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On the heels of their second straight NL East-winning campaign, the Braves have gotten off to an aggressive start this offseason. General manager Alex Anthopoulos, who’s trying to build an Atlanta team capable of winning a playoff series for the first time since 2001, has doled out an array of guaranteed contracts in the early stages of the winter. But the club’s still in danger of losing one of its top performers from 2019, free-agent third baseman Josh Donaldson.
Guaranteed Contracts
- Ronald Acuna Jr. OF: $99MM through 2026 (includes buyout of 2027 club option; contract also contains 2028 option)
- Freddie Freeman, 1B: $44MM through 2021
- Will Smith, LHP: $40MM through 2022 (includes buyout of 2023 club option)
- Ozzie Albies, 2B: $34MM through 2025 (includes buyout of 2026 club option; contract also contains 2027 option)
- Ender Inciarte, OF: $16.025MM through 2021 (includes buyout of 2022 club option)
- Travis d’Arnaud, C: $16MM through 2021
- Mark Melancon, RHP: $14MM through 2020
- Chris Martin, RHP: $14MM through 2021
- Tyler Flowers, C: $4MM through 2020
- Nick Markakis, OF: $4MM through 2020
- Darren O’Day, $2.75MM through 2020 (includes buyout of 2021 option)
Arbitration-Eligible Players (salary projections via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
- Shane Greene – $6.5MM
- Mike Foltynewicz – $7.5MM
- Charlie Culberson – $1.8MM
- Adam Duvall – $3.8MM
- John Ryan Murphy – $1.2MM
- Dansby Swanson – $3.3MM
- Luke Jackson – $1.9MM
- Grant Dayton – $800K
- Johan Camargo – $1.6MM
- Non-tender candidates: Culberson, Murphy
Free Agents
- Josh Donaldson, Dallas Keuchel, Julio Teheran, Billy Hamilton, Josh Tomlin, Francisco Cervelli, Brian McCann (announced retirement), Adeiny Hechavarria, Matt Joyce
The Braves’ bullpen was unreliable during the season, which is why Anthopoulos started making over the unit in the summer. He swung pre-deadline trades for Shane Greene, Mark Melancon and setup man Chris Martin, who will return as key members of the group in 2020. Martin had been in line to leave, but the Braves instead brought back the nomadic 33-year-old right-hander on a two-year, $14MM contract a couple weeks ago. Likewise, they re-signed righty Darren O’Day this month, preventing his exit with a $2.75MM guarantee. Originally acquired from the Orioles before the 2018 deadline, hamstring and forearm injuries stopped the 37-year-old O’Day from pitching for the Braves until this September. But when O’Day finally retook the mound, he looked like the steady reliever he has been throughout his long career.
While the Martin and O’Day re-signings are hard to argue with, no move the Braves have made thus far should help more than the splashy addition of Will Smith. Once Aroldis Chapman stuck with the Yankees, the left-handed Smith, 30, became the undisputed premier reliever in this class. Previously with the Giants, Smith earned his first All-Star nod in 2019, during which he fired 65 1/3 innings of 2.76 ERA ball, posted 13.22 K/9 against 2.89 BB/9 and racked up 34 saves in 38 attempts.
As a result of his brilliant final season in San Francisco, MLBTR forecast a three-year, $42MM at the outset of free agency. The Braves, to their credit, paid a little less than that. They reeled in the Georgia-born Smith for $40MM over three years, though it seems they plan is to use him as a setup man to his former Giants teammate Melancon. Regardless, with the two of them, Greene, Martin and O’Day among its best late-game choices, Atlanta has remade its relief corps dating back to the summer. The Braves’ bullpen, although not particularly young, now looks like a strength.
While the bullpen has been Anthopoulos’ primary focus to this point, he has also overseen several moves on the position player side. First of all, outfielder Nick Markakis and catcher Tyler Flowers are back. The Braves bought out both players’ options for $2MM after the season, only to re-up them for guarantees of $4MM. The club still has to pay the pair $6MM apiece, but they’ll only count for $4MM in salary toward next year’s payroll. Whether that will actually matter remains to be seen, as the Braves aren’t typically a team that has to fear the luxury tax.
The lefty-swinging Markakis seems likely to platoon with the righty-hitting Adam Duvall in one of the outfield corners in 2020, continuing to bridge the gap toward promotions for high-end prospects Cristian Pache and Drew Waters. In the meantime, Markakis, Duvall, potential starter Ender Inciarte (if he’s not traded) and Austin Riley don’t make for the most confidence-inspiring quartet, though superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. is obviously well-equipped to keep serving as the rising tide that lifts all boats in the outfield.
