most people expect. Prob not playoff worthy, but a thorn in some teams side for sure.
Don’t agree I say sign Pagan because Kemp & Markakis will need days off and how many times by the trade deadline you see a bench player moved. I look at Pagan as a trade deadline asset. Even if we were to just move him for organizational depth.
It’s just, a good portion of our starters could be bench pieces lol so a good bit of a the team could be considered trade deadline assets by that standard.
Exactly my point
Which Braves prospects profile as TOR arms?
I’ve not heard that before, in fact, the opposite…that ATL has a lot of quantity but there are questions about the quality.
It’s easy to throw that title on some of the players we drafted out of high school. Their ceilings are usually really high and scouts seem to always do that. We also have 2 or 3 that they believe will be tor type arms, which they truly might be. Either way. The fact that we could make a legit argument that we have maybe 6 TOR prospects seems to be far more than any organization, which is what coppy is saying here. .
Do I agree that they will be or are properly rated? Not really, but I do think they are really strong pitching prospects.
Who are these 6 prospects? They have a bunch of pitchers with control issues that could possibly figure it out. How many pitching prospects have failed because of that control issue though? They have a collection of what is probably the most volatile type of asset in baseball.
They could get lucky and have a few of these guys figure it out, but the odds on that are pretty low.
Aaron Judge could be one of the better hitters in the AL if he figured out his contact issues, but do we really think that’s gonna happen?
fried and Allard I’d say
Fried hasn’t pitched above A ball, where he was still posting a bb/9 above 4.
Over his last 12 starts in High A, including the post season, he put up 12.3K/9 and a 2.7 BB/9. This was also his first full season back from Tommy John and you know they say control is the last thing that comes back. Him, Kolby Allard, and Mike Soroka (the latter two – 19 years old) will be bumped up to Double A to start the year. While they certainly have or have had their share of control issue guys, (Weigel, Newcomb, Simms, Jenkins, Wentz, Blair, Ellis, Bird) Fried, Allard, and Soroka all are solid #1 potential guys, Soroka, maybe ess so than the other two, you could say projects more as a #2, #3. The chances of at least one of them turning into a certified ace is about 50%. 67% you get a #1 out of that group. Max looked more than on his way this spring.
That’s my sincere outlook. I worry about Sean Newcomb and Lucas Sims ever finding their control and competing in Triple A. Let alone a sleight of starts in the majors. Weigel has the velocity and resemblance of secondary stuff, but he’s had control issues in the past. I guess this year will prove if it’s behind him. My hunch is they bumped up Allard and Soroka this offseason because they weren’t so sure on Wisler, Blair, Newcomb, Sims, or Weigel competing in the majors,