Some rumblings from around the National League East…
- The Nationals would still like to add another Major League catcher to their roster, MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reports. Catcher is the only true weak spot on Washington’s depth chart, due to Matt Wieters’ rough 2017 season and Pedro Severino’s lack of hitting at the MLB level (or even in the minors). Miguel Montero is also in camp on a non-roster invite but is also coming off a poor 2017. The Nats are known to have explored trade talks with the Marlins about J.T. Realmuto, and if Realmuto or another catcher can’t be obtained in a trade, D.C. could consider signing a catcher who becomes available in late-Spring Training roster shuffling, or perhaps a bigger-name free agent like the still-available Jonathan Lucroy.
- Scott Kingery is turning a lot of heads in the Phillies’ spring camp, and there’s a chance the second base prospect could crack the Opening Day roster, Matt Gelb of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Manager Gabe Kapler considers Kingery capable of playing several different positions, so a super-utility role would get Kingery in the lineup even with Cesar Hernandez still the regular second baseman. Service time considerations, however, could keep Kingery at Triple-A to begin the season, though there are also some legitimate skills-related arguments to be made that the prospect still need more minor league seasoning.
- Though the Braves enjoyed a 47 percent increase in revenues from 2016 to 2017 thanks to the opening of SunTrust Park, the team projects to have a smaller payroll next season than it did in 2017, Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. The Braves had long intended to time the opening of their new stadium to coincide with the end of their rebuilding plan, though this offseason been a very quiet one for the team, save for a big payroll-shuffling trade with the Dodgers. Of course, Atlanta’s plans were entirely upended by the shocking departures of both former GM John Coppolella and former president of baseball operations John Hart, so perhaps it isn’t surprising that the franchise held back on any aggressive moves. New general manager Alex Anthopoulos even stated in December that he would likely take “a more cautious approach” in his first year running the front office.
Doubt it, but perhaps Liberty decides to allow the Braves payroll to increase by a decent bit next off-season on top of having lots to spend. Could make things very interesting.
Yea, I think a big time spending would be nice but it hard to tell if we will need it with all these prospects knocking on the door. This year we need to start giving them a lot of experience so we will know for sure if we need to spend next year in that rich fa market
Totally agree. I’m glad they didn’t blow all sorts of money on mediocre “upgrades” this season. I think the team will be much better than people expect. I’d be fine with spending big on a couple dudes next off-season though. Or locking up the killer young talent with some of that cash.
phils are in a very similar situation @bravesfan this year as they decide who is built for the long term and who needs to be targeted as a big FA signing next year. gonna be some good competition between the two clubs in the not-too-distant future. I like the Phils’ position player potential more but Braves have the advantage in pitching. Will be fun to watch !
It is definitely building up to be a pretty good rivalry coming up possibly starting in 2019 to 2020…
I like what the Phillies are doing, even though quite a few people looked unfavorably towards their signing of Santana…I like a good veteran placed in the middle of their order though…It can take a good amount of pressure off of their young position prospects to carry the load offensively; as well as, Santana has the knowledge to be a good mentor for their prospects..Also, Santana can provide protection for some of the prospects hitting in front of him..Besides, the Phillies had an abundant amount of money to spend, so from my perspective, it’s a win-win for now and later…
From a Braves standpoint, I’m also excited to see the progression of youngsters like Swanson, Albies, Acuña Jr., and Camargo at the ML level, and position prospects like Riley, Jackson, Pache, Wilson, Contreras, Waters, Encarnacion, Cruz, Cumberland, Lugbauer, and Ramos…
From a pitching point it’ll definitely be interesting to see the progress of Foltynewicz, Newcomb, Gohara, Fried, and Minter at the ML level, and the rise of prospects like Soroka, Allard, Wright, Toussaint, Wilson, Wentz, Anderson, Muller, Davidson, Tarnok, Clouse, etc. among others, especially seeing guys like Weigel and Lindgren coming back from injuries…
Definitely will be a pivotal year for the Braves towards completing their rebuild. They need to decide who is in it for the long haul, and which pieces will be used to fill in holes in their future line-up, rotation, and their bullpen…Cannot wait!!
Name another prospect, you didn’t cover them well enough
And we only have to wait till 2029 for a new tv contract.
I’d truly love it if a credible investigative reporter would inform us all of just how this rediculous and non-competitive tv deal ever happened. It just oozes with corruption, criminal negligence at best. I’ve searched the internet on several occasions hoping to find an article that says more than just how bad the tv deal is and how Liberty Media seemed aware and uncaring at the time of purchase. There has to be more, follow the money, it’s always the money.
If a handful of things go right, they could be a competitive team in ‘18. I don’t think .500 is unreasonable.
Just a heads-up: Pedro Severino is NOT out of options. He was added to the 40-man in September 2015. His first option was used in 2016, the second in 2017.
No, Scott Kingery is ready to go right now on March 4th.
There is only one reason Kingery is going down and that’s to get the seventh year of slavery.
“Seven Years a Slave: The Story of MLB”
Where can I sign up to be a slave paid 6-7 figures playing baseball?
I wish I could find a job that paid me $545,000/yr……I think I’d be willing to do just about any job in baseball for that….