Behind the plate, Flowers remained a decent option last season, once again combining adequate offense (relative to his position) with elite pitch-framing skills. He teamed with Brian McCann and Francisco Cervelli then, but the former retired after a stellar career and the latter is a free agent. With that in mind, the Braves needed a new partner for Flowers. They got one in Travis d’Arnaud, whom they signed to a two-year, $16MM deal last week.
A former Blue Jay, d’Arnaud is now reunited with Anthopoulos, Toronto’s ex-GM. It was Anthopoulos who traded d’Arnaud out of Canada, landing then-star knuckleballer R.A. Dickey in a 2012 blockbuster with the Mets. D’Arnaud was an elite prospect at that point, but he wound up enduring a somewhat disappointing Mets tenure that was consistently marred by injuries. The Mets finally had enough of d’Arnaud early last season, designating him for assignment, but he has enjoyed a career renaissance since. The 30-year-old rebuilt his stock as a Ray over the past several months, thus turning himself into either the second- or third-best catcher on the open market. MLBTR projected a two-year, $14MM deal, so his Braves payday hardly came as a surprise.
Every pact Atlanta has handed out so far looks reasonable, but it’s still worth wondering how much more ownership is willing to spend. Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei has said the team still plans to “spend some money,” but it’s just about anyone’s guess what that means. The Braves began last season with a payroll in the $115MM range and have never spent more than $122MM-plus on a season-opening roster, per Cot’s. Now, according to the math of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource and FanGraphs, they already have about $127MM in commitments for next year. There’s room to cut some of that out via non-tenders and trades (Inciarte?), but those moves wouldn’t free up a windfall of cash.
While it’s unclear how much more money Atlanta’s willing to put into its roster, it’s inarguable the club remains in need of upgrades. Third base, such a strength a season ago, is now a massive question mark with Donaldson unsigned. The Braves and Donaldson have expressed a desire to stay together on multiple occasions. Problem is that his next contract could be fairly exorbitant (MLBTR projects $75MM over three years), and several other teams have been eyeing him since free agency commenced. No doubt, Donaldson’s the No. 2 third baseman on the market, trailing only Anthony Rendon. But if the Braves don’t want to pay Donaldson, they can probably forget about splurging on Rendon for $200-some mill. That could point them to Mike Moustakas, whom they’ve showed interest in and whose next deal should come in around $20MM. Moustakas is no Donaldson or Rendon, but he’d make for a nice stopgap and allow Riley to either continue in the outfield or head to Triple-A for further seasoning. Moose would also be an easy upgrade over Johan Camargo, who’s coming off a season in which he recorded disastrous numbers.
Aside from third, the Braves’ rotation sticks out as a sore spot, especially after the club bought out innings eater Julio Teheran and saw Dallas Keuchel hit free agency. Supreme young building block Mike Soroka’s back, as are Max Fried and Mike Foltynewicz. The rest of the group is decidedly less proven, with Sean Newcomb potentially returning to a starting role after a year spent mostly as a reliever. Kyle Wright’s a former top 40 prospect who could also factor in, but his MLB experience is limited (and his brief action in the majors hasn’t gone well). Meanwhile, promising prospects Ian Anderson, Kyle Muller and Bryse Wilson have logged few to no innings above the minors.
So now what? Well, there are several avenues the Braves could explore. Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg look like pipe dreams, but the rest of this starting class appears far more realistic. Former Giant Madison Bumgarner is reportedly high atop the Braves’ wish list, though he won’t come cheap. Meanwhile, Zack Wheeler, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Cole Hamels and Keuchel are all poised to cash in to varying extents.
If the Braves don’t win the bidding for any starters near the head of the class, they could turn to the trade market, where they’d perhaps be able to take advantage of their impressive farm system to acquire proven, affordable, controllable talent. The Braves had interest in Tigers lefty Matthew Boyd during the summer. Boyd wound up staying put, but he once again sticks out as one of the most obvious trade candidates in the game. Aside from Boyd, the D-backs’ Robbie Ray, the Pirates’ Chris Archer, the Orioles’ Dylan Bundy, the Indians’ Corey Kluber and the Marlins’ Caleb Smith represent starters who made it to the Top 25 Offseason Trade Candidates list MLBTR’s Jeff Todd and Steve Adams just put together.
