It seems the Braves may be looking at alternatives in the outfield, with David O’Brien of The Athletic tweeting that Adam Duvall’s hold on a roster spot is “tenuous at best.” The Braves acquired Duvall from the Reds in a minor trade last July, and while they didn’t give up much in the way of long-term value, the trade simply hasn’t paid dividends. Duvall was slumping at the time of the acquisition and cratered further with a disastrous .132/.193/.151 through 57 trips to the plate with the Atlanta organization. Despite struggling through the worst season of his career in 2018, Duvall was surprisingly tendered a contract by the Braves, who avoided an arbitration hearing by agreeing to a $2.875MM salary. If the Braves cut ties with Duvall, they’d only be responsible for about $696K of that non-guaranteed sum. O’Brien notes that if another fourth-outfield type becomes available in the next few days, it wouldn’t be surprising if Atlanta moves on from Duvall, who is 5-for-37 with seven walks and six strikeouts so far in camp.
More out of Atlanta…
- On the pitching side, O’Brien took a look yesterday (subscription link) at a roster that’s loaded with possibilities but also a number of health questions. The Atlanta organization will be piecing things together at the back of the bullpen while A.J. Minter and Darren O’Day work back to full health. Both will open the season on the injured list. Some young starters could be tasked with relief duties to open the year, though the rotation is also missing its top piece in Mike Foltynewicz.
- Not only is Foltynewicz headed for the injured list to start the season, Kevin Gausman’s status for the early portion of the season is seemingly up in the air, writes MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Gausman did throw 58 pitches in an intrasquad game yesterday, but the organization would like him to be built up to 90 pitches before joining the big league rotation. Thankfully for Braves fans, it doesn’t seem as though there’s much long-term concern following Gausman’s early camp shoulder issues. If he’s not ready to go for the opening week, then it’s possible that each of Kyle Wright, Bryse Wilson and Max Fried could make the roster.
- Meanwhile, the Braves announced today that Mike Soroka has been optioned to Triple-A, where he’ll get at least a few outings under his belt before he’s reconsidered for the MLB staff. That’s actually positive news, it seems, since it indicates that Soroka is healthy enough that he did not require a trip to the injured list to open the season. Soroka was limited in camp with problems in his throwing shoulder, though if he can put that issue behind him he should quickly emerge as a candidate to rejoin the Atlanta rotation.
Duvall is garbage. Good riddance hopefully.
Garbage?
Duvall is a major league player, so insulting these players serves no purpose. For the value though, I don’t see how you don’t size Carlos Gonzalez for $2m or Derek Dietrich.
In house, can Camargo backup the 4th outfield spot? They do need a reliable 4th outfielder if they expect to compete. If someone goes down they are in trouble.
If Duvall is garbage, is all garbage Duvall?
Never should have tender Duvall. Should have let him go and kept Peterson.
Go get Kimbrell. Need him bad.
I’m excited to see our young pitchers this year. A part of me hopes Guasman loses his shot at finishing the season as a braves because the youngster come out guns blazing. But it might only be a dream
Mind boggling that they tendered him. Luckily if they cut him they don’t have to pay him the full amount.
He’s garbage now but use to be a 30-35hr a year player. I’d take the roughly 700k dollar loss for the chance to get that guy he was. It didn’t work out, but you can’t blame the braves for giving him a shot this ST.
Braves don’t need Kimbrel unless he’s coming for $10m.
so the Braves don’t need Kimbrel or do need Kimbrel? Would Kimbrel make the bullpen better if you didn’t know how much he was making, just curios?!….I wish they would make contracts undisclosed to drive all us fans crazy determing someone’s worth vs. abilities
What a great point! Heck yes he makes our bullpen much better! And I’m sorry, unless a horrible injury happens, he’s worth every penny. I think we need to go get him. Think of a back end of the bullpen with viz minters and kimbrell. Scary! Add winkler and biddle before that, I think the bullpen becomes pretty strong.
Guess some Braves fans didn’t learn from the 90s when the Yankees kept winning rings with a HoF closer and the Braves didn’t.
duvall sucks. what a bum
Man, you guys very rude.
adam, is that you?