I’ll clean the toilets in the clubhouse for $545,000.00.
Be an Athletic and get trapped in a bathroom with a clogged toilet.
“Where can I sign up “”
Google: Union Representation Signup
See Josh Donaldson and other “slaves” that received slave labor rates via arbitration.
Man it must be hard to be paid half a million dollars. What a shame
Rules are rules buddy. Take it up in the next collective bargaining agreement.
Or maybe he’ll go down because he’s got an option, and they want him to have an everyday role.
it could be the biggest reason, but it’s not the only reason.
they do have a pretty good second baseman on the roster and have to figure out how to move him or get both on the field. kingery does have some things he could improve on his approach/aggressiveness based on his performance after getting promoted to AAA.
i dont think the kid is going to be a stud once his time arrives.
Oh F…, you again…..
The day Scott Kingery is rostered on the 25 man is the day he is the Phillies best player. Kingery will continue to be the Phillies best player until next winter when they sign Harper and Machado.
Raef, as a Phillies fan, I think the guy who should be most worried about Kingery is Maikel Franco. Kingery has been playing some 3B, and it’s for a reason.
Is Kingery a 3B long-term? No, he apparently doesn’t have the arm to stick there for an extended period, but I get the feeling that if Franco craps the bed like he did last season by swinging at bad pitches, he’s gonna find himself in a part-time role.
CP, I agree that they’ll hold Kingery down for the 7th year of control, but you cost yourself a lot of credibility when you use the term “slavery”.
Many here have explained to you why using the term is incorrect, but it is also inappropriate. It is insensitive to those who actually have endured slavery or the legacy thereof.
Sincerely,
Sparky
I second this. CP was inexplicably allowed back by the grace of mods but this slavery comment’s beyond the pale.
@ caseyspartner
Did you really refer to arbitration players as slavery?
You are s moron!
“After twelve years in the major leagues, I do not feel I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes. I believe that any system which produces that result violates my basic rights as a citizen and is inconsistent with the laws of the United States and of the several States.”
Part of Curt Flood’s letter to the baseball commissioner in 1969, which would eventually lead to a court case and the introduction of free agency to baseball.
Flood was making $90,000 in 1968($654,000 in 2018 with inflation) so he definitely was not a slave, but compared the control/ownage aspect to slavery.
That letter was written when the reserve clause was still in effect. The reserve clause no longer is, and the environment has significantly shifted.
Players can become FAs now, even in the minors after 6 seasons.
The LIFETIME control/”ownage” to which Flood was referring no longer exists, though even then the analogy was incorrect, because no one was forcing Flood to play baseball.
I love when people are calling other people idiots, stupid, or morons, and, in doing so, they make some type of grammatical error…Always gives me a good laugh, so thank you kind sir…lol
So Braves revenue increased by $124 million (i looked it up), and they couldn’t spend another $30 million to sign a free agent or two to increase interest for the fans ? I doubt operating costs increased by much with the new stadium so I can see how this increased revenue could have been used to improve the team. I’m not sure how they don’t see the link between wins and further increased revenue. I’m not saying they could see a 90+ win season but simply building a team that could at least compete on some level for the wildcard would get Atlanta to pack the stadium. Just doesn’t make sense to me to have this new stadium and not sell out nightly to maximize revenue.
Supposedly operating costs sapped quite a bit of that revenue…Also, considering Liberty Media took a loss the year prior, allegedly, I’m not all that suprised..
However, even with that being said, I believe it wasn’t just ownership that decided not to spend this off-season..I believe the Braves Front Office just has not seen a risk worth taking, from their point of view…
This year the Braves need to assess their collective assets in house first. Then, once they decide who to keep, who to trade, and once AA gets a better understanding of the Braves farm system and its prospects, I believe the Braves will start to make more moves towards rounding out their roster…
The Braves just need to take this year to truly find out what they have in a lot of their younger players…In my opinion, RIGHT NOW, they are taking the best possible path towards building a sustainable winning club…There really wasn’t anyone worth spending big money on, and next year’s class, and trade market, will likely be quite a bit better anyways…
The only signing that might have made sense was Moustakas, but the Braves first need to continue developing Riley, as their 3B of the future, as he is an extremely talented prospect, and he’s only a year away…
Be patient, there’s a reason it is considered a virtue!!
I like the Braves position. As a Phillies fan I see a team that is going to be another pain in the you-know-what for quite some time.
Aside from the fact that $30MM is an arbitrary number, which FA’s are a fit for the Braves that you think they should acquiesce to their demands?
Do you really want them to bring in Arrieta on the contracts he wants? How about Lynn or Cobb?
I just don’t think this year’s crop of FAs are really a good fit for the Braves.
From a Phillies standpoint of would love for them to take on a couple of dumb contracts, but they’ve been wise enough so far to avoid doing that.
You’re welcome, by the way.
I can see Kingery coming up in May of this year. Whether he takes over at 3B is entirely dependent on how Franco performs, but it’s probably not his long-term position since most scouts agree he doesn’t have the arm to play there every day. If Kingery proves he can hit at the ML level the Phils will eventually have to decide between him and Hernandez as to who will be their 2B of the future, while the other is traded to fill another team weakness (starting pitching immediately springs to mind).