In terms of ideas that are of the pie-in-the-sky variety, would the Braves dare try to assemble a package for Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor or the Rockies’ Trevor Story? Picking up either could mean parting with stud prospects and incumbent shortstop Dansby Swanson, but either would be the type of acquisition who would place the Braves near the top of the league’s list of World Series contenders entering 2020. Of course, both players are only under control for two more years – the same amount of time as Braves franchise first baseman and extension candidate Freddie Freeman. Would the team be able to extend both? That’s one of several reasons it’s worth wondering whether the Braves would be interested in this sort of trade. Nevertheless, it’s at least worth bringing up as a possibility.
The offseason’s only a few weeks old, but Anthopoulos has already crammed an entire winter’s worth of action into the month of November. With third base seemingly open and at least one rotation spot potentially up for grabs, you can bet the GM isn’t done yet.
Chop Chop!
Bring back the Indian in the tee pee.
I miss him.
Please stop. As in now.
cry baby
There should be a big space in CF for the tee pee and a settlers wagon there that changes team logos to whomever the Braves are playing. When someone hits a HR the Indian shoots a flaming arrow into the wagon and it’s rigged to go up in a huge ball of flames.
ok, whatever you say.
What happens if the Indians play the Braves?
That is the best idea iv’e heard,it should add 10-12 more wins..
Other than filling the obvious holes… I kinda wish the Braves would trade Ender sooner than later, opening up a place for one of the young prospects to fight for. If we don’t trade him, hopefully he comes back strong like a few years ago when he was a solid enough hitter. I get that his trade value is low, but still…
If they trade Inciarte it will be because they added another OF. Pache and Waters will both start the season in AAA. The Braves are not going to just give one of them a spot without them earning it. Both need more time at aaa anyway. They both struggled a little bit at that level which was expected. Give them at least a couple more months to adjust their first.
Exactly.
His trade value is low but it wouldn’t be as low as most people think. So many teams in need of a legit CF option if for anything else than quality defense.
I myself think Inciarte to Colorado would be a perfect fit. Now what would come back I have no idea. But I feel the Rockies should be trying to grab him.
The article sorta suggest a Braves Trevor Story match up. I think you could easily throw Ender as part of a package with others to get a deal done. I’m sure Col would he happen with him as a #2 name in a deal.
Did you hear yourself? Did you even read what you typed? “‘ So many teams in need of a legit CF option if for anything else than quality defense”.
Don’t the Braves need the same? Acuna isn’t the centerfielder Ender is at this point, he may or may not be in the future.
Dude, I would be absolutely stoked if they got Trevor Story! Dansby is a likeable guy, but Story would be such a huge upgrade
Story’s road splits were similar to Dansby’s averages. His home/road OPS difference was about 300 points.
Is it unrealistic to think that Dansby could shift to 3rd base if we brought in Story or Lindor? Dansby is a team guy and he brings energy to the team when he is on the field. We cannot give up on him.
I was thinking the same thing, but in Cleveland’s case at least (and maybe the Rox as well), Dansby would probably be part of the trade.
I agree but it doesn’t fix the obvious holes at 3rd or in the rotation.
Why is it unrealistic? Players do it all the time!
Listen to you people that say you are Braves fans. Why would the Braves trade for any player that is going to make 200+ million in a few years? The Braves don’t do that, they are not a high payroll team. Why would they trade top prospects away for a 1-2 year rental? The Braves aren’t hurting for any player at this point. They rebuilt and got young for a reason and that wasn’t to trade prospects for a 1 or 2-year run. They did it for a 10-year run.
I totally agree, he might not be the best on the team, but was crazy clutch in the post-season, and is one of my personal favorites. Are there better? Yes, but Dansby is just what we need at SS.
Stoked?
Stoked
I think the Braves is in good position with a lot of prospect and Money to expense, They can non-tender: Green,Duvall, Murphy and save around 12 mill and Bring Back Rendon (Yes Rendon was draft by the Braves) and sign Bumgarner and ready to roll.
Rendon was never signed by the Braves though. Yes he was drafted but he didn’t sign and went to college…so it that is a very far fetched “bring him back.”
Duvall will be kept because he will platoon in LF with Markakis unless Riley shows he has made major strides. Even then Riley would be at 3rd without any additional additions.