I agree…hate hearing players get called bums or busts when they’re a top 1% athlete in the US for their sport
he wasnt for the braves so he’s a bum to me
We agree for once, Homer! If Duvall is a bum, what does that make you, Syndergaarden? He’s likely 10x the athlete you are, were, or ever will be.
lol yep
dang it now I can’t talk crap to you lol…oh well
“…I will not be the one to break the peace we’ve made here today” -Godfather
The Braves are positioned really well for the future. Fans that wish they would completely sell out on winning this season don’t really get it. The path to success for the organization is the elite young core. Most teams that have to run up a huge tab on free agents do so because they literally aren’t able to develop this many young stars. They would trade positions with the Braves any day of the week.
Signing Donaldson to the richest 1 year deal in league history fits right in with the overall strategy. Don’t mortgage the bright future just for the fans that are unable to see the big picture.
The Braves currently are positioned well to be in the hunt for a post season spot for several years, but not win the WS.
How can you say that confidently? The Braves are just going to keep getting better and better. Their #1 farm system is just filtering into the big leagues and getting experience. The Nats and Phillies spent huge, good for them (seriously though), but paying top dollar for players in their prime today has a shelf life. They sold out on winning now, that doesn’t mean the Braves must entirely switch gears and do the same. The Phillies and Nats, by definition, will peak much earlier than this Braves team.
Acuna, Albies, Pache, etc will continue to get better. The rest of the #1 farm system is making its way as we speak. This is the same strategy that the Cubs and Astros employed. It is a work in progress, but they made the playoffs last year and are beating expectations. Which teams would you say, objectively, have a brighter future (and more room to maneuver)?
$300 million contracts don’t = championships.
Scary to think Acuna could get better.
Good posts, as the ones above.
Like the Braves for the ALE title.
Kyle Wright joins Dakota Hudson (Cardinals) as the 2 best rookie pitchers in MLB. Amazing stuff, mechanics, and poise. Going to be big stars.
Having the best and most experienced Manager in the division will prove to be a major reason for their success.
AA held back some money. If they need a proven OF or Pitcher, they’ll take on salary in a trade.
@Yeti Because the Braves never make the “all in” type of play. They’re content with just making the playoffs, and having a good, deep farm allows that system to keep moving. Atlanta seemingly always had the luxury in the past, that they had a good farm to fall back on and had someone come up and contribute almost every single year it felt like. That’s why they made the playoffs so many times, imo. Hopefully if we ever get close AA doesn’t listen to upper management and goes for it.
It’s a great farm system. But not No. 1. No. 2 last year. No. 3 now.
He wasn’t saying they currently have a #1 farm system.
He was stating that the prospects that made up their previously ranked #1 farm system are currently growing either already at the ML level or are close to contributing…
My only concern is that those penalties are really going to leave a gap in the lower levels of their farm system, especially with position prospects. Even moving forward, they’re going to be significantly handicapped in the international market.
It’s a great thing that the Braves have Riley, Pache, Contreras, Waters, Alexander, and Jenista, because unless theyre able to draft extremely well, their lower levels of the farm arent going to be producing very many future ML pieces anytime soon!! There’s going to be about a 3-4 year gap that they’re going to have to make up for, and I hope they’re able to somehow compensate for it; otherwise, they’re going to have one extremely weak farm system in three years…
Even as things stand now, without Severino, Maitan, Gutierrez, Pena, and Soto you can already notice a pretty big drop off at the Braves lower levels in terms of prospect talent and depth.
So, yes, they’re a great young team with a bright future, but those penalties, and the combined lack of talent in Rome, Danville, and the GCL scares me later down the road..Obviously, that’s about 4 years or so of having any real impact, but that’ll be right when they should be hitting their stride as a serious yearly contender..So, it’ll be tough to male any significant moves when you have a farm system that’s severely lacking in depth and talent.
@yeti Have you met my friend Mark Texiera?
You mean the guy that stole a few hundred million from NYY and was the compensatory pick LAA got when they let him go in free agency they inevitably chose Mike Trout with?
Fun fact: ATL (Frank Wren) chose to get uber 1B Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek when they traded a half season of Teixeira to LAA, rather than holding on to him and having an additional compensatory pick in a draft that included Trout & James Paxton when Tex predictably left via free agency for the highest amount.
When you look at the Phillies and Braves it’s difficult to be too optimistic about the Braves. They just built a huge complex and they’re making tons of money but they’re unwilling to even sign relief pitchers.
Meanwhile the Phillies have a young core and they’ve added to it this off-season.
If you look at the two franchises over the last 15 years who would you put money on getting further into October? I certainly wouldn’t bet on the Braves.
Braves core is significantly better and less built off of varied FA.
Please explain the Phillies “young core”.
Short of Nola and the 1B, the team developed pedestrian youngsters at best.
The me-first hot-dog in RF is hardly a guy to build a team around (sure didn’t work with the Nationals). The C is excellent.
Nola, Hoskins, Bohm and Medina. That’s it. That’s the future of the Phillies. And if the NL doesn’t get a DH in the next few years, they’re gonna have to either put Rhys on the outfield or trade him because Harper will be playing 1B three years from now.
I would bet that 2 years from now the Braves will be seen as perennial WS contenders while Phills will be “retooling” or rebuilding having won nothing.
Yeay-uh
Braves are positioned to finish 4th in the NL East. They have $ 100 million left over for payroll this year based on revenue. Harper, Machado and Kimbrel plus $ 30 million to spare. What they are investing in the on-field product is a joke. Future is now. Braves fans want a WS. #fireAA. Top 10 revenue team, bottom 10 payroll.
Despite Duvall’s production, i’m still glad they got rid of Sims and Wisler. Now please get rid of Newcomb.
Newcomb is better than Teheran
No, Newk has better stuff. Julio is still the better pitcher. There’s a big difference.
Okay, get rid of both of them. In fact, i wouldn’t careless if they got rid of everybody other than Touki and Soroka.
you know you need 5 starters…
You want Newcomb gone but you want to keep Touki? Considering his walk rate is just as bad I fail to see were you’re coming from on that one.
Newcomb will be an average pitcher if he ever figures out how to throw strikes. Touki will become an ace if he learns to command his fastball better.
You’re ignorant
Very ignorant
So you’re saying at his best Newk can only be an average pitcher??
Did you happen to see the first half of last season?? Newk was easily an above average starter…
Yes, he wasn’t able to sustain his success, due to fatigue and going through his first full season, but your statement has already been proven false…Not too long ago, it was people like you saying the exact same thing about Folty. Excellent stuff, but he’ll never be an average or above average starter…Yet, all Folty does in his 2nd full season is prove to be a top NL starter..
If Newk puts everything together, he’s easily an excellent #3 on a contending team, if not a solid #2.
When they have one, there’s a reason teams give talents like Folty and Newk every chance possible to succeed, because when they do put it together, they become TOR assets..
This will be Newk’s second full season, and with an improved change-up, more experience, and a matured approach he will prove the Braves right for putting their faith in him…
He is probably the same guy that said Folty should have been moved to the bullpen two years ago.
@AOGHAU nice Architects reference with the username. One of my favorite albums of all time.
How long did it take you to come up with that well thought out rebuttal?
Glad someone here knows of them!
The walk-a-batter-an-inning Newcomb? Tough call but I’d go with the more experienced pitcher in Teheran.
Braves should hit up the Reds. They have 4 solid OFs competing for 3 spots: Schebler, Winker, Puig, and Kemp. Really they have 6 if you throw in Irvin and Senzel. Would be a win/win, Reds get a solid minor leaguer, Kemp gets a chance to play for a contender and Braves could extend him beyond this year if they wanted to.
There really isnt much left to choose from on the open market. Take a shot with Matt Holliday?
nah. someone better will get DFA’ed
Ryan Lamarre could be a solid replacement for Duvall. cheaper and coming off better production in ST and recent seasons.
Or Nick Markakis with Pache being the starting RF.
I wouldn’t sell Markakis short as the RF starter yet. With more rest this year, maybe he sustains last year’s early success longer. His ST work makes me think it’s possible. Plus, he’s a class act with intangible value in work ethic, professionalism, and leadership skills.
Pache is not ready yet give him that year to develop
Shoulda snatched up Adam Jones especially for that price
no.
Padres need to move an outfielder.
I could easily see Hunter Renfroe in a Braves uni.
Maybe for Gohara or Wilson?
I like Renfroe but I highly doubt they would trade either one of those pitchers for him alone. I think the Braves would be more inclined to acquire someone like Yates with him. That would mean the Braves would have to give up more so I’m not sure.
If we can steal Pache for Yates and Renfroe and probably a prospect, I’d be stoked. CF is a big ? in SD. He was ranked around d 60 if I’m not mistaken at the start of ST. But his stock is way up
Braves will look for a dumped outfielder that cost next to nothing to balance out the cost of Duvall. Probably find someone else not much better.
Yeah, don’t expect anything much. Can’t remember if Duda or Flarhety played outfield, but they became available and would fit the dollar tree aisle shopping.
Duda hasn’t played outfield in years. Duvall has 3 years team control left.