Greener will be kept as well due to giving the Braves a top 5 bullpen. The beginning of 2019 was so brutal they are intending to keep the bullpen a strength.
Anthopoulos said he’s not nontendering Greene weeks ago.
They can only nontender Duvall if they replace him with another RHH outfielder, which makes little sense. Trading him is a better idea if you can find a trade partner.
it’ll be tough to find a viable trade partner for Duvall
No, he said he had every plan of tendering Greene. He said it through Bowman, who repeats it everytime someone asks him about Greene being non-tendered, but a handful of people refuse to listen. Not that he would ever say he wasnt going to resign him outloud even if he was planning on it.
Greene for 6.5m is a good deal. If you dont think he could top 6 mil on a one year deal, youre nuts.
The guys who thinks he sucks because of one week where he adjusted to a new team, right before he went back to being just as good as he ever was, is ridiculous.
He had one week where his babip literally doubled.
Come on, this isnt reddit.
David O’Brien
✔
@DOBrienATL
#Braves’ Anthopoulos dismissed some reports that Shane Greene and his projected $6-7M sal might be moved now that Will Smith is on team: “We’re trying to have a deep bullpen. We like Shane, we’re excited to have him. We’re trying to add to the bullpen, not subtract.”
501
4:10 PM – Nov 19, 2019
Hes also told DOB too, so, if you think Greene isnt worth offering, heres exhibit 7,000 they are. Notice hes denying they would trade him, much less not even offer him and let him go for nothing.
:
Keep Greene at that money. Reliever market is now thin. I think he can still be an effective closer.
The Braves aren’t going to sign Rendon, and that’s not due to them being cheap. Rendon is reportedly looking for a shorter deal, with a massive AAV. I personally believe he’ll stay in Washington. If not though, the team that signs him will probably be one like LAD, where he’ll be a finishing piece.
The Braves are a really good team, but they also still need SP. Donaldson and a trade make the most sense.
The time is now for Anthopoulos to do something huge. They have what it takes to acquire Francisco Lindor, and I think they will.
Sure, but that still doesn’t address areas of need. Yes, there are 3Bs available within reason, but an ace? If Lindor was the final piece, sure. Still wish Swanson could have 1 healthy season to see what he has…much like JHey back in the day.
Shortstop is clearly an area of need. Dansby Swanson is the Addison Russell of the Braves. Fans and management are waiting for something that is never gonna happen. Career OPS+ of 84. Move on.
Trade Lindor
Sign Moose
Recoup pick for Donaldson
Sign another QO free agent (Ozuna)
Fill out rotation with cheap vets (Miley and Teherán)
Lose in the NLDS again
Lmao
@RunDMC Who killed Jam Master Jay and why?
Ok so as good as Lindor is…who plays 3rd? You are giving away prospects and not filling a need, and likely opening a hole in a different area.
Yes it would fill a need, the reason 3rd base is such a big hole is because Donaldson was our cleanup hitter and if he leaves, it leaves a hole
Lindor would fill in for Donaldsons production in the 4 spot and allow Atlanta to take a chance on either Riley or Camargo at 3rd base
If Swanson is not part of the deal then even better, slide him to 3rd
You’d be asking Swanson to shift to 3B at the Big League level on a playoff team, which is a monumental ask. That’s not going to be seamless.
Shortstop is much harder than 3rd base, he could handle 3rd
He is probably involved in a deal anyways though
What about Bregman?
Listen, you SO-CALLED fans. The Braves aren’t going to trade many prospects away for a player that will be getting 200+ million in a couple of years. That defeats the purpose of the rebuild. The Braves are looking 10+ years in the future, not 2.
Bout time we got our Outlook
Kluber is an interesting name to watch out for if the Braves are able to bring back Donaldson.
Although I am now leaning more towards Hamels on a short term deal to go along with Donaldson.
I was on the MadBum train until I read where Hamels said he was wildling to take a 1 or 2 year deal. I wouldn’t even mind a 2 with an option.
I would take Hamels only to block MadBum to ATL and Hamels to PHI, which seems like a natural fit.
I’m glad the Outlook was delayed, Getting it weeks ago wouldn’t account for the recent additions.
Donaldson and Hamels would be my ideal offseason signings as well, if we’re being reasonable. Same as you, I like that Hamels will take a 1yr deal with a contender. He might be a tick below MadBum this season, but that’s ok. MadBum is trending down in a lot of ways, and 4-5 years on him scares me.