Maybin will probably be available soon.
Hmmm, a RH outfield bat? Destination Cleveland?
That’s actually a good catch for the Indians, tbh. The only question I have is, will they try and trade Duvall or just outright release him? Though I realize the trade value is minimal at best.
You’ll have to wrestle Zaidi for him.
One of my favorite parts about this site is the mixture of analytical news reporting like this post to report the bare facts that illuminate the lack of moves made by teams that are then discussed in more editorial posts and the chats. Workers of the world unite!
One of my favorite parts about this site is reading the incoherent, pointless ramblings of uneducated users in the comments section. Basement dwellers of the world unite!!
Julio is finally guna put it altogether this season..
Take a page out of Tom Bradys book and put those elastic bands to the test JT!
Guys “we have money to shop in any aisle…” I said SHOP dummies, not buy!
People who think the Braves are good fail to recognize we beat up in the NL East to get the record we had last year.
They’ve all become significantly better. This isn’t a great team. They had holes and refused to fill them (Grandal, and 2 RPs was needed at a minimum, preferably a trade for an OF too. Padres and Reds have a lot of excess and needed starting pitching help)
Quite frankly I’ll be impressed if they finish .500 this year and the lack of progress will fall squarely on ownership/front office for refusing to try to get better instead pretending we’ll be competitive staying relatively the same. Last year teams were not the same as this year, and the Braves have chosen to bury their head in the sand and ignore while spinning last years success as repeatable. Like comparing apples to oranges
Absolutely spot on. I’m a Reds fan and if they don’t at least kick the tires on someone on the Reds (i.e. Kemp or Irvin), they are making a mistake. They could probably even get Schebler for the right price. Likely not Puig or Winker though…
I would have really liked the Braves signing Adam Jones, but I don’t think he wanted a role with so little playing time like the 4th OF for the Braves offers. He expects to play a lot more in AZ than the 4th OF role in Atl offers.
Pretty sad the Braves have to “piece together” a bullpen and starting rotation dispite everything we heard about spending going into this off season. Definitely would not have expected at the end of last season to read that on March 20th.
Giants will be waiting at the airport if Duvall is released.
1. By the same token that bored people are boring, people who call other people “garbage” are…you get my drift.
2. IMO, Duvall was under too much pressure to perform in ST. His 2.7M price is pocket change for the Braves. I’d keep him and lower the pressure. He’s been an All Star, and is still fairly young.
3. For all the talk about needing good clubhouse chemistry, a veteran pitcher to mentor the young ones, having pitchers who have become “pitchers” instead of “throwers,” having good leaders, especially bi-lingual ones, the Braves let Anibal Sanchez go for a song ($19M over two years) after saying he provided all of those attributes, and that AA thought the world of him.
They’re OK with gambling $23M for ONE year of bounce-back candidate Donaldson, but not $19M for TWO years of Sanchez and $4M for TWO years of Suzuki, who also provided all the good attributes (excepting being bi-lingual?) Same net price, two proven valuable parts of a winning team gone, replaced by one injury-prone comebacker at third, when Camargo had third locked down, and another one at catcher, when Suzuki was Sanchez’ preferred catcher. (OK to have BMac, I guess, but his story about coming home, etc. rings hollow; he left for more money when he could have stayed for more than decent money, just not as much as elsewhere.
Anyway, the NL East is where the action will be this season, for sure. For Brian Snitker, I hope everything comes up aces for the Braves!
Well said.
The Braves May decline some this season due to injuries. The SPs are frail this season. Still, it’s an opportunity to give others a chance to prove themselves. If they keep the development going, the Braves begin another great run starting 2020 .
What’s the reason(s) why the Atlanta Braves have lost 12 of their last 13 postseason series?
Shoulda signed Matt Joyce before SF did
Sad state of affairs in Cobb County. sports.yahoo.com/braves-rolling-money-aren-t-16054…
this thread gave me cancer, but I’m glad they’re looking for a replacement with Duvall, it’s obvious it isn’t going to work out with him in ATL. Best thing for him is to sign a minors deal with a team and get his swing straightened out. Speaking of going to the minors, if Spring Training stats are any indication, Sean Newcomb needs to go to the minors for a bit and learn how to throw strikes.
SN’s a fair-skinned kid from Massachusetts who suffers visibly in hot, humid weather. I’d trade him to a West Coast team or the Rockies for his sake, and to pick up whatever valuable pitching help might come back in return.