The Fangraphs payroll estimate is $4M high as the Braves shifted the buyout of Flowers and Markakis to 2019 $$.
The Braves see Acuna as a right-fielder (finally) where his arm ends teams taking the extra base. Trading Inciarte changes that unless they bring in another CF capable player which seems sort of redundant.
They a starter, a 3B and an outfielder they don’t have to platoon.
If Ted Turner took over the Braves today the Braves would be the World Series favorite on opening day.
No, they wouldn’t. People overestimate how generous Turner was by a pretty large margin. When the team was losing money while still winning division and league titles payroll shrunk.
ok whatever you say.
Silliness. It is a vastly different game than it was 2 decades ago. Even then, we only won 1 WS with all that financial freedom – the same amount as the KC Royals. NOBODY cares who is in 1st the first game of the season.
It would be ironic to see AA trade for Thor. No, not going to happen, but he brought back Donaldson, Bautista, and now signed d’Arnaud (whom AA traded away from TOR with Thor for Dickey). AA has a long memory and ATL needs an ace, but would ATL strengthen a division foe to get there? To think both GMs would is naive unless the package is a clear overpay. I wouldn’t see AA giving in or BVM to be smart enough to realize it.
I know that the Braves need bullpen help, and they got it in Smith and I’m sure that they will pick up another bullpen piece. But, that’s all I have heard. I think that they need some starters. And with Donaldson most likely heading out, they need a good third basemen. Now, I don’t know about their budget, but I think they have a chance to get Gerrit Cole. He has shown that he wants to go to a playoff team, and if he signs with the Angels, Padres, or Athletics (those are the three that I have seen the most interest), he is almost guaranteed to not make the playoffs for probably 2 years! Even if one of these teams does make the playoffs, they will not make the world series with the stros and the Yanks. And he has become world series happy with the stros. So, I think the Braves should offer him some cash. The only possible way I could see him signing with the three teams listed above, they would have to offer him a TON of cash. Now, if the Braves signed him, they are already in postseason contention, which is what Cole wants.
Braves fans would LOVE a Cole signing. It would mean going on the cheap at 3B (Riley/Camargo) and no upgrades in the outfield, which I could live with.
Riley/Camargo at 3B would be an absolute disaster. I don’t understand some people’s view of get pitching, forget everything else.
One, the Braves have a plethora of young arms. There’s a chance one, or more, take the next step this season.
Secondly, a SP only helps you every fifth day. You’re also counting on Riley to be your clean up hitter, and every egg is in that basket. If he bombs, they’re a bottom 3 offense. Cole and Sororka might pitch well enough to win games 3-2, but the rest of the staff will not.
Riley and camargo are great defenders and AA is always focused on defense, our defense with camargo/Riley wouldn’t be any worse then Donaldson from last year. Also if they signed Cole nothing is stopping the Braves from getting a clean up hitter via trade. And to top it off yes Riley had a rough second half he also showed when he’s on he can destroy major league hitting I find it worth the risk to let him develop as he was just a top 25 prospect last year and considering most prospects don’t start out as strong as acuna did.
Cole is out of the question for the Braves
There is no way he would even want to come
The Angels, Astros & Yankees would all bid more.
Riley and Camargo can play the position, sure. The question is can they drive in run? Riley struck out in nearly 1/3rd of his ABs last season. That’s WITH his torrid start. Camargo is a bench piece. Neither adds any immediate line up help, which this club needs more than pitching.
You can win games 6-5 with offense and a deep pen, with just decent SP. That’s the route the Braves should go while their pitching develops.
@bravesiowafan, Donaldson had the highest defensive runs saved in the majors by a large margin for third baseman so you have no idea what you’re talking about.
Riley is known to be extremely good defensively. If you kept up with him as a prospect at all you’d know Riley is a fantastic fielder. And camargo was above average the year he started, so clearly fabulous61 I don’t know what I’m talking about. Argue about Riley’s bat all you want he’s been known in the minors to be an elite defensive third baseman there is zero arguing that it’s a fact.
I think Cole should definitely be their next move, but it is not likely. That would be a win now move and then look at signing Moustakas.
Oakland is a very strong team that definitely has a good chance to be a playoff team, You are very wrong about them.
Kyle Muller link is incorrect
The idea of trading for Lindor or Story is very intriguing. Not likely but intriguing. Neither fill a need for the Braves. They would be upgrades over Swanson, but we have other holes that need to be filled first!
Now if the Braves signed Moustakas then a trade for Story could fill the #4 hole in the lineup. Split up Freeman and Moustakas that way.
Lindor would work if Atlanta was willing to put Acuna in the 4 hole. Move Albies to lead off and have Lindor hit 2. As good as Lindorbis and how well he hits, I’m not sure he should hit 4 behind Freeman.
The bigger question for me as a Rockies fan, is what would we get back for Trevor? I don’t see anybody that the Braves would be willing to trade that the Rox would want (other than prospects which I don’t see as an exciting trade unless the Rox are rebuilding) Which raises the question, should the Rockies rebuild? And I don’t see a definitive answer to that question yet. If they do rebuild, then extending Arenado was a bad idea. If they decide to not rebuild, they are going to have to sign a BUNCH of free agents this off-season.
The Braves would probably offer SS Swanson and some pitching prospects.
@Arenadoisthebest
That is another reason I am not sure Story would be available. I think he might be more of an extension candidate then a trade candidate. If the Braves are not willing to trade Gray then they are not trading Story.
I think the problem is the Rockies have no room to make any changes to their team salary wise. Trading Story could get them a few rdy for the big leagues cost controlled guys like Riley ( him as a LF hitting in Colorado would be insane) and Wright for example, allowing them to fill a few spots for practically no salary, so they have the flexibility to improve the team.
They could retool instead of rebuild, theoretically. But being a non playoff team, with a maxed out payroll, is the worst place a team can be. Unless you have a stacked farm supplying above average and cheap players to add to it, its doomed to collapse without doing something.
@basedBallGuru
So you see suggesting that it would take both Riley and Wright to get Story? I hope Atlanta says NO if tat is the case.
It might. Depends on how far Wrights stock has fallen to AA probably. Story is also a great defender, so hes going to be expensive. But if they think he can anchor the lineup and replace JD as a cleanup hitter, they may have to do something like this. They could also get him for multiple slightly lower end prospects too, but,at least one of Wright, Riley, or the big 2 OF prospects (Waters and Pache) will be needed. SS who can hit cleanup, play good d, steal bases, and do it all in their 20s, dont come cheap.
Having said that, I dont think they would do it unless JD doesnt resign. But if he doesn’t, we will have to find a way to replace him with an All-Star quality bat to compete for a WS ring.
Everyone is saying move Dansby to 3rd with a trade for Story but I think Story could play 3rd with Dansby staying at short. Now I could see moving Dansby to 3rd for Lindor but I think Story would fit better at 3rd for us
Any trade that involves a “re-tooling” team where the Braves acquire a SS, it would definitely require trading away Swanson..
Whether it is Colorado for Story or Cleveland for Lindor, both teams would insist that Swanson be included.
Actually, for the Braves, that wouldnt be the worst thing. They would acquire the bug bat their lineup needs, and trading away Swanson would decrease the prospect cost.
Both trades would likely require Swanson, Ian Anderson, and a guy like Kyle Muller..
No way Culberson is non tendered
Would Riley/Swanson/Wilson/Trey Harris be enough/too much for Lindor? Braves could sign Moose and Madbum and call it done.
doubt it. I think it would take Swanson, riley and one of Anderson, Pache or Waters, and then someone lower in the top 30
It might actually be enough. If not it is close I think.
I just think you are opening up too many holes down the road! Yeah it would be great for the 2 years you have Lindor at ss and Moustakas at 3rd, but then who plays there after 2021? You are trading both your current ss and eventual 3rd base option.
AA wants a window of 5-8 years. Not a window that is only open through 2021.
Anderson is our #3 prospect and Wilson is our #6, so there isn’t a ton of difference ranking-wise. Herris is our #18 prospect, so he fills the bill of a “lower in the Top 30” guy.
Riley isn’t a sure thing, and Dansby only has one more year of control than Lindor, although he’d be more likely to re-sign.
Not a chance that Cleveland would take that trade bhambrave. A Lindor trade will have to help the Indians in 2020 and beyond and this does not come close.
Cleveland will always listen on a player, but they will set a high price and not deviate off of that price. All last offseason there were rumors on trades for Kluber and Bauer but nothing happened due to no one meeting Cleveland’s price. Bauer was traded at the deadline when someone met their price and Ckeveland cleaned up in the deal. I anticipate Francisco Lindor being a Cleveland Indian in 2020.
I kinda agree with HockeyJohn here. I think Lindor is “available” in the sense of the Indians will listen, and won’t hang up. They’re going to need to be wowed though, and can’t say I blame them. For Atlanta, it may not make sense to do the wowing because they both have sorta the same needs moving forward.
Colorado needs/wants young pitching, which might make for a better trade fit. I’d also put Betts ahead of Lindor as a fit, although not an especially likely one.
Braves should sign bumgartner. They lose 2 starters and don’t have a clear replacement.
exactly…everyone keeps saying he’s not MadBum of old…who cares?!?!…Rather have him out there every 5th game than Teheran, Kuechal nor depending the inconsist Folty or Fried to stop the bleeding of a losing streak
Not trying to be smart here, but is he that much better than Tehran now? We’re not doing a career comparison, but a here and now; and really, moving forward. The MadBum from 2014 isn’t walking onto the mound at STP, if they sign him. He’s got so many red flags, which is why I hope Atlanta goes nowhere near him.
In Alex we trust. When he can smell playoffs he is not afraid to make moves.
I don’t think Donaldson is returning to the braves. Too much money. Plus donaldson’s health was good last year but he can be injury prone. I am not giving him a 3 year deal.
I hate the Acuna deal for Acuna. The Braves got him on the cheap through 2027. I can’t help but think he would have made much more in arbitration looking at the $27.7 million Mookie Betts stands to make this season. He might have some attitude issues but nothing a young player won’t grow out of and he’s one of only a few guys with that kind of all around skill set.
Acuna liked it, so who are we to argue? If he gets injured in Spring Training and is out of baseball, then he’d only have made about $1M. He’s got lifetime security.
The time is right for trades and we may be surprised to see who is available.
Braves need Starters (2), Third Baseman, Outfielder, Reinforcement at Short.
Last year Seattle was dealing and they did not go far enough as they watched Haniger value tumble while he lost a contract year. Mitch Haniger will be available through a trade this winter. Marco Gonzalez started off with four straight wins and pitched well most of the year. These players will not be around when the Seattle has a window for their division. Braves could acquire the left-handed starter and power hitting young-cheap outfielder for replacements and a top prospect. Seattle would send Mitch Haniger and Marco Gonzalez to Atlanta for Adam Duvall or Ender Inciarte, Kyle Wright and Bryce Wilson. Both Haniger and Gonzalez step in as contributors and the Braves can afford to lose both pitching prospects. If additional assets required put Alex Jackson in the deal.
Next the Braves need to deal with the payroll conscience Oakland A’s. Matt Chapman is the key target along with Sean Manaea. Chapman fits the bill with both offense and defense credentials; however, he has significant value and will not be acquired cheap. Manaea was injured most of the year but came back and showed he is recovered. Oakland sends Manaea and Chapman to the Braves with Christian Pache, Johan Camargo, Ian Anderson and Braden Shewmake going to the Bay. The Braves still have Drew Waters, who is probably better than Pache is waiting in the wings for the next outfield opening. Ian Anderson trade hurts but Sean Manaea is a couple years closer to TOR status. Shewmake and Camargo are solid replacement for Chapman.
Roster would be WS caliber with:
Lineup: Acuna, R, CF; Albies, S, 2B; Freemen, L, 1B; Chapman, R, 3B; Haniger, R, RF; Markakis, L, LF; d’Arnauld, R, C; Swanson, R, SS
Starters: Soroka, Fried, Manaea, Gonzalez, Foltynewicz
Bullpen: Melancon, Smith, Martin, Newcomb, O’Day, Muller, Jackson, Minter
Bench: Flowers, Culberson, Hechavarria, Riley. Duvall or Inciarte
Backup: Dayton, Webb, Walker, Toussaint, Sobotka, Ynoa at Gwinnett.
Top Prospects Remaining: Waters, Langeliers, Contreras, De La Cruz, Weigel, Davidson, Jenista, Riley, Harris, Alexander, Graffanino, Hernandez, Jackson
I think you’re undervaluing the Seattle and Oakland players.
Seattle gets two young cheap pitchers for one old expensive pitcher plus the Haniger replacement with an outfielder or two plus a catcher. May be enough to get the deal done. Oakland traded Donaldson at the same point in his career as Chapman, so maybe history repeats plus Pache is extremely valuable as well as Anderson. Maybe the A’s are getting the better part of the deal.
As a Braves fan, I feel like that Oakland deal is awful for both sides. The A’s are in a contending window. It might be small, but still. Just because they’re frugal doesn’t mean you sell that off. On the Braves side, I’m not trading away a package that heavy when I can just sign Donaldson and Hamels. Why give up a potential ace and all star OF?
The Seattle trade seems fair, but I don’t think the M’s do it. Why sell low on Haniger from their perspective? They believe in him because they held onto him. I think they only deal him for an overpay, and there’s just too much risk for an overpay there.
Braves are probably out of the Free Agent market after the spending that has already been done. Every year we hear talk about signing an outfield bat but it never happens. Hamels is not the answer. If the Braves can spend, then the move to make is to go all the way for Gerritt Cole (Maddux redux).
Oakland is a playoff contender. Why would they trade Chapman? Think of the needs of both teams. Oakland would never do that. Seattle would likely want more value as Duval and Inciarte add little to Seattle to interest them.
@Backatit, Waters is not even close in skill set as Pache. If you actually keep up with the Braves you should know that. It’s been said by coaches, scouts, and front office people with the Braves that Pache is very close in potential as Andruw Jones was.
Waters went head to head with Pache in 2019 and beat his brains out. Waters was player of the year, not Pache- nuff said.
Waters is the more well-rounded player, with more advanced offense and base-running, but Pache is the better defensive CF.
Both trades are light, especially the Oakland ‘offer.’ that package might get you Chapman alone but not both Chap and Manaea
For Seattle, Dipoto isn’t about to sell low on Haniger and including either Duvall or Inciarte is pointless as Seattle’s OF is already overcrowded.
Bumgarner or the offseason is a complete failure.
I think you misspelled and in that sentence. It’s not o-r, it’s a-n-d. Bumgarner and the offseason is a complete failure. Fixed it!
He will give us a no.4 or 5 starter. There is nothing he can do that Cole Hamels can’t for a smaller commitment. It’s rediculous that you tie the entire offseason on Bumgarner.
Bumgartnrr won’t sign until Gerrit cole does or vera visa. Bumgartnrr or Cole for the braves, keep the prospects, that’s what got them there.
I agree but the Braves don’t care to get a true ace. Bumgarner is the next one up.
Did I miss BumgarnerequalsNLCS response to this article? He’s the first ordained minister of the Church of Bumgarner seeing as his view of Bumgarner is based on faith and not fact.
As much as I want Donaldson back, I’m not sure they would be able to spend on a quality SP at that point
I wonder just how much it would take to get both Kluber and Lindor from Cleveland.
Forget that the braves are going to make some change for kluber and lindor They should make a big change g.cole there is available, but they won’t do anything It is always saving money and giving us false hopes I will give you this year nothing more. To make the same ridicule they did in this past postseason, I will say Goodbye And I repeat them if they don’t make the necessary change for a quality starter pitcher we are lost We will happen the same and the same and the same it’s like a horror movie Braves have money, stop being so careful and sign the best in truth this thing of no and nothing will be done anymore I’m tired of seeing them act like this they have been years
Punctuation would go a long way in helping people understand WTF you are saying.
The braves aren’t going to make any changes.
Forget about that.
thoughts?
Best lineup configuration ( vs LHP)
Ronald Acuna CF – R
Ozzie Albies 2B – S
Freddie Freeman 1B – L
Adam Duvall – RF – R
Austin Riley – LF – R
Johan Camargo – 3B – S
Travis D’Arnaud – C – R
Pitcher
Dansby Swanson SS – R
Bench
Tyler Flowers – C
Ender Inciarte – CF
Nick Markakis – LF/RF
Backup Middle Infielder ???
2nd Backup Infielder/3rd Catcher
Best lineup configuration ( vs RHP)
Ronald Acuna – RF – R
Nick Markakis – LF – L
Freddie Freeman – 1B – L
Ozzie Albies – 2B – S
Johan Camargo – 3B – S
Dansby Swanson – SS – R
Tyler Flowers – C – R
Pitcher
Ender Inciarte – CF – L
Bench
Austin Riley – LF/3B/1B
Travis D’Arnaud – C
Adam Duvall – LF/RF
Backup Middle Infielder ???
2nd Backup Infielder/3rd Catcher
If thats our lineup we have no shot – Duvall batting fourth? Assume we will have either Donaldson or someone similar. Why pay Smith, Hame;s and a catcher if thats the lineup.